Thursday, February 12, 2009

My First Handspun Sweater (baby sized).

The fiber is from Maine Woods Yarn & Fiber. It's a soft corriedale roving in the colorway, Sonoma.I spun up 3 bobbins to make a 3 ply yarn. Since I am a newbie, 1 bobbin ran out first, so I was left with 2 bobbins. It got turned into 2 ply yarn.I also had some of Tarragon's roving left on a bobbin. It's the one that Julie gifted to me and I had used to make my first yarn with. So, I took the leftover to practice Navajo plying which was really hard at first. I practiced for 1 full evening on some other yarn and made a complete mess. The next morning I used the leftover Tarragon single and it worked like a charm.I wasn't too crazy about the final result of the Sonoma colorway. I think it may have been a little too pink for me. One night I spotted this sweater pattern while browsing on Ravelry and knew the yarn was perfect for this pattern. I may not like the color, but I thought it would look cute as a baby sweater.I used the white for the stripes and it was the perfect amount. The Tarragon yarn was amazing to knit with it. It has such spring in it. I think it's a Cormo/Romney mix. Just so some of you are not confused, Tarragon is the name of the sheep that Julie bought the fleece from.This is the back of the sweater. Look how amazing the colors are. I have to say that I am extremely proud of this sweater. I never thought that I could spin yarn and make something nice looking with it. My friend, Tomo, said that I made the sweater from scratch. That does sound pretty cool.Of course, the recipient of the sweater is Melody. I made the 18 month size and ran out of the 3 ply Sonoma yarn. Since it was at the bottom where the ribbing was, I just used the 2 ply which was a slightly smaller gauge. It's hardly noticeable.She is not crying or screaming in this photo. Lately, she is such a ham and really likes making funny faces.The sweater has a gathered yoke, so it gives it a puckered look. I blocked it, so it's not as pronounced. It's a bit big for her right now, especially the capped sleeves. They sometimes stick out when she is moving around, but I really didn't want to make it smaller because people on Ravelry have said that it runs small.


Pattern: Striped Smock Top (Ravelry link to Free PDF)
Needles: US 7 / 4.5 mm and US 5 / 3.75 mm
Yarn: My own handspun yarn (fiber from Maine Woods Yarn & Fiber). Sonoma colorway 3 Ply, 113 yards, Sonoma colorway 2 ply, 36 yards. Tarragon's roving Navajo plied, 48 yards.
Size: 18 months
Mods: Instead of M1, I used PFB(Purl Front and Back) for the increases to avoid holes. I found this YouTube Video helpful.

55 comments:

Anonymous said...

You make the most gorgeous things Oiyi! LOOOOVEEEE it. I'm learning to spin on Monday. This post just makes me even more excited!

Unknown said...

That is GORGEOUS. Lucky Melody, and that yarn color really is perfect for that sweater.

Anonymous said...

You did a great job! I love the yarn color and sweater, wish I knew how to spin! Keep up the good work!

c.Rachel said...

That's beautiful! [love the over the shoulder pose from Miss Melody!]

You did make it from scratch...so much talent!

Knit - R - Done said...

You are a natural. Great job.

Anonymous said...

Oh my goodness, your handspun AND the sweater are totally gorgeous!! You are definitely a natural spinner. Melody looks so cute!

LittleCanoe said...

I LOVE Melody in that sweater! She's so cute! Great job with the spinning. I actually really like the colorway. I'm not even a fan of pink!

Elaine/Muddling Through said...

I am SO impressed with your spinning and knitting. It turned into such a beautiful little sweater. And of course it doesn't hurt to have such a gorgeous model either!

Anonymous said...

The sweater is beautiful! I love that it is made from your own handspun yarn. Thanks for your earlier post about your spinning wheel purchase. I am hoping to take a spinning class later this spring and know I eventually want to purchase my own wheel but am still at a loss as to which one to buy. Glad to hear you are enjoying yours!

Rima said...

As Tomo said, you really did make that from scratch! I personally like the color...it is a muted, dusty pink. Funny face Melody looks really cute in it.

Anonymous said...

OK - wow! I am so impressed. I don't even know how to knit, let alone spin my own yarn. And it's absolutely beautiful and so is your darling little girl!

Julie said...

The yarn turned out beautifully. Kudos for taking the bull by the horns. You haven't wasted any time in conquering some great spinning techniques. The sweater is just adorable and looks beautiful on her. I hope you don't mind if I send the shepherd a link to your post. I know she enjoys seeing what's happened to the fleeces she "grows".

Nettie said...

This is so awesome! You're a natural at everything you do!

Melody is getting so big, she is workin' the camera in these pics :D And looking just like you, too.

Ulla V. said...

Oh, how beautiful this sweater is...the yarn is pretty and it must be a great feeling to have spun it yourself.

And of course your little Melody looks absolutely adoring in it :0)

Micki said...

That's the sweetest little sweater! And of course, you have the perfect model to show it off. Your spinning is awesome. :)

Anonymous said...

Gorgeous - isn't it great to make something from handspun? It really is cute and looks adorable on her.

celia said...

Great job! Melody gets cuter in each of your posts. The sweater is a good fit with some room for growth.

Sam said...

Congrats - it's awesome! And Melody is too darn cute!

Jackie said...

Nice sweater for Melody.

My first thought was that she is yawning !! LOL

Kids are this age love to make funny faces, is the "fun" age now...enjoys !! Thanks for sharing the pics. I m enjoying and it sure bought back fond memories of my girl at M's age.

Anonymous said...

What a beautiful sweater and it looks so adorable on Melody. Such a beautiful little lady.

