Friday, October 25, 2013

OnTheRound Luxury Batts to Yarn


Good morning! It feels like I was waiting for Friday all week, and now that I'm here, I don't quite know what to do with myself.... I have so many thoughts and ideas and projects going on I keep finding myself spinning in circles!

Usually when this happens (I must admit it happens frequently) it's best to just sit down and see what computer work needs to be done. So here I am.

Earlier this week I posted a picture on my Facebook Fan Page showing off the batts that I recently spun into yarn and listed in my Etsy Shop. I thought i might be nice to post it here and maybe talk a little bit about the process.

Here are three of the colorways that I recently listed, as well as the batts that they were spun from.

Fun, right? I spun these batts by ripping them into strips and lightly pulling them into roving. I was careful not to draft them out too much because I wanted to keep the dramatic pops of color and texture. You can read more about how to prep a batt for spinning here.


Spinning from batts is probably my favorite prep method to spin from. I like how all the fibers are all fluffed up and ready to go, unlike roving there the fibers are so perfectly in place and snugly packed together.

OnTheRound Luxury Batt, available, here.

Art batts are especially fun because of all the great texture changes. I like to spin my art batts into a traditional, worsted - sport weight 2 ply. I like the way you can really stretch out the different fibers and colors when you spin a batt thin, and the plying is nice because it balances out the inevitable thick and thin spots of the yarn. Navajo plying a thinly spun art batt is also really beautiful!

Apart from the way these yarns look, they also have a wonderful feel to them. The base of all these batts/yarns is merino- that means merino makes up the majority of the content and the other fibers are more accents. The reason for this is to ensure that your yarn is still super soft and can be used for next to skin projects.

I personally love using my handspun yarn spun from batts for scarves and wraps because I love the all over pops of colors vs variegated striping.  Also, all the add ins and different fibers like bamboo and silk give the skein great weight which makes it hang well and is ideal for lace work.
 
Speaking of scarves/wraps. I have a new pattern that I will be releasing next week that is specifically designed for my luxury handspun yarn. Here is a little teaser of that pattern!

Some of you may have seen this pattern in person at the craft shows I did this summer! I am really in love with it because it is a simple quick knit that really shows off your beautiful handspun. It's also a totally versatile pattern that doesn't rely on correct gauge, so you can substitute in any yarn type, brand, or weight.  

You'll have to wait to see more about the details of this pattern, but you should know all the Luxury skeins in my shop right now would be perfect!

The sample for this pattern was knit with a luxury blend that I pulled from my shop after I closed for vacation.

See how the bits of orange and blue knit in? I love that! I had about 8 oz of yarn and over 400 yards so this scarf is REALLY long. Probably awkwardly long, but frankly that's how I like my scarves.

So, stay tuned on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or sign up for my Newsletter to check out the new pattern that will be released next week.

For you spinners out there, I'm hoping to get some bright and beautiful luxury batts carded up for your spinning pleasure this weekend. For now, I have plenty of Made in Maine Batts available and new hand dyed Corriedale Top/Roving listed in my shop!

And if you like what you see, go grab a skein of Luxury Handspun Yarn now at www.ontheround.etsy.com

And have a great Friday!




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