Diversions…
I must confess, the socks are currently in time out. You need to be in a certain mood or frame of mind to handle ripping back on socks knit on US0s I think. At least if you didn’t have the foresight to put in a lifeline before trying a new-to-you heel technique. With the heat I just was not there yesterday. So, I diverted myself with the project I cast-on at SnB on Monday night. I ripped it out and started it two more times since then. There have also been points where I have ripped back about 12 rows on this. But, that is part of designing on the fly so I was okay with that. Plus, it is on US2 and wool so ripping back and picking back up isn’t nearly as daunting.
When I spun this yarn I did an experiment. One of the yarn cakes had the singles spun just from the pre-drafted roving. The other cake was spun from the roving (in the same direction) split in two and then pre-drafted. Both were Navajo plied with subtle color changes. Do you see the difference in the cakes? I *love* when you can see the color shifts in the balls like this.
I am also really loving the circular knitting with this ombre striping yarn. Of course it helps that it is my own hand dyed and spun yarn :-) For the observant, yes, that is the remainder of the roving which was used in the Spin-Off Spring 07 photoshoot for the Queen of Diamond socks. This part of the roving is much brighter than the part that I used to spin and knit QoD. The random 2-ply of the QoD yarn muted the colors some, whereas the Navajo Plying let them stay fairly true and unmixed.
It is rather interesting to knit with this yarn. It is the same fiber, same dyeing method, all dyed at the same time. But, this yarn is definitely better than what I used for QoD. What a difference 6 months can make in one’s spinning skills! This yarn has more spring, it is thinner (despite being 3-ply rather than 2-ply), and is fairly consistent. I do see how Navajo plying can highlight inconsistencies though. Where I am inconsistent, I’m really inconsistent! Those of you out there who spin - knit with your hand spun on at least a semi-regular basis. It can help guide you in building your spinning skills and repertoire as well as help you decide what types of hand spun you prefer to knit with - woolen, worsted, 2-ply, 3-ply, cabled etc. It has made a big difference for my skills.
