A Special Gift, Jersey Style

Editor's note: Spin Off contributor Micki Hair passed away unexpectedly on March 5th. In the Fall 2020 issue, Micki showed our readers how a knitting machine can be used to produce fine-gauge jersey fabric in a flash. We have enjoyed working with Micki over the years, and we are honored to include this tribute from her best friend of over 30 years, as well as Micki's recent article about spinning for jersey fabric that she used to sew a special button-down shirt as a gift for her husband's birthday.

“As Micki’s best friend for over 30 years, I wanted to share this tribute to her. Her interest and expertise in the fiber arts—including spinning, weaving, hand-knitting and machine-knitting, sewing, dyeing, and natural dyeing—as well as gardening and cooking, have been a large part of her daily life as long as I’ve known her. She has been a teacher, a shop owner, and an encourager to novices and experts alike, and has published numerous designs in various magazines and books over the years. The life that she and her husband built together on their property in South Carolina is evidence of her work ethic and creativity. She offered beautiful hospitality to chosen friends (ten kinds of homemade ice cream!) and took care of us, as well as her beloved animals, in loving and practical ways. This is how I would love to see her legacy in the fiber arts remembered.”

—Patty Ritter

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In the Fall 2020 issue of Spin Off, I wrote an article about using handspun and a knitting machine to produce fine-gauge knitted fabric. Since then, I’ve continued to refine my technique. I spin my yarns on an original Ashford e-spinner and then create sheets of fabric on a KnitKing knitting machine. From there, I make cut-and-sew garments using the purl side of the fabric, turning it so the stitches are running vertically.

Micki's husband, David, wearing his new shirt.

The idea for this particular handspun, knitted-jersey shirt originated when I realized my husband’s birthday was coming up and I wanted to give him something special. We live in a warm climate so it’s very challenging to make wearable handspun items for him. I sat down with his favorite catalog, Carbon2Cobalt, to get some ideas. I saw not one, but several shirts along the lines of a camp shirt but with a two-piece collar that was made from knitted fabric. That gave me a great idea to spin the yarn and make him a short-sleeved button-down shirt.

Left to right: Peter Iredale and Ulysses Butterfly Moth from Paradise Fibers. The singles are 34 and 36 WPI and the plied yarns are 21 and 22 WPI. Both yarns are approximately 100 yards per ounce. Thirty ounces of Peter Iredale was used along with four ounces of Ulysses Butterfly Moth.

I had a combed top called Peter Iredale in my stash, which is a blend of 50% superfine Merino, 25% mulberry silk, and 25% flax in shades of gray, cream, and turquoise. I had just shy of two pounds and was concerned that it might not be enough. I love men’s shirts that use a different fabric for the collar stand and back yoke so I decided to use that technique to ensure that I would have enough. Luckily, I also had a turquoise top called Ulysses Butterfly Moth, a blend of 75% Merino and 25% bamboo.

Details of the back of the shirt show the back yolk and stand-up two-piece collar.

Spinning for Jersey

The spinning was straightforward and went fairly quickly since the tops were easy to work with. I laid them flat, opened them up, and split each into four pieces lengthwise, making sure I had all the fibers in each. Spinning on an e-spinner is a little different, and I spin with the wheel placed on my left side. I use a modified long draw with my right hand while my left hand helps to smooth out any lumps or bumps. I spin about 4 ounces at a time onto two bobbins. When I ply, I have my lazy kate mounted on a stool sitting to my right so it is about level with the spinner. I spun a fine, firmly twisted singles and two-plied both blends on themselves for a total of 3,400 yards of finished yarn. The skeins were given a good hot soak and laid out to dry on a heated mat.

Get a closer look! Click any image in the gallery below to open it in full-screen mode.

I knitted the fabric in pieces sized to accommodate the pattern. Each piece was washed, placed in the dryer for a few minutes, and then laid out on the heated mat to finish drying. From there, I pinned the pieces to a foam board so I could trace the pattern. To reduce the bulk of seam tape, I stitched around each piece twice to secure the edges before cutting it out.

Get a closer look! Click any image in the gallery below to open it in full-screen mode.

After sewing, I used a serger to finish the inside seams. I selected hammered pewter shank buttons which complement the yarn perfectly. My husband loves the shirt and says it feels incredible. Maybe he can feel all the love that went into the making of it. It was a great birthday and a great gift!

What Is Jersey?

1. A plain knit fabric [stockinette stitch] . . . originally made of wool, jersey fabric first was manufactured on the island of Jersey, in the Channel Islands off the English coast, and used for fishermen’s clothing.

2. Loosely defined term used to refer to any knitted fabric without a distinct rib.

3. A fine, choice wool combed from the rest of the wool.

4. A very fine woolen yarn.

—from Fairchild’s Dictionary of Textiles, 7th Edition

Micki Hair lived in the beautiful state of South Carolina with her husband David and their wire fox terrier, Skiff. She spun her own yarn and knitted for over 35 years and loved every minute of it.