Gail... aka Nightsongs

This was my first attempt at a shawl without a spine...

Here is my project bag and the pickwick yarn I used for the main body.

A very entertaining knitting and reading...

I really enjoyed how the yarn luster keeps giving with this design.

It is completed but the weather is not cooperating today and probably for few more days...so no blocking yet.

For the border I have been using a skein of my "unloved" handspun merino.

The garden fabulous poppies will be taken down by the rain too...

Wishing the sunshine and some quite warmer weather soon, because it's been cold even the tomatoes and cucumbers are refusing to grow much.

It's Spring... but really doesn't feel like it at -16c this morning.

More snow last night and a balmy  -16c this morning.

This week I finally dyed the Pickwick cotswolds locks.

 I love how they turned out.

I finished weaving 3 scarves but 2 got kidnapped before I could take good pictures.

My sister couldn't resist...

 and ran away with both... lol

Only the experimental one left.

Now back to the loom... 

Softies...

Merino and silk are such a pleasure to spin. This is the result from the fiber I posted last time.

This is only 34 yards... but soooo soft.

Navajo ply.

I didn't have much time to post as my brother was sick again... 

Next fiber...

more left over merino/silk 

turned into this...

238 yards of beautiful tweedy soft yarn.

I have some stitch markers too

large ones and regular ones too

Now back to some Pickwick locks to be washed...

Emergency room knitting part 2

I've spent so much time at the hospital the last few weeks, I did most of my knitting waiting at the emergency room. I knitted a second neck warmer for myself and a hat.

As you can see it's very plain...

no patterns...just things I have done over and over the years

I couldn't simply focus anymore... I guess too much stress lately didn't help me.  Lucky me my brother is doing better and even back to work.  Now it's time for me to relax a little.

This week improvising...

I offered to knit something to a friend, a winter hat was the chosen item. I looked around for a pattern but couldn't find a hat with a folded brim large enough to cover the ears by a double layer when it's cold and windy and unfolded when it's not as cold... The plan was to use some of my Pickwickflock stash, the yarn is beautiful by itself so I didn't want an over crowded motif... so I decided to only knit twins narrow cables... there my idea becomes a project,

it went fast... really fast.

not bad for an improvised hat...

I even got the time to wash it

Today it was ready to go to it's owner.

Pickwickflock sweater/jumper

I just finished knitting it yesterday...

It's not washed/blocked yet, it's on the next week to do list.  It will set the stitches evenly and will open the yarn overs,  I really enjoyed knitting the yarn, the resulting fabric is so squishy soft and warm, exactly what it is needed for the -30c / -40c with the wind chill  we got at the moment.

The pattern is from Drops design... 146-9, I like their patterns they are well written +  charts, the translations on many languages are perfect and they got all the help videos links right on the page if you need them.  

Knitting the Pickwickflock stash

I have started knitting from my Pickwick stash...this should turn into a sweater/jumper...

I love it... it slides on the needles, I'm not a very fast knitter but this is going pretty good started on the 10th and this is as far as I am at the moment.

A cowl too...

I'm calling it my snake cowl it's fun as it could be stacked on layers depending on how cold and windy is the weather...

Pickwickflock...cotswold lamb fleece to yarn

Test skein

It was lovely to spin. It's soft, lustrous and a little fuzzy.

Test knit

I knitted it with 4mm Knitter's Pride Dreamz, as it got some fuzz I did try larger needles as I would do for mohair to see how it would react.

Now the real deal!!!

376 yards/150 grams

It is very nice, soft, lustrous... still need a good wash.

The final result...

washed with shampoo and rinse with some hair conditioner, then I used the salad spinner to drain off all the water and to finish a good whack.  The photo is showing it drying.

I named the first skein Big Pearl... and I think it deserved some little ribbons.

This one is even softer as I didn't twist as much as the test one, and it really does make a difference.

It even got a twin!

Pickwickflock... processing my fleece

First thing I did was pulling the locks, so that way I can pick up any second cuts and then I put all the locks I'll be washing in my "large" salad spinner basket, filling up the kitchen sink with very hot water adding some dish soap "Dawn" original *blue  

I'm just taking the basket right into the water and do let it sit for 10 minutes, I do not let the water getting cold and I don't put too many locks so there is lot of water around,  when done all I have to do is taking the basket out and let it sit in the spinner while I fill up the sink again with very hot water for the first rinse, putting the basket back to the sink and let it sit for 10 minutes and I do another rinse the same way.  For the very dirty parts I just take it apart for a cold soak few hours and later wash as previously mentioned.

When I'm finished with the rinses I take the basket out of the water, all the water just draining off without manipulating the fleece, I put the basket in the bowl put the top on and I do spin all the water out, it's making this the easiest way to wash even if the weather is not perfect.

The same locks all dried up, you will probably notice there is still some lanolin and yes I do this on purpose as it is making the wool easier to spin, if you ever find out you "over washed a fleece just use some good quality hair conditioner while rinsing after dying or while washing after spinning, it's better than using liquid fabric softener as wool is hair after all.  I do this too with finished projects too, you can always add few drops of lavender essential oil for a fragrance on the plus side it is a natural moth repellent. 

a lock next to some tussah silk top

Combing the tips

processed on my hackle and dizzed... fluffed like a cloud

Spinning on my wheel

Pickwickflock... Raw ram lamb fleece

Today I just received my firsts lamb flee from *Pickwickflock on Ravelry, it was fast as it's been shipped from the UK on Monday 7 and delivered in Canada by Thursday 10, it is a very nice fleece and it does smell good too, and it is soooooooooooo soft!!!!!

Nice shinny locks, average 5 inches quite long for a lamb :)

almost no vm , 

few dirty tips...

so I did a washing test...

as you can see for a first wash it's looking good

after the rinse I used a salad spinner, it's the best way to get most of the water off without hurting the locks structure,  it's not dry yet but you can see it's pearly white, lustrous, so mostly in average this won't need more than 2 washes and 3 rinses to have sparkly white tips, so it is an easy to wash fleece.  But I will see when fully dry I might just keep it that way as I want to keep some lanolin for spinning, and as per usual I always wash my yarn when done.