Angora socks for me

So, I did work on several of the things on my list recently. I finished the binding on Owen's car quilt, but when I washed it, I had some problems with the applique wanting to fray around the stitching, so I have to fix that.  I also started working on a prototype for the copycat purse for Jen, but didn't get done with that either.  I did, however, skip all the way down my list to spin yarn and make slipper socks for me!

It all started when I bought some angora rabbit fiber from a local rabbitry, Oldhaus Fibers and Rabbits (http://oldhaus.net).  It is so soft!  I mixed it 30% angora, 70% wool.  Here is the pile of fiber, angora on the left, wool on the right.

And here it is after I carded it and made it into rolags ready to be spun.  I prepared this much fiber twice for my slipper socks.

Here is one skein of yarn.  I ended up with three.  See how the rabbit fur makes a fuzzy halo?

Finally, here are the slippers.  The one on the right was done almost a week before the other and I wore it around a little.  You can see how much more of a halo there is on the one I've been wearing.  The other should look like that before long too.  They also look a little different because the last skein of yarn I spun was a little thinner, so the gauge was a little different. I think that is fine, since they are just for wearing around the house.  I am pretty happy with them.  They are so soft and comfy!

Hand spun, knitted, suede-bottomed slipper socks for dad

I spent a lot of time spinning yarn this winter for this project.  Here is a pile of approximately 70 yards of hand spun yarn.  The slipper socks ended up using a little over 230 yards of yarn.

My dad bought me a spinning wheel and two fleeces last year for Christmas.  He wanted a sweater, but I wasn't quite prepared to jump straight into a sweater yet, so he settled for some knitted slipper socks with suede bottoms.

I ordered the correct size of suede bottoms at my local yarn shop and found a pattern for plain stockinette stitch socks in about the same size yarn as my hand spun on Ravelry.  Then I found a pattern for the open cable pattern, converted it from straight needles (back and forth) to circular, and incorporated it into the sock pattern.  They were pretty quick to knit except for the fact that I had to stop every few inches to spin more yarn!  I had no idea how much it would take, so I just kept spinning about 30 yards at a time until I was done.

I just finished last night, so I haven't had a chance to send or take them to my dad, so I had to have my husband model for me!