More Adventures With Thick 'N Thin
I pulled out some more of the over-priced dye-bleeding fiber because I still have the itch to spin really thick 'n thin yarn. It's a challenge and it's fun (now) and I'm never quite sure how the finished yarn will look until it's actually, well, finished!
I felt like I needed a bit of a boost so I used the pastel rainbow superwash BFL. The colors were so cheery! One thing I am finding is that spinning bigger singles means less fiber on the bobbin. It takes me nearly 2 bobbins to hold 4 ounces of this yarn whereas if I spun it fine I would easily get it all on one bobbin.
I know many spinners leave their singles as singles but as a neophyte I feel much more comfortable making it a 2-ply. It helps remove any overtwist and to me it anchors those plump slubs a little bit. The really hard part is coming up with the right color for that second ply. Going darker worked well for the Reptile skein but in this case it would have really washed out the pastel colors. I settled on a super pale blue because white would have been too much. I liked the result and called the skein Rainbow Railroad.
And yes, as expected, when I soaked the skein there was some dye bleed. Not as much as the other rainbow skein - however - this time I was PREPARED! I ran 2 sinks of hot vinegary water and put the skein in the first. When the dye was more or less out I simply lifted the skein, let it drain a bit and put it in the second sink then drained away the dye water in the first sink! Yay me! So the water in the second sink was pretty much clear so I know that whatever it gets knit into won't be in danger of being ruined by unspent dye.
This is a good thing because I put it in my Etsy Shop and a day later it sold. One of those truly depressing moments during a sales drought when you wish you had half a dozen of them to list! *sigh!*
The skein was 5 ounces (145 gm) and only 118 yds of chunky fun!
I felt like I needed a bit of a boost so I used the pastel rainbow superwash BFL. The colors were so cheery! One thing I am finding is that spinning bigger singles means less fiber on the bobbin. It takes me nearly 2 bobbins to hold 4 ounces of this yarn whereas if I spun it fine I would easily get it all on one bobbin.
I know many spinners leave their singles as singles but as a neophyte I feel much more comfortable making it a 2-ply. It helps remove any overtwist and to me it anchors those plump slubs a little bit. The really hard part is coming up with the right color for that second ply. Going darker worked well for the Reptile skein but in this case it would have really washed out the pastel colors. I settled on a super pale blue because white would have been too much. I liked the result and called the skein Rainbow Railroad.
And yes, as expected, when I soaked the skein there was some dye bleed. Not as much as the other rainbow skein - however - this time I was PREPARED! I ran 2 sinks of hot vinegary water and put the skein in the first. When the dye was more or less out I simply lifted the skein, let it drain a bit and put it in the second sink then drained away the dye water in the first sink! Yay me! So the water in the second sink was pretty much clear so I know that whatever it gets knit into won't be in danger of being ruined by unspent dye.
This is a good thing because I put it in my Etsy Shop and a day later it sold. One of those truly depressing moments during a sales drought when you wish you had half a dozen of them to list! *sigh!*
The skein was 5 ounces (145 gm) and only 118 yds of chunky fun!
On another topic, I am still fighting the good fight against spammers with my Comments and although there are fewer spam comments I'm not taking Moderation off yet. However - as depressing as that is I still really appreciate it when you take the time to say Hi! So much so that I have put together a little Spinner's Collection to give away to Comment #1700 (that isn't spam!), assuming #1700 is a spinner. If #1700 is a knitter they will get a skein of yarn and a knitting book, yet to be determined, OK?
This bundle includes a video Spinning Exotic Fiber & Novelty Yarns with Judith Mackenzie, a 4 oz twist of Merino/Silk blend and the book Spinning Designer Yarns. So let me hear from you a little more often and hopefully in a week or so we should have a winner! Cheers all!
Posted by Gloria Patre at 9/14/2011 8:33 PM 
Categories: Yarn, Spinning, Fiber
Tags: rainbow yarn handspun yarn
Categories: Yarn, Spinning, Fiber
Tags: rainbow yarn handspun yarn
I'm so sorry you have the spam troll problem! It's frustrating.
Your surprise prize package is lovely, though! It's all stuff I would love and don't have. I've heard such good things about that book.
Your fun and funky yarn was fun to see - I've been in a mood like that for knitting! All muy knitting projects are in time-out because they are not speaking to me, so I cast on another. I needed something simple, but interesting, so I cast on some handspun for a simple shawl/scarf: http://wwwravelrycom/patterns/library/a-little-spice
It's just what I needed!
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Oh, I was going to leave acomment without the chance of winning that lovely stuff, because it would make you happy
The rainbow yarn is really really beautiful. Just looking at the picture makes me feel sunny inside.
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Spam really sucks. I have a pluggin for my word press site that takes care of most spam for me...
I love you fearless spinning with the thick n thin singles! So much fun and fun colour makes it all work
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I took moderation off for three days, and then had enough. I was spammed like crazy! I'm not a big fan of thick/thin spun yarn, but do it once in a while, when the fiber doesn't want to be spun evenly.
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Very pretty yarn. I love the rainbow colors. Debbie H
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I willcomment even though you have already sent me some lovely stuff (fibre and stitch markers). I have one of Judith's videos and they are great. Boy would I luv to take a class with her!!!
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Hi! It's Debbie again. I really love that rainbow yarn, though I'm not a big fan of thick and thin yarn. I love reading your blog.. Debbie H
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It's interesting to see yourcomments about spinning thick yarn. I somehow missed that phase as a learner, and am now half scared to try! Also wanted to say that you have put together an amazing prize package!
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Really trying to win... I got a hand spindle, but haven't tried to use it yet. Any suggestions for a good book or video? Debbie H
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Hi! It's Debbie again. Can you tell I really want to win?
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