A forty something woman sits by a window, wearing a pink and white handknit cardigan. A colorful quilt is draped over her lap.
Handknit white cardigan with an all over geometric design in pink. The white yarn is Romney and the pink is BFL/silk.
My Spot cardi is complete, just under the wire! Spun, dyed, and knitted starting on Jan 1, 2025.
#2025sweaterchallenge #handspinning #knitting
Handknit cardigan with a pink-on-cream colorwork pattern is almost ready for buttons. Handmade yarn buttons are loosely placed on the button band, looking like small cream colored donuts.
Making yarn buttons by wrapping around a fine point Sharpie 10 times, then using tapestry needle to work buttonhole stitch around the circle of yarn. Finished buttons look like small donuts.
Making yarn buttons for my #2025sweaterchallenge Spot cardigan. Partially because they're cute, partially because I don't want to leave the house in search of pre-made buttons.
#knitting
Beginning to cut the front steek on a cardigan knit in the round. White crochet reinforcement bands run up the steek columns. Scissors carefully cut the knit ladder running between the reinforcements.
Showing the back of the cut steek edge. The reinforcement band has neatly captured the cut edges of the floats.
#Steek time! I like this crochet method that @katedaviesdesigns.com uses, it really grabs onto all the little ends and makes the cut line easy to see.
#2025sweaterchallenge #knitting #handspinning
Pink and white colorwork sweater in progress. Most of the knitting is complete, picture shows uncut front steek and unfinished neckline. A grey and white cat lays atop the sweater.
Another #2025sweaterchallenge progress pic attempt, aka another cat bed. Next up, steek and button bands. Might just squeak in before the end of the year.
#knitting #handspinning
Grey and white cat lays atop a sweater in progress. The sweater is being knit top down in geometric cream and pink color work pattern. The body and one sleeve are nearly complete.
Wanted a progress pic for my #2025sweaterchallenge but someone decided this layout was just for him.
#knitting #handspinning
Hands holding a sweater in progress in the foreground, while a grey and white cat peers sleepily from behind the knitting.
Pink and cream color work sweater being knit from the top down. The raglan increases are complete and the sleeves have been split from the body.
Cruising along on my #2025sweaterchallenge now that the sleeves are split off. I made a ton of cream Romney 2 ply, but will there be enough of my pinky orange BFL? Time will tell. 😬
#knitting #handspinning
Spot cardigan pattern in progress, partway through the raglan increases. Knitted using my handspun yarn in colors of white and pink-orange.
Got to get cranking on my #2025sweaterchallenge if I'm going to finish by the end of the year! Currently putting along through the raglan increases and wondering if I'll ever be somewhere cold enough to wear the final product 🤔
#knitting #handspun
Many skeins of warm white Romney yarn lay in a basket, with two skeins of bright pink-orange yarn on top. All yarn is hand spun.
Same white Romney yarn with a more muted contrast skein in shades of deep orange, rust, and gold.
Spinning for my #2025sweaterchallenge is done! Maybe. Now slightly second guessing the bright pinky-orange...would it be better with a navy base? Should I swap it out for the autumnal Fall on Fire, which would also mean spinning up one more braid? 🤔🧶
#handspinning
A rectangular basket holds seven skeins of white handspun yarn in one layer. On top of the skeins are samples of pink and orange fiber in progressive states of completion: unspin fiber, singles on a bobbin, and finished two ply yarn.
My #2025sweaterchallenge is nearly through the spinning stage. I've got one more bobbin to spin, then it's just ply and soak (and soak and soak again because if this pink/orange bleeds onto my white Romney I will go full Llorona.) 🧶
#handspinning #Romney #BFL
Spinning wheel bobbin filling with a single ply yarn in colors of pink, yellow, and orange
Pink and orange fiber ready to be spun, held up in front of the spinning wheel with a small amount of the first singles already on the bobbin
Well it is vibrant! The second ply should tone it down a little as the colors mix together more.
Reminds me of Fruit Stripe gum 🤔
🧶 #handspinning #2025sweaterchallenge
Pink and orange BFL fiber before and after spinning, holding both colors together in the draft. This mingles both colors so the resulting 2 ply yarn is a medium tone overall.
Color test of the pink/orange BFL yarn laid against the Romney yarn it will be used with. The yarn are of similar weight and sheen.
