How does your garden grow?

I’m so into spinning these days. Here’s what’s been going on…

Black Watch singles - Coopworth/Lincoln Black Watch singles. I’ve now got about 500 yards of 3-ply Black Watch done so I’m ready to wash the 3 skeins I’ve got, thwack them and start knitting. The first 2 skeins were spun on my Louet but the 3rd skein was spun with my Kromski and, do you know, I really like this roving much better on the Louet. There’s no gentleness needed for this roving and I think I’m going to do the rest of it on the Louet. In fact, the Louet has much larger bobbins and can handle a larger yarn like this is when it’s 3-plied. I was able to spin and ply enough for a 172 yard hank of yarn on the Louet but 104 yards of the same maxed out the Kromski. Poor little Louet has been sitting off on its own since the new baby came into the house. Time to show it that it’s still needed. Awwww….

But here’s a new (to the wheel) top that fits our dream that spring may actually come someday. I’m spinning this in celebration of the fact that it was more than 60 degrees today and no rain. It’s called English Garden and is a Blue Faced Leicester top whose label says is a dream to spin and I have to agree. I’m trying to do it with a long draw which, although I’m not very good at it yet, is suited very well to this fiber. It’s very crimpy and springy and I’m going to try to spin finely enough to make a 3 or 4 ply sock yarn. It think it would do very well for socks – pretty long staple yet soft enough. I’ve divided the top into 4 (relatively) even strips and will spin each and then ply back. I may even try doing a cabled ply, something I’ve heard tell of but never experienced for myself. A cabled ply is basically making 2 2-ply yarns and then plying the 2-plies together, if that makes sense. The Yarn Harlot had a whole thing on this a while back – here.