handspun #6

… is currently cooking :eek: this is a very very scary thing to do with my best yarn yet.

i went roughly 60/40 merino/bamboo for the second ply and it’s worked out as i wanted - roughly intermixed, not even (as if i could even if i wanted :))

i’m hoping this will give some interesting colour effects, as i’m assuming the bamboo won’t pick up an acid dye.

the overall blend works well together, there’s a definite smoothness from the bamboo and a subtle sparkle from the angelina (i would have preferred a little more oomph, but the price of the angelina held me back a little), and it’s gorgeously soft and squishy.

from first impressions it’s surprisingly even across the length of the skein and it looks pretty damn balanced too

i plied every spindle so that it looked overplied judging by the dangle test, but it looked and felt “about right” to my eyes. this was my first time plying 2 separate singles rather than either end of one, and the shoebox lazy kate took a little tweaking. when i was just running the yarn straight off the (cardboard tube) bobbins i was getting all kind of twisted kinkiness, so i went searching for how to tension it. turns out it’s dead straightforward, you just run the singles over a hook. or in my case 2, to get the tension i wanted

handily enough we have a row of hooks along the bottom of the mantelpiece for stringing xmas lights, so i could take my pick. after that it was an easy enough - if long and dull - job.

i’ve gone very unscientific with the dyeing. soaked the skein in vinegary water then dyed with food dye mixed with vinegar in a variety of blues. i diluted the colours a little with more vinegar and water when they didn’t cover the whole lot. i think it might come out rather even and rather dark. if it comes out at all - i realised i have no idea whether our clingfilm will withstand steaming…

and i have a stats: the skein measures in at a whopping 261 yards, avg 18wpi.

and here she is:

i’m so attached to this one it even has a theme tune: elliot smith’s in the lost and found. absolutely couldn’t help myself humming don’t go home angelina…