handspun yarn Archives - sweetstitchingcrafts

Creating with Handspun Yarn: Endless Possibilities

sweetstitchingcrafts — Thu, 05 Dec 2024 20:06:46 +0000

If you’ve ever worked with handspun yarn—or are thinking about it—you’ve probably wondered: Is there a plan for what this fluff will become? The truth? Sometimes yes, but often no.

For me, spinning yarn is more about the process than the product. The rhythmic hum of the spinning wheel, the tactile pleasure of the fiber slipping through my fingers, and the anticipation of how the colors will blend together are the reasons I spin. Sure, I love seeing the final product—whether it’s a cozy sweater or a woven scarf—but by the time the yarn is finished, I’m often already dreaming about the next fleece or hand-dyed fiber I’ll spin.

Still, the magic doesn’t stop at spinning. The real adventure begins when you start working with your handspun yarn. Here are a few things I’ve learned along the way, which might help you as you embark on your own handspun projects.

1. Understanding Your Yarn’s Structure

When using commercial yarn, we often choose based on its thickness or weight, categorized as lace, fingering, sport, DK, worsted, aran, or bulky. With handspun yarn, determining the weight is a bit more hands-on.

I use a wraps per inch (WPI) tool—a simple ruler will do! Wrap the yarn around the ruler for one inch, count the wraps, and compare it to a WPI chart to find its weight.

The number of plies also affects the yarn’s thickness and structure. A two-ply yarn is versatile and works well for most projects, offering a balanced feel and good stitch definition. For sturdier projects, like socks or outerwear, a three-ply yarn provides more roundness and strength. Even the way you ply matters—traditional plies versus chain plies can change the drape, durability, and overall look of the finished project.

2. Swatching: Your Yarn’s Test Drive

Swatching might feel optional, but it’s incredibly informative, especially with handspun yarn.

A small swatch can reveal:

Color changes: How do the hues transition from one to the next?
Stitch definition: Will the yarn’s texture shine in cables or lacework?
Drape: How does the fabric feel and move?

For knitters and crocheters, swatching helps you decide on patterns that highlight the yarn’s unique qualities. For weavers, a sampling step can help determine the fabric’s density (ends per inch) and ensure your yarn is suitable for the weave structure you have in mind.

3. Choosing Patterns or Weave Structures

When it comes to handspun yarn, the possibilities are endless. You can work with nearly any pattern—as long as you can match the required gauge.

Personally, I gravitate toward simple designs that let the yarn take center stage:

Knitting: Garter stitch and stockinette stitch allow the natural variations in handspun yarn to shine.
Crocheting: Simple, repetitive patterns enhance the yarn’s beauty without overwhelming it.
Weaving: I’ve found that using handspun yarn as weft yarn in overshot patterns adds stunning texture and depth. For single-ply yarns, plain weave structures beautifully highlight the yarn’s natural striping, especially when it’s multicolored.

A great resource for selecting knitting or crochet patterns is Ravelry’s pattern browser. You can filter by yarn weight, yardage, and even specific attributes to find a project that fits your handspun perfectly.

The Journey of Handspun Yarn

Working with handspun yarn is more than just crafting—it’s an exploration of creativity and texture. Each skein holds a story, from the fiber it once was to the fabric it will become. And as much as I love the finished products, it’s the journey—the hours spent spinning, swatching, and creating—that brings me the most joy.

So, if you’ve been hesitant to use your handspun yarn, don’t wait! Embrace the process, experiment with patterns, and discover the magic hidden within each handmade skein.

Happy spinning—and even happier creating!

What’s your favorite way to use handspun yarn? Share your experience in the comments below!

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Spinning Yarn Is Worth It!

sweetstitchingcrafts — Thu, 28 Mar 2024 22:43:04 +0000

When I started spinning yarn, people often asked why I bothered when it’s so easy to buy. It’s a fair question, and I often wish I could explain in detail why. So, here’s a brief reminder for myself and an invitation for others to understand why I love spinning yarn. I hope fellow handspinners can relate, and those curious about spinning will dive into this rewarding craft and get hooked, just like I did.

1) One of a Kind!

Handspun yarn stands out distinctly, bearing the unmistakable mark of human craftsmanship that is difficult to replicate by machines. This human touch, with its imperfections, adds character to the yarn, making it special. Why does this matter? When you use handspun yarn in any fiber craft, it adds a unique quality to the pattern and, consequently, to the final design of your project. For instance, last fall, I worked on a French weaving project, which I detailed in my blog post “Harvesting Creativity.” While the weaving pattern itself was beautiful, using handspun yarn made the pattern more prominent, enhancing the overall design.

From time to time, I enjoy going through my collection of handspun yarn to remind myself of what I have and to motivate myself to use it more in my fiber crafts instead of just keeping it stored away. It’s a way for me to get excited about upcoming projects and, despite my attempts to envision the finished item, I’m always pleasantly surprised by how it turns out. Because handspun yarn is so unique, it’s difficult to predict how it will behave or which aspects of a design it will highlight, and I believe that’s part of its charm. I’m looking forward to using it in projects I haven’t tried before, like rug hooking, and I’ll be sure to update you when I do.

