The Purled Ewe: My First 3 Handspun Yarns

I'm very pleased to show off my first 3 handspun yarns!

The first is a Corriedale mix roving that came with my spinning wheel. It's very easy to spin, since it has long staple length. The picture to the left shows my very first spin. It's definitely on the thicker side, and not very consistent, but I think it's rather good for a beginner spinner!

I did a 2 ply of the yarn (meaning I spun two bobbins full of yarn, then put those two together to get this). Plying makes a stronger, more balanced yarn. My Mom helped me get this going because I was using the on board lazy kate (later I received an external lazy kate which is much easier to use!). We had no idea what we were doing, but after a few YouTube videos, we got it going! It was also very hard to get use to spinning backwards, because to ply, the wheel needs to go in the opposite direction from what the yarn was spun in. Not easy for a newbie like me! This is definitely a bulky weight yarn and it's very "rustic". But I love it!

This shows my yarn on a niddy noddy. Niddy Noddy's are used to wind yarns into skeins, and to measure yarn. I have a 65" niddy noddy. After winding the yarn onto the niddy noddy, I can pull it off and wash it. Washing will set the twist and complete the yarn making process.

This is my VERY FIRST HANDSPUN YARN! :) I call it "Winter Wonder." I think it is destined to become a hat....

This merino roving was gifted to me by a friend on Ravelry. Merino is a bit trickier for a newbie spinner than Corriedale. The staple length is much shorter, and I find it to be a bit sticky to work with (doesn't draft easily). It was a great learning experience for me though, and I'm very pleased with the results. Here's a pic of the colorful roving, all braided up and ready to be spun.

Here are my two bobbins of spun wool. I had split the braid in half in hopes of getting an even amount of yarn on both bobbins. This is also a great picture of my external lazy kate, which makes plying so much easier than the on-board lazy kate on my Kiwi.

As you can see here, my spinning has become better, but not as consistent as I would like. It was very hard getting a consistent spin with the merino.

Here's my 2 plyed yarn! So colorful! It's really interesting to see how the colors mix when spinning and plying. I've read that if you give multiple spinners the exact same roving, each one will be spun up differently. That's so cool!

Here is my 2nd skein of handspun!
I call it "Rainbow of Happiness".

Last, but not at all the least, is my 3rd handspun yarn. I started with some Blue Faced Leicester (BFL) hand-dyed roving from Frabjous Fibers (purchased at Fiberworks in Beavercreek, OH). I had heard that BFL was easy to spin (long staple length) for newbies, and I just couldn't pass up this colorway! BEAUTIFUL!

Spinning this BFL was much easier than the Corriedale and the Merino. So soft, so beautiful, and check out my consistency! Much better!

Once again, 2 plying my yarn. I just love how it all comes together!

Wrapped on the niddy noddy.
I have approximately 241 yards!

Giving my yarn a bath. I first soak it for 20 minutes in water with a couple of glugs of vinegar thrown in. Then I rinse it, and put more water and a few drops of Planet dish washing detergent in. I'm very careful not to agitate the yarn when washing, that way there is no risk of felting. I let that sit for about 10 minutes or so, then rinse out again. Then I hang it on my clothing rack to dry. Takes about 24 hours to dry completely.