#bee spins

[theherocomplex]

A tiny spinning update: my ability to spin very fine singles is progressing quite well! I'm a long way from spinning a plied laceweight yarn (or sewing thread, as I've seen some people do!), but it's been so satisfying to get a fairly consistent laceweight single.

Of course, for my project for the Tour de Fleece, I'll need to spin thicker plies, since I'm aiming for a worsted-weight yarn, but this is a good exercise in control and in consistent fiber drafting.

[theherocomplex]

Just over ten months' worth of spinning progress, from first to latest -- at least in terms of my spinning class! I'm pretty sure I'm missing a few skeins, and this doesn't include everything I've spun since class ended in April, but it's so cool to see all of my progress laid out like this!

Now, to get ready for the Tour de Fleece, and to keep practicing with my new super flyer...

[theherocomplex]

I haven't updated with my latest spins for a while, so here we are!

Top row: Polwarth/silk roving from Three Waters Farm on Etsy, in the colorway "Quiet Contrast"! Polwarth is my favorite wool fiber to spin at the moment, and the silk added gorgeous luster to the colors. I think it was an 85% Polwarth/15% silk blend, but I may be wrong. I chained-plied it, because I'm starting to love that technique and it gives such a great result. There are actually two skeins of this, since I ordered two 4oz braids of roving, so I'd guess I have about 180 yards total, in a DK to light worsted weight.

Middle row: a braid of wool (not sure of the breed) dyed by Gnomespun Fiber Arts, which sadly seems to be defunct. SO easy to spin, though it had been in my stash for at least seven years and I was afraid it would have started to felt. Lots of little neppy bits, but I'm getting better at picking them out as I spin the singles. Also chain-plied, and I think I have about 150 yards of a light worsted yarn. I actually have a project in mind for this, but I'll get to that later.

Bottom row: a braid of superwash Merino in the colorway "Queen of France" from Into the Whirled. Another braid I bought years ago, probably at Rhinebeck, but it spun up so beautifully! Another chain-ply, and I'd guess about 100 yards of a worsted weight.

Now that the spring session of my spinning class is ending (I'm so sad about this!), I'm thinking about my spinning goals for the rest of the year.

Keep spinning from my stash! I have so many beautiful braids that I picked up over the years, for the day I became a "good spinner", but now I know it's better to push ahead and spin what I have, and learn a bit more with every braid/bump/batt that I've stored away.

Try an actual three-ply yarn! I'm almost done spinning 80z of GORGEOUS Polwarth, so this is what I'll try to three-ply.

Enter a skein of my handspun in the spinning contest at my local sheep and wool festival this May. Why not? I'm also working on something for the class showcase at the institute where I'm taking my class, but the sheep and wool festival is the really aspirational one.

Start to explore spinning with plant fibers! I think my spinning instructor is doing another demonstration with cotton fiber tonight, so I'll give that a spin (heh). I'm also following someone on Instagram who is Growing A Dress, In [Her] Backyard, and it's getting me so curious about flax. I would honestly be happy spinning wool fibers for the rest of my life, but I'm also feeling so driven to learn about all fibers, so I'm diving in!

Buying a super flyer for my spinning wheel, so I can spin larger quantities of yarn. This is a bit pricey, so it's my "yay I survived the academic year" present to myself.

Last but not least: at my local wool festival, I'm hoping to find a dark-brown fleece that I can process and spin, and then knit into a colorwork sweater with the handspun in the middle row up above. And that will be my Rhinebeck sweater this year!

So...lots to do, but there's a lot of joy in that. Spinning has opened and lightened my heart this year, and I know it's going to be a huge part of my life, for the rest of my life.

Onward, and into the wool!

[theherocomplex]

My latest finished spins!

Top row: Malabrigo Nube in the colorway "Cereza". I had a BEAST of a time with this roving, because of Nube's tendency to felt a bit, but in the end I got a pretty decent single out of it! Since I only had four ounces and I spun them all rather finely, I chain-plied it, which is a technique for making a three-ply yarn out of one single. I'm still getting the hang of chain-plying, which lead to some interesting texture in the plying, but it's SO squishy and bright. I might try knitting this up with my first attempt at chain-plying -- a hat, perhaps? A cowl? We'll see!

Bottom row: Frabjous Fibers merino roving in the colorway "Purple People Eater". SO yummy to spin. I'm really trying to get consistent singles (so I can better control the finished yarn weight -- but WOW do a lot of variables go into that), and this fiber, despite being in my stash for actual literal years, made that VERY easy. I made a two-ply yarn from the bobbins, and managed to come very close to a consistent amount of singles on each bobbin. I *did*, however, miss a bit where a single had twisted back in on itself, so I have a little dangly bit in the finished skein. And I think I'm a chronic under-plier. Oh well! Spin and learn.

I'm not sure of the yardage for either, but I'm guessing around 120 yards of each. Mostly likely both yarns are about a DK weight, but I haven't found my wraps-per-inch tool so I can't say for sure.

On the bobbin: a lovely grey Gotland roving, which is hilariously over-twisted because I've gotten used to spinning fibers with much shorter staple lengths. Again: spin and learn!

[theherocomplex]

My last two finished skeins from my spinning class! I plied these the same night, and finished with moments to spare before we had to pack up and head out.

Top row: a gorgeous merino/yak/silk blend (60/20/20) from Into the Whirled, in the "Vampires of Venice" colorway. I wish I had more of this, but sadly it was stash fiber that I bought years ago, and no more is to be had. Such a joy to spin, with a luster from the silk and a bounce from the merino that cannot be believed. The yak will make this extremely warm, but I think it'll be a great contrast color in a knitted hat. Not sure of the yardage, but I spun 4oz, then chain-plied it, and I'd guess I have about 90 yards of a DK-weight.

Bottom row: no pictures of the fiber or the singles because I am a goober who forgot to take pictures! This is Polwarth from AJem Fiber Arts, in the colorway "Brain Rot". My love for Polwarth is well-documented, and this was another great spin. My singles are becoming so much more consistent, though I need to work on spinning heavier yarns -- most of mine are coming out to DK-weight once they're plied, which is great! But for my Great Summer Sweater Spin, I'll want a worsted-weight yarn, so time to get ready for that! I spun up 8oz, split roughly into three singles, then plied them together. This is so smooshy and soft and perfect.

I'm going to submit these for the institute's year-end showcase, which means I should figure out exact yardage...but for now I'm just celebrating my best yarns yet!

[theherocomplex]

I haven't done too much spinning this year so far (though I've got something lovely on the bobbin now!), so here are my last spins of 2025!

The top blue/green/brown yarn is a very rugged Romney (I forget where I bought this, but it might have been Rag Hill Farm?), spun as a two-ply -- a bit rough, but it bloomed gorgeously once I plied it. About 107yds out of 4oz of fiber.

The rainbow yarn is from Spun Monkey Fiber (sadly no longer dying!), a lovely Falkland wool. I messed up the color progression while spinning the singles, so I tried cutting and rematching the colors before I plied, which...did not end well. Lesson learned! I also need to work on spinning equal amounts of singles -- up till now, the goal has really just been "get yarn on the bobbin that doesn't fall apart when plied" -- but it's SO squishy and soft, and I ended up loving the mismatched rainbow. About 132 yds out of 4oz of fiber.

(I'm SO pleased with how much more consistent my singles are, just three months in -- look at how pretty they are on the bobbin!)