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Manasi
Chatty Knitter
United Kingdom
297 Posts |
 Posted - 12/09/2005 : 2:41:35 PM
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The other day I was sitting down & listing my (spinning) favorite luxury fiber blends. Silk/cashmere, tussah/alpaca & wool/silk/angora rabbit top my list. I have a hank of 2-ply mohair/wool/soy silk that I later dyed & it turned out gorgeous (the roving didn’t look very pretty when I bought the blend).
I also bought some Merino/Tencel blend from the FFF at Montpelier past October that I’m going to spin for a shawl that I shall later weave for my grandmother. It looks so beautiful - I think I’m going to really love it...the knitted & woven samples at the vendors’ had a lovely fall.
Anyone want to talk about their favorites?
:)
http://yarnahoy.blogspot.com/ |
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pjkite
Permanent Resident
1198 Posts |
Posted - 12/09/2005 : 3:06:27 PM
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Tussah/fine alpaca. Softness, drape, and like spinning butter. Silk caps - beautiful shine and sheen, softness and did I say shine? 80's merino and bombyx and cashmere blend - pure luxury. Golly, I have to stop now and go spin awhile!
Pamela Kite
East Tennessee
http://fiberlife.blogspot.com/
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Manasi
Chatty Knitter
United Kingdom
297 Posts |
Posted - 12/09/2005 : 3:28:45 PM
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Pamela,
what's an "80's" blend? the merino and bombyx and cashmere blend sounds dreamy. oohh
I've never spun from silk caps. It's now on my list.
:)
http://yarnahoy.blogspot.com/ |
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Jim
Warming Up
USA
93 Posts |
Posted - 12/10/2005 : 08:00:48 AM
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| Baby Alpaca/Merino/silk tops my list of favorite blends. So smooth through the hands and with a smooth sheen that screams to be fondled in the yarn. It might even be enough to encourage me to learn to knit. |
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pugsweater
Gabber Extraordinaire
452 Posts |
Posted - 12/10/2005 : 08:38:27 AM
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goodness.....reading this makes me wanna go blend some.
i;ve got one question,please.
i've never spun silk coz the tots of all the cocoon boiling upsets me. but i'm very curious about the feel of spinning this fiber. it is smooth and soft and straight and slippery? i can picture angora and 80 merino, but not silk. is it like tencel?
Pugknits Blog |
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Manasi
Chatty Knitter
United Kingdom
297 Posts |
Posted - 12/10/2005 : 08:56:50 AM
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Pugsweater,
now you've made me feel guilty...
Silk is wonderful to spin (in all its forms). Mulberry's different from Tussah's different from Mooga's different from Eri.
If you don't mind spinning fibers that somewhat resemble silk - you might have fun with soy silk, bamboo silk & silk latte. I've never yet spun tencel (tho i look forward to it), but it's probably easier to spin that silk I assume...
Sometimes I put a little more spin than necessary to mulberry slivers when i'm spinning & then they catch like nasty little boogers.
I think you could easily substitute silk with the tencel for the angora and 80 merino blend. hmmm now i'm thinking...
:)
http://yarnahoy.blogspot.com/ |
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RiverRock
Chatty Knitter
USA
283 Posts |
Posted - 12/12/2005 : 5:34:41 PM
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| Wool(polworth), angora (rabbit), alpaca, and camel down. It was wonderful to spin. |
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jaymeKnits
Permanent Resident
USA
1326 Posts |
Posted - 12/13/2005 : 07:33:32 AM
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Silk latte is evil and nothing like silk, I hated it. i spun about a yard of it and then promptly gave the rest tosomeone else because I couldn't stand it. It was nothing like silk, at least to me. So far I think tencel is closest I've tried so far but there is nothing like real silk.
Merino tencel is lovely, soft, lustrous, absolutely gorgeous. So far it's the only blend I've tried but I have some alpaca/silk that I think I'm may have to spin after Christmas, I've been a bit afraid to try it yet. I guess I'm afraid that it is so gorgeous as roving and that I'm going to make a mess out of it.
Jayme |
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Manasi
Chatty Knitter
United Kingdom
297 Posts |
Posted - 12/13/2005 : 10:16:34 AM
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Has anyone tried to blend Ingeo into anything? i've spun Ingeo by itself & it's very unfriendly unless you spin very thin slivers/rovings of it - so I strip it. Its got gorgeous luster & is VERY dense ( almost 4 oz of singles fit onto 1 bobbin!) I'm still to ply it & make something out of it. It feels soft on the bobbin.
:)
http://yarnahoy.blogspot.com/ |
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kepkake
Chatty Knitter
USA
251 Posts |
Posted - 12/15/2005 : 08:35:59 AM
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I am curious about blending Ingeo as well. I spun Ingeo alone as a very beginner spinner...it turned out to be a very bulky single indeed in my inexperienced hands. That was a over a year and about a thousand miles on my wheel ago so I think I could manage a "normal" single at this point, although I do remember it to be a little difficult to draft. Blending it with something else sounds much more appealing to me. I'd like to hear anyone's experience with this fiber as it is very lustrous and pretty. Hey Manasi, I just bought a Charkha from you on ebay. I can't wait to try it. Happy Holidays everyone.
Wendy |
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Shelia
Permanent Resident
USA
2315 Posts |
Posted - 12/15/2005 : 09:43:30 AM
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I've blended ingeo with Wensleydale, only running it through the carder once so that it is a little streaky. The Wensleydale is dark gray, and the ingeo is wine-colored (Bordeaux by name), and it is a really beautiful yarn. I only put about 10-15% ingeo, and it pretty much spins like wool.
Shelia
www.letstalkstash.blogspot.com |
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Manasi
Chatty Knitter
United Kingdom
297 Posts |
Posted - 12/15/2005 : 11:17:01 AM
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Wendy,
It was you! I was wondering why 'kepkake' looked so familiar :)
You'll love the charkha. Once I get to it, I have to load a small video I took of a man spinning on the charkha on my blog (if uploading it is possible). He made it look so easy - his hands were just flying. I move along slowly - it's very addictive & peace giving. I guess that's how Gandhi managed to get millions to believe in non-violence for so long.
I would like to blend Ingeo with something - like Shelia. I can just picture the streaks & how pretty it would look. Hmmmm Just as soon as I finish plying my pure Ingeo. Getting used to spinning that caused me a little heartburn.
:)
http://yarnahoy.blogspot.com/ |
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kepkake
Chatty Knitter
USA
251 Posts |
Posted - 12/15/2005 : 10:10:04 PM
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Hi Manasi, I received the Charkha today! You must have flown to the Post office. It is just beautiful and I can't wait to try it...thank you! I bought an instructional video from "Copper Moose" today on ebay as well as some cotton roving. I'm eager to see how this is all done. As for the Ingeo, I also have the Bordeaux color and I can imagine how pretty that would be mixed with gray. Next purchase will have to be some carders. Merry Christmas to me!
Wendy |
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Manasi
Chatty Knitter
United Kingdom
297 Posts |
Posted - 12/16/2005 : 11:30:58 AM
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Wendy, UPS seems to be going strong despite holiday season! Awesome.
Keep us posted on the fun you have with the charkha.
Now that you've mentioned cotton roving, I think would like to blend some of the cotton I have with silk. I've worn a handwoven cotton silk blend that I'd bought from the Khadi Bhavan in Mumbai. It's out of this world. Soft with beautiful sheen.
:)
http://yarnahoy.blogspot.com/ |
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