I totally wore myself out with my spinning escapades this morning (it doesn’t take much to totally wear me out right now, though), so I barely have the energy to write a blog post, but I’m just so giddy about this that I have to post something:
I made useable yarn! This morning (day four of my spinning career) I started back up where I’d left off yesterday, and got my spindle pretty full (that’s the picture on the top left). I’m really proud of how relatively even my last two days of spinning has been…it’s a pretty solid heavy worsted weight. I decided I wanted to give plying another go, so I wound what I had into a center-pull ball, and plied from both ends. It’s not the world’s most even plying job, but it actually worked out pretty well, and when I skeined it up, it hung all nicely and balanced. So I was naughty, and didn’t set my twist….I know, I know, but it was only like, 10 yards of yarn, and I really just wanted to play around with knitting it up. After I plied, it became a delightfully fluffy super-bulky, knitting up at about 2sts/inch. I made a useless little strip of stockinette (with a garter ridge, just because I felt like it), which I will proudly hang on to as my first object knitted with yarn I made all by myself.
Oh, and lest anyone worry that this is turning into a spinning blog, I am most definitely still knitting. The problem is, my current project looks like this:
It’s going to be gorgeous, but there’s only so many times I can post a picture of a lump of lace. I did my best to try to spread it out, but there’s just too much on the needles right now:
At least in that picture you can sort of see the center panel of ferns, though they’re sort of squished. I’ve only got a couple more ferns to go, and then I’m on to the border lace. I can’t wait until I get this finished and can block it out all the way…and then see it on my lovely future sister-in-law. The wedding is less than a month away now, so I won’t have to wait long (but I need to get cranking, because the rows just keep getting longer).
whit::knits 
Congrats on the yarn! It looks beautiful!
Both the yarn and the lace are looking great!
Oooh! That yarn is so pretty and fluffy. Your shawl is looking gorgeous too, you’ve gotten really far on it!
i think it looks great :) both then yarn and the shawl!
wow – that lace is amazing!!!!
and the yarn – that will be something super cozy!
The yarn is looking so nice! Look at how pretty your lace is!
Good for you … I should follow your lead and just jump in!
For whatever reason, your posts were not updating in my bloglines. I can’t belive I missed all this spindling action! I love drop spindling, though it has fallen by the wayside with my new wheel acquisition; but, it must be said. You are doing pretty great! That is some great “usable yarn!” And that lace…it makes me want to cast on lace right now. Must. Say. No.
Wow, yarn! I threw away my first yarn, or put it into a charity hat, or something. You will get better. And a wheel is really easier…
so pretty! what an accomplishment – it looks so fluffy :)
The first thing you knit with your own handspun is definitely a milestone. Congrats! The shawl looks like it’s coming along very nicely. It’s going to be gorgeous.