Heather G. ([info]socksforphlox) wrote,
@ 2006-12-05 09:48:00
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Current mood: pleased
Current music:Matthew Good Band - The Rat Who Would be King

Ride a painted pony...
I am blogging on a delay, about a day or two, but at least that gives me time to download and tweak pictures*.

I finished spinning the BFL right after I posted about it, and after it dried I plied!

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I love the bird's nest that is the skein fresh off the chair back. After a good soak and a night on the chair legs, the skein looks much more happy and relaxed.

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That's a dime for reference. This turned out a little thicker than I had expected. I had read in Spinoff that plying adds more volume than the sum of the singles combined, but I only believe it now! It is a DKish weight, and there ended up being 133 yards. Enough for me to have a little fun! I am excited to actually knit with my handspun, but I need to mull over some projects. And it really poofed out after plying, in a nice way, releasing some of the excess twist.

Since my spindle was now free, I did a little spinning on the weekend, and dove right into my last roving: a Fleece Artist Wensleydale sliver in harvest colours. It is not fuzzy, the hairs (staple) are very long, but not especially clingy like the BFL.

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I thought it would be really hard to spin, but it was nice and slippery like merino, but with the much longer hair length, it was much easier to draft a nice long piece. Adding on new fuzz is interesting. Since the BFL plied turned out thicker than its parts combined, I aimed for a very thin tight single that would hold up for socks. Just for kicks :)

Here is a whack of singles spun the first day. I love how the hairs curl out when you look close.

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I love this even more than I loved the BFL... I don't think I will ever get tired of these colours! So deep and bright and delicious. Since it is turning out so well, I might be convinced to buy another hank at Romni today wtih Gen.

Problem with this yarn is that I would like to navajo-ply it, but judging from the instructions, it might be insane to try and navajo ply on the spindle. Looks like an awful lot going on, there. Maybe this is the weekend to find out whether or not Aunt Ruth Anne's wheel works?

*only for size and shape of course... the default pics on our camera are 23 inches wide!


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[info]ladyknits
2006-12-05 04:17 pm UTC (link)
Yikes! You're really getting into this spinning thang! I'm so impressed.

What projects are you going to bring for our SnB tomorrow?

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[info]socksforphlox
2006-12-05 06:56 pm UTC (link)
I haven't decided on what I am bringing yet... I will give it some more serious thought tonight :)

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[info]fibreartfan
2006-12-05 07:35 pm UTC (link)
You will have to start bringing home the fleece by carload. 3 Rovings a week is pretty good. The new yarn is gorgeous. Maybe you should check out the Toronto spinners and weavers, they could demonstrate the Navajo ply. You could probably try out a few wheels as well. At the very least you could get different opinions on what they like or don't like or what they want to buy next.

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[info]knittinggoof
2006-12-06 05:17 pm UTC (link)
very nice! i personally find that it's harder for me to resist buying roving than yarn.

have you tired plying energized singles, or are you setting the twist before you ply? i've heard that both work equally well, but lately i've been doing the former.

keep in mind that navajo plying is going to significantly reduce the length of your originally singles, and also that it's notorious for causing the "barber pole" effect in the finished knitted item. still, it can't be beat for preserving the purity of colours in a multi roving.

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[info]socksforphlox
2006-12-06 05:24 pm UTC (link)
I have been setting the twist before I ply, especially since the energized singles twist on themselves so much... it really drives me nuts. I like to work with the set singles much more.

I think I have been putting too much tension on the yarn when it is setting, so I am going to try letting it dry in a different way on the wensleydale. It might add to the loft?

I know that I will need 3 times as much yarn for a navajo ply, but I think it might be worth it. I want to preserve those colours!

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[info]knittinggoof
2006-12-06 05:36 pm UTC (link)
lately i've been winding my singles into balls on a felt bead and trapping them under small clay flowerpots when i ply. it seems to keep them in order.

that could be affecting the loft...i once tried hanging a skein on a hook in the shower with a towel as a weight and i swear the yarn came out a little fluffier than usual. though it might have been because i had put less twist on the yarn as i spun it, but i'm going with the setting method as my reason.

definitely give n. plying a go on the wheel. doing it by hand freaks me out (well, at least the instructions do) as i keep picturing these horrible tangled singles snarls (which i doubt happen, but you never know.) the instructions and the concept just seem easier to grasp when it's done on a wheel.

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