Mixing Things up for a Sweater
words and photos by: Johanna Carter
I always admire those who are able to spin mountains of yarn for a big project, ready to knit a wonderful sweater or cardigan. It is a satisfying feeling when you finish all that work, especially if you started with washing and combing the wool or even raising your own sheep.
Mixing spinning and knitting
The typical way to work through a larger project is to spin all the singles first and ply them in a particular order so you get the yarn even throughout the whole project. I don’t have so many bobbins, but my bigger problem is that I am quite impatient and want to get on with knitting once I have an idea. And normally, my brain is full of ideas for fibre work and the limit is the time, as I am a musician and teacher. I can’t sit at the spinning wheel for a long time if I’m not on holiday, so during the school year I mostly knit, and during the holidays I can dye, spin, use my drum carder, and do lots of fibre work. The only time I was able to produce bigger quantities of yarn before I knitted them up was during the Tour de Fleece in the two years during the pandemic, when we did not go on holiday at the beginning of July.
A highly photogenic collection of naturally dyed fibres.
I like to finish knitting one big project like a sweater or cardigan before I start the next one, or at least until I can’t carry it in my bag easily anymore, so I have an excuse to begin the next one. Sometimes it is good to have a second project on the go – I call it mindless knitting, where I don’t have to look very much – which I can keep my hands busy during Zoom or other meetings, which helps me listen.
Mixing colours and fibres
Usually I dye my yarn with plants which I collect in the woods or get from garden flowers. I also use cochineal and indigo, which I buy, to get lots of different colours. I really love the greens and blues I get from dyeing with indigo. I have lots of dyed wool, and all those colours give me inspiration for further projects.
Beautiful greens and blues dyed by the author using indigo and other natural dyes.
Blending the wool on the drum carder I can get even more shades. I like to blend with fibres like silk, alpaca, or plant fibres, and I love sari silk, to get those little bits of colour in my yarn.
Fibres of different types and colours are blended on a drum carder for elegant results.
When I have an idea for the next sweater, I start carding, and then I can begin to spin. Once I have spun enough yarn – say, for one day – I cast on and start knitting, usually top down, so I don’t have to decide too much in advance about length and width.
An idea for the author’s next sweater in the gathering stages.
When I spin on my wheel, I have to sit at home, but while spinning I can read a book or talk to others during online meetings. I also like to spin on my spindles, and that works on a walk, or a museum visit. I take them on holiday as they don’t need much space, and when I spin for a lace shawl, I don’t even need much wool either. At home there are spindles all over the place; I can spin when I am waiting for the kettle to boil, when the computer is slow, when I am cooking. Like that I can make good use of a short time and the yarn still grows.
Knitting as soon as the yarn is spun helps the author complete sweater projects in a timely manner.
I can take my knitting almost everywhere, which is why I don’t want to wait to get started until I have spun all the yarn for a whole sweater. I knit at home, on the bus or train. The only thing I have to make sure of is to be one step ahead with the yarn.
I love to knit Fair Isle sweaters. My favourite method is to use only one bobbin, which I don’t even fill, because I need smaller quantities of lots of colours. Then I wind a ply ball and ply it on itself. For that I put my thumb through the ball, so I can tension the two singles with my fingers and they don’t get tangled, as long as my thumb (or a cardboard roll or a pencil) stays in the middle. I don’t have any leftovers from plying, and it is quick when I suddenly need more yarn.
Several charming sweaters dyed, spun, and knit by the author.
I have never had problems with the yarn not being consistent enough throughout a project. I just know what yarn I want and my fingers seem to remember what to do. I am sure it is good advice to have a little card tied to the spinning wheel with a bit of the singles you are aiming for, so you can check and make sure you are spinning a consistent yarn.
Mixing breeds
There are so many different breeds, but some of my favourites are Shetland, BFL, and Jämtland – a Swedish breed. After dyeing them, I often forget what I have used, so when I do a new project it often turns out that I have used different breeds and fibres just to get the right colour. For the Fair Isle knitting I want to juggle lots of colours, which is more important to me than making a sweater out of only one breed.
Recently I made a pullover for my husband using about 12 different breeds and colours, even mixing short and long draw. For me it was a breed experiment and a way to use up lots of smaller quantities of wool I had in my stash. For that sweater I used combed top without blending.
