I have three natural colors of alpaca fiber, all washed and ready for prep. How can I combine these colors? What are the effects of different preparation methods? I rather like marled (streaked) yarn, will these three colors combine well for that effect? Time for new experiments!

I carded one small batt of each color. Rather than rolling the fibers into rolags (which is the method recommended in the instructions, and rolls the fibers perpendicular to the fiber direction), I stacked the three batts together, then rolled them parallel to the fiber direction, then pre-drafted the roll. This distributed the colors randomly, which is what I was after. I did try using a shell with holes as a diz (which is used to pull fibers off combs to make roving), but found that pre-drafting with my hands worked just fine.

I spun up two of these preparations as a clockwise single, then plied counterclockwise, then plied clockwise again to make a four-strand cable-plied yarn. All if this was done on my homemade spindle while I was walking the neighborhood (NOT, I repeat, not, in the same day! It took three walks.)

The yarn has an interesting look. The next step is to see what it looks like in samples, probably with nålbinding. Ok, maybe I’m a little optimistic, the real next step will most likely be to see if I can replicate this process, then compare it to at least two other processes (because that is what is in my head at the moment), then make everything up into… something.

This phrase goes through my head often lately. Wonder why.

My balsam-colored Blue-Faced Leicester and silk blend spinning is done. Spun and plied entirely during walks around the neighborhood. Ok, well except for getting the cop started and detangling, which were more efficiently done sitting at home. I have a plan for this yarn, but it involves knitting, which is not my favorite, so may take awhile (to get started and to finish). Plans change, though, so maybe another possibility will present itself in the meantime.

I love Spin-off magazine, but it does send me down rabbit holes! After reading an article, I usually look up the author’s blog, which is almost always full of more interesting things. Melvenea Hodges of traditionsincloth.com had a lovely shawl pattern in the magazine, then in her blog talked about spinning cotton directly onto little wooden spools. Well, of course I had to try. I did not have any spools that fit my tahkli spindle (yet), so I took an empty spool and used rubber bands to hold it in place on the button whorl (reaching new Frankenstein levels here). I’m not spinning gorgeously prepared cotton sliver (as far as I can tell, cotton sliver is similar in appearance to wool roving, anyway, it is prepped fiber ready to spin), in fact, I’m spinning cotton packaging from vitamin bottles, but the spool idea is fabulous. Enough so, that obtaining some prepped cotton and making some proper spools is tempting. Maybe after practicing some more with the bonus stuff.