The extreme left spindle is featured in this post. It is a Bosworth ‘skinny midi’ in Blue Mahoe that weighs 22 g/ 0.77 oz. I had just cleared a 27 g ball, and was continuing the spin of 8 oz of Targhee wool from Sheepy Time Knits Hobbit Club, “The Water.”
You can’t see it very well there, can you? A first TKK post on this spinning project is here.
It continued just as I shared in the first post, i.e. spin the Blue Mahoe until full; wind-off to a singles ball; repeat. Starting in February 2019, I made 3-strand plying balls. I used a turned Peruvian Pushka (low-whorl spindle) for plying. The total yarn is around 992 yards of 3-ply yarn.
Close to 1,000 yards at this weight is a good start. It is likely short of a sweater quantity & also for weaving without additional yarn. I am thinking of ways to best use the gorgeous yarn.
When this braid of Targhee wool top came from Sheepy Time Knits (Female Heroes club, January 2021), I reached for the same Bossie. Why? I liked spinning Mandie’s Targhee this way. the saturated royal blue was great for deep wintertime, and I am homesick.
The connection for home with Blue Mahoe, Hibiscus elatus, as Jamaica’s national tree got boosted by the theme, “Madam Vice-President.” The 49th Vice-President of the United States is the daughter of a Jamaican-American, Donald Harris who is from Brown’s Town, St. Ann.
It has been a good fit, and I am leaning towards keeping a 3-ply plan for these singles balls. They may flow better with “The Water” skeins if I vary the plies with Targhee top from deep stash. It is the braid in the 2nd image above, far left.
If not, they can stand on their own as separate projects. Sampling will give the answers!
The takeaways are two-fold. First, you can do a lot with a single spindle. Second, year-over-year, Mandie has provided spinners with really good clubs. This post is a nod to the hard work that it takes to reliably deliver this level of excellence even in such challenging times.
One advantage of a club is that you may re-order a colourway on another base. The longer-term spin can have a shorter-term outlet too. This 85% Polwarth wool/15% Tussah silk in the same colourway is 233 yards (3.7 ounces) spun quickly on my Watson Martha wheel in double drive tension, plied on the Spinolution Mach 2.
It also tickled me that Ty was so impressed by these deliveries that I took him to Mandie’s club page, and explained about female heroes.
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