Ply | Three
Yardage | 280.4 m
WPI | Fingering
Fibre | Merino-Silk
Tool | Serenity Wheel [5.5:1 ratio]

Spin spin spin…that’s all I can say. LOL!

Sometimes I really run out of things to say about my handspun yarns. I guess it’s due to the fact that I go through one fiber after another and then a longggg pause during the spinning process that I forget whatever it is that I’ve been facing with that particular project.

But one thing is for sure – spinning regularly helps to keep things even! So now that that is out of the way, it’s back to the wheel for me!

Ply | Single
Yardage | 461.8 m
WPI | Lace
Fibre | 75/25 BFL-Silk
Tool | Serenity Wheel [5.5:1 ratio]

My very first singles that are not overspun OR underspun thanks to adjustments to the tension and the threading (I can’t go at it as if it were spin-on-treadmills)!

I love how the colours came out – exactly as I envisioned it to be – but more importantly, I love love love the fact that it just took me two nights to spin this up! AHAHAHAHA! Now in terms of yardage, I would have liked to have something more substantial to work with but the 450 over meters will be good for a small-medium sized lace shawl. I guess I just need to find the right pattern now.

But yes, singles are amazing things to spin up! *grin*

Ply | Three
Yardage | 236.22 m
WPI | Thin fingering
Fibre | SW Merino-Tencel
Tool | Serenity Wheel [5.5:1 ratio]

I had initially intended for this to be available at the store for socks or even a nice smallish shawl/scarf but due to some “accident” with my spinning, I ended up losing quite a bit of yardage on this while plying it. Gah. So in the end, the resulting yardage was too little for anything else but one skein projects.

Note to self – 50-50 merino-tencel blends can be fiddly to spin, especially for someone who has been out of the spinning shape for a longggg time! Over nine months, mind you, and with all the running around, Jack Georges reviews and a baby…gah. I am actually quite surprised that I managed to squeeze in some spinning time before the babysitter showed up!

But hey, at least I managed to get this done. The resulting yarn is utterly yummy and shiny; it’s just a pity that the yardage is soooo little. Hai.

Ply | Three
Yardage | 330.7 m
WPI | NA (Fingering)
Fibre | 50/50 alpaca/superwash merino
Tool | Serenity Wheel [5.5:1 ratio]

This is actually one of my own self-blends – I didn’t want to spin up alpaca on its own so I settled for blending it with some unddyed superwash merino. The result was some candy-striped and heathered yarn that is subtle in colour but still very yummy!

I’m still undecided about putting this up for sale because it wasn’t done as well as I would have liked it and if I have my doubts about it, chances are, it won’t see the store shelves any time soon. Still, no problem. I can always use this for some ankle socks…or something. *grin*

In the meantime, I’m awfully tempted to rebrand my store but that would involve an overhaul on EVERYTHING, from name cards to site banners, names, labels, etc. Talk about finding cheap online printing services! So nah, I guess the name is for keeps for real. XD

Ply | Three
Yardage | 361.2 m
WPI | NA
Fibre | Superwash Merino (my own handdyed)
Tool | Serenity Wheel [5.5:1 ratio]

This is up for sale at the store but just to let you know – I’m in love with this dyeing technique! The resulting effect time and time again is a mix of solids and stripes but get this – they are heathered not so much solid per se as you can see in the picture above.

I’d love to try this out with some of the rovings I dyed up using the same technique for the store…but the stash comes first. Must destash, destash and destash.

Yes, I bet by now, you know that my knitting is somewhat non-existent. Aiiii…

Ply | Three
Yardage | 394.7 m
WPI | NA
Fibre | 70/30 Superwash Merino-Seacell from juliespins.etsy.com
Tool | Serenity Wheel [5.5:1 ratio]

Earlier today, I said that I would put this up for sale and all after plying since the colours are amazing and all, but after setting the twist and all, I notice that it bleeds a little. And while it’s okay with me personally, I am hesitant about selling a yarn that may add a slight orange tinge to water when rinsing.

Now, before anyone jumps to the wrong conclusion, bleeding is normal when the colours are intense and with certain blends – I ought to know. The merino-tencel I dyed up a while back bled like crazy and it took me a while to get a clear change of water without compromising on the colour brightness. So after buzzing Julie about it to check what her recommendation was to avoid future bleeds (read: wash/block in cold water only), I decided there and then that this was the perfect excuse for me to hang on to this.

