Fiber Corner

Daily life of a knitting designer/publisher of handknitting patterns

Sunday, September 13, 2009

Fractal Socks

This summer I completed one spin to knit project. A pair of three ply handspun socks.
The roving was from a Blue Moon Sheep to Shoe kit purchased at Madrona last winter. It's pretty darn bright!
But, the colors cross the color wheel so I figured it would tone down once it was spun and plied. Spun as a fractal; it's a true sock weight 3 ply. To get the fractal effect, the top is split lengthwise into three sections, one bobbin is spun back and forth across the top to make long runs of color. The piece for the second bobbin is split lengthwise three more times and spun end to end to make medium runs of color. And, the piece for the third bobbin is split lengthwise into six very skinny strips and spun end to end to make color runs that quickly change.
2 oz.
316 yds.
Turned out to be just enough for a pair of socks (and I really mean "just" enough as there were two small butterflies left of about a yard each). The pattern is my basic sock recipe
Toe up
Afterthought heel
Graduated ribbing
Gauge 10st/1"
No, they are not a perfect match, can you see me twitching. ;) But, the roundness of the 3 ply makes them so comfortable to wear. Still have 6 oz of roving left so I'm going to spin the next batch as a navajo ply to see how that compares.

Okay, that's all for now.