Episode 138 Live: Copenhagen Cardigan (FO)

Thank you for being here today, especially those who were able to make it to the Live Stream. I appreciate your time spent here in this place and me. I hope you feel most welcome because you are welcome here.

In today’s show, we chat about our community’s contribution to our ongoing spinning projects – our 51 Yarns SAL and Zero to Hero Make-along. It’s so wonderful to see everyone making such amazing things!  Next, we chat about a finished object (FO), which is my Copenhagen Cardigan, designed by Petite Knits. I’m in love with this cardigan! And finally, we touch on some progress on my Shifty Cardigan (by Andrea Mowry), as well as the sampling process for my No Frills Cardigan (also by Petite Knits).

Enjoy the show!

Live Chat Assistance here.

Attentive Spinners! Be sure to sign up for the Doodle to be part of Wool n’ Spinning Radio in the new year! We will be working on Word Prompt episodes and if you are a part of the Attentive Spinner tier – you are invited to join!!

Giveaway

For February, I’ll be sending out ~4oz of Shetland in pin-drafted form from Disdero Ranch in Tappen, BC. Please enter in the February Episode Thread and answer Amy’s question: what is the item that you made that you love to wear the most and why?

Breed & Colour Studies

In December’s newsletter, I shared the beginnings of my Breed & Colour Study thoughts that will be vlogged about in the How I Spin content beginning January 2020. For the initial thoughts, please have a look here (YouTube).

Community Participation

Zero to Hero Make-Along

Christina (Louisette47) says:

Have most of my Polwarth fleece washed, approx. two thirds combed (resting my wrists for now), have spun, dyed and knit a sample/swatch so just lots of spinning now for my zero to hero project although I do have some little projects on the side.

51 Yarns – Group A –Corespun, Coils & Supercoils (Yarns no. 24 & 25)

Megan (@lykkemeg, post no. 911) says:

So, these are not my types of yarns! I like the fast-smooth rhythmic treadling part of spinning, not the slow and manipulative side! so these were more of a struggle for me than the other yarns. i don’t have great samples, but I did try them. I spun some corespun with knit picks pallete as the core as this has some very low twist and used some merino roving for the outside. I think if i was going to spin more i would run the fiber through the drum carder first as i think a lighter airier prep would facilitate the spinning more.

I tried to get coils/cocoons in several different ways. i watched some videos spinning them from a corespun yarn, spinning them with an extra blob of fiber into a singles, and spinning them from batts while corespinning at the same time. I struggled with a lot of these. the most success i had was making them on my breed and color study yarn with first spinning a thick and thin yarn and then making the coils while spiral plying.

I also tried a supercoil, but I found them too consuming…too time consuming and too fiber consuming. not sure what I would do with such a dense yarn?

oh, and as a final experiment, i plied some of my corespun together. this was actually my favorite of the bunch (i really like plied yarns and i don’t really like working with singles, so this actually makes sense for my own preferences). i could see weaving with something like that.

You all have made some very beautiful yarns that I have enjoyed looking at! as for myself, I’m ready to move on:)

51 Yarns – Group B – Medium Wools (Yarn no. 2)

@Palmikkopuu, post no. 154 says:

My second tryout of Polwarth is more like medium wool. I got a braid of organic Polwarth from a de-stash with colors much like the ones in the current breed and color studies. So, I may post something there later. I still have some of the fiber for trying the center pull ball kind of color management.
This dyed top felt a bit less soft but spinning was easy. So, my fine is Polwarth Corriedale blend I posted earlier and medium is pure Polwarth. Sounds odd, but I understand myself the logic. l am starting to think about Shifty cardigan with handspun. You don’t have to guess my inspiration. I am thinking of tonal green yarn as main colour and this for the cc of slipped stiches. I have to calculate the meterage. I do not understand yards.

Thanks so much for sharing!

Finished Object – Knitting

Copenhagen Cardigan by Petite Knits

• Worked pockets – very different construction to what I’m used to! Need to sew and possibly tack down (will assess after the washing process
• Westcoast Colour Falkand, stripped and pre-drafted
• Moderate to high twist
• Traditional 2-ply, light fingering weight
• Will be knit with Mohair/Silk blend from local dyer – Farmers’ Daughter Yarns

Works in Progress – Knitting

Shifty by Andrea Mowry

• Started knitting as a sample – worked back neck row short rows
• Started with combo-plied yarn at neck but regretting not starting with the combo-draft for less striping
• Part of my capsule wardrobe/Make Nine that we will be discussing in The Wool Stream
• Sampling from Breed & Colour Study Finn yarn from January 2018 – extensive blog post here
• Yarns were traditional 2-ply yarns, spun short-backward

Sampling

No Frills Cardigan by Petite Knits

• Sampling from raw fleece from Fleece Auction back in June 2019 – washed
• Combing on hackle, using small amount of lavender spray due to static & ‘frizz’
• Pulling off beautiful clouds of fibre – loving the prep
• Spun both a 2- and 3-ply but want a 3-ply for the sweater due to wear and tear
• 32 WPI singles, pre-washed – 3-ply yarn 16 WPI
• Pattern calls for DK @ 11WPI (two yarns held double in pattern)

Housekeeping

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Thank you so much for joining me today!

Until then, Happy Spinning!