There Has Been No Knitting
But there has been the finishing of the handspun.
After about 6 hours of plying, spread out over four evenings last week, I skeined up the Romance yarn. As the yarn loaded onto the bobbin, and I saw how the colors in the two plys were blending, I got really impatient to see the finished yarn. Each ply was on it's own bobbin, and once it was all plied there was only a few feet of singles left over on one bobbin. I wound it up on the niddy noddy and then, with some trepidation, tied up the skein in about 8 places and slipped it off. As expected, the skein immediately shriveled up into a mass of crinkly spaghetti.
Thank goodness for the forums and discussion groups on Ravelry! I read up on finishing techniques and on Sunday I gave the yarn several ten minute soaks: hot/cold/hot/cold.
Then I spun it in the washing machine and wacked it around against the shower wall. It straightened out beautifully and bloomed a good bit. I slipped it over a coat hanger and put it outside to dry. The skein was perfectly balanced; I was dutifully amazed at the magical transformation. Several hours later, in the warm, dry 80 degree heat, the yarn was perfectly dry and ready to be photographed.
It's not perfect; there's plenty of "character". There are thick spots and thin spots, but most of it is pretty uniform. My plying definitely improved over the course of the six hours. I came out with about 430 yards, weighing 4.6 ounces. It seems to be a heavy fingering weight overall, or perhaps a light sport weight. It's not quite as soft as I would like; it seems comparable to Cascade 220. But I am inordinately pleased with this. No, let's be honest; I have been freaking estactic over this skein of yarn and would like to run around showing it to everyone I know.
Actually, I am showing it to you all...
No sooner had I cuddled the finished skein than I found myself anxious to start another spinning project. Probably later today another roving will begin it's journey to yarndom. And this skein of Romance? Socks or a scarf...or perhaps even to be incorporated into a future, multicolored shawl? Oh, the possibilities. Oh, the fun of it all!
You don't think I've fallen into the dark side, do you?
After about 6 hours of plying, spread out over four evenings last week, I skeined up the Romance yarn. As the yarn loaded onto the bobbin, and I saw how the colors in the two plys were blending, I got really impatient to see the finished yarn. Each ply was on it's own bobbin, and once it was all plied there was only a few feet of singles left over on one bobbin. I wound it up on the niddy noddy and then, with some trepidation, tied up the skein in about 8 places and slipped it off. As expected, the skein immediately shriveled up into a mass of crinkly spaghetti.
Thank goodness for the forums and discussion groups on Ravelry! I read up on finishing techniques and on Sunday I gave the yarn several ten minute soaks: hot/cold/hot/cold.
Then I spun it in the washing machine and wacked it around against the shower wall. It straightened out beautifully and bloomed a good bit. I slipped it over a coat hanger and put it outside to dry. The skein was perfectly balanced; I was dutifully amazed at the magical transformation. Several hours later, in the warm, dry 80 degree heat, the yarn was perfectly dry and ready to be photographed.
It's not perfect; there's plenty of "character". There are thick spots and thin spots, but most of it is pretty uniform. My plying definitely improved over the course of the six hours. I came out with about 430 yards, weighing 4.6 ounces. It seems to be a heavy fingering weight overall, or perhaps a light sport weight. It's not quite as soft as I would like; it seems comparable to Cascade 220. But I am inordinately pleased with this. No, let's be honest; I have been freaking estactic over this skein of yarn and would like to run around showing it to everyone I know. Actually, I am showing it to you all...
No sooner had I cuddled the finished skein than I found myself anxious to start another spinning project. Probably later today another roving will begin it's journey to yarndom. And this skein of Romance? Socks or a scarf...or perhaps even to be incorporated into a future, multicolored shawl? Oh, the possibilities. Oh, the fun of it all!
You don't think I've fallen into the dark side, do you?Labels: Spinning
posted by Pat K | 3:08 PM
6 Comments:
nah! I always refer to crochet as the dark side - Spinnign is just a natural progression from knitting;-)
Lovely yarn by the way - a swallow tail shawlette or possibly even the Aeolian from knitty?
Yes - you have definitely fallen to the dark side - but it is so pretty!!! Good Job!!
I think it would be such a tremendous sense of satisfaction to spin your own yarn and then knit it into something special....or weave it. :) Dark side, light side; all these creative passions are definitely the right side.
Lovely work!
First yarn! It has a kind of sacred energy to it! (I'd save some if I were you...and let it be "yarn" forever!)
Not dark! NOT! You have fallen into the light from another sun. And isn't it gorgeous? Romance is heavenly!! what a splendid job you did.
Tis postively drop dead gorgeous! I admire your skill and character is a good thing...
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