Taking A break

The enormous mass of  boxes was beginning to get to me, (it felt like "cardboard box fever" was about to strike)  so I took a break now and then and did some spinning. I figured that my wonderful blog friends might also enjoy a break from all the 'moving news'.
And so, we now interrupt the saga of the boxes, to return to our normally scheduled blog... and talk of spinning (grin)

I have made friends with the Majacraft Suzie Pro - and I pronounce it wonderful. (smile) I was able to squeeze a full 8 ounces on one bobbin, which makes it much easier for me when creating the Sock Hop Yarn. I still have to work on getting the tension exactly right when creating my singles. This speedy wheel treddles so easily and quickly that it was difficult to have my fingers keep up.
But by the end of the second bobbin, I just about had it balanced correctly for my speed. (another smile) - that is, as long as I  remind myself to slow my feet down - hah!

I had been spinning all week during packing and then also during unpacking. It was a lovely way to settle my heart and mind back into the gentle rhythm that I was aiming for. I find that I get so much more accomplished if I keep my pace slow and steady.
I was finishing up spinning the singles of Secret Agent Man  - and also got them plyed. They are all washed now, and drying as we speak. (yay)

Many of you have asked about the unusual way I dye this fiber - curious as to whether or not it was intentional - the answer is yes!
And so, I thought I might share a few more tips about how we create the Sock Hop Yarn from our CMF superwash. You all do know that you can spin your own sock yarn, don't you? Yes, of course, most of you do (grin)

First of all, here is a photo of 8 ounces  of Magic Carpet Ride opened up from it's package.

As you can see, one half of the roving has less dye penetration than the other half. The purpose for this is to easily create the "barberpole" effect in our yarn that I am aiming for.

When I first begin, I break the roving into lengths of about 2 feet each, and make two piles - one dark, the other light. I do not "split" the roving lengthwise (although you could). Splitting the roving changes the length of the color runs. This roving has been triple prepared at our local mill, so it is very soft, and spins easily out of the fat section of roving. After I have made my two color piles, I begin my first bobbin with a section that is the darkest dyed. After finishing this piece, I then spin a piece of the lighter dyed roving. I continue to alternate this way (dark, light, dark etc) until the entire 8 ounces is spun.

I then begin the second 8 ounces, on a new bobbin. This second bobbin, starts with a lightly dyed section, then alternates to the dark. When the two bobbins are plyed together, you will end up with about 95% barberpoled yarn (yippee !) One more option that an individual might have is to spin the dark half of the roving separately from the lighter sections - and then you would have two entirely different yarns to knit socks with from just one 8 ounce package of roving.

My singles are spun at a ratio of approximately 10:1,at a thinness of about 24 wpi. and then plyed very snuggly (creating about an 18wpi yarn). The yarn is not "balanced" when it first comes off the bobbin. A vigorous dunking in cool water will correct the balance, and the yarn will hang very straight. The superwash blooms up beautifully - so it really needs to be spun much thinner than you might expect when creating your singles. You can check out earlier posts on spinning to view my washing instructions, if you'd like.

On my lap, my every trusty companion, Miss Emily, gets very comfortable as I spin. Isn't she a cutie.  Lady Di (her sister) tends to hide whenever I bring out the camera... unlike her namesake, she is very shy.

I hope this was a helpful post, and that all of you are enjoying spinning this fun fiber as much as I am.

I am hoping that next week, I can return to chatting with all of you on your blogs. thanks for understanding my transition time (smile)

Comments

[Kim]

Great tutorial on Sock HOp yarn :-)! Glad to see that you are fitting in some spinning time!

Oohh...before I forget....where did you get those metal cubed shelves? I would love some in my studio :-)

[Cheryl]

Ahhhhhh the gentle soothing rhythm spinning......always settles one's nerves.... and good news, my wheel is now up and running. (had one more breakdown after last email).... so I am spinning along side you (just 120 miles away) doing my part to make the world a calmer place!!!
Still lov'en that Sock Hop!!!! not too much longer and I will be hitting 150 pounds of the stuff and still grinning ear to ear. Thanks for making such a wonderful fiber to spin!

[Josiane]

Thanks for the info about the way you spin the Sock Hop yarn, that's very interesting! Even better is that, as I was reading, I envisioned at least one or two other ways it could be done for cool effects... hmmm... I guess I'll have to get me some of your roving, one of these days!

