January Wrap-Up

Fiber Prep

• I blended approximately 2 pounds of fiber into rolags for a sweater spin.
• I have used my lock pop and Valkyrie wool combs to prep a handful of Corriedale nests for spinning at some point.  I'm aiming for slow and steady progress on this.

Spinning

Flatiron

• This month I spun batts of Oxford fleece.  I ended up with 357 g, 682 of a woolen spun 2-ply that is a DK/worsted weight.
• I dove right into my next project and have been spinning blending board rolags of mostly merino wool.  I have filled up 4 bobbins of singles.  I did ply the first bobbin so I could start swatching.  I would like to finish this project by the end of February.  I am aiming to spin at least 4 rolags a day, and if I stay on track I should be done spinning singles by about February 22 and will able to spend the last week of the month plying and finish the spinning portion of the project.

Kiwi 3

• I spun a 4 oz braid of dyed BFL and chain plied it.
• I spun 4 oz of Teeswater roving (another Save 'Em to Shave 'Em breed complete!)
• I plied all the Polled Dorset singles I had and created 5 skeins of yarn in various colors, 4 of the 5 are 3-ply.
• I began spinning some Knit Picks Stroll roving that I dyed.  I am aiming to make a 3-ply sock yarn.

Knitting

Finished

• A hat from the handspun BFL completed in early January
• Another handspun hat, this time from a yarn I spun in February 2020
• A sweater!  The sweater is Floof by Skeindeer Knits.  I knit it holding one strand of  Knit Picks Palette and one strand Knit Picks Aloft together.
• A pair of handspun socks.  These are from yarns spun from batts I created last February, designed with socks in mind.  It is mostly polled dorset, but there is mohair and silk and maybe some nylon in there too.  They are toe-up, fish lips kiss heel, basically a DK weight. 
• A pair of mittens.  The pattern is School Mittens by Janis Kristjansson and are knit holding three strands of sock yarn together.  I used two fingering weight and one sport weight yarns and ended up using up all the sport weight up towards the end of the second mitten and added in another sock yarn to finish it off. 

On the Needles

• Newleaf by Jennifer Steingass.  (Cast on 8/27/21)  I completed the yoke and divided for the sleeves.  I then put it the stitches on holders and washed to relax the yarn a bit and see how it is fitting.  I am using a cone of Jamison & Smith 2-ply jumper weight for the MC, but the CC is handspun so that part is a little unpredictable.  It looks good, so I will keep going and get the stitches back on the needles sometime in February.  The plan is to go ahead and knit both sleeves and then return to the body.
• Festive Sweater KAL Pullover by Skeindeer Knits. (Cast on 12/12/21)  I am just a few rows past dividing for the sleeves.  At this point I am done with colorwork and the rest of this will be pretty mindless.  It has taken the back burner since I will not want/need to wear it until December.  For this sweater I will finish the body first and then go pick up the sleeves.  This is also a cone of Jamison & Smith 2-ply jumper weight for the MC and I used 3 different CCs of  J&S 2-ply JW.
• Purse Socks (Cast on 9/??/21).  I have the rib done of the second sock (top down) and have worked a few rows of stockinette stitch on the leg.  I am in no hurry to complete these.
• Flax sweater by Tincan Knits.  (Cast on 1/12/21)  This is using handspun yarn from a Jacob fleece and is part of the Shave 'Em to Save 'Em Sweater Challenge which ends February 23.  I have finished all the white yarn and divided for the sleeves and am into the gray mix on the body. 
• World's Simplest Mittens by Tincan Knits.  (Cast on 1/23/21)  I am just trying to make a pair of mittens my middle child will wear.  The School Mittens I finished were one attempt, this is another.  I have the cuff of the first mitten done.
• I have a swatch going for the blending board merino sweater spin project.  It doesn't count as a project, but it is on the needles so I will list it here.