Week 3 of the Tour de Fleece. The theme for this week in our team (DIY and Dye) is art yarn - thick and thin, coils, core spun, whatever we want to challenge ourselves with.
I decided on core spinning and checked my stash to see what I had for the core. Found this bobbin of singles which I didn't love and would probably not use for anything :-
I realised that this was not the ideal core to choose, mainly because when you spin a singles thread which is going to be plyed, you add more twist than you need as some of the twist will be removed whilst plying. Therefore, I had to get rid of some of the twist before I could use it. Why not just use the single as it is and core spin in the opposite direction? Because, basically, that would remove too much twist and the yarn would fall apart. So, I spun the contents of this bobbin quickly back through the wheel and removed some (not too much) of the twist.
Now, what to use for the top layer . . . well, I have lots of baby alpaca, so why not use that. This is what I chose (after washing and dyeing with acid dyes) :-
After a bit of teasing apart, the fleece was ready (no lengthy carding - this fibre just doesn't need it)
If you've never heard of core spinning, it's literally spinning fibre onto a pre-spun core thread sideways - i.e. the fibres wrap around the core at an angle of a bit less than 90 degrees.
I soon realised that the finished yarn was going to be rather over-spun - a bit energetic to say the least!
Started off a bit fluffy and bumpy, but I think I gradually improved as I went along. I really didn't help myself with this core, it fought me every step of the way. Finally filled the bobbin though :-
and this is what I mean when I say it's a bit "energetic" :-
After washing and giving it a good thwack it calmed down a bit, but it's still very elastic. If I hold the skein at each end and pull it grows about 3 inches! Not the best knitting yarn in the world eh?
I've decided the best use for this is to make hair scrunchies for my plait. A bit of twist here and there would be quite beneficial for those!
Next project : coreless core spinning! Watch this space!!
I decided on core spinning and checked my stash to see what I had for the core. Found this bobbin of singles which I didn't love and would probably not use for anything :-
I realised that this was not the ideal core to choose, mainly because when you spin a singles thread which is going to be plyed, you add more twist than you need as some of the twist will be removed whilst plying. Therefore, I had to get rid of some of the twist before I could use it. Why not just use the single as it is and core spin in the opposite direction? Because, basically, that would remove too much twist and the yarn would fall apart. So, I spun the contents of this bobbin quickly back through the wheel and removed some (not too much) of the twist.
Now, what to use for the top layer . . . well, I have lots of baby alpaca, so why not use that. This is what I chose (after washing and dyeing with acid dyes) :-
After a bit of teasing apart, the fleece was ready (no lengthy carding - this fibre just doesn't need it)
If you've never heard of core spinning, it's literally spinning fibre onto a pre-spun core thread sideways - i.e. the fibres wrap around the core at an angle of a bit less than 90 degrees.
I soon realised that the finished yarn was going to be rather over-spun - a bit energetic to say the least!
Started off a bit fluffy and bumpy, but I think I gradually improved as I went along. I really didn't help myself with this core, it fought me every step of the way. Finally filled the bobbin though :-
and this is what I mean when I say it's a bit "energetic" :-
After washing and giving it a good thwack it calmed down a bit, but it's still very elastic. If I hold the skein at each end and pull it grows about 3 inches! Not the best knitting yarn in the world eh?
I've decided the best use for this is to make hair scrunchies for my plait. A bit of twist here and there would be quite beneficial for those!
Next project : coreless core spinning! Watch this space!!
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