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string therapy @stringtherapy.bsky.social · 10/06/2026

I've finally finished my first brioche lace shawl. Blue-faced Leicester & silk. It's lovely and soft but I don't think it will wear well 🙁 Started before my accident so it's taken 18 months 🙄 #handknitting #briocheknitting

Photo of a brioche lace shawl stretched out on rubber tiles.

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string therapy @stringtherapy.bsky.social · 06/03/2026

repost 320 grams of 3-4 ply handspun Polwarth. A bit uneven in some places but it's lovely and soft. We're very lucky in Aotearoa New Zealand to have access to beautiful fleece. This came from a small farm in North Auckland. It's getting dyed tomorrow. Watch this space. 🧶🇳🇿 #handspinning

Photo of several hanks of cream handspun Polwarth fleece.

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string therapy @stringtherapy.bsky.social · 15/01/2026

Fluff!! Combed wool from a cream Polwarth fleece. I've done this the hard way: combed the locks, washed them, combed again and dizzed off a hackle. This ensures the fibres are parallel and lie the same way. Very time-consuming but the finished product is superb. 🧶🇳🇿 #handspinning #❤️wool

Photo of two rolls of handcombed white wollen fibre.

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string therapy @stringtherapy.bsky.social · 06/12/2025

I have a bunch of cream fleece and a bunch of black fleece. I think I'll try my hand at spinning them and knitting a brioche shawl with the contrasting colours. Both fleeces are fine Polwarth so greasy but lovely to work with (I always wash Polwarth before spinning). 🧶🇳🇿 #handspinning #handknitting

Photo of two natural wool locks. One is cream and the other is black.

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string therapy @stringtherapy.bsky.social · 22/11/2025

Black & white Polwarth fleece. We are so lucky in AoNZ we don't even realise how lucky we are sometimes. This gorgeousness is as fine as Merino and from a small farm in north Auckland where the sheep have names 😻😻 🐑🐑

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string therapy @stringtherapy.bsky.social · 12/11/2025

After hours - and I do mean hours - of combing and dizzing the black Polwarth, I now have slightly less than 300g (yes, you read that correctly) of soft fluffy floofballs with blue/green angelina highlights. I ♥️ sparklies. Hoping to turn it into a fine lace because it's suxh a fine, soft fibre.

Photo of a pile of soft fluffy wollen fibre that has been washed and combed by hand. It looks like quite a big pile but barely weighs 300g 🙄 It's a labour of love, I tell ya.

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string therapy @stringtherapy.bsky.social · 15/10/2025

Dyed. The different colours in the natural wool pick the dye up differently. Which is cool. If you want uniformity go to Glassons. As hoped the dark colour makes the beads pop out. #handknitting #handspinning 🧶🇳🇿

Photo of a handknitted t-shirt with lace work and beads on the yoke and in a stripe near the bottom.

Close up of the beaded yoke showing bright green beads on the dark green knitting.

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string therapy @stringtherapy.bsky.social · 13/10/2025

No the rolags turned onto the cowl. This was given to me by a kind person. It's very fine and I'm sure it won't last long. Dyeing it flax to make the beads stand out.

Close up of Landscape Dyes colour swatch showing assorted greens including 'Flax'

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string therapy @stringtherapy.bsky.social · 12/10/2025

Tah-dah! The Romney hogget t-shirt I started when I had my accident is finished. The measurements were taken off another t-shirt and while it's OK it do with a wee bit more around the sleeves. Will post another picture when it's dyed. #handspinning #handknitting 🧶🇳🇿

Pjoto of a hand knitted t-shirt knitted from handspin undyed wool. It's a mix of greys and creams, typical of coloured sheepswool.

Detail of thet-shirt showing the yoke knitted in a lace pattern and beaded with bright green beads.

Detail of the same t-shirt showing diagonal lacework holes with mint green beads.

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string therapy @stringtherapy.bsky.social · 06/10/2025

Next up - a cowl to keep my arthritic neck warm. This is a black (actually a rich dark mocha) and white Polwarth fleece. Washed and handcarded so some additional colour could be added in ,and then spun long-draw. The colouring was a useful experiment. Super soft and warm. 🧶🇳🇿

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string therapy @stringtherapy.bsky.social · 11/09/2025

Finished 😁 I've processed, spun and dyed some raw fleece and then knitted a vintage-style shawl I designed. I stopped part way through when I had my accident but I'm now strong enough to hold the needles and what is a pretty hefty shawl. It's warm and soft and snuggly. 🧶🇳🇿 #handknitting

Photo of a shawl knitted in lace style. It has been hand dyed a port wine colour.

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string therapy @stringtherapy.bsky.social · 06/09/2025

First skein done. Look at the pretty colours 😻 There's some consistency issues but by the time I've spun 500 grams they should be ironed out 🤣 🧶🇳🇿

Close up of handspun fibre on a noddy-noddy. It's been spun randomly from lots of different colours (with lots of pink) and is cheerful for spring.

