Thursday, January 28, 2010

In a word...

...inconsistent. I spun this yarn from a lovely braid of Pigeonroof Studios sw merino in the Circus colorway -over a period of 2 months. This yarn is proof that spacing out a spinning project over two months (with little to no practice in between) isn't a great idea. At least not for me. This is by far the most inconsistent yarn I've spun in a long, long time.

approx. 4oz and 392yds
circus colorway

Though I wouldn't want to list this yarn in my shop, I know it will still be perfectly knit-able, so I'm going to turn it into a pair of socks as soon as I get my new needles in the mail. (I've ordered a pair of US1 24" circular needles to try two toe-up socks at once. I'm very excited about trying out that method of sock knitting.)

As for the fiber, this one was nice to spin. This was the first time I've spun Pigeonroof sw merino, and it was very silky-feeling. It's amazing how much the fibers vary from seller to seller. Some feel silky, others waxy and some have a much more fuzzy quality. I'm sure it has a lot to do with where the sellers are purchasing their materials from, but I also wonder how much of it has to do with the way each seller handles and processes the fiber as they dye it.

Now that our move is over I've begun discussing with my husband the possibility of getting a second wheel. I've been thinking that since there is very little to do here in the new town I may want to get involved with a guild after all, and while the Minstrel has been a very good wheel for me, I would love to have something that travels better. He really surprised me by telling me to just go ahead and "go for it". I think I've narrowed it down to getting a Lendrum DT (probably with a woolee winder, too).

Back when I bough my Minstrel, I was trying to get away from the travel wheels. I wanted something that looked more traditional, spun nicely and was within a certain price range. This time around, I'm not as concerned about traditional appearances, but much more in performance (and cost, too). From what I've read, it seems that the Lendrum DT will probably be my best choice for a second wheel. I'm going to keep reading and considering for a while before making my final decision, though I'm looking forward to ordering that second wheel soon. =)


2 comments:

Micki said...

Beautiful yarn! It looks pretty darn consistent to me.

I love my Lendrum. While the portability feature was a factor in my decision to buy it, I've come to realize that I consider it at the upper end of what I would consider portable. Folding/packing it up is enough of a hassle that I rarely take it out with me unless I have a really good reason to do so.

I just bought a miniSpinner (electric) from Hansen Crafts, and I'm quite happy with it. Though I haven't had it long, I'm pretty sure it's going to become my default travel wheel.

Krista McCurdy said...

Looks pretty consistent to me! :-)
I'm glad you like my superwash merino fibre; the supplier I get it from has the silkiest superwash merino I've ever felt, which is why I buy it:-) I also try to handle my fibres as little as possible.

about a second wheel-- I have (as my only wheel right now) a 24" reeves saxony and I adore it. In fact, I dream of the 30" one. seriously, the angels sing when I spin on it. It's expensive, but it's a wheel you'll have for the rest of your life. although, it's not very portable.