# Spinning - spin or knit or......



## Cdambro

Just wondering if everyone knits up what they spin or spins and has spun stash. I am enjoying the spin without necessarily having anything to make so I am getting a bunch of skeins of spun roving. I am fine with that but it made me wonder of other spinners do the same thing.


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## deenashoemaker

I almost always knit up what I spin as soon as it's spun. Last week I spin 21.7 ounces and this week knitted a top down raglan


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## mama879

I have a stash I have used my handspun right away and I also put yarn in my stash now that I weave I will be using some on the loom.


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## marianikole

I have a stash of hand spun. Some of it gets knitted right away, some is waiting for the right project.


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## mjo

Please don't abandon your hand spun to the stash bins. 
Personally I don't feel like a spinning project is done until I cast on. When I use my yarn I find out what I did right and also what I can improve on. But most of all I find out what I thought was not even enough or some how not right is often fixed by knitting and blocking.


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## Bfirebaugh

deenashoemaker said:


> I almost always knit up what I spin as soon as it's spun. Last week I spin 21.7 ounces and this week knitted a top down raglan


Your sweater is lovely You must be a lot faster than I am. I've been spinning the same bag of wool since May!


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## Silverpeep

I always have a stash of hands pun and roving.


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## deenashoemaker

Thank you, not fast, just so much time on hand.


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## spins2knit

Both. I rarely spin with a finished product in mind but sometimes the fiber tells me what it wants to be when it grows up while I am spinning. Sometimes it just needs to mature first.

The same thing goes for yarn. 

Stash is always useful.


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## BirchPoint

I do half and half. Some fibers are bought from excitement, and spun just for the joy of it. That is usually stashed till the right project comes to mind. I do spin it with some sort of idea what I'm going to do with it - spin fine for a shawl, midweight for hats or mittens, lots of yardage for a sweater. ... Sometimes I actually do have a project in mind, start to finish. But not as often as just spinning for the fun of it!


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## Spooly

I just started spinning and now have three finished skeins. I am trying to knit or weave something from each of my first skeins, so I can get a better idea of how different fibers behave.


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## bakeknitsew

I have at least a couple of drawers full of my spun yarn. I might need to mention that I also have bags of picked wool ready to be spun. I spun a beautiful black alpaca with multicolored silk just a week or so ago and I am going to make an asymmetrical scarf for my dear friend who turns 70 this December. She saw the yarn and loved it so I was inspired to make something for her just because she is important in my work life. 
I have been spinning various gray wools to make a sweater and also been spinning a white wool (Romney-Corridale mix) to dye indigo to make into a sweater. It is taking some time because I need 1600 yds of plied yarn for either sweater. However, I am enjoying the process from washing the fleece, picking it clean, spinning, plying and then making the final product. Recently my DH mentioned that he would like a vest since he is always cold and I keep the thermostat down to 65. Hmmmm, his birthday is coming up!


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## Spindoctor

I always refer to "the prerequisite period of admiration of the yarn". Sometimes I spin for a specific project, sometimes I just buy a lovely fiber and spin it up and wait for it to tell me what it wants to be...says the woman with 9 pounds of cashmere fiber...


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## shepherd

oooooh


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## Cdambro

I just love reading everyone's ideas and different spinning, knitting personalities and aren't we all different. Wouldn't it be so much fun if we all sat in one room spinning and chatting?


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## Cookie61868

I would say both, some I just love the color, texture, or squish factor. Others I have a purpose for spinning. I enjoy ???? all of it, sometimes I just take out my hand spun to look at and then I realize I could cast something on with the perfect pattern and yarn. Just enjoy the spin, don't worry about casting on as soon as you are done spinning, eventually you will have a perfect purpose for each skein you spin!!


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## beaulynd

I do both. I have spun with a project in mind and I have spun just for the pleasure that spinning brings. Recently I have spun more to spin to relax with no purpose as to project or type of yarn I want to make.


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## Jennydan

I need to smack myself. I enjoy the process of scouring carding, spinning, then I sell it. Then I can buy more fleece. 
Occasionally I'll make a shawl for myself or friends. 
I have Been hoarding 500 grams of multi wool top for " something" but don't want to start before I have a definite project. Then there are silk, alpaca, and mohair Hanks that are " too nice" to give away. 
Anyone got a wooden spoon?


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## mama879

Cdambro said:


> I just love reading everyone's ideas and different spinning, knitting personalities and aren't we all different. Wouldn't it be so much fun if we all sat in one room spinning and chatting?


OH my that would be marvelous wouldn't it how much fun. All the chatting and the tips we could get. So where are we all going to do this I think a road trip is in order. Maybe in the spring. lol lol If we only could.


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## mama879

Jennydan said:


> I need to smack myself. I enjoy the process of scouring carding, spinning, then I sell it. Then I can buy more fleece.
> Occasionally I'll make a shawl for myself or friends.
> I have Been hoarding 500 grams of multi wool top for " something" but don't want to start before I have a definite project. Then there are silk, alpaca, and mohair Hanks that are " too nice" to give away.
> Anyone got a wooden spoon?


Wooden spoon my Dad used them on us when we were little broke a few to. Sounds like me I have a stash. I will be looking to sell my yarns soon. I hope.


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## beaulynd

mama879 said:


> OH my that would be marvelous wouldn't it how much fun. All the chatting and the tips we could get. So where are we all going to do this I think a road trip is in order. Maybe in the spring. lol lol If we only could.


That would be so much fun!


