Fiber Arts Friday: Tibetan Mastiff Scarf, part 2

I can not get enough of this scarf.

I'm in love with how the Tibetan Mastiff yarn is working up.

The subtle color variation and incredible softness.

I love it so much.

So much, that I have my next TM project planned.

I finished the first skein a couple of days ago (3 5/8 oz, 34 in) and started on the second skein (6 oz).

Happy Fiber Arts Friday.

Fiber Arts Friday: Spinning Yak

I think it's safe to say that anyone who insists that cotton or dog is hard to spin has never tried Yak.

It is about the same length as cotton, but is more slippery and does not hold the twist as well.

It took a bit to get into the yak groove.

There are still a few places of over-spun yarn, but I'm starting to get the hang of it.

Splitting the roving into narrower sections has helped a lot.

Happy Fiber Arts Friday.

Fiber Arts Friday: Tibetan Mastiff Scarf, part 1

My plan with spinning all of the Tibetan Mastiff over the summer was to eventually knit this scarf.

It's a simple stockinette pattern, stitched on the bias.  It called for a provisional cast on which I had not done before and is made by simply making one at one end and knitting two together at the other... very simple construction with a slightly different point of view.  Perfect for my place in life right now and I think just right for it's intended recipient.

I was worried that I may have spun the yarn too tightly.  It feels a bit like twine, but the bloom is really nice after it's knit.  It's quite soft and not too fuzzy for my taste.  Which is saying something,
because I tend to dislike fuzzy yarns.

The orange cotton is the provisional cast on and will eventually go away.  I probably should have chosen something other than cotton since picking up the stitches and knitting the first row was quite a challenge.  But I chose it because it would not felt with the TM and the color is easy to see.

It's at 20 inches already, so it's going quite fast.

Happy Fiber Arts Friday!

Fiber Arts Friday: Spindling White Cashmere

This cashmere came as part of a sampler pack from the Estes Park Wool Market in 2011.

It was in batt form and not as soft as Pinocchio's cashmere at first hand.

I removed some of the guard hair before I started spinning in mid-June.

Then took a hiatus during the Tour de Fleece and this cashmere felt much softer after 3 weeks of Tibetan Mastiff.  ;-)

I finished spinning in early August and am just now getting around to posting about it.

I think these small skeins will go into a weaving.

1/4 ounce, 48.6 yards, 3 micro-skeins.

Happy Fiber Arts Friday.