More on the super challenge

I decided to put my challenge more to the test than just a little sample.  I mean, if I'm going to make a commitment to undo enough yarn and re-spin it for a whole scarf, I needed to make sure my plan really worked.

My first method didn't work.  It was trying to pull large amounts of yarn out of a center-pull ball and take it apart.  There was too much energy in the yarn and it just didn't want to come off the ball really easily.  My second idea was to take segments and then when I am spinning, re-attach them back together.  So I took about 1 yard segments apart and spun them back together as singles.  Then I took 3 singles and plied them together.

Here are my original balls of yarn:

 

The center ball was something I wanted to try and stretch further anyway, so this was a good choice to try my new ideas on.  Also, I wanted to see what this looked like with a faded yarn.

I cut sections about a yard long, and each was a 4-ply yarn, so I re-spun each as singles, but there were 3 singles about 4 yards long.  Then, I spun each of them together as a 3-ply yarn:

This is 2-ply, because it was the tail end and I ran out of the pink:

Kind of neat, eh?!  It makes the super colorful yarn a little more toned down, and brings in more solid colors.  I wonder what this would look like all woven up!  I also wonder if it looks or feels different, or if you can see a difference in the plies if you look close.  I also wonder how it mixes with the original commercially done yarns.

It really does open up some doors though!  It's a little bit of extra work, but if you don't have the right shade or size, you could potentially change that!

Luck!!!

They're done!

 These pinwheels look especially pretty with this special hand-spun yarn!

These scarves just weave up in a breeze compared to the bookmark project!!

 And now, off to Ohio...

 ...to be loved in the cold, bitter, frosty winter!!

My friend in Ohio was kind enough to share some of her hand-spun collection with me!

I am such a LUCKY weaver!!!!!

I don't mean to brag, and I hate when people brag around me, but I guess I just can't help my excitement!!!  Look what I have waiting for me:

I can't even decide which one to use first!!!  They are ALL calling to me, "Amanda!"
"Over here, Amanda!"
"Choose me!!!"
"Pick me!!!"
"I want to be next!!"
"Put ME on your loom!!!"
"AAAAAmandaaaaa!!!"

Magical colors

These are just as exciting as the hounds tooth scarves!

I just love pinwheels!!!  Have I told you that yet?!

 And I just love this yarn!!

The Rustic Diagnal Striped Scarf

After a few weeks of spinning 2-ply yarn, I finally feel like I have enough to weave with!  But I also feel like I need to do lots of sampling because I'm not sure how it's going to respond to the loom.  I have woven with handspun yarn before, but it was on my rigid heddle loom.  This time, I am going to use my floor loom and I'm so excited!  I almost feel like a new weaver.

I decided to stick to very simple designs to begin with for 2 reasons: 1) I have mainly turned into a cotton weaver and this is wool and 2) this is my handspun and it might behave differently than other commercially produced wool yarns that I've used in the past.



So when I first sat down to draw out my plans, I decided on an M&O design. But I've only woven M&O's once before, with cotton... so I decided to maybe save that one for later and do a very simple 2/2 twill.

My handspun yarn had a w.p.i. of 18, and since I was going to do twill I multiplied it by .66 to get a e.p.i. of 12.  I don't have a #12 reed, so I threaded my #8 with 1-2.  The wool really wanted to stick in the reed while I was winding it onto the back beam so perhaps in the future I will try to thread a read 1 strand per dent.  I only wanted a 6" scarf to practice on, so I counted out 36 threads on the warp board at 2.5 yards. 







I warped my 4-shaft loom 1-2-3-4 and did the usual twill tie-up of pedals 1-2, 2-3, 3-4, & 1-4.  Then I simply treadled 1-2-3-4 over and over again.  So far it's been very interesting to see the pattern emerge and the characteristics it is taking due to the handspun wool yarn.  I can't beat it too hard, I kind of have to gently push it into place.





So far I like it!  It has some neat bumps and imperfections that you can't get in commercially produced wool yarn.  It's neat to see it being incorporated into the design!  It almost become a new design element!

And it cost next to nothing because it is made completely from scratch!

That feels good!

I could have sat and done this all in one sitting, that's how fast it was weaving up.  But instead, I decided to take my time and enjoy the process!

Plus, those apples just keep coming off the trees, and those have been taking a lot of my time lately! 

 I love the way this wool wove up.  It looks so cool, all the little blobs that appear in the weaving due to the imperfections in my handspun yarn.  It gives it a real rustic look.

 And about the natural wool colors... I love them! 



 It's not the softest wool ever, but with a collared jacket, it should be one of the warmest scarves ever!



I made the fringe SUPER long!!  It's going to flow so nicely in the chilly winter wind!

It's hard to think about how nice this will be on a cold day, because our temps were around 80 when I was weaving it!  But it will be cold one of these days, and someone in the family will get a chance to enjoy it!







Keep those shuttles and wheels amovin'!

Can't wait to spin this up!!!

These colors are so inviting!

 The only problem is, I can't decide what I want to do with it!

Do I want 2-ply?  3-ply?  2-ply, one color and one white?  Self-striping yarn?  AHH!! 












 I guess I'll have to make more and then I can do it all!

All these shades of blues will be particularly interesting!

Still spinning!

Nothing outlasts the wool... 

I keep spinning, and spinning, and spinning, and spinning, and spinning... 

...and spinning, and spinning, and spinning, and spinning...

I'm up to 12 skeins, and the bag hardly looks touched!  WOW!!!
It's like the wool that keeps on giving!

Baa Baa Black Sheep...

... Have you any wool?

Yes, sir!  Yes, sir!  Lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots  and lots and lots of bags full!

Our LYS is always getting some cool deals but... they sometimes they are one time deals, and that is my weakness.  Once the stuff is gone, it's gone!!  So, I end up stocking up on lots, probably too much.  But at least I have a lot of wool to keep me out of trouble!