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My First Handspun Blanket: A Beginner's Journey from Spinning to Weaving

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I went into spinning my first yarn with very modest expectations, and for good reason. I didn't think I'd be able to make anything useful from it, no matter how hard I tried. The yarn was wonderfully imperfect: underspun in some places and overspun in others, thick and thin, dense and airy. It reflected every lesson I was learning at the wheel. Plying my singles was an essential step in making this project possible. Plying not only evens out the yarn but also makes it stronger and more durable. I learned everything I know about plying from the wonderful Craftsy class  Ply to Knit: Spin the Yarn You Really Want   Jillian Moreno. Her guidance helped me transform my first uneven singles into a workable, reliable weft yarn. Thank you, Jillian! For the warp, I used Knit Picks' Wool of the Andes Worsted , which paired well with my 7.5 dpi heddle. The yarn was slightly sticky, but not enough to cause any real issues. It held up beautifully throughout the weaving process without fr...
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Online International Fiber Festival

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 Have you been missing the excitement and joy of fiber festivals this year? Do not despair, Anne Frost has you covered! She is arranging the Online International Fiber Festival in November 9-16, and my Etsy shop LaceKnit will be featured there. You can use the coupon code  OIFF25  for the duration of the festival, it will give you a 25% discount on everything in my store. Meanwhile, you can enjoy Anne Frost's awesome podcast about knitting and life and all sorts,  I Thought I Knew How . Have fun!
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My spinning story

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My background It was only very natural for me to start spinning some day. I grew up in a small village in Siberia. Very harsh weather always called for woolen socks, hats, mittens, sweaters, scarves. I love snow. It's purity, it's magical sparkles when flat snowflakes reflect the light of the sun or an electric poll. But I prefer to have occasional snow, which comes and goes the following day. My parents both were knitters. My father was an avid spinner as well. He had his electric spinning wheel, which he used to spin some sock yarn while watching TV. I still remember the humming sound of it, which was somehow adding comfort to the already cozy home. How it all started Maybe because I wanted to make my home more comfortable and cozy, on 12th August, I purchased an Electric Eel Wheel Nano 1.1 from Dreaming Robots. It had to sit in the closet for a while because I had a new Ashford Rigid Heddle loom 32", which was gifted to me by my dear husband (the best...
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Matrix Placemat

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My third weaving! This is a placemat with Matrix design. Here, I used the clasped weft technique for the first time. It is very simple, but interesting method to add some interest to your weaving. I learned that from Kelly Casanova's YouTube videos. Thanks to her a lot! Used CotLin by Knit Picks DK, 70% Cotton, 30% Linen / Flax, Blackberry and Sprout colorways. The yarn created surprising amount of purple and green dust bunnies during the weaving. I am a new weaver and don't really know if it is going to be the same situation weaving with any yarn? Hopefully not. And I understand that there are some artificial fibers that create smooth and sleek yarn that doesn't shed, but I'm not interested in those, even slightly bit. I prefer to work with natural fibers such as wool. silk, cotton. Most of all I love wool. I love it so much just a thought of anything wool related makes me feel some tickles inside.  More details on specs of this project at my Ravelry page. via Gfyc...
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A Kitchen Towel

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This is my second weaving experience  This is a short story about my second weaving project. I intended to create a kitchen towel using CotLin by KnitPicks on 7.5 reed. It was a fast and pleasant weave. My edges were way better, and the fabric I was creating was more balanced and even this time. After washing, the fabric tightened up beautifully, and some tweed pattern appeared, which I think is very lovely.  But then I tried to wipe my hands with it... and it left fuzz all over them 😖 I guess it's not going to be a kitchen towel anymore. Maybe a placemat?  However, my fellow weavers that have more experience are convinced that a second wash and dry will help to resolve this issue. Let's see. Somehow, I doubt it. So, what kind of yarn is being used by experienced weavers to create premium quality kitchen towels? I pocked around to find out what is recommended. It turned out that the most popular yarn is 8/2 Unmercerized Cotton from Maurice Brassard et Fils I...
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Starting my Weaving Journey

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 It has been a while since I posted here. However, my fiber obsession didn't fade, but blossomed with a new passion. This summer my husband bought me a loom as a birthday gift. It's Ashford Rigid Heddle 32" loom. I wanted to try weaving for a long time and now I can't stop. Well, when I have free time, which is rare these days, because I am a mom of a 7 months old baby boy. So far I managed to complete weaving two projects. The first one is an alpaca baby blanket. For my very first weave I chose pure alpaca sport weight yarn from Henry's Attic and the default 7.5 heddle. As a result, the fabric turned out quite loosely woven. Hopefully, it will tighten up after washing. I do know that I supposed to use DK yarn weight, but my stash is emmm... pretty big and lacks DK. I have mostly lace and fingering yarn. I like very much the yarn itself.  Henry's Attic Prime Alpaca  is so soft. But oh, it sheds so badly during the weave! It is messy and it slightly felts when o...
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Rococo Socks

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These lacy socks were created using a beautiful Japanese stitch pattern that has been slightly adapted and simplified, resulting in an intricate and complex design. The process of knitting this pair of socks requires your complete attention on each round. There are no "rest rows" where you can relax and knit mindlessly. When I say "complete attention," I mean absolute concentration to the point where you become immersed and almost lose sense of reality. Knitting these socks does not allow for meaningful conversations or distractions. You can't listen to or hear anything, and multitasking by knitting while watching or reading is not feasible (even though I love doing that too!). It's important to avoid starting any other activities like cooking on the stove or in the oven while knitting these socks, as it could be dangerous. So, you might wonder, who would be willing to go through such an involved process just for a pair of socks? It may sound silly, but I...
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