Spin-Off – September 2019

66 Spin Off • http://www.interweave.com

PROJECT

undyed Merino top, 25% silver angora cloud, and 25%

sari silk pulled roving. Using my drumcarder, I blended

four batts, each consisting of 0.21 ounces recycled sari

silk, 0.21 ounces angora, and 0.42 ounces Merino.

I began by feeding predrafted wool top onto the

carder, followed that with the angora cloud, and added

predrafted sari silk roving last to help hold the angora in

place, because it has a tendency to float away. I removed

the batt from the drumcarder, split it in half lengthwise,

teased the halves wider, and fed each half onto the carder

one at a time with the wool side down. This was the

effect I wanted for shimmering scales: the fibers were

intermingled but not so blended that they were muddy.

Spinning Notes

I split the batt into 2-inch-wide strips of fiber and

gently predrafted to prepare for spinning. I spun the

strips using a short forward draw with twist in the web

to create a semiwoolen yarn on my Schacht Ladybug

with Scotch tension. For the Z-spun singles, I used a

ratio of 8:1, then switched to 6.5:1 for plying S from a

center-pull ball. I spun the main color yarn with a short

forward draw using the same ratios and twist direction.

The Rainbow Fish, by Swiss author and artist Marcus

Pfister, is a story about a beautiful fish that learns to

make friends by sharing his colorful scales. Inspired by

this popular children’s book, I set out to create my own

shimmering, colorful cowl using one of my favorite

spinning tools—a recently acquired drumcarder.

For this project, I used my drumcarder to blend

recycled sari silk and Merino with angora collected from

my own rabbits. The result was soft, iridescent handspun

yarn with flecks of all the colors of the rainbow,

highlighted in an infinity scarf designed to be wrapped

twice around the neck. When woven loosely through the

knitting, the colorful yarn curves slightly, resembling fish

scales. I paired it with a natural-colored smooth wool for

contrast and to let the handspun yarn shine. Both sides of

the scarf are equally beautiful, so it can be worn showing

either or both sides of the work. This pattern would also

work well featuring art yarn or thick-and-thin yarn that

can be hard to match with a knitting pattern.

Preparation Notes

After sampling and swatching, the fiber blend I settled

on for the shimmering scales (contrasting color) was 50%

Rainbow Fish

Infi nity Scarf

By Stefanie Johnson

1. Batt carded once. 2. Batt carded twice.
   
   
   1. Merino combed top. 2. Angora cloud. 3. Recycled sari silk pulled
      roving. 4. Handspun main color. 5. Handspun contrasting color.
   
   
   
   

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