2) Variability

I appreciate the versatility that handspun yarn offers, particularly in terms of its variability. One key aspect for me is the size or thickness of the yarn. While commercial yarn comes in different weights or sizes, I can still achieve variability even within these weight classes. For instance, my favorite yarn to use, fingering weight (also known as 4 ply yarn), allows me to create a thicker version that borders on sport weight yarn, or I can go the opposite way and produce almost lace weight without spinning too fine.

Another aspect I enjoy is the ability to control the number of plies to achieve the desired thickness and sturdiness of the yarn. For example, when knitting socks, a 3-ply yarn is generally preferred over a 2-ply yarn because the additional strand provides more resilience against friction when the socks are worn.

Most importantly, the variability of color arrangement is key. Fibers can be divided at color changes and spun separately, or divided into thin strips and spun randomly. This encourages more blending of colors, creating visual interest in the yarn strands and ultimately enhancing the final handmade project.

3) Enjoyment!

Expressing the joy of spinning requires acknowledging both its technical aspects and its inherent fulfillment. While learning the technicalities may seem daunting at first, once you find your rhythm, spinning becomes truly enjoyable. This enjoyment extends into other fiber crafts like knitting or weaving with handspun yarn. The unique texture and feel of handspun yarn, distinct from commercial yarns, add to the pleasure of working with it. Moreover, the knowledge that you’re creating from scratch adds depth to the slow making journey, fostering a greater appreciation for the final product and the creative process itself.

If it wasn’t clear from my earlier words, I truly believe that spinning yarn is worth the investment. While it may indeed be more expensive and time-consuming compared to buying commercial yarn, the unique qualities, variability, and enjoyment factor it offers are unparalleled. The satisfaction derived from creating something entirely unique and the joy it brings to future projects outweigh the cost considerations for me. I’m eager to hear your thoughts on spinning or working with handspun yarn. Please feel free to share your comments below.

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Harvesting Creativity: Crafting This Fall Season

sweetstitchingcrafts — Tue, 21 Nov 2023 00:43:13 +0000

Music: Passage by Jakob Ahlbom & Trust in You by AK Silla

Nature is my go-to source of inspiration, regardless of the season. However, I must admit that the changing colors of leaves, the bright autumn afternoon sun, and the pine needles covering the forest grounds rekindle my imagination. I have a strong desire to recreate the mood of comfort, stillness, and crispness that I experience during my woodland walks in the fall. What crafts am I gravitating towards this fall to reflect this change of pace?

Rug Hooking

My current rug hooking project is from an older Buttermilk Basin pattern called Patriotic Sheep. Using primitive cut wool strips (1/4 inch wide strips of wool) in rustic colours such as burgundy, mossy greens and burnt yellows. As you can see, I still have the main body to work on. I have a variety of creams and white wool fabric waiting to be felted and cut into strips. The final project will be a 3-dimensional sheep that will hopefully decorate my craft room.

Weaving

Weaving with my multicolored handspun using a crackle weaving structure. The pattern is called the French pattern, and it is from Marguerite Porter Davidson’s book, A Handweaver’s Pattern Book. This book has a great compilation of older weaving patterns, but using this pattern along with my multicolored handspun is giving this old pattern new life while preserving the vintage feel and look. I will admit my initial choice of a gray color was more subdued, but I am glad I changed my mind. This fall season is bursting with color, and I wanted my current projects to reflect this.

Knitting

Knitting socks during this time of year, I am obsessed with staying warm and what I can make that will keep me warm. Naturally, my feet are the first part of my body that get cold quickly, and it is not even below 0 degrees. I start rummaging through my yarn stash to find the perfect yarn that is sturdy and warm enough to start a new pair of socks. Then, I finish all the last year’s sock projects by closing the toes and weaving all the loose ends.

Punch needle

It is not a craft that I often work on, but I do enjoy it immensely when I do. This pattern is a Michelle Palmer original punch needle design, and of course, I was drawn to it because of the cute sheep design. It was featured in a summer 2019 issue of the Punch Needle and Primitive Stitcher magazine, but I felt the color selections in this design reminded me more of fall leaves that decorate the forest floor instead of summer flowers in full bloom. I have the pattern stretched on some wooden bars for increased accessibility while I am cuddled under some blankets and sipping on a hot cup of tea.

Quilting

I find binding quilts takes a long time when I make blankets. But it feels good to be under the blanket while doing it. I usually bind quilts in the fall, after piecing them together during the summer when there’s more daylight. It gets too hot to manoeuvre the blanket while hand-sewing the edges. I feel good when I finish because I have a new blanket to keep me cozy during the winter while I work on other crafts.

What crafts are you drawn to when there is a change of season, especially when the weather gets cooler? Please feel free to comment below!

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