Bobbin Along

Day 168: Just call me Red, Red Robin 'cuz I'm bob-bob-bobbin along! This week's spinning projects included finishing up a second bobbin (4 ounces) of a Merino wool/bamboo blend and allowing it to rest for a few days alongside a fully loaded companion. A short nap improves its disposition when it's time to ply. Most spinners prefer to let the fibers relax into the twist imparted in spinning for a day or two before plying. Call it "fiber yoga," if you will, for after having bent into contortions, the fiber now needs to maintain its pose to achieve the greatest benefit. In the meantime, I broke out a manual tahkli and a free sample which came with an order of wool top, a luscious moss green blend of Merino and alpaca. The freebie yielded a whole 16 meters of double-ply lace weight yarn, just enough to add a few rows to the top edge of sock cuffs. That said, it's not a fiber I would care to spin on a regular basis, the alpaca having a tendency toward fuzziness like Angora. I sneezed a lot during that spinning session, despite the fact that alpaca fiber is hypoallergenic. With a few days under its belt, the wool/bamboo blend is ready to be plied now, but must wait in line until I am finished with another colourway of the same product currently on the wheel.