Plying Is Magic

I think the only thing more magical than spinning fiber is plying the singles together. I love it. You take a couple of skinny, wiry, overtwisted strands of fiber and spin them together and POOF!

100% Coopworth wool

Those singles transform into a fluffy, bouncy, lively, nicely twisted cop of yarn. I can't wait to see how this turns out once it's set.

In knitting news, I fell head over heels for this wanna-be-a-shawl-cowl: Zuzu's Petals by Carina Spencer. Here's my progress so far:

BMFA Marine Silk Worsted, colorway Irishgirlie Green

You basically start knitting a tiny shawl and then you join it in the round so it becomes a cowl that appears to be a lacy shawl casually worn around the neck. I think it's a clever idea that I'm not-so-secretly jealous that I didn't come up with first, given my love of shawls. I've tried a few times to find the right pattern for this ball of Marine Silk Worsted from Blue Moon Fiber Arts. I had purchased it on a whim and started a few scarves but the silk is so drapey nothing was working quite right. I think this pattern will work, though. I'm knitting the small size intended for sport weight yarn even though mine is worsted so that I get a nice thick fabric that it holds its shape despite the silk.

What's your favorite kind of knitting or spinning magic?