Olivia!

I finished the yarn spun from Olivia’s Romney cross fleece and it came out so beautifully! This top photo is its true color (it was taken outdoors):

As you probably expected, I made a classic worsted yarn since I had a classic worsted prep (hand-combed top). I used a short forward draw on my 12.5:1 pulley. This was a bigger pulley than I started with but it just felt right somehow. When it was time to ply, though, I needed my smallest pulley – 16:1 (with ten treadles per pull). I think this is technically a little overplied, but it felt appropriate. The resulting yarn is pretty fine. I haven’t measured wraps per inch yet because I haven’t wound it, but you can get a sense of it here:

Initially I was thinking that since this wasn’t super soft, I would weave with it. But it seems softer now. Lace would be appropriate given the fineness and 2-ply structure, but I’ve never been a big lace knitter. Perhaps a SIMPLE lace pattern for a single skein. Any ideas?

This top was beguiling to spin. The change in colors was subtle and dreamy. I took one last photo before starting my final cloud:

Now that I have the basics of hand combing down, I’m ready to try it again. Sasha’s second Fleece Club shipment is also appropriate for combing. Meet Oliver:

Oliver is a CVM (California Variegated Mutant), which sounds ominous but really just means a colored variety of Romeldale. It is a fine wool with 4” staples, which means it should comb well. Sasha also says it can be “flicked” but I don’t have the right tool to try that. I’ll return to my ominous combs.