Spinning Silk in Thailand

February 5, 2013May 10, 2016 | Verónica

My husband is traveling in Thailand and sent me these photographs. I think he knew I would like them. This first photograph shows a Thai man spinning silk. Look closely and you will see the delicate silk thread being pulled from several silkworm cocoons.

They were taken at the Jim Thompson House in Bangkok. Jim Thompson, as I soon learned, was an American architect who moved to Bangkok after World War II and subsequently established the Thai Silk Company. Look at all those silkworm cocoons!

I love this photograph of a beautiful Thai girl winding the silk thread.

I have high hopes of receiving a hank or two of Thai silk yarn when he returns. (Hint, hint).

Frogging

February 1, 2013 | Verónica

After returning from a trip to Toronto a few years back, my husband presented me with this humongous hank of luscious kid mohair. It’s 450 meters of beautifully soft lime green yarn from Fleece Artist. I wound it into this gigantic ball of fluff.

I started knitting a drop stitch shrug from a pattern book called Parisienne by Colinette. It’s the one called Montmartre.

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I was almost half way done when I put it down … a couple of years ago. Here’s part of the sleeve.

I could not figure out where I left off and the pattern is rather convoluted due to the increases. Plus, from where I stopped, I needed to start decreasing in pattern and completely forgot my sequencing, despite my margin notes.

These two smaller yarn balls are the unravelled evidence of my procrastination.

Nangellini’s in Philadelphia

October 7, 2012April 18, 2014 | Verónica

As many knitters do, I like to buy yarn from places I visit. More than a postcard, it helps me remember a certain place. When possible, I buy local – fibers from local farms, hand-spun, locally-dyed yarns. In a short Sunday afternoon, I made a beeline to Nangellini’s on the hip and quirky South Street in Philly. These are my souvenirs.

Super Something Hand Spun, by Nancy’s Custom Spinning (that would be Nancy, the owner). Made from strands of Merino and a Merino, Mohair, Silk combo plied together; 90 yards, 146 grams, 5.14 ounces. Nancy has a special bartering arrangement with a local dyer. Nancy spins, the dyer dyes and they each keep half of the fiber.

Nangellini’s Best.Batts.Ever are made from fine fibers including Merino, Mohair and Silk with a little Firestar for that hint of sparkle.

This is Nancy, owner, spinner, knitter and overall cool person. She explained that “Nangellini” was a childhood endearment her father used for her. When I asked if I could snap a photo, she agreed and grabbed that skein of hand-spun, hand-dyed yarn for the occasion. (I almost bought that skein). If I lived in Philly, my needles and I would hang out at Nangellini’s.

My memories of Philadelphia will include Independence Hall where the Constitution of the United States was signed, the Liberty Bell with its famous crack, workshops on leadership at the Wharton School at UPenn, a visit to Gettysburg, and yarn from Nangellini’s.

16,112 yards of yarn

August 20, 2012 | Verónica

That’s the same as 9.15 miles.

Or the equivalent of 14,733 meters or 14.7 kilometers for my metric friends.

That’s the size of my yarn stash.

83 skeins or balls of yarn.

This does not include batts, rovings, locks or any other unspun fiber in my possession.

This past Christmas, I told my husband I wanted pretty baskets in which to keep my yarn. I had yarn stashed away in mis-matched baskets scattered around the house in closets, the guest bedroom, and in the living room. He selected these three baskets with lids from Pottery Barn. They’re perfect for hiding, I mean organizing my yarn.

I use this hand-woven basket we brought back from Oaxaca, Mexico for corralling knitting-related items.

I still have some random baskets. This small round one is from Morocco and is probably meant to hold bread but I keep pretty fiber in it.

I wonder if yarn is covered under my homeowner’s policy?

I dare you to go to a yarn store and not buy anything

July 14, 2012April 18, 2014 | Verónica

I went to the yarn store to pick up some fiber for the ladybug. Mom went with me.

While I was perusing the fiber options, Mom saw a ruffled knit collar on display and decided I should knit it for her. She picked this yarn for it. It is called Sakkie by Plymouth Yarn. It’s a fingering weight sock yarn made in South Africa. Fiber contents: 40% wool, 40% mohair, 20% nylon.

I found this in the sales bin. My aunt, my mother’s little sister, will also soon be having surgery. Once Mom shows her the wash cloths I made for her after her surgery, my aunt will also want some. So I’m preparing. This is Pichasca by Ester Bitran. It’s a sport weight 100% cotton yarn hand-dyed in Chile.

I picked these up because they were on sale and they were pretty and you never know when you’re going to need some yellow and red yarn for something. These are Sulka by Mirasol, a worsted weight yarn made of 60% wool, 20% silk, and 20% alpaca.

This is what I went to the yarn store for in the first place. It’s a hand-dyed silky cashmerino by Frabjous Fibers. The colourway is #8 Cottage Garden and each top is 4 oz.