Handspun Friday- Black Merino/Tencel

Thank you all so much for your comments on my Dante Purse! And I wanted to say Hallo to those who are new here, and left a comment for the first time! It's always amazing how people end up here from all over!

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Sometimes there's not enough yarn for a pair of socks in my size, but it's still good sock yarn, like Black Purl here. I thought I would spin up some black fiber to knit cuffs, heels and toes. I had some merino/tencel in my stash. Doesn't it look rather like hair? It felt weird to spin this, and I wanted to get it over with quickly.



The socks look a little gloomy but the feeling on my feet is wonderful. It's wool/mohair/nylon blend, just the way I like my sock yarn.



I knit them on 2.25mm DP needles, toe up, 60 stitches for the foot, 64 for the leg. The heel was a weird construction, I found it in the book "Knitting Socks with Handpainted Yarn" by Carol J. Sulcoski. It's from the Staccato Socks by Veronik Avery, really neat socks too, but the heel is kind of funny to knit.



I think I just have enough left of the black yarn to knit another handspun pair, with a different sock yarn, which has not enough yardage on its own.

For those interested in spinning great sock yarn, I found this interesting link here. I've read about spinning good sock yarn somewhere else before, can't remember where, but this is a good article too. I agree with what she's saying, even though she does not recommend machine processed roving. I don't think I will ever prepare my own spinning fiber, it's just too much hassle. That's why I try to spin as good a sock yarn as possible to get the most wear out of handspun socks. Everything else would be a waste of money and time, even though socks can look beautiful, and can be wonderful soft on your feet, but either they felt after the first wash, or get holes in the heel or toes quickly. That's why handspun sock yarn for me will always be at least navajo plied, or 3-plied or more. Anyway, I think it's a good read.

I did some dyeing over the Easter weekend, not much, but just to get the dyeing bug out of my bonnet.





The left one I love, the middle one is O.K. I guess, and the right one did NOT turn out as I wanted it. The first two are Columbia fiber, 8oz each. I think it's similar to Corriedale, but I have not spun it yet. The right one is 50/50 merino/tencel, 6.7oz and it was a PIA. Don't think I'll get to this one any time soon.