Yak is one of those fibers that I spin because it's more difficult. It's a shorter staple, slippery and doesn't hold the twist very well, much like cashmere.
Last time I had spun just over an ounce and had a lot of over spun areas. Adjusting my speed and tempo, the yarn improved as I continued to work on it. I broke the the single a few times while winding off the bobbin. Something I'm still struggling with on the finer gauge singles.
Another thing I'm struggling with are the small cakes going insane toward the end of plying.
This last bit took quite a while to recover.
A toilet paper tube will fit over the stem on my ball winder, so I will try to wind onto a tube and find a way to secure the inside end so it's findable toward the end of plying.
I'm happy with this yarn. I like that it has a little bit of a sheen along with being so white, which isn't apparent in this last photo. I also like that you can see the inconsistencies in gauge and twist.... and if you look closely, there's an over-spun bit toward the left.
These variances should translate into subtle interest on a finished object.
A toilet paper tube will fit over the stem on my ball winder, so I will try to wind onto a tube and find a way to secure the inside end so it's findable toward the end of plying.
I'm happy with this yarn. I like that it has a little bit of a sheen along with being so white, which isn't apparent in this last photo. I also like that you can see the inconsistencies in gauge and twist.... and if you look closely, there's an over-spun bit toward the left.
These variances should translate into subtle interest on a finished object.
This will most likely be going into a weaving, but I've had a lot of thoughts about it. I never really know until I've finished using the yarn. ;-)
Happy Fiber Arts Friday.
Happy Fiber Arts Friday.
I like that spin and ply. I agree that variances in the spin will yield a far more interesting finished object.
ReplyDeleteAnd on the toilet roll - can't you just do the old elementary school trick and create a small tear at one end and slip the yarn through it? Or does that mucky up the bobbin when spinning?