What To Do With TOO MUCH Handspun Yarn?

00:00 Introduction
03:11 Exploring Projects with Handspun Yarn
05:48 Understanding Yarn Characteristics by Knitting with Handspun Yarn
09:06 Weaving with Handspun Yarn
12:10 Machine Knitting with Handspun Yarn

JOIN OUR SCHOOL OF SWEETGEORGIA /// #schoolofsweetgeorgia
The School of SweetGeorgia (SOS) is our online membership-based fibre arts school and community where we aim to create a space where "multicraftual makers" including weavers, spinners, knitters, crocheters, dyers, and creatives feel like they belong and where they can learn the entire spectrum of the fibre arts, from fibre to yarn to fabric. The SOS is a place that recognizes the unique challenges and joys that come from working with more than one craft and a place that supports the individual growth of new and emerging textile artists and makers.

ABOUT SWEETGEORGIA /// #sweetgeorgiayarns
SweetGeorgia is a maker and media company that is designing and supplying accessible luxury handmade yarns and goods for the craft community and building a fibre arts school and studio that educates, inspires, and empowers makers to live a fulfilled, creative life.

[davidhorner]

I was fortunate enough to be gifted a Kromski rigid heddle loom for Christmas. I had started spinning about 3 years ago and had tons of small experiments of different techniques, fibres and colour ways, some I had also dyed myself with either acid dyes and more recently, natural dyes from my garden. Weaving eats up yarn like nobody’s business! I now have a great scarf that is quite wide and wonderfully warm and tells the story of my fibre arts journey so far. I love the idea of using up all my homespun yarn.
No yarn left behind!😃

[KokoraLife]

Spinning yarn and doing things with it are clearly two different hobbies!

[ShanaH]

Too much handspun? (Clutches pearls) There’s no such thing!

[cathycarbone]

I'm planning a shawl on my 8 shaft loom using my hand spun in weft. Fun ideas!!

[KandiPixels]

I like using different patterns from Lee Meredith's playful knitting collection. Be it her adventure knitting or the any-weight patterns. She has a lot of cool ways to knit with any weight yarn.

[deejcarter]

I e been waiting for someone to talk about using handspun on knitting machines.🎉This is what has held me back from getting one.

[resourcedragon]

I did a little bit of spinning back shortly after the invention of the spinning wheel (alright, slight exaggeration there!) and then stumbled across JillianEve's channel about 18 months ago and ended up refurbishing my late mother's wheel and really getting into spinning.

I am currently knitting some of my earlier practice spinning, some natural corriedale. My natural spin is quite fine and so what I've gone for is Kristine Vike's "As you like it" shawl. I'm using comparatively thick needles and so the overall effect with my very fine yarn is a lovely creamy white froth.

There are some Shetland samples in my stash box, awaiting a project and quite a lot of moss green merino and alpaca. I made some of the moss green into a hat (needed it when most of my hair fell out with chemo) but I've still got enough for at least one more hat, if not two. I'm currently spinning some more corriedale for "Christmas chaos" socks. Again, given that my spinning is very fine, I suspect I am going to have enough for at least two pairs when I eventually finish it.

Oh, and, er, there's some more white corriedale on a Turkish spindle. I'm still working on that, I do a little bit each day.

[alisonharris]

Wow so informative (again!) You're shawl and cowl are just beautiful. I started spinning about 1.5 years ago and every time I finish a spin I try to use the yarn so I can learn about my spinning. I've made hats mittens, and now working on the Traveler by Andrea Mowry. I am also currently processing my first fleece, a Corriedale that I am making into a tweed yarn. I'm partly spinning on a wheel and partly on support spindles (woolen style both). You made the knitting machine sound so fantastic, it's the first time I am somewhat interested in one. Speed is good! One reason I decided to process fleece (which I love doing) is to slow everything down to a reasonable production rate from the beginning to end.
Love your videos. So glad I found you... Does School of Sweet Georgia have any in person classes?

[LittleLady]

I think you were reading my mind. I am still on the fence about spinning. I felt it was like more for knitters than weavers, but the comments are more weavers spinning.

[corellias]

You know, it's funny how those things work out. I spun a sweater's quantity, which I then knitted up into a cardigan. I felt very dubious while knitting it, kept thinking that it wouldn't be any nice to wear, the yarn was too dense, etc. But then I actually wore it, and it's been one of my favourites this winter...

[bethholness]

I was taught to think about projects before spi ring, so I have plan A, plan B and even plan C in case my spinning doesn't behave for plan A. All leftovers from projects go into my scrap bin for crazy hats and scarves.

[yarnandtealover]

Thank you for your ideas! Please can you tell me how you get your handspun yarn on your cones? I did it by hand but it was not very meditative. 😅

[BayaninaNr]

Right now I am knitting a sweater with my handspun. It is 3x200g combo spin that kind of fit together. So it will become a block stripe sweater. And the best is it, if you find a knitting pattern where there is no need to swatch before you start. Found that wonderful pattern from nicolor that is a super maximum freedom pattern where you swatch as you go. Check out multi talent from her. It turns out perfect!
Other than that I have made a hughe poncho from almost 500g gradient which was also without swatching. You may see a common theme here 😂

[bettinawittke]

If you are a Spinner and a weaver, you can make a huge blanket. I make it on my Loom - with Double Width.

[janiceconnelly]

I have just finished body of sweater with many different handspuns. I used Nora Gaughan's Mitered Cardigan pattern. There is 2 rows of garter stitch in charcoal commercial yarn between each 6 rows of garter stitch handspun. Sorry I can't figure out a way to share pics here...

[meghanson]

I also have tons of handspun yarn that I do not know what to do with. I have found that I do not wear shawls. I used to wear fun scarves when I went to a job, but now that I am retired and post covid, I never wear them. Hats are a good idea, but I always wear the same headband (that I knit but not out of handspun yarn). Maybe I just have to knit things and give them away!

[bartsexton]

Is there anything I can knit or crochet the polyester yarn with . I have some that is very pretty but I don’t want to make curtains with it . That’s what it was made for

[bartsexton]

Years ago I worked at a cotton mill . We took the raw cotton and made it into yarn . We had different colors and so on . We also made polyester yarn. Well when the order was filled they would throw away the leftover yarn so I ask if I could take some home . I have so many colors and cones of yarn . The problem is the cotton treads are not strong enough to really work with . So is there a small machine out there that’s not to expensive to twist cones together to make a lager ply .

[susanrobertson]

Do you just give some of it away at some point? I am knitting a sweater with some and also trying to spin some singles that are strong enough to be warp threads so I can make a wool blanket for my bed. I am gonna try double weaving just to see how it works. I have a 36 inch floor loom so max I can get is 72 inches so still not quite as big as my bed but pretty close.

[mishkalarsoncreations]

I’m probably not gonna try spinning anytime soon, but I would like to get into weaving. Sometime this year once I’ve sold a few more of my handcrafted things, I would like to get a loom. One that fits on a table top. I have very little space and so I need to be able to put things away when I wanna start something else. That’s why I think a table top bloom would be the best way to start, especially since I’ve never really done it before besides a little bit of very basic weaving when I was a kid and Girl Scouts lol. And that was over 50 years ago.😅 any suggestions would be appreciated