Finally. Read the last post if you’re not keeping up. I bagged up the camel blend fiber and put it safely away. I think my immune system is finally deciding that it’s OK to stand down at this point. To complicate the diagnostic dilemma, our pollen counts have been sky-high here, so I won’t get rid of the camel until my symptoms are completely gone, then do a challenge to make sure. It’s such pretty fiber that I hate to dump it if I don’t have to.
Here’s a better picture of the True Blood fiber:
That’s still a little pinker than what it really is, but closer. Why is it that red is so difficult to photograph accurately? It’s almost enough to make me want to buy a light box. And look at that cute little pin-weight on the underside of the whorl. Jonathan, the maker, carves these whorls out of naturally shed moose antlers, then adds a pin to balance the spin if needed. I think it looks like a beauty mark. I don’t think I mentioned it before, but the new spindle’s name is Bullwinkle, of course.
And I finished the Wensleydale from prior posts.
Project Details:
Fiber: Wensleydale top, from Damselfly Yarns, color Storm Clouds
Wheel or Spindle: Wheel
Yardage/Weight/WPI: 182 yards/16-17 wraps per inch/3.76 ounces
What I Plan To Make With It: Socks. The yardage is a little short, but I’ll look for a coordinating blue or possibly a black yarn the same weight and do ribbing, heels and toes with it to make it work.
What I Learned: This was my first attempt at a 3-ply yarn. I was aiming at a true sock weight, but figured I’d be happy if I got something that was consistently spun and sport weight or under. I actually did some sample spinning and plying before I waded in, which makes a huge difference in the consistency of the finished project. Basically I spun a sample single until I got something that made a 3-ply close to what I wanted, then wrapped the single around a card so I could compare as I went along. The Wensleydale is not the softest stuff in the world, but should make decent sock yarn. With commercial yarn for the heels and toes, I’ll be less worried about how this wears as well. Next time I’ll try to go finer and twistier!
I have one of these: http://www.thinkgeek.com/electronics/cameras-photography/a205/ and I really like it. Of course, that’s whenever I can tear myself away from the kids long enough to do some photographing. Children are suprisingly needy. I can’t just put food out in a bowl and leave them some litter. Silly kids.
I bought that same fiber, but haven’t gotten around to it yet. I still have the 3 pounds of BFL to get through! I can’t get good yardage for socks either. Hopefully that will come with experience. In the meantime, I’m trying to conquer toe-up socks, but I also like the idea of contrasting toes and heels.
I have allergic days or weeks even, when a whiff of perfume sends me sneezing, wheezing, and cursing – and then it all subsides, and nothing (almost) bothers me. Maybe it will be so when you do the camel again. It is sort of exotic to be allergic to camels.
SO glad you’re starting to feel better.
Glad that you are feeling better. Hopefully the pollen counts will diminish soon and you can carry out the experiment.
LOVE the finished Wensleydale. It will make beautiful socks and I can see the contrasting color boosting the richness.
Still loving the True Blood fiber and can’t wait to see it finished.
May have to break down and get that photo box for better picture taking myself! Thanks aimalyn for the linky.
your true blood is so pretty. Can’t wait to see it done! also, THANKS to Aimalyn for the link to that light box.
that is SO what I’ve been looking for.
I love hand spindles. can never have enough.
🙂
So glad you are better. So the moral of the story is: Don’t go on trips to the deserts of the Middle East!
Query: Since llamas and alpacas are “camelids,” do you have problems with those fibers too? Just curious………….
I wonder if you could spin it wearing a dust mask?
So glad you seem to have pinpointed your problem. Could be worse — what if you were allergic to, say, merino?
I bought a 16″ cube lightbox on eBay for $20 that works well. I use a clip-on, 400W halogen trouble light, bought on sale for $4.99 at Menards, to light it from the outside. If I had it to do over I’d buy a larger light box; sometimes the space in mine is too tight for what I want to shoot.
The lightbox helps somewhat. You are getting good advice.
Not worth spinning camel with an N95 mask. If you fail the challenge, gift it somewhere.
Re: spinning for sock yarn. Interesting experience once, for me. Have to spin close to froghair to get a fingering 3 ply. I have too much sock yarn as it is. So once was all for me.