You Learn Something New Every Day!

Okay, it's new to ME, anyway. I happened to be walking through Joanne's today, not really intending to buy anything, when I saw this book ... I've heard it mentioned in glowing terms, and decided I would buy something after all.

So I rearranged everything I was already carrying and added it to the stuff in my arms that I wasn't going to buy, and continued on my way. I browsed through it at home, and found it very interesting. I was intrigued by the section on cable plied yarn -- it's just two-or-more-ply yarn plied with other two-or-more-ply yarn, plied in the opposite direction.

So you spin your singles clockwise, then (for example) make two-ply yarn spinning counter-clockwise. Then you take two or more of the two-ply yarns and ply them clockwise. It makes a sharp, defined yarn, and I really wanted to try it.

 The book says "make sure the yarns that you are using have been overplied...(94)."  So I dug up some blue merino, and re-plied it to tighten it up. I ran it all through my new yardage meter, and got 130 yards of each shade of blue.

I swear I ran each through the meter. My math skills are not great, but I promise you I can count to 130. I have no idea why there is so much more of one. 

I can't explain it.

Anywho, I plied it as tightly as I could bear ... it was difficult. I had to fight my natural tendency to ply loosely. 

The darker blue took a much tighter twist.
I loaded them up on the Lazy Kate, and took off. 

I could tell immediately that I was going to like this yarn.

It has a lot of energy. And I'll say this, when the bobbin started getting full, I had a hell of a time. The 4-ply kept leaping off the bobbin. I kid you not.

(See the flip-flop there? I can't spin while wearing shoes. Is that weird?)



I had two major tangles -- I took my eyes off the bobbin for two seconds, twice, and both times, calamity resulted. I should have taken a picture of that. It was Epic Snarl. I even had trouble wrapping it around the niddy-noddy, that's how energetic it is!

Anyway, 4-ply really fills up a bobbin fast.

And here is the reason I usually use the Lazy Kate on the wheel, and not the free-standing one.

(Ignore the wine cork on the floor. The cats are heavy drinkers.)

Here is some of the finished product! I love it! I haven't washed it yet ... It's so springy I'm afraid it will leap out of the bath and knit itself.

I want to try this next with four different colors of yarn, or two 2-plies, like orange and yellow, that are different enough to really stand out.

Buh-bye!