At least now I can say that I have some handspun of my own to use!!!

Ply | Three
Yardage | 403 m
WPI | 20 (Fingering to Light Fingering)
Fibre | Merino-Bamboo in Evening Shade from FatCatKnits
Tool | Serenity Wheel [5.5:1 ratio]

This was an amazing first for me – to hit a cool 400 metres from a 4 oz braid! I haven’t been having much luck spinning up more than 350 metres in the past but after a change in technique plus position (I need to accommodate a much bigger belly these days), it is just…well, fulfilling to be able to go past my previous mark. Lets just hope that the trend will continue for those gorgeous 4 oz braids that I have stashed away.

As for the name and all, well, initially, FatCatKnits had this listed as Evening Shade but as I began spinning it and later on, plying the singles, it dawned at me that it looks quite nothing like a shade of evening. Instead, images of cocktails at the bar became more and more vivid. I just had to name this after a cocktail and what better than a lovely glass of Blue Mojito!

Anyway, now that this is done, I think I’ll get cracking on the “gems” – seacell blends. I’ve been waiting for a while to get started on these and well, I think I’m confident enough to tackle these babies. What are my plans for it? Well, it’s either lace or sock weight (yes, again)…it all depends on how the colours turn out. If it’s too variegated, I’ll stick to sock weight…if it’s a cool semi-solid shade, I think it’ll look just better as laceweight yarn.

Ply | Three
Yardage | 289.56 m
WPI | 22-24 (Fingering to Light Fingering)
Fibre | Falkland in Aster from Shunklies
Tool | Serenity Wheel [5.5:1 ratio]

I bought two 4 oz braids of this lovely fibre from Shunklies a while back with the intention of spinning it into some lovely sock yarn skeins that are over 300 yards. Unfortunately, I forgot that I have a short attention span when it comes to dealing with colours. Too much of a good thing can be quite boring…and it so happened that when I was spinning this up, I was in one of those first trimester pregnancy moods.

Yes, tired, sleepy and easily bored. Not a winning combination for spinning 8 oz braids, if you ask me.

Nevertheless, looking at the results now and how bright the colours are, I might just spin up the rest in similar fashion. The colours are bright and quite cherry – suitable for mild striping – plus although the spun yarn is not quite as soft as superwash merino, it’s tough, durable and is appropriate for felting into house slippers or anything of the sort.

In the meantime, I’m still working on that lovely spring-coloured merino-bamboo which will probably end up again as a skein of 3-ply sock yarn. :P

(On the side, anyone up for Discount Blinds?)

Thick & Thin Peachy Life I
Ply | One
Yardage | 140 metres
WPI | NA (Bulky)
Fibre | Corriedale (My own handdyed fibers)
Tool | Serenity Wheel [5.5:1 ratio]

Thick & Thin Peachy Life II
Ply | One
Yardage | 91 metres
WPI | NA (Bulky)
Fibre | Corriedale (My own handdyed fibers)
Tool | Serenity Wheel [5.5:1 ratio]

This is my first time spinning with Corriedale and after reading about how thick-thin yarns would go really well with wools, I thought texture and colour-wise, it would be suitable for this art yarn. It’s a little on the fuzzy side but still, I like how the colours move from one to another and the texture makes it awfully cool for a hat. I’m not exactly sure if it’ll be right for a scarf – those with sensitive skin might find this a little scratch so the safest bet would be to recommend it for a beanie!

Now, this was an awful fast spin – I need to go back and weigh it to get the exact specs – but just so you know, I had about 7 to 8 ounces of this yummy colour and it took me just under two days to finish spinning up the yarn. I knew thick-thin singles were fast work but I wasn’t prepared for how fast it really took!!! Since I’m still on my spinning craze, finishing this project ahead of my average four day spin-up is really good news.

I started work on 8 ounces of falkland which will either be turned into 3 ply sock-weight yarn or laceweight – it depends on the final outcome. All I can say right now is that the spun single on the bobbin is awfully thin, as thin as your regular cotton sewing thread! In a way, this is good news – I get to maximize yardage output per ounce of fiber which in turn will allow me more options when it comes to plying.

So yes, back to the spinning…and hopefully by the end of this week, I ought to have some yarn up for sale! Hm, I wish they would stop giving me assignments like “tv stand” and stuff…variety is the spice of life, no? Then again, I shouldn’t complain. Geh.