10
Mar
2015

Finished: handspun yarn – a red & purple, 3 ply, worsted weight yarn

handspun yarn

handspun yarn

handspun yarn

Yarn!

This particular yarn has been a long time in the making. I originally spun the Redfish DyeWorks (bright red) fiber with the intention of making my standard 2ply – upon finishing the singles I realized that would be a damn intense yarn.

So the singles then sat on my desk for months* waiting for something.
*not a good spinning practice – but they didn’t end up too much the worse for it.

Turns out they were waiting for these 2 ounces of fiber from Wooliebullie (the darker purple-ier) – I originally thought about spinning this up on it’s own but that wouldn’t have yielded as much yardage as I would have wanted, and then when I held it with the bright red it seemed like the perfect match.

Fiber A (bright red): 4oz Redfish DyeWorks’s in an intense bright red
Fiber B (darker purple-ier): 2oz “Beaujolais” on Velvet from wooliebullie.etsy.com
(Both fibers are a 50/50 silk/merino blend.)
Yardage: 260 yards & 165 grams
Weight: somewhere around a worsted weight yarn

Spinning details: I spun the fibers worsted* and did a traditional 3 ply. The singles are spun with a Z twist, and plyed with an S twist. I also ended up with 15 or so yards of 2 ply from the singles that were left after the first bobbin ran out.
*for the non spinners – this is a spinning method and (just to be confusing) has nothing to do with producing a yarn worsted weight yarn.

Knitting plans: I don’t have any exact plans for this – but it’ll be something beautiful.

handspun yarn

handspun yarn

You may also like

writing, editing, weaving, and a skirt fit for a pirate queen
finishing and starting: edits, spinning, weaving, and style challenges
more spinning, more rewriting, more personal style
spinning, editing, and a new wardrobe challenge!

4 Responses

  1. Keren Duchan

    This handspun yarn is beautiful! I’ve recently gotten into knitting and am now getting interested in hand spinning. Do you still hand spin using a drop spinner? Or have you gotten a spinning wheel or electric spinner? Your work is beautiful and inspiring, and I love the high quality photos, they’re very helpful.

    1. Holly

      Thank you so much! I do have a spindle, and a spinning wheel, and experimented with a friend’s electric spinner. I don’t do quite as much spindling as I used to, but really enjoy it when I do. I love my wheel, a Lendrum double treadle, and the electric spinner is super tempting, but I’m not sure I spin enough to justify it.

Leave a Reply to Keren Duchan Cancel Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.