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Friday, March 19, 2010

Handspun Yarns

I finished spinning the Honey Bear roving and have steamed the skein to set the twist, taken photos and listed it in my Etsy store. I really like how this turned out.
First, the Honey Bear roving
And now, the Honey Bear yarn

And, on the wheel, Reggae on the River in Merino/Silk. I spun this colorway earlier and made a two-ply yarn out of it. To make a two-ply yarn you split the roving into equal halves, spin each half on a separate bobbin and then ply the two bobbins into yarn. The colors mix and match as they are plyed. I decided to reorder the colorway in a Merino/Silk blend because I can spin it thinner and then Navajo ply (sometimes called chain plying) the yarn. When you Navajo ply you spin the entire roving onto one bobbin, then make loops and ply the yarn back on itself (3-ply rather than 2). This maintains the color definition better. You end up plying red onto red, blue onto blue, etc. with a little overlapping of colors depending on how big you make your loops, but I wanted to see how it looked. I thought the first one was a bit "muddy" after plying and wanted to retain the vibrancy of the original colorway a bit better. I'll post pics of the yarn when I'm done.

13 comments:

Lenox Knits said...

Those are so vibrant and rich! I haven't experimented with spinning yet but I still love reading about the process and seeing your amazing roving. I'm thinking about taking a class so that I can see it in action.

I will totally leave it up to you for what you want to giveaway. I think a skein of your gorgeous handspun yarn would bring a totally different population into the giveaway which would help all of us. If you are comfortable with that I would be thrilled.

I would just need permission to use your pictures with links back to you in the promotion and feature of you on my blog. Would you rather they follow your blog, fan your FB page, or follow your twitter for an entry into the contest.
I'll be in touch!

Ann said...

I can see why you named that one honey bear. It does have the feel of honey to it. It's just beautiful.

Split Rock Ranch said...

Paige: A skein of handspun yarn it is! I'll find something very spring-like in my stash. I might even do before, during and after spinning photos so the winner can see the process handspun yarn takes. Have you tried out the drop spindle you bought from my store a few months ago? There is a spinning DVD that the company makes - I haven't had a chance to view it yet but I will and if I think it is really helpful I can order another copy to put in the store. Spinning is one of those things that you can learn some things by watching someone else do it, but the best way to really learn is just jump in there with both feet and start spinning. I was so proud of my first skein of yarn and when I look back at it I think wow, I really didn't do so very well my first time, and look how far I've come! Let me know if you need any help and I'll do what I can. There are youtube vids that would be really helpful, too.

Ann: Thank you! It is a warm honey bear kinda yarn, isn't it?!

brokenteepee said...

The last picture looks like a rainbow exploded.

Lin said...

Ooooh, I love the first one! I'm not into the bright colors as much, but I would love to see how the yarn turned out.

Anonymous said...

You always have the most fluffiest, cottony looking roving! Love it!

Split Rock Ranch said...

Pricilla: So maybe I should call the finished yarn "Exploding Rainbow"!
Lin: Honey Bear is so rich and lustrous but just wait until "Exploding Rainbow" is done! ;o)
ABJ: Thank you! I lurvs working with fluffy fibers!

WillOaks Studio said...

I love your Honey Bear palette!! very pretty!

Dana said...

Such wonderful colors of yarn. I have never spun but hear it is very calming. I really like the Honey Bear color.

Thanks for advertising on my blog today and leaving a comment.

Unknown said...

The Honey Bear yarn is very pretty -- nice and soothing colors

OLLIE MCKAY'S ~ A Chic Boutique said...

Wow ~ yummy yummy yarn colors - wish I still knit!!! We LOVE CO ~ my sister still lives there - love to go visit!!

Hot Rocks said...

The honey Bear roving looks so soft! Love those warm shades used in the roving and the yarn.

Hot Rocks said...

I am so pleased that my picture of the waterfall that you saw on my blog has inspired you with a color scheme for your yarn! I am looking forward to seeing it.