What shall I do?

natalie · What shall I do?

I am spinning some of the muticoloured pencil roving in the drop-spindle photo at the top of the main page., but this time I'm doing it on my wheel. When it is plied it becomes much more speckled and I suspect it may become pretty boring when knitted. It was intended for socks for my husband. I have half a bobbin of a single unplied yarn and enough roving to make the same again, but which isn't spun yet.
So what shall I try...
Do I ply it on itself?
Do I ply it with some 2-3 ply sockwool I was given on freecycle? I have green and I think some blue.
Shall I add in some sparkly stuff like anglina, carded into some other colour? (But then I don't think he would wear the socks Laughing

)

natalie

sally

Plying it with a solid colour sockwool could be very interesting, it would give an overall continuity to the yarn, though the speckled effect may be less prononced in the finished sock, but best of all it should add an additional strength that it very handy in socks. If it were me, I'd do that then use the sockwool doubled in the heels and toes for additional contrast and wearability. I think that would be really fun and should make a hardwearing sock.

natalie

First of all, I have added photos using photobucket and reduced them to 75%. I know many people don't have broadband and I don't want slow-loading pages to get in the way of enjoyment of the forum, so if they are too big or too slow to load, please don't suffer in silence. Let me know and I'll take them down to 50%.

Back to the spinning.
Doing the heels in just sockwool would be a nice contrast, you're right.
This is it on the wheel.

This is roving, bobbin and finished skein.

And this is the unwound skein.

What do you think? Subtle, or mud?

natalie

natalie

I took your advice and after investigating the freecycle pile, realised that I have half a dozen one ounce balls of olive green 3 ply wool, so I plied that with the single I had made and although it's much more muted, it has preserved the transition from one colour to another which was lost somewhat when it's plied on itself. So it's more muted, but less muddy.
I've never plied with a machine made yarn before, and the skein kinked up like mad when I took it off the niddy noddy, but I've washed it now and it's hanging to dry on the front of the Aga weighted with a couple of cans of baked beans. I'll take a photo when it's done.
I also have several balls of 100% wool sapphire blue 3 ply, so if this works, I may use that to ply with the rainbow roving.
I think I'm ending up with double knitting type weight, so the socks should knit up more quickly too, another bonus.

n

natalie

And this is how it turned out

natalie

spinningsue

That's lovely Natalie! It will look different again when you knit it up. I never judge either my spinning or dyeing until its in its final form because it never looks quite how I expected - so far its always looked better! But pride comes before the fall so expect tears soon!

natalie

Half done!
I have done as Sally suggested and used the olive green doubled as the heel yarn.

natalie