Machine Knitting Handspun Yarn
Last weekend was the Sheepdog Trials event in Kingston at Grass Creek Park. It’s an annual event in which I have taken part for years. I have a lovely time and my work travels back to far flung places such as the US and Australia!
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| The skein I was handed. |
One of my favourite parts is the Sheep to Shawl event where Handspinner/Weaver guilds race to the finish working on a woven shawl which starts with a fleece straight from the sheep. I stood watching for a while, chatting to the spinners saying that my Mum once spun be a tiny bit of yarn to work on the knitting machine and I wondered if a knitting machine would qualify for the ‘shawl’ part of the sheep to shawl….rules inspected – No. Anyway they would have to spin way more to compensate for the warp that it already on the handweaving looms at a Sheep to Shawl.
At the end of the day one of the spinners handed me a skein of yarn they had spun after the event especially for me to give it a try. I brought it home and washed it in Eucalan, not a big wash so it still smelled a bit of ‘sheep’ but lots of ‘guck’ came out. Here it is hanging on my washing line.
Here is is dried and ready to wind and knit.
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| Small ball. |
Here it is on the knitting machine, I had to be careful as the fluff in the yarn kept getting caught on the brushes so I had to pull it tight as the carriage came close to the work.
I used my Brother 930 with a lace pattern on Tension 5.
Here is my finished swatch using the whole skein and then steam pressing it. I may wash it again to see if I can soften it up and get the rest of the ‘sheep’ smell out (which I actually like!)
that is really cool Carolyn. I like the lace pattern you used on it. Sounds like you had a fun time at the sheep dog trials.