knitty's Quant

Here is my first FO from knitty.com's winter issue, Quant. It's a panta (knitted head warmer) done in an entreloc pattern. I used a %100 peruvian wool hand-dyed by a craftster named xladyluckx.
I didn't block my Quant because I liked the texture. I hope the person I'm giving this to loves it. I'm making another one for me. Thanks for looking!

I'm a Spinster!

I just started spinning and i must say I'm hooked! Creating luscious yarn with my own fingertips and the flick of my wrist is incredible to watch. I first started out with some orange hand dyed wool roving I received from an Etsy swap. As you can see in the picture below, it came out pretty thick. I used a bottom whorl drop spindle. It was kind of uncomfortable at first, but then I got used to it. The second ball of yarn I spun was out of natural honey colored Tussah silk fiber that I purchased from Paradise Fibers. This fiber was difficult for a beginner to work with because it kept separating. It was very delicate and hard to keep together, but oh so soft. The third ball of yarn, also from Paradise Fibers, was bamboo. You can tell my technique was getting better at this point. The thickness of the yarn was more consistent. I loved working with bamboo because it felt like butter between my fingertips. It was so easy to spin and connect. If your budget allows, I definitely recommend spinning bamboo.

I saved the best for last. I purchased this beautiful hand painted and carded batt on Etsy.com from
Loop. It's gold, teal, green, blue, and a little yellow. It spun into a gorgeous thread that looks like it would be at least $40 a skein to purchase. It shimmers differently depending on the light. The colors all flow together as if looking at a midnight tropical ocean. My pictures don't do this any justice. I used a top drop spindle and no leader thread. Now I just have to find a project worthy enough to knit with this yarn.
I still don't know how to use a leader thread correctly. I always get it tangled. So, if anyone has any suggestions or helpful hints, please contact me.