Back to the wheel

As loyal readers know, I got totally jazzed up about spinning sock yarn over the winter break. This excitement was fueled by the winter issue of PLY Magazine, which I read on our long road trip to Texas. I got home and decided to ease back in by spinning for a "3-ply 2 ways" project. The basic idea is to split your fiber in half. Spin one half as a traditional 3-ply, and the other half as a chain-ply (which is also 3 plies). When you knit socks, alternate from the two skeins every 4-5 rows. The result is harmonious yet distinct stripes. The sock sample from the issue can be viewed here.

I decided to devote my in-stash braid of Southdown top to this project. I have spun with Sasha's Southdown top (from sheepspot.com) twice before, and it is amazing to work with. Here is the first half of the braid spun as singles:

I rewound all my singles before plying. The 3 little bobbins are for the traditional 3-ply; the chain-ply will be made from the larger bobbin.

The plying went smoothly, but the two skeins are pretty different. The top one is chain-plied; the bottom one is traditional 3-ply. Can you see the difference?

I think the chain-ply is the better skein! Look at the close up:

The plied yarn is so much more even. Maybe this is because I spun that half of the braid second? I started the first half in early January, and then I got really sick. I quit spinning for a couple of weeks. I finished up those singles later, and then did the chain-ply bobbin.

Here is the traditional 3-ply close up:

It may be that these differences don't show up much in the finished sock (stay tuned to find out). But it's a reminder to me that it's quite possible to get rusty and that spinning a little every day results in better yarn.

I wanted to get another project on the wheel right away, and I wanted it to be something totally different. A palette cleanser, if you will. So I grabbed this braid of HipStrings fiber that I purchased at the Shenandoah Valley Fiber Festival last fall:

This is a blend of 37.5% BFL, 37.5% Shetland wool, 12.5% viscose (bamboo), and 12.5% tussah silk. It is sooooooo different from the single breed roving or top that I usually spin. First of all, it's hella slippery! After a little experimenting, I decided it was best to chunk the fiber and spin it from the fold with a short forward draw. This kept it from flying out of my fingers too quickly. I also slowed down my wheel (to 12.5:1). Yet, the singles still seemed to have more twist than I wanted them to.

I intended to make a 2-ply yarn, and I decided to try plying from a center pull ball. Look, so pretty!

But what a disaster! The singles had too much twist to behave, and I found myself fighting for every draft. I stopped and wound my center pull ball into a plying ball:

At this point, I wondered whether I should have run my singles back through the wheel to remove some twist before plying... but I felt like I was too far along to go back. Onward! Here is the finished skein:

It's not great. I think it looks a little weirder than it is, though. It almost reminds me of a cabled yarn in appearance, because the singles were so tweedy to begin with. Ply two tweedy single together, and the result looks like a cabled yarn. Here's a close up:

I am pleased to say that at least the finished yarn is softer than I expected it to be. I guess that's the viscose and silk talking?

Bottom line: combining these fibers together into a bit of a Frankenblend makes for a challenging spin. I have one more braid that is like this in construction, and I'll have to think about how best to approach it. Any suggestions?

I spent this morning's allotment of before-work spinning time lining up my next project. It will be Cheviot fiber in a crepe yarn construction (which I've never done before). More learning on the horizon.