California Red sheep are a cross between American Tunis and Barbados Blackbelly sheep. I obtained a pound of California Red  from Apple Rose farms in New Jersey.  The wool is a warm oatmeal colour with raspberry hairs scattered throughout.

I spun the fleece just as it was when it arrived, with a fair bit of lanolin still  in it.  The smell and feel of the almost natural state of the fleece is like aromatherapy for me (it had been washed somewhat before being carded and shipped). Using my Fricke single tread spinning wheel I spun it with a Z twist following Judith MacKenzie’s advice for spinning woolen yarn in her DVD A Spinner’s Toolbox .

I plied 3 strands together, S twist, to create a lofty, warm yarn with plenty of bounce.

At this point, the yarn was still ‘greasy’ and felt too heavy so I scoured it well, using Calgon water softener (our tap water is very hard) and Woolite detergent.  I soaked and rinsed the skeins 3 separate times until the water ran clear and the yarn fluffed up.

I chose Susan B. Anderson’s 45 Minute Mitten Pattern to knit a pair of super warm, chunky mitts with my handspun California Red yarn, for those cold winter days when I’m on playground supervision. I’m talking minus 20 degrees celsius temperatures where I live! I’m confident these mitts are up to the challenge.

I won’t say I’m looking forward to those kinds of frigid temperatures; they’ll be upon us soon enough. But when the mercury plunges, I’ll be ready with these cozy mitts, thanks to the sheep that produced such luscious fiber.

I’ve spun 3 skeins of chunky yarn with the fleece so far and plan to spin a finer yarn with the remainder. This wool would also be very suitable for hats, scarves and lighter weight mitts.  The long red hairs in the fiber are slightly scratchy so I wouldn’t use it for a sweater or any garment that involves large areas of skin contact but for warm outerwear and easy spinning, California Red is a great fiber choice.

One blustery day last fall, I wrapped myself up in my  Hestia shawl to take my little Kinders out for recess. Huddled against the cold September wind, it occurred to me that a cardigan made with this same luxurious alpaca yarn would be pure comfort.

And so… Solace was born.  The yarn is 2 ply, 100% alpaca from Legacy Studio in Cochrane, Alberta.  I love the natural, rich, russet brown colour.

Keeping in mind alpaca’s tendency to stretch with wear, I knit the cuffs, bottom edge, collar and button bands in a firm cable and rib pattern.

The construction method is top down, with the body knit back and forth on a circular needle and the sleeves knit on 4 dpn’s.  This yarn is a pure pleasure to knit with and the sweater is as  cozy and warm as I had hoped for.

Happy Knitting Trails!

HATS BEFORE SEWING UP

While listening to the Knit Picks podcast for March 31, entitled Sensational Sock Yarns, I was reminded of another great way to use up all those bits of sock yarn left over from various projects.

I cleared out a basket full of fine weight yarn bits last year by making these machine knit toques for charity.  With this pattern you can make a hat in about an hour. You end up with a double layer of fabric for a very cosy and colourful hat.

Due to the fact that the hat is folded in on itself, it’s very forgiving of colour changes and random striping.  As long as I avoided glaringly obvious colour clashes, every hat I made turned out looking great.

My (old) knitting machine only cooperates with fine yarns so these hats are a perfect way for me to get some use out of it, use up my sock yarn bits and, best of all, keep someone’s head warm.

Numerous things have conspired to keep me from posting the past 3 months or so, not the least of which is my return to work as a full time Kindergarten teacher. I’m having more fun as a teacher than I’ve had in 20 years but, at my age, a full day in the classroom with nineteen 4-5 year olds uses up all of my energy reserves, leaving very little for putting words to paper or, more accurately, words to blog.

I’m still knitting or spinning everyday; sometimes joyfully, sometimes methodically and, at times, completely mindlessly.

Recent finished projects include ‘Smith’ the Hedgehog for a colleague who will have her first baby soon.  This is a Ysolda pattern, available here.

In the throes of a very cold Canadian winter, I picked up my needles and some stash yarn one weekend and worked up this hot water bottle cover. Forget heating pads and electric blankets…for me the ultimate winter comfort is an old fashioned hot water bottle. I plan to post the pattern for this simple cover soon.

On my needles presently are a 100% Alpaca cardigan, of my own design, knit top down, and a Fair Isle pillow which makes use of an old Kaffe Fasset chart and Kauni multicoloured yarn, for a dramatic, yet easy, Fair Isle effect.

I’m hopeful that I’ll get these 2 projects written into pattern instructions and posted here, in the not too distant future, as well.

My creative voice is still alive and well in me somewhere; it’s having to share space with a roomful of little ones, 3 dogs and a family at present.

I recently discovered this book at my local library and liked so many of the patterns in it that I bought the book for myself.

It’s full of easy and fun hat projects, most of which can be crocheted in an evening or two.

The designer is Afya Ibomu. Her crocheted hats are popular with numerous celebrities and yet she’s no yarn snob. She recommends using worsted weight yarns of all varieties, from bargain store  to luxury brands.

Her directions are all well written and easy to follow, with gorgeous and inspiring pictures. I had to buy the book because I found myself wanting to crochet all the hats featured!

In the past month I’ve completed 4 of the patterns, 1 for a gift and 3 for charity.

My favourite is the Skully. Knit in variegated yarn, this hat works up quickly into an interesting, toque styled hat. Rather than being crocheted in the round, it’s worked side to side, creating a unique line.

Get Your Crochet On! is available through Amazon. For approximately $20 CDN, I got a treasure trove of hat patterns which will keep me crocheting for some time.