Bulky Thistle Scarf

This scarf is the result of my first test of Thistle 3.0 Yarn  Ok, I've spun so many variations, I lost track of which version I'm really on.

The point is, this scarf is knit from the first intentionally bulky two ply yarn I've spun.  Not like the bulky single ply yarns of my early spinning days, not so long ago.

This yarn is comprised of several rovings:  the "Blossom" hand dyed fleece, the roving brought back from New Zealand by Teri and the purple/green wool & mohair blend from Knox Farm Fibers.

The stripes were achieved in the rolags.  I wanted a free-form color scheme, so I simply made rolags until I was done and had an even number.  I spun and plied this yarn on my Elizabeth wheel using the largest setting on the Jumbo Flyer.  It probably took me at most 2 hours to spin and ply this single skein of yarn. 

Washed it to set the twist and check the dye was fast.  Then the yarn sat around until I figured out what to make of it.  I knit a swatch and realized bulky fabric does not look so good on me, so I decided to spin and knit a finer version of the yarn.

The main issue I'm having with my spinning, aside from that demon time, is boredom.  I've mentioned previously that I find it boring to spin the same yarn over and over again.  I'm learning there is a discipline to spinning, if I want to spin a larger quantity of yarn for a specific project.

Thank goodness I live in the 21st Century, where I'm not required to spin, knit, and weave all of the fabric for my garments.  I'd be wearing only a scarf and a hat. 

This version of the Thistle yarn is for a sweater for me, although a sweater may be too ambitious, given the calculations I arrived at for Bill's Mystery Wool Sweater.  One hundred and seven hours to spin and knit a sweater for Bill. Granted, he's a wee bit larger than me, however, I will need roughly the same amount of yarn for a sweater for me as a vest for him.

I love this colorway because it is fun to spin and knit.  As fun as it is, and as much as I need to inject some discipline into my spinning, the next step is to calculate yarn specs for the finer version of yarn and make the garment calculations.