Wednesday, January 04, 2012

Handspun Thorpe


Hi Knitters,
I joined The Knit Girllls Knitalong/Spinalong (KAL/SAL) a little while ago. Click here for the Ravelry group. The yarn above I spun from roving by Cloudlover called Haunted Vineyard. The roving became 130 yards of a double marl bulky weight yarn. There are many patterns to choose from for the KAL/SAL to suit all kinds of weights and yardage of yarn. When I spun I didn't have anything in mind other than I was trying to get a heavier weight yarn. I had been spinning only fingering weight and wanted to experiment a little.


I was so pleased to see that one of the selections was Kirsten Kapur's (I love all of her designs) Thorpe hat which requires 130 yards of a bulky weight yarn. It was a match made in heaven. While I was waiting for my Citron to dry I cast on and worked up my own handspun Thorpe.



The thing with my handspun yarn is that it isn't always perfectly even so figuring out gauge can be a little tricky. I started on US size 9 needles and was planning on making the medium size. My gauge was a little off but I kept going. When I came to the part in the pattern where I had to make choices based on size I decided I better make a large because it seemed a little small. I increased to the large size (the hat is worked from the top-down). 


When I got to the garter stitch brim I realized that the hat now seemed a little too big so I decreased back down to the medium size stitch requirements before I started the garter brim and earflap. You know that garter won't pull in at all like a rib will, so I am glad I switched back to the medium size. 

My Thorpe became a combination medium and large size hat. I had the matching green worsted weight wool sitting in my studio. It made for the perfect edging and ties. The edging is a half double crochet which I can never remember how to do so I looked it up on youtube before I started. Thank goodness for youtube, right?

In the end it fits like a charm! I didn't block it at all because I love the rustic look of the yarn. I wore it out this morning while TC and I tried to sneak in an outdoor ice skating session but to our sadness our neighborhood the rink was closed. It was open briefly yesterday so we got our hopes up. Instead we went for a hike in our neighborhood conservatory. There is still plenty of winter left and I hope we can get our outdoor skating in over the next couple of months.

There's a quick little share for you today! I hope you are well and I appreciate the emails and messages and comments I've still been receiving. Thank you all very much for the support.
best, susie

14 comments:

Anonymous said...

I'm in love with that project from start to finish! How rewarding! It looks great.

Suze said...

This non-winter weather is totally bumming me out :(
At least it's warm enough I can take a walk with my kids without too much complaining about how cold they are!

Stefanie said...

Your handspun rocks, Susan! It's perfecto and so organic. Love the Thorpe in it.
I'll miss you as the curator of S&C but know you're moving on to so much more and awesome, new exciting endeavors.

Sam I Am...... said...

That looks like something I might be able to do except for the spinning of the yarn...tried that once with a friends spinning wheel and it should have been on America's funniest! LOL! For now I'm just concentrating on the knitting part. It is so cute and I love the colors...looks really cute on you too! Thanks for sharing! If I had a knitting blog I would only be able to publish about once every 6 months! How do you do it? You go girl!

Unknown said...

Hey Susan, it seems you've been doing much more personal knitting now. Good on you! I feel so happy for you that you now seem to be taking more care of yourself. :)

Patricia said...

Wow, I love that hat! The colors and texture are beautiful! I will also miss you on Spud & Chloe but really enjoy seeing your other projects. I remember a year or two ago you posted pictures of an ice rink in your backyard! Looked so fun! :)

Maryanne said...

First a Citron, and now a Thorpe. Your projects looked so great, I put both these patterns in my queue to start this weekend. (Making New Year's resolutions is too much pressure for me, but I have no problem staring multiple projects.) Thanks for the inspiration!

lwzenke said...

nicely done...beautiful yarn.
by the way, i will always have a big love of S&C (as well as BSA because of you. i am thrilled to see what is next on your horizon. enjoy that beautiful family of yours for as long as you need. we knitters will always be here for you.

knittingknirvana said...

I am so very happy to see you making projects for pure pleasure once again. :) BTW, love the hat!

tjf said...

I love the Thorpe hat pattern, too. Your handspun looks great. As others have said, I will miss you at the spud and chloe blog (your patterns were/are so incredible and fun!) but I wish you well with all the exciting things you are working on. I'm really looking forward to your future books and will continue to follow you here.

Brandi Schoch said...

Great hat I love using up my handspun.

Suzanne said...

I've made several Thorpes for my boys. Your beautiful handspun and that great pattern make a winning combination.

Anonymous said...

I love what you do with your handspun. I have soooooo much handspun and just havent used it.
Also so glad you are having more time for yourself. Good decision.
I think we will all benefit from your decision.
Sharon in Va

stephigordon said...

This is the perfect Thorpe!!! Love your handspun!