Yes, I know….you already hate me for my first yarn. What can I say….I have a crafty thumb! (Or maybe Lizzie learned well from her first owner, and is giving me hints along the way!!)
This project started out as a big tangled mess of top that I got from Carol at the Sheep Shed Studio. It is 85% wool and 15% mohair. Last week, I untangled the whole mess, and looked like I needed to be sheared when done (note to self, wear slick clothes when untangling foofy roving)! I wound it up around a box and made myself a mini-bump. Since I know what this roving is (as opposed to the rest of the box of mystery fiber), my plan was to dye and sell that to pay for the rest of the wool. So…..I liberally applied some purple and magenta colors to about 4.5 ounces and cooked until the water went clear.
Well, nearly clear. Then came the rinsing. I rinsed quite a bit, and wasn’t terribly gentle (the other wool in the bin did just fine with handling, but this stuff…..), so after the roving dyed, it didn’t foof like the other stuff had. I snapped it. Yeah, decidedly compacted with felty bits.
Not being one to turn down an opportunity, I took to spinning it. I pre-drafted long pencil rovings, pulling them gently to get the draft started and break up felty bits. It spins great. The staple is very long, so I’ve had to keep my hands further apart. Apparently I am spinning worsted, since I tend to squish all the air out. I’ll have to play around with techniques on my next project.
I haven’t decided on a project for this yet, I think the final product will be a light worsted weight. I think maybe a little pretty purple bag to carry my pretty little purple bible so it doesn’t get all squished in the diaper bag.
