I've been reading Lexi Boeger's Pluckyfluff Blog for a couple months now, and decided to jump into the competition at the Yarn Museum for my handspun's first public appearance!
I read about the competition on Tuesday/Weds. and got the stuff together for a couple days, then I dyed the bamboo yesterday, and got the other materials ready today (clipping, tearing, carding) and mixed them up and started spinning.
I must admit I have never spun such a loosely connected mix of fiber before so it was slow going. I thought my orifice on my electric Ashford spinner was big, but not big enough as it got clogged a couple times and then the hooks are definitely not ideal for thick, anything-goes yarn.
The materials in the picture show what I actually used. I considered all kinds of things like house wrap (scratchy), stuff growing in my yard like cornsilk and vines (impractical and unrealistic), or plastic bags (I make crocheted bags from "plastic yarn" from grocery store bags all the time), but wanted something soft next to my skin and that I would _really_ wear. Most of all, I wanted it to be pretty.
As much as possible, I decided to use only materials I already had in my house. The only exception was the nylon thread.
I opted for a color scheme based on some retro buttons I had in blue/pink/brown, and here's the stuff:
Bamboo fiber (water resistent...mmm..maybe) dyed with pink and cocoa RIT.
Recycled a Winnie the Pooh bath toy bag - water resistant! - instead of sending it to the Salvation Army. It was in the car ready to go, but saved for a new life! The purple-y parts were used.
Recycled a used Patagonia jacket instead of taking it to Salvation Army (another close call). Everyone knows Patagonia has the best (expensive) outwear for serious outdoor enthusiasts. Cut up just the blue mesh pockets and blue trim bits this time. Very water resistant.
Wooly Nylon thread in baby blue and brown. Has a soft, yarn like, stretchy texture. No animal fiber in this stuff.
Cut a light blue microfiber towel into strips (not sure what, but some sort of man-made fiber). I use one for drying my thick curly hair all the time. It soaks alot of water, but never feels wet. Very water resistant and fuzzy soft.
Cut up the blue plastic bag from Joann's the thread came home in. Not scratchy as most plastic, waterproof, and feels buttery soft rubbed between your fingers.
My long awaited drum carder isn't here yet.....All mixed by hand in a 5 gallon bucket like Lexi Pluckyfluff demo'd on her blog recently:
I think it would have been a "tighter" yarn - it had plenty of twist - if I had longer fibers mixed in with the fabric strips. I used the wooly nylon to twist around the fibers and that worked just fine.
Skeined up it reminds me of a Grandma Chenille bedspread gone wrong - LOL! Very blankety soft feel :^) All kinds of interesting bits. And it's prettier than housewrap.
I did knit up a sample on size 11 needles and it knit up very fast and easily enough - not alot of yardage, but a fun project from start to finish. My husband said he was amazed all that stuff could possibly make a yarn. He really likes it. It feels very thick and like a soft cushy blanket, even with the bits of plastic bag. To see it come together like this still amazes me, too!
Here's the knitted sample below. Don't know if I will come close to being #1, but the challenge was incredible, and a real learning experience.
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