Fiber friday: Worsted vs. semi-worsted

So last week I showed you the yarn I spun up at Yarn School. One of the things that we discussed was the difference between woolen and worsted spinning, both in terms of fiber prep (which seems to be most important) and spinning technique (which is where you get the "semi"). Woolen yarn is only produced when you start with a carded fiber prep, worsted yarn comes from combed prep. Since most of the commercially available fibers come in top form (even if they are referred to as roving), 99.9% of the spinning I've done has been worsted or semi-worsted. Until I went to Kansas.

The purple and black mini-skeins were spun from hand carded rolags. The brown single was spun from a batt. The major difference between these two preps is that hand carded rolags force you to spin a woolen yarn with the fibers more or less traveling in a circle around the circumference of the single, rather then longitudinal along the single. Batts can also be spun with circumferential fibers or longitudinal. Both preps give you a yarn that is fuzzy because the ends of the fibers are free to stick out rather then being smoothed into the single and caught by the twist. You can see the fuzzies in the above picture.

This is an example of worsted spinning. The fiber prep was combed top, which I spun with a short forward draw, smoothing and compressing the single as the twist entered. The fibers in this yarn run parallel to the axis of the single, so the ends are trapped and the yarn is smooth. This is a good way to get a very strong, durable, hard wearing yarn, which was perfect for this stuff, which became my first pair of knee-socks.

On the right is the yarn I spun at Yarn School - this is a semi-worsted yarn. The prep was combed top, but I pulled off chunks and spun them long-draw from the fold, thereby jumbling the fiber orientation. On the left is the yarn I spun up from my H^4 swap fiber: spun with short forward draw, worsted yarn. Nice and smooth, no fuzzies. I'm calling it Cotton Candy for the colors, and I think Devil has designs on it for something.

Cotton Candy stats:
Domestic wool combed top from Poppy Flower Fibers, 4 oz
Spun/plied 10:1
Spun worsted style, 2 ply, ~12 wpi, 183 yds/4 oz.

One other point about worsted vs. semi-worsted. Worsted style spinning got me 183 yds from 4 oz. Semi-worsted at a similar wpi got me 83 yds/1.1 oz. So the semi-worsted spinning gets you more yardage since the yarn is less dense due to trapped air. So now I'm on the hunt for some commercial roving to buy so I can get going on some sweater yarn!

I love swaps

Even though this is the first one I've ever done. What could be better then getting a big pile of goodies in the mail out of the blue?

My Hush Hush Handspun Hootenanny loot from Liz:

1) a beautiful skein of greeny bluey orangey 2-ply handspun loveliness that is going to be a winter hat for me
2) a 4 oz braid of handdyed domestic wool from Poppy Flower Fibers
3) a cute sheep card
4)2 oz of handdyed bombyx silk (!) from Miss. Babs
5) some fizzy bath treats
6) last, but not least, some sock yarn leftovers for the blanket!

What fun! A new fiber purveyor, a new fiber type (what in the everloving heck am I going to do with that silk? I can't spin it - it's too gorgeous!), cute sheep and sock yarn scraps.

Thank you so much Liz! I can't wait for the next round.

The swap package is on the way...

I sent off my first swap package today, and let me tell you it was a near thing.

I love this yarn, and I want to keep it and display it on my kitchen table for the next ten years:

It's soft and squishy and the colors are To. Die. For. (you know, if you're one of us who has a thing for blues).

This is a handpainted Targhee top from Woodland Woolworks, in the colorway "Winter Sky". Spun/plied (navajo plied) at 10:1 on a ST folding Lendrum. 4 oz, ~290 yds, 13 wpi, making in approximately sport weight. I tried to overply a bit and then gave it a fulling wash (hot/cold/hot/cold/hot/cold), so it came out very springy!

I'm hoping there's enough here for my swap partner to get a pair of socks. Or maybe some mittens. Anyway, if she doesn't like it, I will pay for her to ship it back to me.

As for TS Edouard, he pulled a Rita* and all we got was a bit of a breeze and some good soaking rain, which was desperately needed. May the rest of the season go as well!

* pulling a Rita means that the hurricane/storm makes a beeline for Houston and, at almost the last possible moment, swerves and hits the poor folks on the TX-LA border. Thankfully this time, it was a much smaller storm.

Shhhhh! Secret spinning

While I haven't been blogging very much of late, I have been busy with projects. On Sunday I finally finished the singles for my H^4 swap pal (Hush Hush Handspun Hootenanny). They're now resting so when I ply I don't end up tearing my hair out, but here's a peek:

Fiber - Handpainted Targhee in "Winter Sky"

I split the top lengthwise into six more-or-less equal sections, did a bit of predrafting, and spun away.

