This braid of fibre is the Baby It's Cold Outside colourway and is made up of 48% Merino, 26% Bluefaced Leicester (BFL), 12% Alpaca and 12% Bamboo. This blend of fibre is soft and warm with an interesting variation in the way the dye is taken by the bamboo.
For this spin I decided to use my new Spanish Peacock Tibetan spindle. The long shaft of the spindle means that more singles can be loaded up onto it, before they have to be wound off and stored. This meant I could do a true 3-ply construction, easily fitting a third of the fibre onto the shaft each time.
As you can see in the above photo, I did pre-draft the fibre a little, because I had the fibre in storage for six months (at the bottom of my fibre bag). It probably didn't need pre-drafting, but I find it quite satisfying anyway, so nothing was lost by doing so.
I spun the fibre worsted style and when it was plied together I got a round and bouncy DK weight yarn. I do love how a 3-ply construction evens out the variations in the singles.
There is an incredibly subtle barber-pole effect in this yarn. The colours of the fibre are so close in value and hue that from a distance there is no difference in the colours on each ply of the yarn.
The different colours will give a lovely depth to whatever is knit from this delicious yarn. It feels soft and silky to the touch, but still has plenty of bounce. I think it would probably make an ideal hat, smooth on the skin, and warm on the head!
This skein measures 154m/168yds in length, so I'm sure most hats will be achievable with this yarn. Do you have any suggestions for a pattern, because once again, my fingers itch to cast on.
