Friday, April 10, 2009

Handspun Friday - Multicolored Experiment

I've been reading Marianne's blog for some time now. Not too long ago she opened her etsy store. I wanted to support her, and I think I must have been one of her first customers. At the time she didn't have a lot of colorways I liked (she's updating often), since she seems to like pink a lot, and I don't necessarily, so I got this:

Multicolored Experiment-1

It looked to me, like she used it to mop up spilled dye, no offence, but we all know how deceiving handpainted fiber can be, because it became this, and I totally love it!

multicolored experiment-151yds-2-11 WPI

fiber: superwash merino, 157g
source: Picperfic's Fluff-n-Stuff
yardage: 151 yds
WPI: 11

multicolored experiment-151yds-6-11 WPI


Now, why is it called "Multicolored experiment"? Because of the way I plied it. So far I've never made cabled yarn, were you make two 2-ply yarns and cable those together (or any amount of strands as it seems)

So I was thinking, what about if you make two navajo plied yarns and cable those together? Would that work? Why yes, it did! No problem at all.

If you ask yourself, what purpose could this method of making yarn have? What's it good for?

Well, no purpose or advantage really, besides that you get a very sturdy yarn. It looks unusual too, depending on the colorways one uses, it can be quite beautiful. It feels a little like rope. I worked the softness out of this lovely superwash fiber, no doubt.

multicolored experiment-151yds-1-11 WPI

***

I started writing this blog post yesterday morning. At lunch time I went to get the mail and to my delight I found "The intentional spinner, a holistic approach to making yarn" by Judith MacKenzie MacCuin in my box. I ordered it after I read an enthusiastic review of it on Monica's blog. I skimmed through it, when my eyes fell on the chapter about cabled yarns. How wonderful! Turns out, my idea about cabling multi stranded yarns, is not a new one. It's been used for ages! Decorative cabled yarns actually DO have their uses, for instance as trims, animal and human decoration, or ceremonial yarns. Who'd have known? There's still so much for me to learn (it's not that I thought I know it all, but I just didn't know what I didn't know about spinning). Since this technique makes the yarn really dense, it's much heavier, than ordinary plied yarn.

multicolored experiment-151yds-3-11 WPI

Holding the finished yarn in my hands, feeling it's texture and drape, I was trying to think of something to do with it. I wanted to use it right away, no putting away in my handspun stash bin for this skein.

I'll show you what I came up with next week, if you can stand the suspense. :o)

25 comments:

angela said...

Turned out just beautiful! When I run out of fiber, I'm going to check out Marianne's stuff too.

Dina Jones said...

Oh wow that is pretty!

It reminded me instantly of sherbet/sorbet. How lovely it turned out. Wouldn't it make a fabulous trim/button band on a cardigan?

Beautiful!

SharonV said...

I can't wait to see what you do with your newly spun yarn! It's very pretty.

Yesterday I went to the bookstore and picked up my own copy of The Intentional Spinner. It's so packed with information, and it's clear I have a lot to learn.

shannon said...

it is gorgeous!! you are so talented, monika!!


ooh! word verification: chill

i like!! :)

Toby said...

That is lovely! I'm absorbing all the knowledge I can about spinning because what I do know is that I know next to nothing. ;)

Marianne said...

WoW! That is just pure yumminess! I LOVE how that turned out! I'd have myself wishing for a sweaters worth of just that type of yarn!
Looking forward to seeing what's up your sleeve for this :^)

Dave said...

It's beautiful! It has a very nice pale autumn feel to it. I would never have thought that those colours would spin up like that. I too have a lot to learn. :-)

Looking forward to seeing what you do with it!

hannah said...

I agree with you: this yarn turned out very beautiful. Can't wait to see what you are going to make of it!

picperfic said...

Oh you cheeky monkey, mopping up the dye indeed!! hahah....actually, since you purchased that interesting fibre, I have learned so much about dyeing. Superwash just drinks dye for instance, which is why your fibre looked a bit odd, I think I had a bit of trouble controlling where the dye went. I have been trying to not do too much pink but I really do love it! Your yarn is stunning, you must have spun it so fine in the first place. I do love the look of the cabled yarn. Can't wait to see what it turns into!

Kris B said...

I love it, very nice colors. Your method of plying and cabling sounds intriguing.

Preita said...

I love how it turned out! That's a whole lot of plying! :) I think it would FAB mittens!

Mr Puffy's Knitting Blog: said...

It's orange and green ~ of course you loved it! I love the texturing of this style of spinning and it is such an interesting topic ~ because it is so important to match the yarn to the project to get the best result.

Can't wait to see what you came up with!

Happy Easter :)

Anonymous said...

I've been thinking about making a cabled yarn myself just for fun. I bet such a sturdy yarn would be good for firm baskets. Can't wait to see what you do with your yarn. :-)

Renata S. P. said...

Beautiful!
I'll be waiting to see what you are going to do with it!

sgeddes said...

Beautiful outcome! I love the finished yarn.

I just got that book too and look forward to reading it.

hakucho said...

I'm glad you showed us the "before" as the resulting yarn is gorgeous. I can see why you can't wait to make something special out of it :)

=Tamar said...

If knitted very firmly, it would make a lovely tapestry-like purse, to be lined with something smooth and strong.

angella said...

what an unique, absolutely gorgeous yarn! and it does look heavy & substancial. can't wait to see what further adventures that fibre goes on!

Donyale said...

Interesting those cables - they look lovely. I just read about them in the Teach yourself Visually Handspinning....will have to try them myself.

wooly said...

That is the most beautiful yarn I have ever seen. I just love the colours. Well done girl!

SBJ said...

I would love to see what this looks like knitted up. Any plans to post pictures of finished projects?

Learner Ros said...

Just lovely

Angelika said...

Gosh, I love the way that yarn turned out. All those pretty colors in one skein. Yum.

Monica aka Gloria Patre said...

Ooooooooo! Now I'm just totally psyched to try cabled yarn!! I've been putting off doing it but yours is so great I think I have the nerve to try!! Thanks!!

Anonymous said...

Ich bin begeistert! Wenn ich das versuchen würde zu spinnen/zwirnen, wäre meine Wolle unstrickbar. Zu dick, zu ungleichmäßig.

Liebe Grüße, Juli