Happy FriYAY from a MUCH cooler, LESS humid Pittsburgh! The AC is off and the windows are open!!
Cranky Pants level has been dramatically reduced.
AND!!!
Dark Sky™ is forecasting temps in the 70’s next week, with overnight lows in the mid 50’s – low 60’s!!!! Funny how a little change in your surroundings can have such a huge impact on your emotional well-being (and FriYAY does not hurt either)!
That brings me to the Fiber portion of the post (if you are not a spinner, please feel free to skip ahead to the Friday Links below):
Last week’s yarn has become this week’s swatches, with some very interesting results! I knit up four swatches – two 2-ply swatches, and two single lace swatches. All yarns were washed in hot water with a little Soak Wash and laid flat to dry – they did not hang. The single yarns were fulled slightly by agitating them lightly in the hot water and plunging them into cold water. I repeated this process twice.
First up, the yarn spun and plied on my Matchless (details are here if you are interested):
The first swatch with the finished plied yarn, the yarn bloomed some, but not so dramatically that it changed the weight of the yarn. The finished yarn is 27 WPI and 5.5 TPI. This swatch came in with a gauge of 8 stitches per inch and 11 rows per inch.
The single yarn bloomed dramatically and ended up between 18-20 WPI and 1.25 TPI. It created a stiffer swatch, but it blocked out beautifully. Because I fulled the yarn, it has fairly good strength, however, it is still a fragile yarn. I do not think this yarn would wear well, but it does make a lovely open lace swatch.
Next, the spindle spun and plied yarns:
The first swatch with the finished plied yarn, the yarn bloomed a bit, but this yarn was less consistent than the yarn spun on my matchless. The range of TPI went from 23 to 14, however, the TPI was consistent at 5. I knit both swatches on the same size needle (US4), and this swatch got 7.5 stitches per inch and 10 rows per inch. However, I like the fabric that I got with the Matchless spun and plied swatch much better. It is much more even and uniform.
The second lace swatch with the finished single yarn is my favorite! The finished yarn has a little more twist (2 TPI) and it is consistent at 20 WPI throughout the skein. It created the most lovely, airy fabric! This fabric has beautiful drape, and it allowed for some aggressive blocking! While this yarn would not be perfect for a hard wearing garment, it would make a lovely shawl.
Now for those fabulous Friday Links:
- Uan is the perfect transitional sweater
- Looking for an autumn MKAL? Look no further…
- Cables and Thea are such a perfect combination!
- Jared Flood Woolens, mmmm.
- Very interesting construction
- Maybe simple is better?
- Lille Furukjolen is too cute!
That’s all I have this week, have an amazing FriYAY and an even better weekend! I will see you back here on Monday!
Yay for cooler weather and for FriYaYs! Your swatches gave you so much information and I like the way you break it down for us. I hope you find the perfect shawl for your purple yarn.
Hooray for lower humidity! Let’s keep summer going for a bit longer! And, while I still love FriYay, it’s just not as big a deal when you’re on vacation anyway. 🙂
It’s neat looking at the difference in swatches. I never have truly experimented with swatches that much before.
Happy FriYay!
Happy FriYAY, indeed. Love that purple yarn . . . in all its iterations. Have a COOL weekend. XO
I wish it was cooler, maybe it’s heading my way?? However the paper says it’s supposed to drop in temps soon. lovely purple yarn and look at you being diligent with that swatching! I sort of wing it 🙂
I haven’t a clue about all the information you culled from your swatches and blocking, etc…having said that, I’m totally intrigued with the process and looking fwd to whatever you decide to do with the yarn. The color is luscious!
Cheers~