I've been having fun with unspun roving lately! I've been working with Northern Lights space-dyed top from Louet. It is an unspecified wool that is 28 microns and is drafted into a narrow top and then stamped with color. When you predraft it for spinning or knitting the colors blend really nicely and look like they were handpainted. It is really easy to work with as unspun roving. I've been making samples to full. It turns out that I love making samples. I made eight swatches--four different needle sizes, two color ways, two samples for each needle size so that I could full one and keep one as the before sample.
So here you can see the two color ways worked up from left to right: US size 3, US size 6, US size 8 and US size 10 needles, with 2" ribbing, 2" stockinette, 2" garter, and 2" moss. The top samples are the fulled version. For the US size 3 version I split the top in half lengthwise before I pre-drafted the fiber.
And here are the mittens I knitted following the pattern in Ann Budd's "The Knitter's Handy Book of Patterns" (and that it is!) for the next to smallest size. I haven't fulled them yet. I'm working on a pair in the lollipops colorway right now on US size 10 needles. It fits me! Same pattern, just bigger needles.
1 comment:
How cool is that! You like, I mean really like, making samples! Oh, my gosh! Call the medics, get the guys in the white coats, we have a problem, Houston! Sorry, I always suspect people who like sampling! Gut reaction I guess! Breathe, Mary, Breathe!
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