20 June 2012

Work-in-progress Wednesday - #9

This week has been another one of those weeks where projects have just been dragging by without much obvious progress, but before I know it I'll have another huge project finished.

I've got a few test knits going right now, so I sadly cannot show those (but they are all seriously awesome).

Knitting:
My Gaia is still just coming along slowly, I've just started the lace section which is much more entertaining than endless rows of stockinette stitch.  But the cotton/silk/nylon combination does make for a great summer project.

Spinning:
This Targhee fiber is really starting to annoy me (it is almost brittle?), but yesterday I finally finished the spinning portion of the project.  Next comes the plying, which I think will go by very quickly.

Misc:
Here is the progress on the cashmere sweater upcycling (this totally counts as a project).  My mother has become addicted to unraveling, I've been plying it because the strands are old enough that they snap without reinforcement.  This is going to be amazing to knit with, I can tell!


Also, I visited another thrift store in Newton, Kansas over the weekend and managed to pick up another cashmere sweater as well as a cotton one for a total of $6 (both are white for excellent dyeing opportunities).

That's all for now!  I hope to have something new to show you for next week.

I hope that you are all having a great Wednesday and I hope that you also join in for WIP Wednesday with Tami's Amis.

27 comments:

  1. oooh pretty sweater, i love the green!!! can't wait to see the test knits too :D

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  2. Gaia is gorgeous! I love the lace panel so far. I can't stand large stretches of stockinette either - they just seem to go on forever and you never get anywhere. I can read at the same time though so that's an advantage! I'm sorry the spinning has been horrible but the colour is gorgeous and I can't wait to see how it looks once it's plied. I'm glad your mum's haing fun frogging the sweater - I'm looking forward to seeing what you make with the yarn, and the other too - what a great bargin! :)

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  3. Man, you are addicted to upcyling! haha that's ok though because it's a very cool idea. And even though the yarn isn't super soft, that spinning looks really pretty. That's a lot of yarn though! I may end up close to the same with my merino/silk blend though! And I am so glad you finally defeated the stockinette on the sweater, it will be done in no time now!

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  4. The thought of unraveling old sweaters is interesting and I can imagine that it's satisfying to rip something apart and imagine what it could be made into.

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  5. The sweater upcycling definitely counts as a project. I can't believe you found two more!

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  6. You are SUCH a talented spinner! I'm terribly impressed with your yarn, and can't wait to see what you decide to spin with it. Also, great score on the sweaters!!

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  7. I like your project diversity. I'm so intrigued by the upcycling... but honestly have no idea how to unravel an old sweater. May I suggest a tutorial or maybe a few pictures? ;-)

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  8. You are like your own little indie wool/spinning/knitting studio! I love all your projects and am just in awe of your spinning. You keep inspiring me and I thank you for that!

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  9. You know I'm always on the lookout for something to upcycle but I have never yet found anything vaguely suitable. I love everything that you've shown here today. Hope you have a wonderful week with all your projects x

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  10. Gosh that first picture and yarn colour is just so gorgeous.

    Nina x

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  11. Gorgeous, gorgeous, gorgeous! I'll be really interested to see how that yarn looks when you've plied it together.

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  12. It looks like a huge amount of progress has been made on all of your projects to me. I find that big projects put you in a time warp where it feels like you've done absolutely nothing... which isn't true. You're moving at a breakneck pace.

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  13. Pretty projects, and I love that you are upcycling old sweaters--that is just too great!

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  14. That is such a pretty celery green for your Gaia. What patience you have to spin roving and then ply. Such great bargains on those sweaters to recycle for something even better.

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  15. Aahh, how lucky you are that your Mom does the unraveling. That would go along way towards speeding things up I'd think! That's awesome! I love cashmere, so I can't wait to see what you make!

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  16. Your summer projects are awesome. i'm just loving that spinning and the unraveled sweater is certainly going to be amazing!!!! I wonder what you will make with it?

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  17. It might not be much, but it all looks really cool!

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  18. The Targhee's colors are beautiful and it's all looking really good. I would love to learn how to spin.

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  19. You've been a busy girl! I don't know how you have the patience to spin by hand. It seems so hard to me! Anyway, everything is moving along and it's all about the journey right?! Enjoy!

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  20. ohh I love all the secret knitting, mostly when I get to see it! Go you with the upcycling, can't wait to see what you do with it!

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  21. I'm working with Targhee right now (http://www.theloopyewe.com/browse/roving/mountain-colors/), and I find it almost spongy. Any tips you can share?

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  22. The Gaia looks great and I totally hear you on the stockinette. Whilst it is quite nice to knit away without having to concentrate too much, it does get boring after a while. I look forward to see it finished as well as your use of the up-cycled cashmere

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  23. Oooh reclaimed pure cashmere! I've always wanted to try unraveling a sweater to reclaim the yarn, but so far haven't found any good candidates in the charity shops. Really love the colours of that handspun as well - I hope the texture improves upon plying...

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  24. Hi! I'm Angeliki and study physics in Athens! Found you via crochet nirvana! I read your about and thought we have similar interests! I recently started crocheting and like it a lot!I'm following!!
    Have a nice day,
    Angeliki

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  25. That is a whole lot of stuff going on Ivy. You Gaia is looking beautiful. Can't wait to see your test knits!

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  26. I LOVE the color you're using for the Gaia. Looks like a perfect summer knit.

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  27. Your projects sound very interesting! I was born in Newton! And I still have family there. It is a small world. Can't wait to see what your other projects are.

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