Spinning to Knit!!!

Hello All!

 

We have been spinnning like crazy for this kit.  Let me give you some back ground on what I've been doing.

 

This is the green section of my scarf kit.  I've ripped it into sections and laid them out from darkest to lightest.

 

Then I stack them into a large plastic bag from darkest to lightest.  If I can keep them tidy this should lead to a seemless gradiation of color.  Should.......

The same thing was done with the bright pink.  I was kicking myself all thru this process.  See, I threw together this kit at the last minute.  I was so busy dyeing for everyone else I forgot I needed to spin one also.  SO, I was not very careful to get the gradients smooth and there was A LOT of mottling.

 

Normally I don't mind mottling.......it leads to a fantastically tonal yarn, BUT in this instance I needed clean clear non-mottled colors.  Bummer......  That's what I get for rushing the job.......

The yarn singles themselves came out OK.  There was more middle/medium color than anything else.  Because I had to pull the roving apart alot more than normal to get the same colors together.  After the singles were spun, clockwise, I plyed the singles in a Chain Ply, or Navajo Ply, counter-clockwise.

Navajo Plying is the greatest plying technique I've learned.  It allows you to keep colors clean, if that is what your going for, and to make a fluffy well spun 3 ply yarn from just one bobbin.  Don't get me wrong, I love using my lazy kate, my youngest son made it for me.  It stacks one on top of the other and there are tension nuts to keep the yarns from getting tangled.  He even stained the base to match my wheel.  Its just lovely, BUT working from one bobbin to another gives me the freedom of having multiple projects going at once.  Instant gratification and all that.

Here is the green all spun up. Not sure if you can see with this picture how the gradient is heavier on one end.  It's still pretty and soft and squishy and came out to be a little bit bigger than a large DK.  That's a big step for me.  I have difficulty getting the single small enough so that when I 3 ply it, it's not HUGE.  I think it will look beautiful against the bright pink yarn.

OK next step is knitting!!!!! 

Happy Spinning.
DD

SAL Has Begun!

Hello All,
Our First Annual SAL has begun.......well it actually began on the 1st but you see what I mean.  Did you get your scarf kit?  What will you be spinning?  Merino Tencel?  BFL?  Oohhhh something exotic like Yak?  That being said, Jenn and I are talking prizes now.  We think first will be a beautiful set of project bags, second price will be some fiber and thrid will be a cool set of stitch markers.

The winners will be picked by their FO pictures by the other contestants.  If, gasp, we have very few people joining us, then as long as they send us a picture of the finished scarve they will probably get something.......  It's so hard getting the word out when your a little fish like us. 

Enough "woe is meing".  This is going to be great!

Here is my newly cleaned and oiled wheel.  Isn't she a beaut?  I love this wheel.  Louet made some mighty fine spinning wheels.  This S10 is a very hard worker.  I've decided to spin up here instead of the basement, where the TV is.  No Arrow to disrupt my concentration.  Him with that flat stomach and the brooding Viking good looks, no not gonna do it.  I'll sit up here, all alone, in the natural light and spinn for 2 hours every day. 

You can see the package of ripped and ready roving all set to be spun in my basket. Along with my fingerless mitts, made for me by my friend, Lia.  I use them when its chilly but I still need to be able to feel the yarn. 

Ready.....set......spin

Happy Spinning
DD