Episode 4: Spinning Math & Sewing Hacks
The last two months have brought a surprisingly decent variety of crafting into my routine. Usually, I’m 99% about the knitting, but after dealing with some hand pain in the last episode, I decided to take a full week off from small needles and focus on spinning instead.
I was also hit with a sudden wave of sewing inspiration. Even though it's technically the middle of winter here in Cape Town, I am heavily influenced by the crafters I follow on YouTube, most of whom are currently making summer garments. Plus, winter in Cape Town is relative. It hit 25°C here yesterday, so zero sweaters were worn!
Here is what’s been happening in my crafting space over the last eight weeks.
Spinning:
I’m still quite new to spinning, and I wasn’t entirely sure how to pull off what I had in mind, but I wanted to spin a sweater quantity.
I received 400g of pink Corriedale for Christmas, but I wasn't sure it would be enough for a full sweater. To stretch it, I bought two 100g packs of mixed-color Corriedale to create stripes in the yarn. My logic was that with 600g of fiber, I’d split it into three portions: 200g for the yoke/upper body, 200g for the main body, and 200g for the sleeves.
To keep the stripes a somewhat even width when knit up, I realized the stripe lengths needed to vary by section. So, I divided all my fiber into different weight pieces aiming for:
1 full colour repeat on the body yarn
2 repeats on the yoke yarn
4 repeats on the sleeve yarn
(I’ll try to draw a picture to explain my brain math here!)
It was a super fun spin! I’d only ever spun Merino before, and Corriedale was so much easier to work with. The yarn actually turned out amazing, and I am thrilled with the result. That said, now that the 600g of yarn is finished, I suspect it’s going to make a massive, oversized garment. But honestly? That doesn't sound bad at all.
Sewing:
If I’m a novice at spinning, I’m even more of a novice at sewing, though I’d love to get better at it. It feels so practical for our climate.
During a Saturday closet declutter, I tackled my fabric stash (yes, I have a fabric stash despite barely sewing!) and got inspired to make a skirt. I had a half-circle skirt pattern and some cute floral fabric, so I just went for it.
It wasn't entirely smooth sailing. Mid-project, I realized the pattern assumed a stretch fabric so you could pull it over your hips. My fabric had zero stretch. So, I had to hack together a last-minute button closure situation. It’s not the prettiest construction, but it works!
I was so stoked with the result that the very next weekend, I went to the fabric store, bought more fabric, and sewed up a second one, hacked button closure and all. I’m really happy with how both turned out, though I definitely need to cultivate some patience. I can happily spend a month on a single knitting project, but if I can’t finish a sewing project in a single afternoon, I lose my mind!
Finished Objects
Hacked Tombo Tee – Original design by Florence Miller
The Story: At the Cape Town Yarn Festival, one of the vendors became the sole local importer of Sandnes Garn! It’s normally so hard to get international yarn brands here, so I splurged on 5 balls of their Alpakka Silke. It was gosh expensive, but so incredibly soft.
The Knit: It’s a very fine yarn, so I had to work it on 2.75mm needles (tiny!), but it creates the dreamiest fabric. I hacked the pattern heavily: I used the Tombo Tee as a base for the yoke shaping, added long sleeves, and converted it to a V-neck.
The Verdict: It came out so cute! However, it's about an inch shorter than I’d like. It only works with my highest-waisted jeans right now. It's currently on the blocking mats getting a very firm stretch because I really don't want to buy another expensive ball just for a little extra length. Fingers crossed!
The Annual Partner Sweater: Puntal - Designed by Belén Fernández
Once a year, I knit my partner a sweater. This time, I used my own hand-dyed Wildest Wool DK yarn (200m/100g) in a single solid colorway.
The Details: I used about 5.5 skeins for the Puntal pattern.
The Verdict: The first sweater I ever knit for him has been worn half to death, so while I’m slightly nervous about how this soft yarn will hold up to heavy wear over time, it turned out super cozy and looks great on him.
Stash Stats
In the spirit of keeping myself accountable, here is where the yarn inventory stands after the last two months:
Yarn Used:
250g Sandnes Garn Alpakka Silke (Hacked Tombo)
550g–600g Wildest Wool DK (Partner’s Puntal Sweater)
Total Out: ~850g
Yarn Added:
250g Bamboo Yarn (Picked up while making a shop delivery to my LYS)
600g Handspun Corriedale (Does spinning your own fiber count as adding yarn?)
Total In: 850g
So... my stash stats are a net 0 for the last two months. Oof. And with what’s coming up next, these numbers might get out of hand...
Next Up: Scotland! 🏴
We are heading off on vacation next week! We are flying out to hike the West Highland Way and do a week of sightseeing around Scotland.
You already know that local yarn shops will be visited. Scotland has such a rich textile and knitting history, so going there is absolute dream territory for me. I am definitely going to buy some special yarn souvenirs, and I probably won't be doing much knitting while we're on the trail... So stash numbers are going to go back up...
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