Handspun Merino Socks |
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| These socks are easy to spin and are a great project for using leftover bits of fiber from your stash. I used about 6 ounces of merino top, in 3 colors - peach, royal blue and tartan green.
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| I chose to do the color blending at the wheel, in order to create the definite sections of color. Carding the fibers together would have produced a more heathered type of yarn. To spin, I pulled a 6 inch length from each of the sections of roving, and held them together in my left hand. I then spun from this hank, working back and forth, allowing the colors blend randomly.
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| I used the largest whorl on my spinning wheel - a Louet S87 Saxony - as my spinning tends to overtwist a bit. To reduce the diameter of the spun yarn, I use the hooks on the flyer and lace the yarn before threading it through the orifice.
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| After spinning, I plied the singles together to produce a 2 ply yarn. The finished skeins were then washed and fulled. I filled a sink with hot water and a bit of dishwashing detergent. I placed the skeins into the hot water, and used a potato masher to give them a good beating. The skeins were then rinsed in cold water. This treatment seems a bit rough, but it sets the twist of the yarn and allows the wool fibers to open and fluff up a bit, creating a more pleasing yarn that is now ready to be knit.
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| The socks are great, but now I have to make more for the other feet in the family.
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More about Handspinning Yarn
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Spinning Information
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