Drumroll……[sounds of yarn whacking rhythmically on the side of a bathtub]….
Over the last couple of weeks, I’ve been working on a big, scary project: I’m spinning up a sweater’s worth of yarn, starting from the fleece.
Here is my first batch of plied yarn, drying on the back of the bathroom door. I choose this spot for drying because it’s convenient to my washing station (the bathroom sink) and because it’s right next to a blowing air vent, which speeds up drying time.
This first go-round of plying resulted in a little over 1,000 yards of 2-ply. Approximately dk-worsted weight (I think…I’ll have to swatch).
I washed the hanks, first in hot water with Eucalan, then shocked them in a bucket of cold water, then back into the hot water, then back into the cold again. This process helped relax a LOT of the twist and felted the yarn a bit, which helps it hold together better. There’s still a little bit of excess twist here and there, but NOTHING compared to how they started. The transformation, pre-wash to post-wash is astounding.
I’m normally a worsted spinner not a woolen spinner, so you know what I notice the most about this yarn after washing? The hanks aren’t dripping on the floor as they dry. Usually,when I dry my denser, worsted yarn, I put a towel down on the floor to prevent puddles. With this woolen yarn, I don’t need to do that. I’m actually able to squeeze out most of the water by hand. Amazing.
I’m not done plying yet. I still have a few more bobbins to go. I’ll let you know what my final yield is, with photos, when I’m all done.
All She Wants To Do Is Knit 
Q – quite an undertaking! Cannot wait to see the updates!
What a fascinating process! Thanks for posting and the pics.
Awesome! I still haven’t learned what worsted vs woolen is with spinning. Can you explain it?
Wow!! That is quite the undertaking 🙂 Are you going to dye it or leave it natural?
I think I’ll leave it natural.
Wow! I am so impressed by this! I just learned how to spin and I can’t imagine spinning enough yarn to knit an entire sweater. Of course, I still just have a drop spindle and no spinning wheel so it would take me forever… Best of luck! I look forward to seeing the results
Wow, congrats on getting so much spinning done…i usually get impatient and start knitting before i’ve spun enough yarn for the project. Goodluck with your jumper.
How exciting – have you already decided what kind of sweater you’re going to make with it? The yarn looks lovely so far.
No I haven’t settled in a sweater yet. Might ask for suggestions.
Very cool!
Wow. Seriously wow. How wonderful will it be to have gone from fleece to jumper yourself? Come the apocalypse, you’ll be sorted! 😉
Thank you for sharing this process! Your yarn looks good.
this looks so great you should be proud of yourself
Aww thanks.