The fibers above the spindle are combined, and those below are not.
So the summer is at an end and the autumn leaves are swirling down in the gentle breeze that is blowing outside. The good thing about the drop in temperatures is that I begin spinning in earnest again. I generally don't spin much when it is very hot because the fiber makes my hands hot then everything gets sort of sticky.
Anyway, I got out some lovely Louet merino wool in the colour lupine lavender and some black merino (that I had left over from a different project). You can see the fibers next to each other below my spindle. I combined them using hand cards, but not too thouroughly. I wanted some of the black to be by itself as the yarn materilaized. See the combined fibers above my spindle.
I first divided the fiber into two bunches weighing around 25g. I like to spin around 25g at a time then ply the two together for a 50g skein. This is not necessarily the only or best way to work, but it is my way and I love it.
Then I spun the first bunch of fiber on my drop spindle. I am using a Louet top whorl spindle. After the fiber was finished, I threaded around 150 to 200 black glass seed beads onto my single. I slid them along so that they were approximately 1m (1yd) apart and then rolled the single into a ball to make it easy to ply later.
I then spun the second batch of fiber, and rolled it into a ball.
Plying was pretty easy, but I did have to be careful not to slide the beads along as I went. Of course they ended up closer together than I had originally placed them, but I was fine with that.
Anyway, I got out some lovely Louet merino wool in the colour lupine lavender and some black merino (that I had left over from a different project). You can see the fibers next to each other below my spindle. I combined them using hand cards, but not too thouroughly. I wanted some of the black to be by itself as the yarn materilaized. See the combined fibers above my spindle.
I first divided the fiber into two bunches weighing around 25g. I like to spin around 25g at a time then ply the two together for a 50g skein. This is not necessarily the only or best way to work, but it is my way and I love it.
Then I spun the first bunch of fiber on my drop spindle. I am using a Louet top whorl spindle. After the fiber was finished, I threaded around 150 to 200 black glass seed beads onto my single. I slid them along so that they were approximately 1m (1yd) apart and then rolled the single into a ball to make it easy to ply later.
I then spun the second batch of fiber, and rolled it into a ball.
Plying was pretty easy, but I did have to be careful not to slide the beads along as I went. Of course they ended up closer together than I had originally placed them, but I was fine with that.
I am working on a second skein now, but I am adding the beads as I go. I add around 20 beads at a time, then spin for a bit. I will still have to space them out later.
In the end, my yarn was approximately 164 yds long with 12 wraps per inch. It contains about 90% merino wool and 10% other wool. The beads haven't been added to the content percentages.
The coin in the photo is a Canadian penny (1 cent).
In the end, my yarn was approximately 164 yds long with 12 wraps per inch. It contains about 90% merino wool and 10% other wool. The beads haven't been added to the content percentages.
The coin in the photo is a Canadian penny (1 cent).