Several years ago, I was gifted about a pound of hand-dyed fiber from a non-spinning acquaintance who knew the dyer. I figured this was a perfect opportunity to try spinning a sweater quantity of yarn. I had done some sampling, but hadn’t yet been brave enough to attempt a sweater spin – until now.
My friend didn’t know what the fiber content was, so the first thing I did was to do a bleach test and a burn test to figure it out (find out how to do them in this post) I knew it had to be a blended fiber because some of the fiber was clearly more resistant to the dye. I suspected a wool/ semi-synthetic blend, and my tests confirmed it. The fiber is probably merino blended with tencel or another rayon-type fiber.
After some sampling, I decided on a 3-ply yarn – my aim is for a DK-ish weight to knit Joji Locatelli’s Recoleta cardigan (Ravelry link). Given the color and fiber content I figure this will make a perfect spring cardigan.
I’ve discovered that the bobbins from my Ashford Traddy fit my Ashford Joy flyer, which is perfect since I only have three Joy bobbins. I can spin on the Traddy bobbins and ply onto the larger Joy bobbins. The fiber is a bit matted from dyeing or storage, so I’ve had to pre-draft it well, but once it’s fluffed out it’s been relatively easy to spin. (The Summer 2023 issue of Spin Off has tips for opening up compacted or felted yarn – I may try steaming and see if it works better than simply pre-drafting.)
I’m about halfway through the first bobbin so far – I’ll keep you posted how this one goes!
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