Mixing in knitting during the spinning process is a wonderful way for a spinner to avoid being overwhelmed during a sweater project.
My feeling is that some people don’t dare to start spinning for a bigger project because they get overwhelmed by the quantity they have to spin and then all the knitting there is to do, especially when you want to spin the yarn entirely on spindles. Mixing the spinning and knitting for the same project is more interesting; you get more variety and more freedom to choose what you want to do next as long as you don’t run out of yarn. It breaks the project down into smaller, less daunting parts. The only thing you might want to plan is to have enough fibre at the start, but even that is not necessary, there is always a sheep growing more wool.
What’s inside the Bouclé issue?
The Autumn 2016 “Bouclé” issue is busy making its way to various destinations around the world. Whether you’re a subscriber waiting for your copy to arrive, or you’ve been thinking of subscribing and you’d like a preview before you buy, today’s post is here to give you a sneak peek inside the issue!
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The word bouclé is French for “buckled,” which makes sense because a bouclé yarn is bent back on itself, creating loops of yarn along the strand. This technique takes time to create and even more to master, but we think it’s a worthwhile endeavor! This textured yarn can be light, airy, big and bulky – all at the same time! Dig into this issue and brush up on your bouclé making skills with us!
Great Articles!
We’ve rounded up the a talented group of spinners and asked them to share their insights and experiments with us, and as always we’ve got a tip jar full of helpful hints from our readers, new information on the spinning SCENE, and how to keep your spinning body happy by Carson Demers! Take a look at what you’ll get:
- Basic Boucle, by Jacey Boggs Faulkner – Jacey’s introduction to this loopy, fun technique.
- Boucle by Breed, by Michelle Boyd – Michelle experimented with 5 different breeds of wool to create a bouclé yarn from each and explain how the characteristics of the wool affected the outcome.
- Binder and Core, by Amanda Hartrich – Choosing the main fiber for a bouclé yarn is just the beginning – in this article, Amanda explores the options with mixing and matching 4 different types of materials as binders and cores for bouclé.
Offended Fiber: Woolen Prep for Bouclé, by Jillian Moreno – What happens when you deviate from the standards? Jillian finds out in her exploration of building a bouclé using woolen-spun wool instead of worsted-spun mohair.- The Convoluted History of Bouclé Yarn, by Patsy Zawistoski – How are telephone wire and horsehair connected to bouclé yarn? Find out in this article!
- 2-Step Bouclé, by Melissa Yoder Ricks – Traditional bouclé is a 3-step process, and it involves the use of mohair. Melissa has found a way to modify the traditional technique and create a 2-step bouclé using other types of yarn & fiber; and now she’s teaching it to the rest of us!
- Spin It! Pseudo Bouclé, by Amy Tyler – There’s more than one way to spin a bouclé, and in this article Amy puts a cable-plied twist on the topic.
- Spin It! Differential Shrinkage Bouclé, by Maggie Casey – Differential shrinkage happens when some fibers shrink more than others when washed; it’s an especially large problem if you’re going to knit, crochet, or weave with two different fibers as it can warp the finished fabric of your piece. Abby has found a way to work around this problem, and she’s sharing it with us in her piece.
- Spin It! Cloud Bouclé, by Sylvia French – Sylvia explains her technique for using mohair clouds to create a light and airy corespun bouclé.
- Which Longwool?, by Beth Smith – Maybe you want to try spinning a bouclé but you’re fresh out of mohair (or it just isn’t your favorite fiber). So which wool should you choose? A Longwool breed is a natural choice, and in this article Beth gives us some options to consider.
Spin It! Silk Bouclé, by Coleen Nimetz – Silk is often used as a core or binder for bouclé, but it might surprise you to learn that it makes a pretty interesting wrapper, too.- Spin It! Hemp Bouclé, by Kara Perpelitz – Inspired by a soap bag she purchased in a farm shop, Kara set out to spin a hemp bouclé yarn to create exfoliating texture for this handy accessory.
- Spin It! Loopy Horsehair, by Maja Siska – After receiving a gift of horse tails, Maja decided to embark on two brand-new-to-her concepts: spinning horsehair and spinning bouclé.
