Undyed blue-face leicester spun and plied to about a sport weight and knit on very large needles (15 I think). Pattern from Spin-off 2004 - finished around that time - worn on many occasions but the photo is recent! Soft, warm, functional and elegant.
Recently in Hand-spun Category
After about 2 1/2 years (and about 1 year not working on it) the Peacock Shawl is complete! I had spun silver alpaca (baby I think, but it's been awhile) sport weight, and there seemed to be more than enough, but.. I did run out, got more fiber, spun it, and continued on. Fortunately I didn't run out again, as the place I originally purchased it, and where I learned spinning, no longer operates as a retail establishment :-( . Heavenly soft fiber, and a dream to spin. After blocking, the true size revealed itself: 115" across the top x 55.5" down the center.
Lot's of pins (and patience) needed here!
Just barely fitting in the picture...
My mom inspired the choice of fiber and also chose the pattern - great choice!
Pattern available here: http://www.fiddlesticksknitting.com/
I had concerns about fit halfway down the leg, because the cable and lace don't really stretch. However the straight knitting on the sole balanced it out, and it fits great! This sock knit up faster than than most because of the two-ply hand-spun yarn (same as dyed with onion skins) which is thicker than standard sock yarn. I used size 1 dp needles.
First, the Blue Face leicester was dyed in a bath of boiling onion skins, (with the expert assistance of cooking guru Auntie Ruth), then the Romney/Mohair blend (from Lindsey's sheep) was dyed in the leftover bath, resulting in a lower saturation of color.
I think it's interesting that the actual onion and the yielding dye differ in color (copper pink to golden yellow)
The two wools were spun, then plied together to create the subtle color blending you see above and below.
Here is a single ply of just the Leister wool in the first dye bath - the color is more straightforward and simply golden...
And closeup:
The cashmere and wool were spun separately, then plied together. This cardigan was knit for a new baby.
Blue Face leicester dyed in the wool using onion skins...future socks?
