Navy Hand Spun, Hand Knit V Neck Pullover Vest

photo by tenukihandcrafts

Expect several posts on my newest knitting projects in the next couple of weeks. I decided that each item deserved a little more love, in the form of detail. Eventually, I want to post pics of the works-in-progress, but I gotta start somewhere, right?

I've been spinning yarn off and on since I bought my Ashford Elizabeth wheel about ten years ago. The wool was purchased at The Weaving Works, in the U District of Seattle. As you can see, it's navy, but I didn't record what type of wool it was. What I can tell you is that it's bulk, pre-dyed roving. I purchased about 8 ounces worth and started spinning.

It took probably several months to come up with 7 skeins of unevenly spun yarn. It was the most yarn I've spun of a single batch of fiber. Someday, I'll measure these tasks in hours. I do have a full time job, so days and months are a poor measure of the time it takes me to do this stuff.

I thought I didn't have a way to measure my yarn. I filled each bobbin pretty consistently while I spun and that translated into comparably sized balls when wound for knitting. I guestimated that each ball was about 100 yards because I know my ball winder (and I've wound a variety of purchased yarns on it). That translated to enough yarn for a vest but what size? I knew gauge would be a challenge with only a 4 inch swatch. I hoped for the best.

The swatch gauge turned out to be 5 stitches per inch on size 7 needles. I dove in and started a V neck pullover using the directions from Ann Budd's “The Knitter's Handy Book of Patterns.” What an aptly named book! Take your yarn, gauge and desired size and follow Ms. Budd's instructions. Witty little knitter!

It recently occurred to me to use my food scale to weigh my hand spun yarn. It delivers weight in both ounces and grams. Was this what Alton Brown had in mind when he advised not buying a single purpose gadget?

The original plan for this yarn was to make a sweater for myself, to go with the as-yet-unmade kilt skirt. The navy yarn was a good match for the family tartan (Stewart dress), which, incidentally, the fabric I'm wrapped in on my blog photo.

But as the holidays drew near, I still needed a gift for my sister. When I had about 4 inches of the back knit, I measured the piece and re-checked my gauge. Turns out, it would probably be a good fit for sis. It took about 10 days to complete. I blocked it again once assembled and wrapped it up.

As you can see from the photo, one side of the front shoulder is a tad longer than the other and it was a rustic-looking garment. It looked much better assembled and re-blocked, but I liked the hand-spun look of it.

When the time came to exchange gifts, my sister tried it on and it fit perfectly! Pretty good, considering I had only her bust measurement. I didn't think fast enough to snap a pic of Sandiy in the vest, but she liked it, which is most important.

Come back soon for the Festive Apocalypse Socks. Knit on, darlings!