- Spin-D’Lay (Spindle Bouclé), by Amelia Garripoli – Yes, you can spin bouclé on a spindle. You can also climb Mt. Everest – but is it really worth it? Amelia offers an alternative that’s more fun to spin and still provides that loopy structure.
- Spin It! True Spindle Bouclé, by Tracy Hudson – Still wanna try spinning a traditional bouclé on a spindle? OK, we’ve got you covered for that, too!
- You Can Weave with That!, by Amy King – You can absolutely weave with bouclé – Amy’s got two different examples to show you!
Fantastic Projects
In every issue of PLY, you’ll find a handful of projects for knitting, weaving, crocheting and more – along with instructions for how to best spin the yarns you’ll use in those projects. Here are the projects from the Autumn issue:
Sieve Cowl, by Brittany Wilson – This cowl is business in the back and a party up front – perfect for wearing with a jacket to keep you warm without a lot of bunching at the back of your neck.- Traveling Hood, by Jolene Mosley – You’re ready to go anywhere with this two-color, two-texture project.
- Hemp Bouclé Soap Bag, by Kara Perpelitz – Exfoliate your skin and practice your spinning skills with this easily-giftable project.
- Woven Bouclé Blanket, by Sara Lamb – A simple design showcases stunning yarns and optimal warmth.
- Faux Astrakhan Winter Hat, by Patsy Zawistowski – Weave up a bouclé fabric and use it to sew into a warm winter hat.
Everything Else!
We know that bouclé is a tricky technique to master, so in Tip Jar we’re rounding up the best tips from our readers to help you spin with success. Scene is full of things on the spinning scene that you’ll want to know about including new books from Beth and Jillian, fiber festivals and fantastical retreats, and a brand-new magazine for men. And don’t forget to check out our Independent Spinner page to find all the details on the products featured in this issue!
If you haven’t subscribed yet, you can do that right here on our website! And be sure to pick up a copy of this issue if you don’t already have one (or it isn’t on its way to you)!
Rhinebeck Sweater?
I’m leaving for New York in less than a week. It’s the New York State Sheep and Wool Festival. I’m excited to see the festival. I haven’t been able to see the festival on my own terms for years and I’ve written myself a little schedule. I did leave some open spaces in case somebody wants to meet up with me for a snack or something.
Anyway, I’ve been thinking for many months that my favorite sweaters are looking a little ratty. My two favorites have been repaired several times. The one called Hiro has ripped at the neck a coouple of times and I just do a bit of a crocheted edge and put her back together. The one that I made from a Jacob fleece has gotten several holes and so I have started embroidering flowers over the holes; a sort of visible mending.
Those repairs are working but for crying out loud I need a new sweater. Yes I have other sweaters…but another one of my favorites, Tappan Zee, also has a hole that I have yet to repair. Hiro is about 3 years old, the Jacob is probably 4 years old and Tappan Zee is maybe 5 or 6 years old. Even without the holes and things I would still need a new sweater. And it’s not like I haven;t been spinning! Lots! But that’s all for weaving the next skirt.
So, anyway, I was digging around in my stash and I came across a cotton project bg from Cooperative Press. When I looked inside there was a handspun sweater that was well under way! I totally forgot about it. I immediatley remembered why I had put it aside. I was looking for a sweater with certain attributes a couple of years ago and my friend, Amy King, offered to design a sweater just for me. And she did! And so I started knitting but then I was a bit confused about an instruction on the left front…and I stopped.
I called Amy! She found her electronic copy! She answered my question. Now I’m moving forward. The body of the sweater is finished and I’m working on the first sleeve. But I have another issue. The yarn is made from BFL/Silk that was specially dyed for me – also by Amy King (Spunky Eclectic) I have no more to spin and I think the sleeves are going to be tight and I still have edgings to do…
After all of that explanation, here’s the question, if I knit faster, will it make the yarn go further?
Twist – A Fiber Festival with a Little je ne sais quoi
Guest blogger Sarah Jean Harrison returns to take us on a trip to the Twist Fiber Festival in Canada! This event is Quebec’s only fiber (fibre, if we’re being precise!) festival, and the only bilingual fibre festival in the whole country.
Are you planning on visiting Rhinebeck’s New York State Sheep and Wool Festival this year? Or perhaps you made the trip to the Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival in the spring? Did you spin your heart out at Ply Away?
