FF: The last of the worsted spinning experiments
Fiber: Hello Yarn Fiber Club merino, in "Patchwork"
Spun/plied: 17:1/15:1, short forward draw, aiming for speed.
Stats: 179 yds/4 oz, approximately worsted weight.
Comments: I split the top in half, then stripped each half into four long pieces and spun each half on to one bobbin. I was trying to spin this quickly, so I used a high ratio to get the twist into the fiber fast. I also tried to spin a slightly thicker single then my default, so the final yarn would be a heavier weight. I'm pretty pleased with how it came out though, and I think this skein is destined for Boo legwarmers.
From start to finish, the spinning took 3:36, so I rounded it up to 4 hrs with finishing. So that gives a starting price of £40 for spinning, plus £15 for the fiber itself, which ends up at £0.31 per yard. £55 seems like an awful lot for one skein of yarn though, so I might split this in half. It's still within the range I've found online though, so we'll see. This certainly isn't going to make me rich however! I also need to try some woolen spinning and see if that makes a dramatic difference in the amount of time this takes, or the yardage. That, however, will have to wait until September.
The dangers of having tall relatives
I was hoping, in some very out-of-touch and theoretical way, to finish a sweater before we left for the States. Then I was hoping to get a lot done on the plane (seeing as how I strategically seated myself away from the rest of my family...), and managed to get through most of the increases on sleeve #2.
That was all well and good. And since I got to see the intended recipient, I decided it might be wise to measure his arms and make sure that I'd made the sleeves long enough.
Well. That was a mistake...
I'd knit sleeve #1 to be 18.5 inches long at the underarm, the totally reasonable length suggested by my lovely sweater design software.
My Dad's arms require sleeves that are at least 23 inches long.
Um.
What kind of genetic mutant (no offense Dad!) has arms almost two feet long? It's not like I'm knitting a sweater for Larry Bird, right? Or Michael Phelps?
Suffice to say that my lovely father, having now waited five months for his birthday sweater, is going to have to wait a bit longer. I've got enough yarn, but the last skein is, predictably enough, on top of my washing machine in London. Bah! It's going to be nice though, once it's done...
FF: 3-plies, as far as the eye can see
The second experiment in my exploration of selling handspun yarn came in the form of two Spunky Eclectic tops I'd been eyeing for a while, and was inspired by my friend Caro, the Queen of the Three Ply.
Fiber: on the left, SE Panda (60% superwash merino/30% bamboo/10% nylon) in "Blue Moon", on the right, SE superwash merino in "Emerald Isle", both purchased on my first visit to Amy's bricks and mortar store in August of 2009.
Spun/plied: 15:1/12:1 and 15:1/15:1 respectively, both spun worsted, with a short forward draw. I prepped each top by splitting it into three equal lengths, and then stripping each piece into 6 sections. I spun each length on to one bobbin and then 3-plied.
Stats: 241 yds and 144 yds respectively (might have to double check that second measurement). Approximately DK weight on both.
Now for the experiment part. I spun up the Panda willy nilly, and loved every minute of it. The finished yarn is smooth and drapey and I desparately want more so I can make a tank top out of this stuff. The bamboo gives it a lovely shine.
When I pulled out the other superwash merino, I decided to keep track of how long it took me to spin it up.
Not counting prep time, it took me four hours to spin the yarn. I finished it by soaking in warm wat, spinning out the extra water in the washing machine and hanging to dry. So, this skein (if actually 144 yds) works out at £55 (including cost of fiber), which is £0.38/yd. Which falls into the range I've found. So now I've just got to see what the cost is for a 2 ply, and I should have my bases covered. Although if I spun woolen, it might end up being a bit faster...