[Mia]

I really do need to go and take that spinning class. I want to spin my own Sock Hop. Practice makes perfect.

[Carole]

Very helpful to see the roving split in that photo. I think I get it now!

[Karen]

I am going to try spinning my next batch that way. I thought you always had to split roving lengthwise. It would be much easier not to. I can't wait to try it.

8 oz. on one bobbin... Wow!

[Hillary]

That was really helpful for me and my dh found it interesting too. He just loved watching me spin the Magic Carpet that I got and the whole spinning thing fascinates him.

[Account Deleted]

Cool!!! Off to by some more roving. So I can try my hand at this.

[Gigi]

That was an incredibly helpful and awesome tutorial !!

[Jennifer]

Good tip about the bloom of superwash merino. I've thought I've spun a thin enough single and then ended up with a yarn thicker than I wanted. I'm going to try to spin thinner next time.

[Meg in North AL]

I'm glad you and your Suzie are settling in, Teyani. I've had mine for a little over a year now, and though it's not my only wheel, it's the one I use the most. Thanks for the tutorial on spinning Sock Hop yarn. I've wondered what your specs were -- now I know!

[--Deb]

I really need to get more Sock Hop roving one of these days . . . (grin)

[Leigh]

Very interesting post. I actually have sock yarn spinning on my to-do list. I have a Dorset fleece that has been recommended for sock yarn. It may be awhile before I actually get to this, but I want to someday. Love the photo of Miss Emily!

[Brittany]

Thanks so much for the tutorial! Love it!

[moiraeknittoo]

Oh very cool post. Thank you for sharing! I hope you're settling in well. I am also wondering which local mill you use? I have some fleeces I'm never going to get around to washing myself, and it'd be great to send them off for processing. :)

[Jeanne]

Thanks for posting this - as I read it I tried to remember how I spun my Sock Hop roving - and I realized that I didn't do it this way. I loved how mine came out - but maybe I need to buy more to try your way! Good luck with continuing to unpack - hope you finish soon.

[stacey]

one of these days i'll get my sister to spin some sock hop yarn....it looks so amazing in the pre-spun state!

[Brandy]

Thanks for the commentary on the SuziePro. I have thoughts about getting one. Suppose that will have to wait though--I brought home a 36" 4-shaft floor loom earlier in the summer. Although it was much cheaper than a new wheel, I don't think it's a good idea to bring it up now though. The thought of getting all 8 oz. of Sock Hop is real tempting though....

I just love Secret Agent Man! I think it is my favorite. I think a Zimmerman Adult Surprise Sweater might be in my future... It's funny though, I would have never chosen that one from the roving picture. You should consider writing how you chose the colors and titles sometime. I often wonder that as I am spinning them.

[Lynne]

just saying hello, Teyani! And hope you are doing well. I think about you every day, dear!

[Amelia Garripoli]

Thanks so much for the tips on the sock hop -- I'm getting ready to spin the second 4 oz. of Hang on Sloopy (any day now!)

I'm so glad you've made friends with the Suzie. If you decide she's a good wheel for you, here's my after-market improvement: I took a piece of 5/16" steel rod to the local machine shop and had them cut 2 12" lengths for me -- that way I can store 3 bobbins on the front of the wheel on each of the pegs instead of "just 2". There are also great insights on this wheel on Abby's blog -- http://www.abbysyarns.com/wordpress -- as it's one of her favorites too.

[Chris]

Love the picture of Miss Emily! Chaos spends a lot of time sleeping like that, too.

[hpny knits]

sounds good.
any chance of a long weekend workshop in the future? if we know well in advance- we could hop over!

[Wendy]

Thanks for the further info about spinning Sock Hop yarn! I'm planning on diving into my (giant) bag of CMF rovings again very soon and would like to end up with yarn that's not quite so different skein to skein as I have so far. My first two skeins of Hang on Sloopy look like they're from two different dye lots!

I have a bobbin of Magic Carpet Ride waiting for it's mate right now, though. And Sloopy and You Baby predrafted a bit and ready to go. And a plan for a sweater next year that I'm sure you will be involved with...

Thanks for all the fun!

[Laurie]

Good tutorial! I assume 2 ply is assumed?

It's so hard to tame the feet.

[Opal]

Great info on how to spin up your rovings! How do you get your cat to sit on your lap as your legs are whirling away? Mine can't stand the constant motion.