Once again, the fabulous BohoKnitterChic has inspired me to pull out my spinning wheel and get to work! In her Ravelry group, hoards of spinners are joining the challenge to spin as much as possible by the end of the year. I haven’t made much progress yet, but I have high hopes for the next month and a half!
My latest contribution to the challenge is Strut, a yarn spun of picked fiber. For me, this is a very “out of the box” concept in spinning. As a person with some (many) AR/OCD tendencies, I usually spin yarn that are very even, follow a color pattern, and are, in general, very controlled. With this picked fiber, it’s just a big pile of fluff – you reach in, grab a handful, and start spinning. The color distribution, thickness, texture, etc. all come together organically, and quite randomly. The outcome: beautiful! I really like the finished yarn. I believe it wants to be a cowl in the near future.
Next up, we have my first attempt at a thick-n-thin single. It’s not exactly what I wanted it to be, but there are in fact thick parts as well as thin parts, so I’m gonna call it a success! The fiber is 100% blue-faced leicester; the roving is left over from my Thrummed Mitten kit by Fleece Artist. The colorway is called Blomidon, which I absolutely love. It’s a very small skein, but I’m thinking it will be a wonderful accent to the brim of a hat. The BFL is so soft, it begs to be next to the skin.
Another yarn of 100% BFL, this Fleece Artist colorway is called Snow Crocus. As soon as it came into the shop, I knew I had to have it. I wanted long repeats of the colors, so I split the roving into about 8 or so lengths and spun them all from the same end, so that the repeats would be sort of regular. I really like how the colors flow from one to the next, and I can’t wait to see how it knits up. My sister Natalie is pregnant with a little girl. I think this will become a hat for her tiny head.
Finally, At the Beach was spun from a batt by BohoKnitterChic called Tortuga. When I first got it, I didn’t realize how much peach-pink was hiding underneath the blues, greens, and golds. At first, I thought I wouldn’t like it. But by the time I’d spun it all into a lace-weight single, I’d converted. Then, after navajo-plying the single, I was completely in love. It came out very even, and is a bit lighter weight than a worsted. I’m still completely enamored with the navajo-plying, and will probably continue to play with it. I think this yarn will become the base for a shrug for a particular cousin for Gift-mas. I can’t wait!