Holiday spinning: another fractal experiment

plied yarn pre-wash.

It's the holiday, so of course I'm taking it easy... but between the corn bread and the green bean casserole, I did mange to get in a little spinning ;D

Check out another of my favorite fractal stripe experiments, this time in green and gray.

Stripe experiment: pseudo-fractal striping

If you've ever tried to create a 2 ply self striping yarn, you know how hard it is to get the colors to align perfectly without breaking and joining your singles. Fractals spinning is a bit easier, but still involves some degree of measuring and aligning your singles. But no matter how much measuring you do, they never align just right. So what if you didn't need them to align "just so"? What if you wanted the variegated stripes of a fractal, but with a little less effort? Try this simple technique: Ply your self striping singles on themselves.

First, when we're talking about stripes let's make sure we're talking the same language. A stripe is a block of color(or color combination). Stripes can be even, meaning they are the same length, or they can be varied. In addition, stripes can be solid (meaning a solid color or color pattern) or they can be variegated (including multiple colors or color patterns). The technique I'm describing here creates a yarn that is both varied in the length of the stripes, as well as variegation within the stripes


So let's dive in!
Start by spinning a self striping singles in what ever colorway you like. For this example I've chosen two of my favorites this fall, from 2 merino batts: 1 painted in teal/lavendar/gold/maroon and the other a bright lime green. You can see the stripes in the spool, and they're fairly even throughout the skein, but they don't have to be. If I had varied them a little more, maybe had some more green in some spots, it would've just given more variation in the stripe repeats.

Self striping singles on the spool

same singles in a center pull ball

Next step, and I know this one may be a bit controversial, create a center pull ball with your (rested) singles. You're going to spin this singles back on itself starting with both ends of your center pull ball, so there's no waste with this technique! Check out the color patterns as you spin... see where the greens came together, where the same batts came together, and where that overlapped.

You should be able to predict the stripe effects that you'll get when you knit this up! My stripes are relatively short, so to maximize I'll likely make this skein into a scarf... But if you're not sure how your stripes will work up, a swatch is definitely the answer!

As I mentioned, I'm making mine into a scarf. Check out my progress on Ravelry ;D

Plied yarn on the spool 

Plied yarn in a loose skein

Getting back to spinning, with layered batts

Spinning a self striping yarn from
a layered batt

Wow, it's been 6 months but I'm back in my craft zone. So what was the first thing I did with my new and improved space? I got right to spinning. Well, almost... first I had to prep my fibers! And my prep of choice these days: a well carded batt. Why? I'm so glad you asked, because after years of spinning everything from pencil roving to freshly picked fibers, I can now appreciate a carded batt for the versatility and choice it provides me and the finished yarns I'm creating.
Firstly, by carding my own batts, I can combine fibers in any ratio I want with full control over the amount of incorporation: from fully incorporated for a homogenous blend, to minimally incorporated for a layered (or side-by-side) effect. It's a great way to take advantage of both your longer stapled fibers that may be less soft(ex. Jacob), as well as your short staple fibers that are incredibly soft (ex. Camel). It also provides an opportunity to add in whatever fixins you might have on hand: tencel, firestar, sari silk. Whether your creating a wild art batt, or a sophisticated luxury fiber blend, the batt wins!
Today, I'm going with a layered batt. This batt was inspired by colors I'm seeing in all the stores this season: camel, teal, and graphite. Just to add a little interest, I'm going to pull equal parts of each of the main colors for each layer from my stash, as well as a small amount of contrasting colors to pre-mix in each layer for a heathered look. I'll card each of the main colors separately, with the contrast colors and some extra soft alpaca fiber, at least 2 times. Once I have each layer sufficiently blended, I can begin my layered batt. This is a simple technique achieved by adding each layer of color to the drum evenly. When the batt is removed, the colors remain clear and distinct.
Now, I have a decision to make: how to spin. I can go a few different routes from here.

1. If I want a homogenous blend of colors in my finished yarn, I can simply pull strips off the batt and spin all three colors together. 
2. If I want a self striping yarn, I can divide my batt vertically into any number of equal parts, pull the color layers apart and spin them individually. Spin equal amounts to two spools if you want 2 ply.
3. If I want fractal stripes,  I can divide my batt vertically into 2 equal parts, then divide one side into smaller equal parts then the other. For each side, pull the color layers apart and spin them individually. Spin each side to separate spools and then ply together.

I've chosen option 2. And here's what it looks like on the spool. You'll see the colors come apart pretty cleanly. This would look great plied with a light heathered grey... stay tuned ;D
I know a lot of you spinners out there are hooked on spinning from prepared top, but if you haven't already, I would definitely suggest giving carded batts a try

The pre-carded fibers for my batt.

This is what the batt looks like in the
carder. You can clearly see each
layer of color.

This is what a strip of the batt looks like,
and easily separates by color layer.