I recently purchased some sheeps' wool from a local farmer who has a spinner's flock. This piqued my interest because I want sheep of my own. A spinner's flock is a small flock of sheep of different breeds so you get a range of fiber types; not all sheep are equal. I've been able to get local fiber from various sources so I'm also rethinking what type of fiber animal I want out here (goats, rabbits and/or sheep). This particular purchase has produced a very rustic yarn. I'm not dying this batch as I like the shepherdess's story about her fiber journey; living off the land as much as possible. What I have knit up so far is this wide striped set of leg warmers to show off the dark BFL/Gotland and the natural oatmeal Border Leicester. Plain knitting for 75 rounds, no shaping except for a few rows of K2, P2 ribbing at the top.
These simple leg warmers were knit after I finished a more complex pattern for some boot cuffs.
The pattern is based on Lynne Vogel's 'Heart Of Lotus' arm warmer pattern. There are two yarns in this project; the first is a chunky single and the second is a thin fingering weight that I spun from a one of my mixed fiber art batts. This pattern really shows off all that's going on with the art yarn and the art yarn lends to showing off all that's going on with the pattern as far as textures go.
And finally are some additional photos of the leg warmers from my previous post which you can revisit
here.
I think it's important to see how my finished items look on real people. There's a shroud of mystery that comes with handspun yarn so I hope my blog helps you discover the possibilities.
