Yes, it is a giant rainbow-y mix-up (a.k.a. "clown barf"), but I love it. I have no idea what I'll make with it (suggestions welcome) but I do love it.
This is Bugga Fiber sold by Cephalopod Yarns. It is a 70% Superwash Merino / 20% Cashmere / 10% Nylon mix. I have to admit that I don't think I like the Nylon in the mix, or perhaps the superwash-ness of the wool. Whatever it was, there were times when the yarn would slip will spinning and certain sections would overspin and snap. In fact, the yarn snapped three times during plying in some of those extra-brittle sections so I'm glad I was chain plying (3 plies made from a single strand) because I just made three little skeins instead of fretting over a broken ply.
That said, the resulting yarn is truly gorgeous (if I can say so myself). I made certain not to overspin during plying and the result is a springy, soft, squishy skein that I honestly can't wait to use. It came to about 144 yards out of 3.88 ounces at around 11 wraps per inch, making this a light worsted weight yarn.
And the plying! The little mini above was my practice skein for chain plying. I LOVE CHAIN PLYING, GUYS, I REALLY REALLY LOVE IT. It felt so much less fiddly than dealing with separate balls of yarn and it was really much easier than I had expected. I came across this video on somebody's blog (I've read so many recently now that I'm taking part in WIP Wednesdays and the Year of Projects that I forgot where I found it! If it was on your blog, please let me know so I can properly give you a shout-out.) which totally helped me see how the whole process works:
I recommend it! How can I not, when it resulted in this?
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| I couldn't resist one last glamour shot. :) |
Chain plying is on my wish list for things I want to learn. I really like how I plyed my latest skein, but it took forever. I LOVE your rainbow yarn, so I don't blame you for showing it off. The color is amazing. I am guessing it was the merino that made it snap, merino does that to me too.
ReplyDeleteHmmm, maybe it was the merino, but I've spun some merino before. Since I just got a bunch of a merino/silk blend I'll have to test that theory out!
DeleteYou should try the chain plying, it made much more sense than I thought it would at first.
That yarn is so gorgeous! I am just in awe of it, I love how it looks plied and I think it will be gorgeous whatever you knit it into. I am a fan of rainbow hats or gloves but that could just be me. Your chain plying is so amazing, I tried it once on my drop spindle and it did not go so well. Seeing you get such an amazing yarn through chain plying makes me want to go and try again.
ReplyDeletePractice with some scraps a bit, that helped me. Thank you! :) I think I'm aiming for some gloves.
DeleteI LOVE all the color in this! It's fun and has a lot of energy. I really enjoy chain plying (I know some folks call it Navajo plying). There's something about the motion you make that's something like doing that cat's cradle string game- hoping you will know what I mean....anyway I'm comfortable with it on my wheel but can't imagine doing it with a spindle.
ReplyDeleteYes, it does remind me of cat's cradle! Maybe that's why I like it. It's also like crocheting in mid-air, haha. It's not too bad with the spindle, I just park the spindle between my legs while making a few of the loops, then give it a spin, then park again.
DeleteThis is gorgeous! Every time I read posts on spinning I want to play, and those spindles look so much fun! I love it! :)
ReplyDeleteThank you! They are quite fun.
DeleteOh, this is a glorious skein of hand spun! Well done.
ReplyDeleteThank you very much! :)
DeleteI think that was my blog you saw the video in, I'm glad it helped you! I know it was the only video I could find that didn't leave me with a scrunched up confused face. And the resulting yarn is gorgeous!
ReplyDelete