One of my goals this year was to spin 3-ply sock yarns to create a yarn I was more likely to use than thicker DK-weight yarns, which are my default spin. Sock yarns typically have 350-400 meters to 100 gm of weight. After spinning a few fibres into sock- or fingering weight-yarn skeins for a sweater I thought I was prepared to spin a 4 ounce braid of fibre into at least 350 m of 3-ply yarn. That should be easy enough aiming for a very thin, high-twist single and then plying it into a high-twist 3-ply – or so I thought. Then came my first try: an aqua- green 100% merino dyed by Manos Del Uruguay and purchased on a visit to Kitchener last April.
I split the braid lengthwise into three long strips and spun each end to end. Two were spun on my Majacraft Suzie wheel and one on my Houndstooth drop spindle. This way I was able spin even when not at home. Interestingly, my drop-spindle spun single was a little thinner than my wheel spun ones. After chain-plying the singles to preserve brighter colours I thought I had sock-yarn thickness just to realize that with 195 meters to 99 gm it was not as thin as I thought. The socks were knit from the toe up on 2.25 mm needles and have a solid, slightly heavy feel. They are soft and warm. Lovely for cold feet in autumn or winter.
My next attempt was a merino/bamboo/nylon (60/30/10) mix by Sweet Georgia Yarns in the colourway Mountain Man. This fibre was spun as a 3-ply fractal meaning that I split the yarn lengthwise into three similar weight strips. One was spun end to end, the second one stripped four and the third one stripped 8 more times before spinning. This way gentle striping and slight muddling of colours was the expected mixing result. The colours turned out lovely and knitting this yarn was wonderful, but still with 220 meters to 104 gm sock-yarn it was not. 10 grams of singles were spun into a 3-ply chain plied yarn and used for the toes of the socks. The difference in colour due to chain-plying is not very visible.
A bit disappointed I started my next try at a sock yarn in the colourway Neverland on merino/tencel (60/40) dyed by Sweet Georgia Yarns.
I really liked the colours in the fibre and wanted to preserve them as much as possible. To achieve longer colour-repeats in the yarn I did not split the roving and spun it across its width from end to end. Chain-plying it again to keep the colours separate and bright. The resulting skein of 3-ply yarn yielded 228 m in 99 gm. Arrggh! Still not sock-yarn thickness and not much closer to at least 350 m in 100 gm.
My latest spin started today is 100% BFL-fibre I bought about 7 years ago on one of our cruise ship trips to Alaska. I fell in love with the hand-dyed fibre by Raven Frog Fibre Arts in Sitka with its white, green, grey and teal. The soft colours aptly named winter. Evoking the hues of snow lying on pine trees and the Alaskan mountains. My first thought was to spin it as a 2-ply yarn and use it for a scarf. But many spinners rave about its properties as a sturdy and soft sock yarn so that at the last minute I decided to split the 140 gm braid into three 46 gm strips, spin each strip from the same end and then ply them together as a 3-ply sock yarn. Hoping for a mix of solid colour stripes and barber-pole combinations.
It will be a slightly more woolen, airier yarn than the merino or merino/tencel and I am curious to see if I will achieve my goal before years end.
Looking at this blog one can see my current preference towards green which is actually a bit of a shift out of my comfort zone. I usually prefer brighter blues, purples and reds, but for some reason worked with a lot of green this year. Lets see what colour will rule 2018. Thank you, for following me along and have a great rest of November!
Maike
beecosydesign 
Such continuous specificity in words and photos. Even your socks. Good look at your thought processes and your fibre manipulation. So you like green but it is so well blended with other colours that I might not have suspected. Socks look good on your feet. I can even detect all the stitches. More like the thicker yarns I always knit. What you do takes so much patience. Net effect – superb. Keep on with what you are doing. I have been reading a book of dedications.
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