I Dusted Gigi Off (Now I'm having a contest!)

Inspired by Margene and Carole's NaSpiMoMo, I pulled out my wheel and worked on some spinning that had been put aside since November.  I'd forgotten just how much I love to spin!

All three of these were in various stages of completion.  It didn't take long to finish them off and free up my bobbins.

Soft and tweedy merino that my mom purchased at Rhinebeck.  She asked me to spin it for her.  I ended up with about 175 yards of worsted weight.  I'll be shipping it off to North Carolina tomorrow.  (Hope you like it mom!)

Above is tussah and alpaca that I bought the same day.  You've got to see the color in person to really appreciate it.  The alpaca is dark brown and the silk is dyed a rich purple.  The depth of this color combined with the shine is sublime!   The vendor only had one tiny 1 oz. bag of this left, so there isn't much here. 

Nope I don't remember who I bought it from.  Sorry.

This is my personal favorite, Red Maple angora, silk and merino from the very talented Kim over at Woolen Rabbit.  The color is as glorious as the autumn leaves it was named for and the resulting yarn is deliciously soft.  I think this yarn will be perfect for the start of Project Spectrum in February.  It will work very nicely with the first elemental theme, fire.  Kim tells me she'll be dyeing more of this in the next week or two, so be sure to keep an eye on her shop!

Wanna see a close up?

Mmmmmmmmmm!!
Now the contest.  I've got 225 yards of sport weight yarn here.  After seeing all of the amazing suggestions Scout got when she asked for project suggestions to cure her knitting ennui, I figured I'd do the same.  (Thanks for the idea Scout!)  What should I make from this yarn?   I'm open to all ideas, it just has to worthy of Kim's fabulous fiber!  Whoever suggests the pattern that I choose will win a project bag handmade by moi, with some yarn stuffed in it.  If you are a spinner, I'll even add some fiber.  If more than one of you suggest the pattern that I choose, I will pick a name out of a hat from among them.  You have until midnight on Saturday the 12th.  (That's my girls' birthday so it seems as good a time as any.)

Comments

[Candy]

That handspun is so beautiful! Pefect eye candy therapy for my flu-riddled head.

As for what you should make with that sublime "fire" handspun, may I suggest a sweater in the style of the sweaters that are made by ThatLaurie. Something like the "Tequila Sunrise sweater" (it's in her ravelry projects). Handspun is so special but is often in quantities too small to make a larger garment. So it is often relegated to smaller items like hats, scarves and mittens. You could give this handspun its due by incorporating it into a sweater. What if you paired it with another worthy coordinating yarn, used the handpun for the yoke and gradually blended it with the other yarn down into the body of the sweater? Just a thought (influenced by cold meds).

[Katie K]

Here's a quick thought for your beautiful yarn:

http://firebrunette.blogharbor.com/blog/_archives/2006/7/12/2107572.html

This is the candle flame scarf by Chauntel Andreasen, which is right in keeping with the yarn and the project spectrum theme (albeit a shorter version).

[Sarah]

Is there anything you can't do? I am so impressed! Well, this requires some serious thought. I will have to get back to you.

: )

[Miki]

Oo, I love the Twiggy Bobble Hat as a nice pattern. It might not look that cute in the pink sample photo, but I have seen some wonderful colors knit up on Ravelry.

I also have three favorite mitten patterns. The lovely Campanula Mitts which have been making the blog rounds and DROPS wristwarmers which were released for GarnStudio's recent Advent Calender. Knucks are also a great use for sport weight yarn as well. my boyfriend simply loves his pair!

[Lisa]

How about the Amanda Hat byt Gina House? You would have to hold your yarn doubled (?) to get gauge, b/c the pattern calls for a heavy worsted weight. Here's the pattern:
http://www.yogagardennh.com/Patterns/AmandaHat.pdf

What beautiful yarns you are spinning. That coppery red is awesome, definately worthy of a "fire" month!

[Sara]

i think it would make a gorgeous branching out. i've seen some gorgeous handspun ones--like this one

[clarabelle]

Beautiful handspun, Kirsten! I particularly like your mum's yarn...

A pattern for your firey yarn... hmm, well, one that I think might fit the bill (although I'm not quite sure about the yardage) is the Alwyne scarf, which is a free download on Ravelry. It's such a lovely shape with no busy patterning to distract from your gorgeous yarn. You (or your kiddies!) could also have fun with the French translation!

