Natural Rainbow

It's done! The Natural Rainbow Vest. A rib warmer, of course. What better way than to use my favorite vest to showcase my hand spun yarn. It's not the first I spun, it's the second. But it's the first that I prepared myself, and boy, have I learned a lesson about carding. This yarn is thick/thin/fuzzy. On purpose. But also because I knew that's what I'd probably get from my first rolags.

The GREAT thing about this though, is that it's from wool dyed with natural sources, under the guidance of Martha Owen in my class at the John C. Campbell Folk School last February. Read more about Martha and the Folk School by clicking my link on the sidebar. Click a photo for a clearer view of the yarn and the colors. If anyone is interested, post and I'll review what was used for which colors.

Now, about the magic of blocking. The last photo is the newly finished vest. A tad short in front, even for me (I like 'em short). I blocked, and the first photo shows an improved length in front.

However, also notice the "wing" at the left armhole in the newly blocked version. Sigh, I hate armhole wings. Sometimes that happens when you block a rib warmer and I'm learning I need to be more careful there. So the vest is back on the ironing board, having had the armhole steamed a bit and reshaped. I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

(PS - The I-cord is not handspun. It's Cascade Pastaza from The Yarn Patch, a wool/llama blend.)