2352 yards for £4.95? Don't mind if I do!

Are you intrigued by this week's title? Well I'm rather proud of myself. I've just started watching Joanna in her video podcast Knit Spin Farm. She's a lovely woman, great personality and its been wonderful following her year in farming. I've just caught up to the beginning of January this year, but a few episodes ago Joanna bought a jumper from Good Will for $2. She proceeded to unpick it and reclaim the yarn. Hum.... I thought. I could do that! So yesterday I went foraging in the charity shops in Penrith. Granted the sunniest day so far this year, is perhaps not the best time to look for jumpers, but I was not disappointed. I found a jumper which was 70% silk, 18% cotton and 12% cashmere. The fabric was in great condition with few bobbles and no pulls. So it came home with me!

I was a good girl, I completed my jobs before I allowed myself the time to play with my latest acquisition. It was a lovely afternoon and I sat outside with my unpicking tool and set to work. Now, with 50:50 hindsight, next time I'll buy a jumper with fewer pieces. This one had a cowl neckline, it's what drew my eye it it to be honest, the drape of the fabric was lovely; but all these pieces meant lots of joins in the skein. As I unraveled the fabric, I wound it into a ball, knotting the yarn together as I went - don't panic, when I knit the yarn I'll join it nicely! After I finished I then wound it onto my niddy-noddy and left it over night. Next came a good soak and rinse, a spin in the washing machine, and it's out on the line drying. Hopefully some of the crinkle will relax. I'm delighted with the result and I can feel a second Evenstar in my water!

Other things happening this week? Not a lot! I've been looking for a hotel, my boy is off on a school residential trip to London next weekend, so I thought it'd be nice if my other half and I got away for a break too. We don't have time together. Ever! Fingers crossed I can find a good hotel, with a great restaurant, in a pretty place, and we can have some time away on our own. If nothing else, I'd like to be distracted from the fact my baby will be 8 hours away from me for 5 days! Gulp!

I've been a handy kind of girl this week too. Whenu, my wheel, has nasty clunks and rattles. She's always had them. I don't mind, but it drives my other half mad when he's trying to watch the TV and I'm clattering beside him. The noise is caused by the fact the bobbin is so much shorter than the flyer shaft it's mounted on. Now, it has to be shorter, else there would be friction and the bobbin wouldn't spin freely, but I spin very thin on the standard whorls which involves high speed peddling. I think that this speed means that the bobbin wobbles more and bangs on the top and bottom to the flyer shaft. I originally solved this problem with 2 small metal washers. They took up some of the slack on the flyer while still allowing free movement of the bobbin. A cunning plan I hear you say? Well, yes and no. I cured one clack and replaced with with a completely different rattle. This was because I needed 2 washers to take up the space needed. If I put them together, they jangled when I spin. If I put them at each end to the bobbin, they rattled on the edges of the flyer. Matthew's disapproving huffs and moans signaled to me that another solution must be found. A trip to the local DIY shop later and Whenu's moans are cured. I spent the princely sum of £1.28 and bought a packet of 1/2" rubber hose washers from the plumbing section. They are a similar width to my original metal washers but they don't shake, rattle and roll!

I think summer may have finally arrived in Cumbria. This afternoon, once I'd completed my jobs, Whenu and I sat outside on the swing seat and I spun for a while. The view was stunning, the birds where singing and all was right with the world.

What's felt the love -

I'd been monogamously knitting on the Walking socks until they where finished.  Now they're washed, blocked and ready to raffle. I've sold quite a few tickets, so I think I'll keep them on sale until the end of next week and then raffle them off on Friday.

I'd also done quite a bit if spinning this week, I'm now about half way through the third 1/8 of the Cornfield polwarth I'm fractally spinning. I'm so pleased with my consistency. It's coming out so thin.  I'm confident that I'll have a true laceweight when I finish. Normally my yarn will hover between lace and light fingering through the skein, but I think this could count as lace right through. Just need to keep it up! Here is the progress so far!

Once the Walking socks were done, I picked up the Rejected socks again. I'm loving this yarn! I've finally found the ball band and it's Lang Yarn's Jawoll Magic Degrade it's a gorgeous self striping yarn with the most devine colour changes! I'm addicted to knitting these socks as I can't wait to see which colour comes out of the yarn next! LOVE IT! I'm hoping that it wears well as it's a single ply sock weight yarn.

So then..... next week -

I'd love to get started on the second single of the Polwarth.  I'd love to re-kindle my mojo for the Wisteria jumper, and I'd like to see which colour comes next on the Rejected socks!

Happy days

Have a great week guys x