Travelling
Tomorrow we hop on a plane and head westward for a couple of weeks, so today I have been dealing with the age-old question of which projects to bring. This is a serious consideration - you want to bring a good number and variety of projects so that you don't get bored, but also don't run out of things to do. Running out of knitting might resort to a panic-driven yarn buying spree the likes of which Himself could not forgive! So, I've spent some time thinking about what to bring with me. And here's the pile:
Not actually all the bad, given the circumstances. There's the self-designed sweater that needs only a sleeve to be finished (and the pattern needs to go out to testers by Friday, but that's a different problem). This is the key project for tomorrow's7.5 hr flight, and I'm hoping to land in Boston with a mostly finished sleeve.
There's the August socks, which are lagging woefully behind. I was making good progress, but had to rip everything out and start on smaller needles to get something that might vaguely fit my foot. However, that means they're now being knit on US 0/2.0 mm needles. Metal needles. I know they're technically allowed, but given that my last trip with metal pointy sticks resulted in my being held up at security for a while, I think these will be going in the hold instead.
Third up is my guilty project: the Dahlia Cardigan from the latest issue of Interweave Knits. I couldn't help casting on this weekend, but I've finished the interesting bit (the lace panel on the back). I predict that this one is going to languish now that I've hit the stockinette stage, but maybe it will be good car knitting. This one is also on metal needles, so it will get packed in the checked bags. Hopefully TSA is a bit more understanding/less paranoid about metal needles then the Brits, so I can work on it on the way home.
Lastly, I've packed a spinning project: My oldest remaining Hello Yarn Fiber Club stash, from June 2009. This is Shetland in the colorway "Sour Fig". And my trusty Golding spindle. I haven't tried a spindling project on a trip before, and I'm looking forward to it. I think I'm going to try a 6 strand cable with this fiber - three 2-ply yarns plied together. Means I need to split up the fiber by weight before we leave though. Another item for this evening's list.
I'm looking forward to some quality family time, both with the girls and Himself, as well as with various (grand)parents, brothers/sisters (aunts/uncles) and friends. Happy August!
Fiber Friday: more singles
I mentioned a while back that I was having some issues in the day job. Those issues are not yet resolved, sadly, mostly due to the crapshoot that is the research funding roulette wheel. I've been thinking very seriously about starting some kind of fibery business venture. With that in mind, I've been playing around with different types of handspun yarn, trying to get an idea of how much time it takes me to spin up X number of yards. The first ventures have centered around singles yarns.
This is the skein of Corriedale singles I spun up during the Tour de Fleece. 1.5 hours, 227 yds. Not too bad for 90 minutes work, but my hands and wrists were pretty tired by the end of it. So I wanted to try again with a different fiber, just to see how it went.
Fiber: Hello Yarn Merino in "Harmonia"
Spun at 8.5:1, 282 yds.
The ratio was a bit high for the final yarn - I wanted to add a bit more twist then I did with the Corriedale, given the shorter staple length of the merino, but the thin bits are a bit overtwisted. It will probably come out fine in the knitting, but we'll see. I also fulled the yarn when I finished it - three shifts between hot and cold water baths until the single started sticking together. The finished yarn is nice and fluffy where it's not overtwisted.
This skein took me 2 hours to do, but my right wrist and hand were still a bit unhappy. I didn't do any predrafting with the fiber, just stripped it into sections (6 I think). I think that next time I'll do a bit more predrafting just to loosen the fiber up a bit more and make it a bit easier to spin into a single. I also might try to keep the single a bit more even next time and see if that helps the wrists.
If I were going to charge £10/hour for my labor, these skeins would end up at £30 and £35 respectively with the cost of the fiber, which works out to £0.13 and £0.12/yard. From my research, singles yarns are being priced at anywhere from £0.10-0.50/yard. That's quite a spread, with art yarns running on the higher end of that scale.What would you spend for handspun yarn? Would you rather get a full 4 oz or standardized skeins (i.e. 100 yard skeins)? Would you rather thick and thin singles, even singles or multiplied yarns? Please do leave a comment if you have any thoughts along these lines. Thanks!