On new years day, with my crafty project list dwindling post-Christmas, I thought I might try to sew up a knitting needle case. My circular needle collection, now complete to the point where I rarely have to buy new ones, lived in a cluttered box. All the needles, still in their little ziploc-bag-style packaging, were sorted by size, and shared space with crochet hooks and an out-of-favor boye interchangeable set. Getting a new needle out, while not difficult per se, was akin to digging in the back of a closet.

It turned out I had enough fabric on hand to make a whole gamut of new storage vessels for knitting things. Why just have a circular needle holder when there could also be a case for crochet hooks, douple-pointed needles, notions, and of course, projects in progress? Matching of course. I love matching. When there is a choice between matching and not, matching is the way to go.

The main fabric is this blue print from Ikea, a single yard originally purchased as a contender for the wedding photo booth backdrop. Ikea has a decent fabric selection, if on the bold and bright side, and upholstery-weight prints like this one go for only $5/yard. I paired it with some solids in various yardages - blues to blend in, and yellows for contrast. I also had a decent selection of yellow zippers and some yellow buttons. All in all, didn't have to leave the house for supplies. Always a plus when its freezing cold out.

the three needle cases

circular needle case

dpn case

crochet hook roll

box bags, large and small, and a drawstring pouch

They are quite a beachy group. Its quite possible I'll get tired of seeing the same print all around, but for now I like the idea of visual consistency. Instead of the mismatched red, navy, brown and yellow bags I use now, they all share this blue and yellow beachy theme.. hello 2010.

This past fall, I went to the Rhinebeck for the NY Sheep and Wool festival for the first time. There must be something about seeing the animals and fleeces and wool and spinners firsthand, because it got me thinking about spinning. And with thinking about spinning, comes the first step, a spindle.

So far, I've taken one intro to spinning class at Brooklyn General and am in the middle of a spinning wheel class at The Yarn Tree. This is a totally different approach from when I learned to knit, where I basically taught myself. Back in 2003 or so, a friend showed me the basics of knit and purl, I picked up a copy of , and went from there. Of course, one can't rule out the daily inspiration and knowledge that came from an active community of knit bloggers. I wonder if spinning benefits from learning from others, or am I just more apt to jump into classes these days?

This is probably my 6th or 7th handspun. Its on a spindle because I don't have a wheel at home (yet!). I really got into a spinning groove with this almost-black corriedale. While I spun, it was a sunny day, light coming into the living room. I found it helpful to hold the fiber up to the light and really see how much was being drafted with each pull. This is about the thinnest I've been able to consistently spin up to this point. It takes a surprising long time to spin up 2 ounces of fiber on a spindle at this medium-skinny thickness. I am going to estimate like 5-6 hours total?

Corriedale, almost black from The Yarn Tree
2 ounces, 164 yards
about sport to fingering weight

And here it is all plied up. Its real yarn! There are some uneven sections, but overall I am so thrilled with it. I only know one way to ply on a spindle - make a center pull ball, then pull from both ends for a 2-ply yarn. This was nearly a tangled disaster. Luckily, I have a patient husband who was willing to monitor the yarn ball and make sure it stayed two separate strands.

I can understand why spindling is a good way to learn to spin - its slower than a wheel, and can be slowed down to just park-and-draft for the basics. and apparently, humanity used spindles for 4500 years of textile creation, with just the last 500 years on a spinning wheel (and well, industrial production over the last 100 years or so on humongous machines, but I am not counting those). I just can't imagine how long it would take to spin a sweater's worth of yarn on a spindle. There's so much starting and stopping to wind on the yarn to the spindle, and reaching down to pick it up.. I am wishing for the constant steady calm of a spinning wheel.