Six of these

turned into this.

Like my previous experience with this fiber, the singles are pretty thin, so I'm hoping for a fingering weight when all is said and done. But it's lovely soft stuff. I'm going to have a hard time parting with it, but I've got 2 lbs of undyed Targhee sitting in my spinning stash, waiting for the right project. Since this stuff seems to spin pretty thin, I've been thinking that I could spin it up and dye it for a colorwork sweater - maybe this?

Hush hush hush hush (H^4)

Through the auspices of Ravelry, I've joined my first swap - the Hush Hush Handspun Hootenanny (because how can any one resist a hootenanny?). I've got about a month to spin up 4 oz of fiber for my swap pal, and send it off along with 4 oz of unspun fiber and other assorted goodies.

In any event, in order for my pal to get some ideas about what to do for me, I've got to answer a questionnaire. So if you're looking for knitting/fiber content, come back later. If you're my swap pal, read on:

1. How long have you been spinning? What skill level do you consider yourself?
I've been spinning about a year and a half, and I would classify myself as intermediate.

2. What kinds of yarn do you create (singles/2-ply/3-ply/art yarn)?
Most of my yarns are 2 or 3-ply, but working with singles is definitely on my list. I'm not big on art yarns.

3. What do you spin with (spindle/wheel/both)?
Both, but mostly on a wheel.

4. What are your favorite fibers to spin with? Anything you don't like?
I've liked most of the stuff I've tried, but particular favs are BFL, Shetland and Targhee.

5. Who are your favorite crack dealers fiber sources (etsy or otherwise)?
My favorite dealer fiber provider is Adrian at Hello Yarn - I'm in her fiber club, and I've enjoyed everything I've gotten from her. I've also gotten nice stuff from Woodland Woolworks.

6. What kind of fiber do you want to try?
Silk and Cormo.

7. Is there any techniques you would like to learn?
Supported long draw

8. Do you dye fiber? If not, would you like to learn?
I have done a bit of dyeing in the past, but I have small kids so anything too involved is out for the moment.

9. Do you have fiber prep tools (and like to use them) or would you prefer ready to spin fiber?
I'd prefer ready to spin fiber.

10. What do you do with your handspun? What projects have you completed?
After I'm done placing it at strategic points around the house and adoring it, I knit with it. I've done a pair of socks and a shawl, and I'm working on a scarf, but most of my handspun seems to be waiting for the right project to come along.

11. Are you in need of any spinning gadgets (WPI Gauge, threading hook, etc)?
Nope.

12. What colors "fall into your shopping basket"? Any colors you just can't stand?
The colors I usually gravitate towards are blues, purples, cool reds and greys. But I see this as a good opportunity to try some colorways that I wouldn't necessarily choose for myself, so go nuts. If I had to pick a color to avoid, it would be bright yellow.

13. What is on your wheel/spindle right now?
Left-over singles from this.

14. What other crafts/hobbies do you have?
I'm a triathlete, so I spend a fair bit of time swimming or riding or running. And I read a lot of science fiction. Other then that I'm chasing my daughters around.

15. Other than crafts, what are you passionate about?
My family (husband, two kids) and my work (research scientist).

16. Do you have an online wishlist?
Nope.

17. Is there anything that you collect?
Besides fiber and yarn? What else is there?

18. Any books, yarns, needles or patterns out there you are dying to get your hands on? What magazine subscriptions do you have?
I've got subscriptions to Interweave Knits and Spin Off. I'm a big fan of Norah Gaughan patterns, and I'm coveting a copy of The Opinionated Knitter.

19. When is your birthday?
September 6

20. What book or movie character do you most resemble in personality?
No idea - anyone who knows me in real life want to pose suggestions?

21. What is the climate like where you live around this time (need to know for careful shipments of anything meltable)?
Hot, hot, hot, hot, hot. Oh, and the humid. Unbelievable. So (sob) no chocolate unless you're shipping my package packed in dry ice.

22. Tell us one weird fact about yourself!
My many-times great grandfather was a buddy of Cotton Mather's.

Favorites
favorite painting/picture(link):
Candy: dark chocolate
Food: see above
Drink: dark beer (I'm sensing a theme here...)
Movie(s): I have to pick just one?
TV Show(s):
Book(s): Cryptonomicon by Neal Stephenson
Guilty Pleasure(s): long baths