I’m turning this:

Into this:

I don’t know why, but it took me a long time to take semi-decent photos of this finished sweater, even though I love it dearly and have been wearing it all the time.

The pattern is free from Unicorn Books and I knit it in Classic Silk from Classic Elite. It was a fun knit and with those strong vertical seams, is extremely flattering. Who knew drop shoulders could work so well on me?

I did end up having to block the heck out of it with my steam iron, though. The garter stitch was a bit too sturdy and compact when fresh off the needles. After steaming, the fabric opened up and is now full of drape and quite perfect.

This was my first time working with that yarn and I really enjoyed it. The silk and cotton blend is super soft and cushy, even without much elasticity. I like how it’s nubbly and slightly homespun looking, yet a lot softer than yarns like Rowan Summer Tweed. I would definitely use it again!

Speaking of homespun… here’s a glamour shot of one of those skeins of Jacob I’ve been spinning up.

As of last night, I have six skeins finished with approximately 650 yds in total. Surprisingly, each of the skeins is pretty consistent one to the next in terms of yardage, weight, and WPI. It’s looking like I’ll get a nice jackety cardigan out of it soon!

While I had initially decided to spin the yarn for the Bohus in More Big Girl Knits, after finishing the skeins, it’s too thick to work at that gauge. I’m getting a nice gauge of 3.75 sts per inch. So, I’ll be making up a pattern for myself instead. I might even call it Rustica. Hmmm.

I’ve been doing nothing but spinning for the past week. It all started during my last “Intro to Drop Spinning” class at the shop. The class was held on a blizzardly day and I only had two students, which meant we could play with some of the wheels after they got the hang of drafting. Something about seeing them “get” it for the first time made it impossible for me to forget just how much I love to spin.

So, I finally took my wheel home and bought a big bag of practical fiber (brown Jacob top) and began spinning for a project. I’d initially picked out the Bohus cardigan from More Big Girl Knits, but the Jacob wants to be spun a bit heavier. So, I’m still deciding if I should find another brown fiber for the body of the Bohus sweater and use the Jacob for something else, or if I should rework the Bohus numbers so I can use the Jacob.

Decisions, decisions!

There’s been a lot going on around these parts, and I feel like the spinning has definitely helped keep my stress levels in check. My dad is having his knee replacement surgery after all, and I’ll be heading back to St. Charles for a few weeks in May. That time period should also work out to be part of our next “two week wait” to find out if I’m pregnant. While I think it’ll be good to have some distractions, it’ll be weird to be away from Sandra during that time.

And then in June, we’re taking Cooper on a road trip to go camping around Washington and Oregon and to hit the Black Sheep Gathering while we’re there. I’ve never had enough time to spend in that part of the US, and I’m looking to explore it a little more deeply! Any suggestions of don’t-miss stops would be welcome!

(Oh, and in case you’re interested, the above fiber is some merino dyed by my friend Annie. I only had 100g and I spun up a big fat bobbin and navajo plied it.)