[Valerie]

I love the criss-cross scarves by Knitspot. The yarn you have would be perfect for something warm around the neck. You might have to adjust a tad for the gauge but I'm sure it would work out!

[karen - from me to you]

these days I'm into mittens (I am currently knitting for the first time thrummed mittens) so my suggestion for your yarn would be mittens of course.
you could use the free chart from HelloYarn and draw your own design...> http://www.helloyarn.com/mitten.pdf

or a neck warmer in crochet with big wooden buttons...? no ? ;o)

I love your Red Maple angora. I think that's my favorite.
you got gold in your hands....

[trek]

How about a JIT Hat?

http://trekcelt.blogspot.com/2007/12/jitting.html

[LaVerna]

I thought these were really cute!
http://presentsknits.blogspot.com/2007/05/salad-wristies.html
Lots of texture.I think your Red maple would be perfect for them.

[Heather]

Hey, your girls are Capricorns, so am I! (My birthday is the 14th). Ok, the colors are gorgeous, really heart-stopping. I say make a Noro-esque mistake rib scarf with stripes!

[nova]

The handspun (all of it) is gorgeous. But reading about how deliciously soft that 255 yards of goodness you have is, I would opt for something that would probably be touching my skin, but that could be seen, for whatever reason, this came to mind:
http://pepperknit.com/patterns/BainbridgeScarfPattern.pdf I am sure whatever you pick, the end product is going to be a winner!

[seedless grape]

Wow, all three yarns look beautiful! I really love the first shot of them all together--the colors really play off each other.

Hmm, what to knit with 225 yards of sportweight? Maybe a Shedir? That still looks good even if the fabric knits up drape-y, as I imagine this yarn might. Or I'd try something like Brooklyn Tweed's Scholar Collar, which would give you a nice burst of color at the neck of a dark coat. Jared rightly points out that the pattern is so simple that it's really the yarn that makes or breaks the FO. And you have great yarn here!

Can't wait to see what you make!

[Susie]

sportweight, eh? I just made the lillehammer hat (http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/lillehammer), which I love. Might be a nice way to show off the colors together. I really like how they all look next to each other in the first picture!

[Mia]

I like the new yarns. Does this mean you will be spinning more now?

[Supernøtt]

Love the homespun yarn :-D

[Kim]

All 3 skeins are beautiful!! For the angora blend, the smocked gauntlets I made a few weeks ago might be nice. You can find the pattern here
http://yarnophiliac.blogspot.com/2006/09/smocked-gauntlets-free-pattern.html

[Melana]

my vote is for an urchin or the bainbridge scarf which can be found here. i think either would showcase the yarn beautifully!! nice work!

[Tammy]

I've had a crush on these for awhile:

http://www.marniemaclean.com/patterns/lakepark/lpgloves.html

Your handspun is gorgeous btw! Very inspiring for this new spinner.

[Kathryn]

I love your taste in colors, and your handspun is delicious.

I've found that my handspun (especially chain-plied) works up beautifully in a garter stitch shrug. For the amount of yardage you have, I think choosing a coordinating solid-color millspun yarn for the cuffs would be best.

You cast on enough st to stretch around your bicep (there's no set number, because even when you think the guage is the same as a previous yarn, it isn't!), knit in 2x2 rib for 6", then switch to the handspun, knitting every row until it measures from shoulder to shoulder, then knit another 6" of 2x2 rib. Bind off. Fold like a hotdog bun, and sew the ribbing to make sleeves (alternately, knit ribbing in the round, and the garter straight). Optional: pick up sts around the body opening and knit 2" 2x2 rib in the millspun. Bind off. Weave in ends.

The handspun creates a vertical stripe. (Chain-plied yarn has a more pronounced stripe.)

[Oiyi]

Just want to say how beautiful your handspun yarn looks.

[scoutj]

Ummmmm do I get a name tossed in for giving you the idea? HAAAAAAAAAAAAA!

[Heather]

The yarn is beautiful. I especially love the Firey one.
As for suggestions I have a couple. One maybe a Branching out scarf, or if your tired of scarfs how bout Lake Park Gloves, or picot edge gloves or perhaps a hat Odessa maybe? Or socks some plain vanilla socks or some Kaylee socks? What ever you choose I'm sure that it will be lovely. Good luck

[stacey]

those are beautiful! i'd probably use the yarn in a accent way - make a dark colored or even off white scarf or hat and use that as a stripey accent to really let it show. Or, a "My so called scarf" would let the variegation really pop!