I love you stuff its so LOVELY and makes me love the art of knitting even more. Thank you for sharing every stage of Melody and all your wonderful stuff.

Larissa said...

Gorgeous sweater and gorgeous baby. Lovely.

CelticCastOn said...

well done its wonderful!
Melody looks like a wee star!

flanthrower said...

What a gorgeous sweater! Must be so satisfying to really make a product from start to finish, spinning the yarn and then using that to make the sweater. Now that's really handmade!

CynCyn said...

Melody really is JUST.TOO.CUTE. I saw a comment above saying how you make the cutest things, and I giggled b/c I thought it was appropos... to both the finely spun and knit sweater AND the baby wearing it!!

ps. coming to Beantown anytime soon?

Jennie said...

Beautiful sweater, I love the photos of Melody, she cracks me up =D

Anonymous said...

Nice post, good to see from start to finish. And your model is too cute!

Pixiepurls said...

how adorable is that, and your hand spinning is so lovely!

Anonymous said...

That looks like such soft yarn... How cozy it must be! And of course Melody is just precious, as always. :)

Kirsten said...

The sweater looks adorable on Melody! Beautiful - yarn, sweater, child!

Stephanie said...

your spinning is so beautiful, and that sweater is just perfect!

hetty said...

Your sweater is adorable. You did an amazing job from beginning to end! A beautiful sweater for a beautiful Melody! I love her funny faces. She's quite a ham!

Rebekah said...

Wow! that is so inspiring to see you take roving and spin and knit it into a sweater. The sweater is adorable and Melody looks so cute in it. She's such a ham. I love all her little facial expressions :)

Anonymous said...

What a lovely sweater. And your daughter is growing more beautiful by the post, if that's even possible.

joyce said...

That sweater is perfect on her! It's lovely! Melody is growing fast!

Anonymous said...

Oh, this is just sweetness! Great job, Mommy. Thanks, I am so pleased that the pineapple pullover fits me! I can count on two fingers how many tops I've made for myself!

zakkalife said...

Adorable sweater, love the colors of the yarn.

I'm pointing over to your site today on my blog regarding the moebius scarf you knit a while back.

jessica

Amanda Jean said...

nice job on the sweater made from scratch. it is very impressive! i love the stripes. and it looks so great on melody.

Astrid said...

Aw this is just amazing! I totally wish I knew how to knit right now - and Melody is just precious! You have me enchanted here! :)

Michelle said...

Melody is such a pretty little girl, she looks so grown up in her sweater. I'm so jealous! You made a sweater from scratch. Looks amazing and like you've done it tons of times before. Lucky Melody!

Lisa Stepi said...

That sweater is so cute! Almost as cute as Melody.

jacquie said...

honestly...it's hard to look at the sweater when she's wearing it. she's a doll and you are one talented mama!

Jodie said...

You sure are becoming a pro at the whole spinning thing now... The little sweater looks great... I have some bit's of fleeces that I've been collecting off our 'coloured' Merino shheep at shearing time, you know the brown and black stuff that can't be mixed in with the good white stuff... I'm trying to find a place to clean it for me and when I do was wondering if you'd be interested in a little bag of it sent over to you as a little gift from me to you??? I'd love to see what you could do with it... Let me know what you think...

Take Care
Jodie :)

Christy T said...

So, so pretty, Oiyi! I think the combination of the yarn, pattern and that adorable little girl is perfect!!!

Ivy@PaperElixir said...

Thanks for visiting our blog! I spent the last half hour perusing your blog ;) I can't believe your knitting talents! And spinning your own yarn?! Wow. :D And seeing your daughter in the sweaters you knit really makes me wish I could knit now! Melody's so adorable, we can't wait to meet ours ;)

Agnes said...

Man! This is lovely! Your spinning is pretty good ... I suppose we'll see you spinning more, right? For me, I am not much of a spinner. :)

Anonymous said...

You make really lovely knits. I take forever to complete knitting projects of your scale. I am so envious!

Knitterella said...

AH! SO CUTE! Love it - great work!

Anonymous said...

wow!! that is super gorgeous!!

Unknown said...

How incredibly beautiful! I am so impressed that you spun the yarn yourself and then knitted it up. It has turned out so lovely on her!
~Emily

Octopus Knits said...

How gorgeous! (That goes for your handspun yarn, the sweater, and Melody, of course)

I love Marcel's little bear and Ohm sweater, too :) All your recent project look fantastic... and happy belated birthday to Melody!!!

Anonymous said...

your sweater looks wonderful but the baby is stunning...even crying. :)

Natalie said...

What a gorgeous sweater and super cute model! That is so fantastic that you knit her an entire sweater from yarn that you spun. I love it!

LadyTr0uble said...

I cannot get over how precious your Little Miss Melody is--so smooshy that I want to hug her, and squeeze her, and kiss her... I absolutely love her funny face. The sweater is gorgeous but not match for Melody. Congrats on your first from-scratch piece!

Tasha said...

Your sweater is lovely! I'm trying to knit it now (my first garment other than scarves!), and I'm trying the pfb increase as well. I'm wondering if you would mind helping me understand the increase rows, though?

I'm knitting the third size, and am on the second increase row. I don't get the [(m1,p1), (m1, p1) 35 times... Can you explain how you did the m1, p1 and the m1, p2? For the first, did you just pfb, and then pfb, p1 for the second? This doesn't seem to add up for me. Any advice you have the time and inclination to give is very much appreciated! Thanks!

knithound brooklyn said...

you made a family heirloom! congratulations on spinning and knitting such an adorable project.