The rug hooking workshop at Twist gets underway.
Credit: Sébastien Lavallée
If you’ve been to a fiber festival, you can imagine the intense of amount of work that goes into delivering a successful event. From organization to location, from logistics to communications, from vendors to visitors, all of these pieces must be pulled together into one, cohesive whole. And ideally that cohesive whole comes with a particular je ne sais quoi, a little extra something that gives a festival its personality.
How does a festival acquire a personality? The answer, I have discovered, often comes from a festival’s creator.
Twist – Quebec’s Only Fibre Festival
This August I visited Twist Festival de la Fibre/Fibre Festival, Canada’s only bilingual fiber festival, in St-André-Avellin, Québec. Launched in 2011 by Amélie Blanchard, a hand-spinner and farmer raising cashmere goats on a small farm outside of St-André-Avellin, Twist is quickly gaining a dedicated following of fiber artists, vendors and attendees.
Amélie Blanchard with Fiber Artist, Heather Gwah Lightbody Credit: Sarah Jean Harrison
After a couple of years on her farm, Amélie looked around Québec and discovered precisely zero fiber events available within her province. While festivals were growing in popularity in Ontario and certainly in the USA, there was nothing available in Québec.
Amélie, like so many entrepreneurial fiber artists today, was unwilling to simply bemoan this hole in her local fiber universe – she had to do something. Her answer was Twist, a festival reflecting today’s modern taste in fiber and feeding the growing desire in Québec (and the world) for access to local fiber and the pursuit of textile and fiber education.
Starting a fiber festival, as Amélie discovered, was not as simple as it sounded. Launching the first Twist took a year and a half of research, planning and organization. At first, says Amélie, local business owners and potential sponsors were skeptical. “They looked at me like ‘who is this crazy yarn woman with this crazy idea?’”, she recalls. But her persistence and her solid research were undeniable.
: Many of Twist’s workshops and seminars are provided in French and English.
Credit: Sébastien Lavallée
Eventually, the Twist team took shape, bringing Amélie’s friends and neighbors on board and drawing upon local businesses and resources to fill the multitude of roles and tasks needed to get the festival off the ground. Volunteer committees were struck, sponsorships were secured and quality vendors were chosen. In August of 2011 the inaugural Twist opened its doors with a foot-fall of 4,000 people over the weekend.
A Bilingual Festival
Amélie, who was born in Ontario to a French-speaking family, is a francophone with one foot in the English-speaking world. While some might see the challenges of holding a festival in two languages as a problem, Amélie has deftly turned this challenge into the festival’s defining characteristic.
Her vision for Twist was a festival that pulled French and English speakers together over their shared passion for fiber. All written materials, from programs to signage, are provided in both languages. Classes and workshops are often offered in a bilingual format, either with a bilingual instructor or via English and French sessions.
Two knitters working on the fly at Twist.
Credit: Sarah Jean Harrison
Although St-André -Avellin is a francophone community, being only an hour north-west of Ottawa near the Ontario-Quebec boarder means that both languages are regularly heard in the streets and cafes. As an English-speaker with rudimentary French capabilities, I was welcomed warmly by the community and found the language barrier to be easily navigated. In fact, I left the festival with new francophone fiber friends, a handful of new French fiber-related vocabulary, and the feeling of being excited and inspired to learn more.
That je ne sais quoi
Wander around the booths and workshops and it quickly becomes clear that Amélie’s bilingual perspective is what gives Twist its je ne sais quoi. Her enthusiasm for bringing people from French and English backgrounds together over a mutual love for fiber makes for a lively and fun atmosphere that attracted 20,000 people this year.
Where else can you see folks acting out the word “soft” or clapping their hands with excitement when they discover they are both speaking about the same type of mouton? Because ultimately, when it comes to fiber, we’re all speaking the same language.
Raised on a farm and living in the big city, Sarah Jean Harrison is a digital artisan who specializes in translating rural realities for urban audiences. Through storytelling, photography and web design, Sarah Jean supports farmers and makers in sharing their unique story with an online audience. Sarah Jean loves to connect and can be found on Instagram and Twitter at @peaceflaghouse and at www.peaceflaghouse.com.
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