I have seen spinning mentioned on knitting blogs since I started reading them almost two years ago, but I’ve always thought it looked a bit silly, kind of like making your pasta from scratch. However, the spinning pictures on the {by elin} blog have finally pushed me over the edge. I have ordered a learn-to-spin kit, but it will be a little while before I get it. In the meantime, I have been experimenting with a crude homemade spindle and some needle felting fibre I found at a hobby store. The fibre is not ideal for spinning, as it is short and very curly, so it’s almost impossible to draft it well. However, I was determined to see if my first two handspun lengths of yarn (about 10 grams each) could actually be used in a project. It’s a good thing I’m stubborn, because this was just about the most unpleasant knitting experience I’ve ever had.

Project: Felted coin purse, my own pattern.

Yarn: Two strands of Sparkjøp Safirgarn in brown and my own handspun “yarn” in colours red, sunflower yellow and grass green.

Needles: Knitpicks Options 7 mm. I could have used a larger needle, which would probably have eased the felting process a little.

The handspun was quite a lot thicker than the commercial yarn, so the purse is a little bumpy, but mainly the rose design sticks out a little, which is an effect I kind of like.

Do you have a few yards of lumpy handspun you’d like to use? You, too, can have a felted purse:

You need some handspun (colour B) and some commercial yarn of a different colour (colour A), both should be feltable. Needles of a large size for the yarn’s gauge.

Using A, cast on 42 sts and join to knit in the round. Follow the below diagram* (shows one side of the purse).

(click the diagram to go to the Flickr photo page, where you can find larger versions).

After completing the diagram, work a three-needle bind off to seal the bottom of the purse. Work a round of single crochet (UK: double crochet) around the open edge to avoid curling.

Lightly secure ends (felting hides a multitude of sins) and felt/full the purse in your washing machine. I had to use 60 degree water and wash it with a load of towels to achieve proper fulling. Remove from the washing machine as soon as the program ends and shape, lay flat to dry.

* I didn’t have enough handspun “yarn” to work the diagonal lice pattern, so I worked only the eight-petal rose design, placing it according to the diagram. This isn’t ideal, because the floats on the back get a little too long and unmanageable.