Some spinning

In order to distract myself from my immediate problems of employment, rent, etc., I have been doing more crafting lately, especially spinning. I bravely dove into the soy silk I bought at Web-sters, and have been working on getting laceweight out of it. So far, not a huge success. This fiber really is a dream to spin, so soft and my thread has only broken once. The colors, bright apple green, seaweed, teal, and turquoise, are delicious to watch slip through my fingers. Getting the right gauge has not been so fun.

After spinning about a half-bobbin full, I plied some and wound it off, along with some of the single. I washed it (lots of dye came out, turquoise doesn't stick well), and knit up some swatches for the Peacock Feathers Shawl, which I'm considering using it for. The problem now is that the single is a little too thin, but the two-ply is a little too thick. There is also a big difference in color. Obviously, the single preserves the color changes more clearly and with more brilliance, but I'm not sure I want my shawl to be that variegated. I rejected the Knit Picks yarn because it was too variegated, obscuring the pattern. There are still color changes in the two-ply, but they are more subtle, and I think I can handle them. So now it is back to the wheel, as I must try and get my single thinner in order to get a true laceweight two-ply. I will probably have to get more of the roving in order to have enough yarn for the shawl, but it will hopefully be worth it. I love the resulting yarn! My plying is improving, also.

I've also been working on my Pacific Northwest Shawl, in Emerald Zephyr. I finally finished the seagulls, and get to start on the trees. I like doing a shawl that changes pattern, especially as often as this one does. It should be a little less boring than the Flower Basket Shawl I just finished.

Well, back to spinning for me!