Pot of Gold at the End of the Rainbow
While there hasn't been a lot of knitting around here lately, there has been a little bit. Look what finally got to be blocked this weekend?
This scarf is about .8 ounces of hand dyed BFL roving spun into a lace weight single. It ended up about 5 foot long and a little over 8" wide the way I blocked it. Pretty respectable length for a small amount of wool.
Stretched out and basking in the sunshine, it occured to me that this scarf would also make a nice table or dresser runner. I am pleased by the fact that the garter stitch bars still stand out a bit after blocking. I am even more pleased by the fact that while the striping is not random in terms of color order, that the widths of the stripes are quite random. This is due to both my spinning and to the fact that I did not spin from exactly equal pieces of roving. I do like the effect.
A more classic, if slightly skewed, shot of the scarf just being a scarf. After blocking, the lace holds its shape quite well. No picture of me wearing this thing because, well, it's an 80 degree day here in Chicago. Not really wool scarf weather. Plus, the husband was out doing some yardwork.
No "look what I made" post would be complete without a closeup of the lace pattern after the project was blocked. I cast off the project in the loosest and sloppiest way that I could. Made a big difference in terms of being able to get nice shaping on the cast-off edge. I am not as pleased with the edges of the scarf. I should have added a few selvedge stitches to the edge. As the scarf gets worn, I doubt that will be something I notice much. So it doesn't really bother me too much.
The thing that turned out to be a pleasant surprise is that both the back and front of this scarf are attractive to look at. And actually don't look that different from each other unless you are quite close to the scarf. Another little benefit of blocking the bejeezus out of lace -- the difference between stockinette and reverse stocknette becomes somewhat blurred.
So now I can say that I have actually turned some of my handspun into something! How cool is that?
WOW! It turned out utterly gorgeous. How very wonderous to see something so beautiful created by your hands from start to finish (aside from growing the wool, of course). THat is a very cool accomplishment, and I thank you for sharing it with us!
it is very beautiful, and i am very glad that you chose to take some close ups of the blocked scarf.
Congrats on your very first project from your handspun! It's quite an exhilerating feeling, isn't it? It's beautiful Theresa! Thank you for sharing the photos with us!
The pattern and the colors (and the photos) are stunning!
Gorgeous! It turned out great!
Beautiful! Very cool that you used your handspun.
Iamnotgoingtospin. Iamnotgoingtospin. Ihavenotimetospin.
Your handspun scarf is absolutely gorgeous! I've got some silk/merino roving that I might have to spin in up in a lace weight. And I love the Sunset colorway. It's very warm and rich. I look forward to see how the rest of your dyeing experiments spin up!
Gorgeous!
Any idea how many yards were needed for the scarf?
Your scarf is stunning. How exciting it must be to turn your own yarn into such a lovely accessory.
Very cool indeed !
You have every reason to be very proud of the spinning and knitting.
It's fantastic ! Truly fab !
What a beautiful, one-of-a-kind scarf. You've really created a masterpiece!
What a gorgeous scarf!
It is a beautiful scarf.
That is so BEAUTIFUL! I love the colors, and the pattern. I really want to learn to spin, and dye and all that. I love any multicolored bright yarn.
It's very cool! That lace pattern is perfect for breaking up the stripey-ness and making it more sophisticated!
Gorgeous! You are now officially a "spinster"!
Absolutely beautiful! I love the non-random random stripes, and the lace pattern really shows off the yarn. GREAT job!
I am SO glad that you are pleased with the results. I have always thought it was gorgeous but I know that WAAAAAAY back when, you had some concerns. Yeah for FO's!!!
Thanks for the nice words, everyone. I definitely feel like it was a little victory for me. As to being a spinster... well, my husband might not like that very much ;-)
And what a great feeling to do something FULLY from start to finish.
It's beautiful. You're making me want to start coloring.
STOP IT! (not really)
I can barely keep up with the yarn I have.
So cool!
Its breathtakingly beautiful. I love the fade of the colors from one to the next. Thanks for sharing. I've never knit anything with my handspun singles. I always end up plying them. Perhaps I need to rethink this strategy...
Tanya
wow what a beautiful job!
Very pretty scarf ! The colour is gorgerous !
SO PRETTY! It turned out just amazing. Tell the weather to hurry up and cool down so we can see it on you :)