I'd not spun in several years and had some work to do to get back in the rhythm. The first roving I chose was from Mary Jane's Attic. 4 ounces of Merino wool in shades of green, I think it's a discontinued colorway. It spun up a bit thick and thin - due to the operator, not the fiber!
And amazingly, my plantar fasciitis pain was almost gone after treadling a couple of days. I would love to hear if other people have had this experience. I was unable to walk prior to treadling, one might have thought I was the one who had just had surgery!
I was spinning again like crazy. MIL lives in a city where there are lots of fiber resources, so when she would nap, I would drive and get more fiber. It was all for my health, of course, however, my insurance is still not quite applying those purchases to my deductible. Shucks.
Some months later, I had a good number of individual hand spun skeins from my stash of fiber.
Our local fiber shop, WC Mercantile, sent an email that Amy Herzog would be visiting. Amy is a lovely young lady and I bought her book on fit. Check out her website, Amy Herzog Designs. I simply could not show up without a project in hand. At the last moment, I grabbed this skein, some size 6 needles and started a project. Nothing really planned, just something to do while I listened.
As I was working on this, several wreath ideas were knoodling (knit+doodle) around. I cast on too few stitches for this to be a wreath, but it would fit my steering wheel.
I want to repeat what I say in the pattern:
"SAFETY
FIRST!!!
I don't
place the knitted item directly on the steering wheel, just in case
it slips. For added safety, I use a strip of non-slip rug underlay. I
cut a 2” strip with a total length of 46” in two pieces because
the package of non-slip rug underlay was a piece 18” by 28”.
Place
the non-slip material of your choice on steering wheel. Stretch cover
to fit, keeping non-slip material in place. Wrap lashing around cover
firmly, stretching to ensure that the cover does not slip in use. I
tied mine together at center bottom and used a crochet chain to work
the ends of the lashing so I don't have ends dangling while I drive.
As I
use the cover, I plan to undo the lashing and move the cover around
move less worn parts around. I will also be watching for fading in
our lovely Texas sun. Most likely I will cover it if I park in direct
sun since this is my precious handspun.
Driving
with the cover in place is a tactile delight. The spin on this is
soft and makes for a cushy, textured surface. It is certainly warm
when I forget my gloves and I expect it will be cooler to touch in
our blazing summers as well."
I've unlashed it and turned it once already. Other than some pills, it seems to hold up well. It's holding well and has not slipped. However, everyone needs to be absolutely certain that the cover holds and does not move! Don't play around with your safety!
The pattern is free. I could not think up a clever name for it, so it is named after its form and function.
I have a couple of videos showing some techniques used:
Thanks for stopping by and reading.
