Hi Knitters (and Spinners),
I have been spinning a bit here and there. Last week I pulled out a Loop Bullseye Bump that I purchased a few months ago. I have been anxious to try this one out as it is kind of unique. The bumps are one of a kind and self-striping.
The fun thing is that it is a center pull bump with a generous weight of 5.4 oz. The colorway is named a very fitting, Mediterranean Sun. I adore spinning this one as it doesn't need any pre-drafting and it is just nice to have it come to you and be ready to spin right off the bat (or batt). It is spinning up very fine.
I'll keep you posted as I finish this. I have a new thing I am trying for the plying so it should be interesting. My first bobbin of singles is full and so I had to start a second bobbin but pull from the outside of the bump to keep the striping in order when I ply. That made me stop and think for a minute to work that out.
Click here for the Loop etsy shop!
Here is another fun spin that I finished up. One of my favorite indie dyers, Rachel, of Dyeabolical Yarns, put up these sparkle batts and I just had to try one out. I haven't spun from a batt or with sparkle fiber before so this was a new experience. The batt contains 4 oz. of bfl wool, merino wool, tussah silk and firestar (the sparkly stuff) all blended together.
I just pulled the batts apart into strips and started spinning, no pre-drafting. I used the larger whorl on my Ladybug to get a heavier weight yarn. I envisioned something kind of rustic and textured and that's what I got.
This is the first half spun up waiting to by plied.
And here is the final product! I did a simple 2-ply. Isn't it gorgeous? It really turned into a bouncy, squishy worsted weight yarn. After I gave it a long bath in Soak and let it dry for a couple of days it plumped up so much. It is almost like a different yarn after the wash. It smells sooooo good, too, Sola Soak Wash.
The colors are fun and interesting. I especially like the peeks of orange and the lime green, spectacular! I got 186 yards of worsted weight out of the 4 oz. I spun this up so fast and furiously. I just love the end result. It's funny because you really can't see the sparkle in the photos at all, it is subtle in person as well but if the light hits it just right you can definitely see the firestar throughout the yarn.
I caked it right up and cast on a project. That project is already done and I am writing up the pattern. I also cast on another version worked up in Malabrigo worsted so there is a comparable easy to find yarn to make the pattern. As soon as that sample is done I will get the pattern up and available for you!
At the Kentucky Sheep and Fiber Festival last May of 2011 I purchased some braids of roving from the Dyeabolical booth. It was so great to get to see everything in person. Rachel, the owner and dyer, suggested combining these two different colorways and I thought that sounded pretty interesting. The best part of spinning for me is trying all kinds of new things and techniques.
Above are the two 4 oz. braids I spun as singles and then plied together to make a gigantic 2-ply hank of yarn. Both braids were 100% superwash merino wool top.
I pre-drafted to make these gigantic wound balls to spin from. They are so fluffy and weightless to hold when wound up like this.
Here are the more purple/blue/magenta singles on the bobbin.
Well, here is what I ended up with! It's a gigantic, fun, amazing hank of 1,056 yards of fingering weight handspun! TC made the tag for me which I love.
This was an epic spin for me because of the huge yardage. I am going to make La La's Thin Ice Shawl with this. I've purchased the pattern and have it printed out and ready to go. The pattern calls for around 800 yards of a fingering weight so either I will make it bigger to use up the yardage, but it is already a super big shawl, or I will make a hat with the leftover. We'll see. I will cast on as soon as I finish up a couple of shawls I am currently working on.
I love the end result. It is pretty crazy. I think the main color turned out to be blue which I didn't really get from the braids. It's sometimes surprising what the end yarn looks like compared to the roving at the start.
Click here for the Dyeabolical Yarns and Spinning Fibers website!
Is anyone spinning anything out there? I'd love to hear about it!
Guess what? I'm almost done editing my manuscript for the first run. Whoot! I am on the last pattern this morning. I still have so much work to do on this book that I can't even think about it. So. Much. Left. To. Do.
Book making is an incredibly slow and long process so patience is a good thing.
Happy Tuesday, Knitters and Spinners!
best, susie