Ooo very happy with this quick test drafting the pink and orange BFL together. It's a pleasant coral color overall and it works well with the slightly off white Romney.
#handspinning #2025sweaterchallenge
Seven handspun skeins of pearly white Romney 2 ply yarn are arranged neatly in a wicker tray.
Two pans of brightly colored roving dry in the sun. One is flame orange, the other is orchid pink.
All done spinning up 1300ish yards of Romney for my #2025sweaterchallenge!
I've also dyed 8oz of BFL/silk for the contrast color. Planning to draft these together and possibly add back in some of the undyed fiber for a more chill heathered yarn. 🧶
#handspinning #romney
Two yarn samples wrapped around a hand. One yarn is bright white and very fluffy (Coopworth), the other is pearly white and spun smoothly (Romney.)
Welp this Coopworth has spoken and it wants to be a floofy woolen spun. That's nice, but it won't work with my smooth, pearly, worsted spun Romney, so it's out for the #2025sweaterchallenge. Maybe some BFL instead? 🧶
#handspinning #knitting
A rattan tray filled with five white handspun skeins of yarn all lined up, and two bobbins of the same fiber ready to be plied. Four small stuffed knitted chickens nestle in the upper corner of the tray
The designer's picture for her Spot cardigan pattern, featuring an overall two color pattern with a triangle motif
#2025sweaterchallenge update! 5 skeins of Romney complete, one more ready to ply, leaving just the 7th skein to spin. I decided on the Spot Cardigan pattern and have a pound of Coopworth inbound to dye up for the contrast color. Bonus nesting ESCs.
🧶 #knitting #handspun
i like both.
blue/white is classic.
i'm always concerned w/ reds & color running.
if you go w red, maybe soak in vinegar immediately?
"Considering some options for the contrast color in my #2025sweaterchallenge. Warm red/pink/orange or a deep blue/green, hmm. Or something else all together? 🧶 "
Four skeins of white handspun Romney yarn in a basket, with a contrasting skein in colors of red and orange laying across the top
An alternative to the first picture, with a skein of blue-green yarn laying across the white Romney base yarn.
Considering some options for the contrast color in my #2025sweaterchallenge. Warm red/pink/orange or a deep blue/green, hmm. Or something else all together? 🧶
#handspinning #knitting
Three finished skeins of two-ply white yarn lie alongside a spinning wheel bobbin full of single ply yarn.
A loose skein of newly washed white yarn hangs to dry outside on a deck railing, with oak trees in the vackground
Three skeins down, four more to go! That's 560 yards so far, so it's looking good to get 1200ish yards overall. 🤞 🧶
#2025sweaterchallenge #knitting #handspinning
Weighing out a fluffy pile of white roving in a large metal bowl, surrounded by basketball sized spheres of already weighed roving. A grey and white cat watches closely.
Divvying up the rest of the Romney into 4oz batches so I can spin spin spin. Silas is in QC duty today.
#2025sweaterchallenge #cats
Cream skein of yarn alongside two spinning wheel bobbins each filled with a single ply of the same fiber. A clipboard with a progress sheet lies underneath, documenting completion of the first skein.
#2025sweaterchallenge update.
Skein 1 of 7 is complete at 160 yards and the next two bobbins are ready to ply. The creamy white Romney is so shiny! Almost like a string of pearls 🧶
#handspinning #knitting
A modern spinning wheel alongside a bowl of white roving, ready to start spinnjng
A hand drawn tracking sheet to check off the steps of spinning and knitting a sweater.
It's the first day of my #2025sweaterchallenge ! I've doled out the first 4oz of the Romney and set up a little tracking sheet to keep tabs on my progress. The overall plan is to spin it all by the end of April, dye in May, and finish knitting by Dec 31. 🧶
#handspinning #knitting
A large bag of creamy white wool roving ready to be spun, with a hand holding up a sample of clean, crimpy fiber
Stranded colorwork cardigan with a geometric pattern in shades of white and mustard, with a bright pink button band
2025 challenge project ahoy! (aka let's not just doom scroll all day) Going to spin up this beautiful Romney, dye it, then knit it into a colorwork cardigan. Spin tests start today but no actual-factual spinning allowed until 1/1/2025. 🧶
#handspinning #knitting #2025sweaterchallenge
