Tuesday 13 July 2021

Knitting My Own Wool!

I started knitting my wool!  It's exciting!  This lovely wool was on a sheep a few weeks ago and now it is becoming a sweater.  I'm knitting it for my son - who had his first experience of shearing and sheared his first two sheep - and he wanted a really plain sweater with no fancy stitches, to show off the wool he said.  I think for a first time working with my own home-spun wool, it was a good idea.

Here's some wool in the basket ready to be spun and the rustic Lazy Kate (wonder what's the origin of that name) that my son made for me for plying my singles.  It's a bit rough but it works a treat!



Several skeins of wool
waiting to be knitted...
(as I'm writing this I'm now down to the last one of that batch)


I decided to make a top-down raglan sweater which makes it easy to check for fit as you go along and am now past the armholes and making my way down the body.  It's great to just make more wool as you need it.  So I keep washing, drying, spinning, plying, winding, knitting... and... repeat!



Best wishes,
Frivole

19 comments:

  1. That is wonderful I love the sweater you are knitting.

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  2. Lovely 👍 Now all you need to learn next is dyeing ? 😃❤

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    1. Yes, you are right Muskaan. I thought it would be nice to knit the first item in the wool's natural colour but next will be dying! I read that wool absorbs dye really well and that you can dye your wool at any stage... so I could just eventually dye the sweater afterwards. :-)

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  3. How beautiful! I love the natural colors of wool, and I love that your son wanted you to knit that fleece for him. What a wonderful thing you’re creating.

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  4. Start-to-finish, it's all fascinating, and the sweater is already looking wonderful.
    StephanieW

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  5. What fun!!! From sheep to sweater! I bet your son will treasure his new sweater 🌟❤️

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    1. Thank you Suesan! To be honest, I like it too! I'm wearing it right now as I'm typing this, you know, just trying it out to see how it's fitting. Looks like I might have to knit a second one after this. :-)

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  6. Wow! The whole process from start to finish with your own hands. 🧡🐑💙

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    1. Exciting isn't it? Thank you Marja! :-)

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  7. Wundervoll zu sehen, wie der Pullover vom Schaf zum Pullover wächst mit deinen eigenen Händen
    Farbe kann man immer noch hinzu fügen. Aber auch der natürliche Farbton ist sehr schön.
    Ein dickes Lob

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    1. Thank you Johanna! Yes, you're right, I can always dye it afterwards. But I think it would be nice to keep the first one in its natural colour. In fact, I'd quite like to find a darker fleece next. :-)

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  8. Thanks Jane! I'm going to need to go search your blog to see if you talk about your own spinning. :-)

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  9. What a lovely idea to knit the wool from his first sheep he sheared, I think men prefer plain knitting, and you can always change the colour by dying it if he want it. Well done on spinning I can see a lot more knitting happening.
    Sorry its a late comment I am behind.

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    1. Hello Margaret, I hope all is well with you! Thank you for taking the time to write.

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  10. I love reading on your wool making adventures! The sweater looks very lovely

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