Spinning FO

Today I was very productive, fiberwise. Since my birthday, last week, I have been working on spinning singles of the Louet wool top pencil roving in color "Thunderstorms". This yarn is to be entered into the Ravelry Spindlers Group in the August Challenge, whose theme is "rainforest." This is a reminder of what the fiber looks like:

It is my first spinning with multi-color roving and as such, I really didn't know what to expect.
The green seems to be predominant and the colors change at irregular intervals. The finished product will be more tweedy, than striped or pooled, I predicted to myself, and I was correct.

I knit three batches of singles, wound on 3 TP rolls and placed in my super-duper fancy Lazy Kate, made with a shoe box and straight knitting needles.

I used my ball winder to wind a 3 ply ball from the three singles. Then, using my Tracy Eichheim spindle, I plyed from the outside of the ball. I love this shot with the Golding and the Eichheim together.
I have made much progress getting my singles thinner and thinner compared to my beginning spinning and I probably could call the singles, or even a two ply laceweight. This is my early spinning on this fiber: This a shot from today, showing the more recent singles spinning and the plyed yarn still on the spindle.

I soaked the yarn, whacked it, and hung outside to dry quickly.

Here is the final result, 43 grams of sport to worsted, about 106 yards. Pretty, isn't she!

I still have more than 3/4 of the fiber left, so lots more spinning to do.

Then, I started plying on the last of the blue/green CVM fiber into a two ply.

Once I finish that yarn, it will be time to start knitting on it. I have enough to do several hats, mittens, or use it in combination in a felting project. I have seen on Ravelry the Fetching fingerless mitts, and there are hats to match. With gift giving season ahead, it is almost time to get started on that.

On the needles and spindle

I am definitely improving in the spinning. Here is a side by side comparison of two skeins from the same fiber. As a reminder, the fiber is vegetable dyed CVM and it was spun on the Tracy Eichhheim hummingbird spindle. When I was plying it, I made a concentrated effort to put a lot of twist in it and I think most of it looks great. How 'bout you??

I have enough fiber for another skein or two, so I thinks a couple of hats and mittens are in its future. Now just to decide on a pattern.


The BSJ is coming along. Using the extra notes, along with the pattern it is starting to make sense, but I better not get cocky. The yarn is very soft but I am disappointed that it is getting a little fuzzy from handling as knitting.


Finished one sock and am almost to the heel of the second on Mom's socks. Love this yarn and I know they will be nice and warm in the winter. It is hard to think about winter when it reached 100 degrees today.