Folklore Charm

Day 320: Spinning blends on a Turkish spindle can be challenging when one fiber is neppy (i.e., full of slubs) and another is slick as a greased pig. One quickly learns why it's called a "drop spindle" unless great care is taken to ensure that some of the longer, grippier Merino is included in each pull, but on the other hand, spinning such a blend will help you improve your skill and control of the fiber. The name of the game is to pull apart and distribute the slubs aesthetically throughout the finished yarn. This does not necessarily imply that they must be evenly distributed, because part of the charm of slubby yarns lies in the occasional larger slub interspersed among smaller ones. In fact, "Charm" is the name of this particular colourway, one of my favourites in the Folklore series from Paradise Fibers. It is comprised of Merino, viscose and bamboo, and spins up beautifully at 26 wraps per inch (fingering/superfine weight). This skein is 95 yards and weighs one ounce.

Fine Spun

Day 148: This project is going to take a while. True fingering-weight yarns have become very difficult to find in recent years, at least at a price which isn't prohibitive (I am not willing to spend $30 on a single sock, or even a pair), so I decided it was time to make my own. I found a wonderful new fiber supply right here in Washington which caters specifically to spinners (Paradise Fibers in Spokane), and ordered eight ounces of blended Merino/bamboo top in a shade called "Hickory Dickory." All the colourways in this series are named from nursery rhymes. It's a bit pinker than I'd expected, but hey, it's going to be socks...at least three pair of socks for the grand sum of $24, offset by many hours of entertainment on my side of the coin. It is spinning up beautifully at 40 wraps per inch, and since I am spinning off the fold, I have better control over the colours as they come off my hand. Spun directly from the end, the colours would be more blended, but I wanted a more "tweedy" effect. The hand-feel of the Merino/bamboo blend is exquisite: soft, smooth, silky...and durable enough to make good socks, whether they're a little too pink or not.