Hexagons!

I've gotten 600 hexagons basted so far!  I think I've mentioned before that I plan to get them all basted before I start sewing them together so that I can shake them all up and mix them really well.  I'm aiming for around 1,500 at least so I'm maybe more than a third of the way done?  Since I'm cutting as I go, if I start sewing now the same fabrics will be together and as I add new fabrics, they will end up on the outer edges.  So for now, I baste.  It is relaxing at least. 

A Blue Hat

I finished Caleb's new hat, so it's tucked away with the Christmas gifts.  This is the Musselburgh hat pattern (the fifth time I've made it).  I knit it in Schoppel-Wolle Zauberball Crazy in the 1535 Stonewashed colorway, so the yarn did all the heavy lifting - all I did was knit.  Since the yarn has gradual color changes the two halves of the hat are different, so he can choose which side he wants as the public side.

This is the other side.  Both should go with his navy blue jackets.  

This is such a great pattern and fun to knit.  I've made him fingering weight hats before using this pattern and he's commented that they are very warm.  Granted, he's here in Texas, but having two layers of hat, means an extra layer of air trapped between, and even in fingering weight yarn, that's nice and warm.  Obviously, if you're knitting for someone in the frozen north, you'll probably want to use a heavier weight yarn. 

Spin, Span, Spun!

I finished the spinning project!

This was spun from four braids of Malabrigo Cloud (100% Superwash wool) in Aniversario, with a total of 433g of fiber.

I spun it on my Schacht Flatiron at 15:1 with 40 wpi for the singles.  This size singles usually gives me a fingering weight when I make a three ply yarn.  This stuff floofed!

After plying and washing, I have 1,101 yards of DK weight, three ply, and a little mini skein of 46 yards of chain plied yarn (also DK).  I was going for the barber pole stripes on this and worked out beautifully.  There is almost always a pink/fuchsia/plum/burgundy ply in the yarn, so the overall look of the yarn is in the red violet range of the color wheel.  When you look closely you can see all the other colors in the yarn as well.

I'm really happy with my finished yarn, even if it didn't come out the weight I was expecting (no, I did not sample, why do you ask?).  I can't get over how floofy and soft it is.  I'm really wanting to cast on a sweater immediately, but since I technically have two on the needles right now, I shouldn't.  I'm trying to finish a few things up before I start a new project...