Spinning Confetti

I finished up the singles of BFL (Blue-Faced Leicester) this morning, and as my reward for getting that project out of the way, I started spinning a neppy wool/viscose blend for a "confetti" yarn. It's slow going because the base fiber is a relatively short staple (individual fiber length) and the little coloured nepps are very "grabby." It took spinning about ten yards for me to get the hang of handling it: how to ensure that it wouldn't have weak spots or pull apart at the weight I wanted it to be, at the same time distributing the nepps so they didn't clump up or make thick areas in the strand. Once I figured out the nuances, I began thinking of it as "mindfulness spinning," because I have to treadle quite a bit slower than usual while my hands are working faster to stay ahead of the short-staple fiber. I'm sure by the time I get through a pound of it, it won't take the same degree of focus it's demanding now.