I have finished the Bunny yarn I talked about in my last post. As usual, with a new fiber, I learned some things. For example, this blend of fiber does not lend itself well to plying from a center pull ball. I had problems winding it off the bobbin, and more problems in the actual plying process. I ended up trashing about 5 grams of spun fiber because it got tangled & I broke it in frustration. But I have 225 yards of perfectly lovely 2-ply yarn, fingering weight (13-14 wpi) that will be a lovely something someday.
I had to put some thought into what I want to spin next. I have so many beautiful, intriguing, exotic fibers to choose from, right here at my fingertips. Alpaca! Baby Alpaca! Several different kinds & preps of Silk! A different Angora blend! Yak/silk and camel/silk blends! All of them just waiting for my attention. So I’ve decided that this summer will be devoted to these various fibers and blends. I’ve done enough wool for a while, time for something different.
I really want to spin the yak/silk blend – I have some undyed that I can practice on, and then some that’s dyed a gorgeous green. But first I decided to spin some gorgeous Bombyx top (that’s Bombyx, or mulberry, silk in a smooth preparation that’s easy to spin) that I got at SAFF last year. I got 3 different colorways because it’s so freaking gorgeous! I picked the one I like the least to start with. Haha, always easier to practice on that one. I’ve spun this kind of silk before but only undyed, and that was a while ago. Today I spun one little sample and it is sweet to work with. It’s hanging now to dry. One gram yielded 8 yards of 2 ply yarn, so with any luck I’ll end up with over 400 yards of finished yarn, which is enough for a “one-skein” scarf.
Today’s picture is the silk I am spinning now. Until next time.
Bombyx Silk from Chasing Rainbow Dyeworks in colorway New Blue