I have been more than a little neglectful of my blog, mostly due to a big upswing in stress, pain, and insomnia, which always pushes my depression around. It’s possibly the only time my depression does anything quickly! I’m getting a handle on it again, which is helped by managing my pain levels better. I have been posting to Instagram regularly, so there are plenty of WIP shots there. I prefer posting finished items here, which is another reason I haven’t been posting  I’ve been playing WIP roulette, moving from one to another depending on mood and yarn availability.

A few things have happened, including this blog turning one. I may do a giveaway for it once things settle down a bit more here. It did sneak up on me, and I might sit down to do a post looking back over how things have gone, and what I’ve made and learnt. Last month I bought a student drop spindle from Ashford, along with three packs of wool tops. I’ve been wanting to learn to spin yarn for a while, and these were more than reasonably priced.

I had done research and watched a bunch of videos, but I still had no idea what I was doing at first. Once I figured out the best way to make it spin, I got moving along, but it took me ages to get used to feeding the fibre properly. This meant the yarn would go from so thin it was barely connected to being so thick it was hard to use. I did start to get better at it, especially once I prepped the roving properly. My first attempt had me using too much at once, so once I started loosening it a lot, it started getting better. And by the time I was feeling comfortable with it – I ran out!

I did try plying it – hard to do with such disparity – as well as caking it and trying to use it. Because of my beginner skills, I had this thick and thin yarn which would fall under the novelty yarn heading, but I still liked it. Not just because I made it (though that was really cool), but because there was something pretty about it, as well as something unique. Knowing that I’ve made this yarn, and that no one else in the world has it, was pretty cool.

The neon batch went better, but it was still too thick in places. I would love to get a spinning wheel one day and try it that way. I think it would be a lot easier to work the roving that way, and I might be able to get some consistency. They’re expensive, though, so the drop spindle will do for now.

The next step was figuring out what the hell to make with them. I had to really push it to finish off the pink cowl, as I had barely enough for that. I tried at least five patterns for the striped neon yarn, but I eventually settled on a modified version of my Rose Beanie. They’re both delightfully squishy and I’m so pleased with myself for trying something so daunting. It would be so cool to be able to spin and dye my own yarn, but I’ve gotta take baby steps here.

I have a few WIPs that should be finished soon, and have added some new finished items to my Etsy store. I do plan on getting back to posting more regularly, now that things are starting to feel under control again.