WIP: My 1st Handspun Socks

In the last few weeks I tried to refrain myself from knitting. Knitting is too addictive and I get too many readings and assignments.

(I did allow myself to spin because I can't really overdo it. Thanks to RSI (!), spinning has become self-regulatory. My thumb starts complain by agonizing itself after at most an hour or two... groaning....)

But after a very frustrating day full of stress and tensions, I reckoned I need some "knit therapy". I had an unexplainable urge to do something soothing and fulfilling...



That's why I cast on a plain vanilla sock using SPIN014 last night. Full of thicks and thins, this yarn can't be the best candidate for my first pair of handspun socks. Indeed I first cast on a Chevron scarf with it. After knitting for about 20 rows, I still could't picture myself wearing these vibrant colours around my neck. It's simply not me! I frogged it and cast on 64 stitches again. The yarn is crying to be socks instead of a Chevron scarf.



Very uneven stitches. But who cares?

FO: Handspun Gherkin Hat

I finished it last night. No. It's not the Gherkin! 

It's a hat designed by Silja Devine. I first saw this hat in Spunky Eclectic group on Ravelry and instantly fell in love with this patten. It is simple but it looks very classic. The 4x4 rib also gives it a great deal of elasticity so it fits both DH's and my heads.

Haven't blocked it  yet so the stitches look a bit untidy. But who cares? I just wore it this afternoon to supermarket. It's sooooo warm. 

I used the chunky scrap yarn I spun up from some scrap fibre last week. The colourway is a mix of blues, dark green and natural brown. Quite a manly colour perfect for DH.

The pattern is easy and written very clearly. But I've made some modifications to accommodate my yarn choice:

(1)  my handspun is thicker than DK called for the pattern. So I cast on fewer stitches (only 72 instead of 144) and used bigger needles. I started with size 10 but didn't like the loose fabric. I ended up casting on with 9s before going further down to size 8 after about 10 rounds. Looks great.

(2) I started decreasing earlier because DH's head is smaller than an average man so the brim is shorter. The bonus of this mod is... I, with a bigger-than-average head, can also wear this head keeping the edge down without brim.

(3) I did a round of k2tog after the last round of k1p1 before cutting the yarn and threading it through the remaining stitches.



Sorry for the poor FO pic. Well... as a self portrait done in bathroom with a mirror, it isn't really that bad right? Will ask DH to pose for a better one and post it later!

FO: One-Row Scarf in Wisdom Blues

Hehe, remember I told you previously that I'd start my holiday knitting with something super easy? So here comes my first FO for Holiday Challenge.



2.6 balls of Wisdom Poems are used. I bought them from WEBS at deep discount last March when I was still studying in Chicago. What a shame that UK doesn't have anything like WEBS. Not even close!

The pattern is One-Row Handspun Scarf by Yarn Harlot. It's a truly clever pattern. With a very simple 4-stitch pattern (knit, knit, knit through back loop, yarn over), it creates a reversible scarf which is suitable for both men and women. This pattern is super easy and quick too. It took me about 2 hours to knit 30 grams. It means next time when I knit this scarf again, I can budget about 9 hours for it. Sounds sweet. In theory it can be done in two or three nights, which can definitely be a wonderful last minute gift.

By the way, it's not my first One-Row Handspun Scarf. I did knit one using my own handspun in early October but forgot to blog about it.

Next time I'll definitely blog about it when I knit this scarf again using my own handspun. What? Of course! Of course I'll knit this again! Where can I find another easy but lovely pattern to show off beautiful (and my not so beautiful) handspun yarn?