Spinning

Spinning with 100% Llama

stargrace August 13, 2019 No Comments

I’ve been having a great time spinning the merino/nylon blend that I got on sale from knitpicks, but I wanted a break and I love trying to spin new fibers. I settled on a 100% llama braid that I got as a gift a few years back.

Woah.

The staple length is quite long, but the fiber is VERY slippery. I’m spinning it pretty thin, hoping for a fingering weight once it’s finished. I have 4oz total, so I split it into 2oz sections, and then split those sections just slightly to ease my spinning because this fiber sheds unlike any fiber I’ve ever used before. The first day I tried spinning it I felt like I owned a white long haired cat, I was completely covered from head to toe. Now I spin this stuff on the balcony, otherwise it gets EVERYWHERE. Somehow it even managed to get around my kids sippy cup.

Despite the annoying shed factor the fiber is luxurious and absolutely beautiful. I’m having no issues drafting or spinning it thin, I’m spinning from the fold, off the tip, which seems to be my preferred method of spinning. The end product is a very strong very soft yarn with a slight halo (less than mohair, but still a cloud that’s noticeable). I have NO idea what I’ll knit with this. Maybe more gloves?

Pride in Learning

stargrace August 8, 2019 No Comments

One of the most important things that I try to do to better myself as a person and as I age, is to keep learning. Whether it’s a new hobby, skills in an old hobby, or just some random whim, I never begrudge myself the ability to pick up a new skill – even if lessons end up never utilized and I find out I don’t exactly enjoy that new found ability. Make sense?

I think it’s important to keep challenging myself. Keep learning and educating myself. That’s why I’m so incredibly proud of the skein of yarn pictured above. I’m learning to spin on a spinning wheel and this is the first skein from start to finish that I actually feel quite proud of. It’s not perfect, it’s not the weight I wanted, there are lumps and bumps – but I can see progress. I can see where I started at and where my skill is 2 months later. I have 20 more braids of this same fiber, and I can’t wait to see how with practice I improve. Hopefully a year from now I’m able to spin sock weight yarn from fiber with relative ease. We’ll just have to see!