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string therapy @stringtherapy.bsky.social · 31/08/2025

Lookit!! Our friends at Jumbuck Carding do bags of garment-sized random assorted colours called, strangely enough, a Jumbuck jumble 😹 A mix of Polwarth, Romney hogget and a bit of alpaca. Everything else has been put aside so I can spin it this week. 🧶🇳🇿

Photo of carded fleece in different colours and blends of colours including pink, sky blue, yellow, purple, mint green and orange 🌈

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string therapy @stringtherapy.bsky.social · 01/08/2025

Rolags from the lovely black (actually dark coffee brown) and white fleece. This is very much an experiment with some colour added. Using a new spinning wheel to spin it with the aim of making a soft snuggley cowl. 🧶🇳🇿

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string therapy @stringtherapy.bsky.social · 29/07/2025

And there's the pink batt spun and knitted into hand/wrist warmers. Since my accident I've become conscious of keeping my hands warm. There's some design flaws, and I'll do the next pair differently but atm these are warm and snuggly.

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string therapy @stringtherapy.bsky.social · 21/07/2025

I've spun the pink batt 😁 It had lots if lively colours and lumpy bits (mainly chunks of possum fur). I didn't want to flatten the texture or the colour, so the lumpy bits stayed intact. My long draw is not much chop so that added more unevenness. But it is soft and warm so mission accomplished.

Not terribly good photo of spun pink batt on a noddy-noddy. It's been photographed in bright sun on the grass.

Close up of spun batt attempting to show the variation in texture and colour. Professional photographers really do earn their money 🙄

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string therapy @stringtherapy.bsky.social · 13/07/2025

So my #TourdeFleece plans have crashed and burned 😒 But I did manage to escape the house yesterday 😁 Got a batt with possum to knit some wrist warmers and a chance to share time with others who understand the somewhat esoteric joy of black and white Polwarth fleece.

Photo of Polwaeth, possim and ailk batt in pink and pale mauve.

Separated tips of a black and white sheep fleece.

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string therapy @stringtherapy.bsky.social · 22/06/2025

Finished spinning and plying my green and blue. All that plying is a mission with a bung elbow and shoulder but it's done. No idea what to do with it, I just needed the bobbins for another project. #handspinning 🧶🇳🇿

Photo of a large bobbin of spun yarn in a mix of emerald green, chartreuse and sky blue (mostly).

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string therapy @stringtherapy.bsky.social · 18/06/2025

Last experiment - the unwashed East Friesian blended with the also unwashed Romney/Polwarth. I don't normally spin unwashed wool but thought I should just complete the set. Next up: spinning them.

Photo of four floof balls made up of a blend of unwashed East Friesian/Perendale and Romney/Polwarth.

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string therapy @stringtherapy.bsky.social · 18/06/2025

The second experiment. These fluffy wee things were dizzed off mini-combs. The base yarn is East Friesian/Perendale which has been blended with a lovely Romney/Polwarth cross. 🧶🇳🇿

Photo of a small pile of white woollen floof balls.

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string therapy @stringtherapy.bsky.social · 17/06/2025

My first attempt at dizzing a roving off a blending board 😁 Needs work. Now to spin it and see how it goes. I'm trying to blend two fibres of very different staple lengths so not sure where this will end up 🤔

Photo of white roving. The roving is not well-defined but it is there, honest.

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string therapy @stringtherapy.bsky.social · 04/06/2025

Progress! This afternoon turned into a bit of a spinning marathon. It's uneven but in my defence merino/silk blend isn't the easiest when you're in pain and trying to retrain your muscles. It's OK. It is what it is. Now I need to find the painkillers 😵‍💫 #handspinning 🧶🪡

Photo of spin wool on a bobbin. The wool is assorted shades of emerald green, chartreuse and pale blue.

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string therapy @stringtherapy.bsky.social · 02/06/2025

Finished the back 😁 One reason I don't knit garments is I can't knit around corners. True to form I mucked up the neckline but hopefully by the time it's finished it'll be invisible. 🧶🇳🇿

Photo of the back of a knitted t-shirt. The yarn is undyed cream and grey. The top third has been knitted in a lace pattern and decorated with green beads.

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string therapy @stringtherapy.bsky.social · 19/05/2025

I've got to the lace part of my t-shirt. My brain has been like spaghetti since my operation and the fairly simple pattern is proving quite troublesome. Anyway, here's the first set done, along with sparkly beads. The final colour will likely be a dark green so these should pop out. 🧶🇳🇿

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string therapy @stringtherapy.bsky.social · 16/05/2025

I had an accident about 2 months ago and shattered my elbow. The elbow has been replaced but it's still in a sling and the wrist and upper arm are having difficulty moving. I can't do anything except knit with my arm on a pillow. So I am. Lace weight with light wooden needles. Will be a t-shirt.

Photo of a forearm with a wrist splint and sling. The person is holding knitting. To knit, the damaged arm stays still, moving only the fingers, and the rest of the required movement is done by the other hand. It's very slow and gets painful after a short while.

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