Fiber Arts Friday: Finishing So I Can Start

I don't mind having a couple of works in progress, but I've had way too many projects lately.  So with the Tour de Fleece (Ravelry link) starting tomorrow, I wanted to get some finished.  Which means I've been working like a mad woman for the last couple of weeks.  Here's a run down of what is now complete.

Duck Feet:

I finished the duck feet!  Woo Hoo!!  The second foot (on the right) is much better than the first and I think it's just a little bit smaller. So I may make a third and keep the first for posterity.  But I am very happy with my first pair of socks.

Black and White Hat:

I've already made a version of this hat once which was is a bit small.  I really like the pattern, so I embarked upon a second, larger hat.

I thought it was going to be too big, then I thought I was going to run out of yarn.  Fortunately the hat turned out just right, and I had just enough yarn to finish.

So I added a tassel.

The yarn is a llama/wool blend.  It's a little bit scratchy, but I really like the finished hat.  I like how there's a little point at the top and how the white is just a shade off-white.  Maybe I should call this my just right hat.  :-)

Irish Hiking Hat:

I finished the cable band several weeks ago.  I stitched the ends together and picked up the rows so I could knit the crown.  The first round was quite difficult.  Either I didn't pick up the right piece at the end of each row or I knit the rows too tightly.

Once I finished knitting the first round, the hat went very quickly.

This yarn is hand-spun, alpaca.  The fiber is from my teacher, Keyla, but was shorn and spun before we bought her.

Spinning Wool-Mohair:

I started spinning this in December and have only worked on it a little here and there.  I need the bobbin for the Tour de Fleece and a little spinning practice was motivation to finish the skein.

I finished the bobbin, set the twist and ended up with 151 yards.  This was the first time I have measured what I spun.  Which means I now have a good gauge for how full I need to make the bobbin for my BFF hat.

Spinning Cotton:

It was hot last summer and I felt the need to spin, but all of my roving was in storage.  I found this natural cotton at Village Wools (the place I learned about spinning and weaving) in Albuquerque.  I thought it would be fun to try cotton out, even with the very short staple length.  I left it on the bobbin because I thought I might add to it, but I would prefer to spin it thinner.  So I skeined it and now have 67 yards of a thick and thin cotton.

Ready to Start:

Having these projects complete means I have only two other projects in work; my shelved Twitter Knit Along Shawl and my Plumber Sweater.

Have a lovely Fiber Arts Friday, take a look at what the others are working on and Go Team of Wonder! (Ravelry link)