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## pasha

I absolutely LOVE to spin, knitting, not so much. So what I wind up doing is spinning a bunch of yarn and then donating it to local groups for their knitting projects. This way, everyone wins and I don't build up yarn stash. Of course, there are all those lovely fleeces and roving that I can't seem to live without.


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## Cdambro

pasha said:


> I absolutely LOVE to spin, knitting, not so much. So what I wind up doing is spinning a bunch of yarn and then donating it to local groups for their knitting projects. This way, everyone wins and I don't build up yarn stash. Of course, there are all those lovely fleeces and roving that I can't seem to live without.


That is really nice of you donating your spun yarn. Do you take pics first? Would love to see your spun yarn. What wheel do you have?


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## wordancer

Spindoctor said:


> says the woman with 9 pounds of cashmere fiber...


My o my..9lbs! Right now I'm just spinning for the joy of spinning. Plus I have sold a little... Which goes into the DRM carder fund.


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## deenashoemaker

I would love ???? to have so much wool waiting to be spun.


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## pasha

Cdambro said:


> That is really nice of you donating your spun yarn. Do you take pics first? Would love to see your spun yarn. What wheel do you have?


I spin on a Kromski Fantasia. Its easy for me to use and spins like a dream. Being an old fogy, I never take pictures of my yarn,but I'll keep that in mind. At present I'm working on some hand-dyed for a Christmas gift.


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## Spindoctor

Another way to get the 'benefit' of your yarn if you don't want to knit/weave/crochet--a friend of mine loved to spin but hated to do anything else so he had a deal with a knitter--he would provide twice the spun yarn for a finished project and he would get a finished project (usually a sweater) and the knitter would get a comparable amount of lovely handspun for his projects. They do have one set of matching sweaters because the first one turned out so well the knitter had to make one for himself...


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## Spinningmary

Beautiful skeins are works of art in their own right, to be admired, handled and enjoyed. No problem if they are not used for years, their time will come and the perfect project will present itself. I know, I am a skein hoarder. One day I might just post photos of my collections!!


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## Cdambro

Spinningmary said:


> Beautiful skeins are works of art in their own right, to be admired, handled and enjoyed. No problem if they are not used for years, their time will come and the perfect project will present itself. I know, I am a skein hoarder. One day I might just post photos of my collections!!


Would love to see the skeins of beauty you have created. I tend to agree....I enjoy just looking at the skeins I have done. Have only been spinning for a few months so I don't have a collection like you but I am in no rush to knit them into anything, yet.


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## mama879

You should wait to use them maybe you can use them with other yarns to make something really pretty. Do not be in such a rush. Enjoy them.


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## Milocat

I love the spun yarn "telling" you what it wants to be.LOL I do spin for the joy of it, but sometimes spin for a specific purpose. Here in Australia we have a lot of Merinos, and I have friends who have farms that run large flocks. They are always trying to give me wool to knit them sweaters. They even offer to wash the wool for me.


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## Spinningmary

You asked for photos of skeins. Here assorted merino and silk which came when I bought a new wheel. I usually spin raw fleece so this was a bit of variety.


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## Spinningmary

Trying again to attach photo.


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## Cdambro

Spinningmary said:


> Trying again to attach photo.


Oh, that is just beautiful! Looks so soft and cushy.


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## mama879

Wow how pretty and the colors are perfect. Nice spinning to.


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## desireeross

I have knitted up a lot of my spun yarn. I do have some in my stash waiting for projects. As 90% of my knitting is shawls, I spin with them in mind. I like a theme so will dye and spin accordingly. Scotland inspires me a lot for spinning and dyeing.

I've knitted a couple of sweaters and spun the yarn with those projects in mind. One of the designers who I test knit for designs awesome patterns for hand spun. Susan Ashcroft or Stitchnerd as she's known on Ravelry


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## nellig

I have at least two projects started with my spun yarn. They have been sitting for some time and their purpose is no longer relevant. One, I plan to repurpose into a small tuffet. The other will have to be frogged. Can't think of a repurpose for it. Oh well.


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## Reba1

I spin to spin. But I would love to knit up my skeins I have in stash. I just need to find the project to use up various colors and fibers of lumpy, bumpy, uneven twist skeins, which is what I have produced up to this point.


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## mama879

Reba1 said:


> I spin to spin. But I would love to knit up my skeins I have in stash. I just need to find the project to use up various colors and fibers of lumpy, bumpy, uneven twist skeins, which is what I have produced up to this point.


Practice practice practice. Lumpy, bumpy, fat and thin are artsy yarns use it as trim use smaller needles you can make anything out of it. I put 2 yarns together and made fingerless mitts my first on a drop spindle.


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## desireeross

Reba1 said:


> I spin to spin. But I would love to knit up my skeins I have in stash. I just need to find the project to use up various colors and fibers of lumpy, bumpy, uneven twist skeins, which is what I have produced up to this point.


You could use your lumpy bumpy with a smooth solid commercial yarn. It'll really showcase the arty yarn. Cowls are great for this


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## Cdambro

desireeross said:


> You could use your lumpy bumpy with a smooth solid commercial yarn. It'll really showcase the arty yarn. Cowls are great for this


That's a great idea.


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## Reba1

desireeross said:


> You could use your lumpy bumpy with a smooth solid commercial yarn. It'll really showcase the arty yarn. Cowls are great for this


I like that idea.

Mama879 - I am not a hand knitter, so it needs to be able to be used on one of my knitting machines. Which shouldn't be a problem. I am thinking at this point that I will probably knit weave material to sew and felt a knitting bag! Either that, or a patchwork vest for me.


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