Guest Yarn: Show-and-Tell

I haven't been updating because there's nothing new - I've just been quietly knitting along on my Nuclear Pumpkin sweater. It's coming along nicely, though! I'll admit that the bottom hem is not perfect but a number of people threatened me with death if I ripped it out again, claiming that "it gives them a heart attack." Fine. (Probably I should not have even put that word "again" in there, because they didn't know about the first two times I redid it. Ahem.)

Anyway, since Jennifer is very busy and shy about starting a blog of her own, I thought I'd feature some of the stuff she's been up to! Jennifer, too, has been spinning her own yarn, using a Schacht spindle (At least I think it's a Schacht; it was actually mine once-upon-a-time, but Jennifer commandeered it when I got my wheel.)

First we have a yarn that Jennifer dyed herself. This picture is not remotely color accurate; the colors are pastels and they are more vibrant and varied. Jennifer called this "Happy Accident" yarn because it didn't come out the way she intended when she dyed it, but she was really pleased with the results of the finished yarn. I believe she was even thinking about entering this yarn in some sort of "Alice In Wonderland" contest, which I thought was perfect - in real life, these colors look like something out of the Mad Hatter's tea party.
When I interview Jen about "Happy Accident", she said, "The wool is a bit rougher than I wanted, but it worked out fine for a hat that I knitted, which looks like a big gum drop. That dye job was the first time I used food coloring and the colors didn't come out right. I was wanting dark colors (greens, yellows & browns); nope, none of that!"

The next yarn, I believe, was Jen's first attempt at spindle-spinning, using a commercial carded batt. Her FIRST ATTEMPT. Does anyone remember my first attempt at spindle spinning? Yeah, it was scary. But of course JENNIFER comes up with a nice, even, perfectly serviceable, soft skein of gorgeous green-blue yarn. How is that fair?

Next we have a bulky weight heathery-purple yarn that Jennifer spun from Mauch Chunky roving. I love the twist she puts into her yarns; it looks so professional!
Jennifer actually got me some of this roving, too, in two different colors. (You can see them by clicking on the link above; mine are Blueberry Ice and Huckleberry and I'm going to combine them when I spin it.)

I think Jennifer is getting closer and closer to adopting a wheel of her own. I cannot wait! She has her eye on a Fricke wheel that's already equipped with a WooLee Winder at a very good price. (I am going to be so jealous of her, but that's okay; I will just find excuses to "help" her with her spinning.)