Friday, October 21, 2011

On Plying and the Devil's Fiber this Fee-Fi(ber)-F.O. Friday

So, I haven't started to spin ... yet.  However, I have been admiring handspun yarn for quite a while now. Because I'm also starting to design, how fiber is plied is becoming more and more important. For me, yarn that splits is not so desirable (although I certainly have and will continue to use my fair splitty share). Z-ply, n-ply - this is all still on my learning curve.

Nevertheless, I know what I like when I see it. And when I saw the yarn to the left, I knew I liked it. I said I wanted it. The universe (in the form of the friend who spun it) said "ok" and sent it to me.

What a great gift, no? This is n-plied - and B's first attempt. I think she aced it. I have a project in mind for it which I hope to work up soon. Not only is the color just d-i-v-i-n-e, but it seems like a nice tight-yet-evenly-plied skein of heavy fingering/dk weight yarn. I'll keep you informed on the splittiness factor (or non-factor, which I suspect will be the case).

I received a swap package a few weeks back that also brought plying to the forefront. Check out the yarn to the right, at the top - is that not the wildest plying you've seen in a while? This is a Lana Grossa yarn - Croisette - and though it's discontinued, I will still enjoy playing with it. Oh, and that green mohair on the right? That's got another project in its future.

Finally, speaking of mohair or otherwise known as the devil's fiber depending on the person speaking, I took the following devil's fiber in my stash:



and started working up a second Le Chaud coffee cozy. (Note: I have eight great testers right now, and if anyone else is interested in joining in on the test, definitely feel free to send me an email. There's room for a few more.) Here's how Le Chaud - the devil's version is looking so far:



I love mohair. I also love how I am using up bits of left-over stash. I am extremely pleased with the subtle color changes and the right amount of bling this cozy is exhibiting.

Mepho never looked so good.

Please make certain to check in over at Andrea's blog and see what other devilishly good things everyone else is working on this Friday.
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11 comments:

  1. WonderWhyGalOctober 21, 2011 at 3:21 AM

    ooooh, that yarn is lovely. You'll also notice a big difference in handspun depending on the fiber being spun too.

    I'm glad you are getting more test knitters for the coffee cozy. I'll have a bunch of the coordinating yarns in my shop next week.

    I'm glad that you make projects with mohair because it really is beautiful.

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  2. Heather WoolloveOctober 21, 2011 at 8:49 AM

    That Croisette yarn is awesome!

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  3. pinkundineOctober 21, 2011 at 9:11 AM

    Love the handspun, beautiful colours. Can't wait to see what it becomes :) As for the crazy yarn - yeah, I'm pretty intrigued to see what you do with that too!

    Mohair for me is either "oooh, soft, lovely" or the devil's work, depending on what I am making and how well it's going ;)

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  4. Marie/Underground CrafterOctober 21, 2011 at 10:24 AM

    I love the colors in the handspun, too. I'm not usually much of a "reds" person, but the way it all comes together in that skein is great.

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  5. VivianOctober 21, 2011 at 10:57 AM

    I'm not a spinner but I love hand spun yarns! Your new acquisition looks very nice, great colors. I work with mohair from time to time. I'm not crazy about them, but I don't avoid them either.

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  6. Marushka C.October 21, 2011 at 11:25 AM

    You have awesome wishing powers if you can get skeins of handspun to appear like that :-) Lucky you! Beautiful colors in that, it'll be fun to knit up.

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  7. Marushka C.October 21, 2011 at 11:56 AM

    Re: your question on my blog about the Berroco Lustra, it's a dark silver with the imaginative name of "3107." It was a tough choice as I love the dark blue color in Lustra just as much as the silver.

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  8. Melissa PlankOctober 21, 2011 at 12:04 PM

    Well lady, you received some nice fiber goodies this week, I can't wait to see where they turn up and the cozy a la mohair is looking good! I bet it will keep your coffee nice and warm. I wonder which fiber is the better insulator?

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  9. wrchiliOctober 21, 2011 at 12:08 PM

    That yarn in the top photo is beautiful. I can't wait to see what it becomes.

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  10. Voie de VieOctober 22, 2011 at 11:46 AM

    Hi Everyone!

    @WonderWhyGal: Yes, I agree on the handspun and the fiber being used! This recent skein is not alpaca. :)

    @Pinkundine: Oh, yes, the wonders of frogging mohair. I've definitely had a few sailor-talking moments, but I still love mohair.

    @Vivian: Isn't it just great! Handspun rocks.

    @Marushka: My wishing powers are on-again, off-again. In this instance, they were on. :)

    @Melissa: You know, that's a good question. I might need to do some "research;" I'll keep you informed!

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  11. Kathryn RayOctober 22, 2011 at 4:54 PM

    I am sooo with you on the splitty-ness disdain.

    I'm not sure I've complained about it out loud, but I have drafted my complaint many times. ;-)

    I think it's one of the reasons I generally spin singles.

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