It’s not often that fiber goes straight from the package onto my spinning wheel, but this colorway is just so pretty and happy that I couldn’t resist.
Sunbonnet is a hand dyed colorway from the Sisters over at Inglenook Fibers. The combination of happy colors and Little House on the Prairie-esque name meant that I had to try it. This is the first full spin I’ve done of their fiber, and I was not disappointed.
I lost my spinning mojo earlier this spring when we started looking for a house to buy. The entire process was so overwhelming and competitive that I got really burned out, and information overload took over my brain for a while, pushing a lot of other stuff out. In addition, work was getting complicated with some organizational transitions. Nothing scary, but there were some definite adjustments. I know, I know, spinning can help calm my thoughts. But I was just… exhausted.
It was unfortunate, because I’d just received this order from Inglenook, and the colors were so enchanting that I put Sunbonnet directly on my Ladybug wheel right when it arrived. It’s not often that fiber goes straight from the package onto my spinning wheel, but this colorway is so pretty and happy, and I’d just finished my previous project. I spun a bit to get started, but then she sat there unloved for about a month while I dealt with other stuff. Fortunately, fiber is patient.
Spinning
The fiber wanted to be split into threes, so initially I thought I’d do a three-ply. I used a scale to get three even-weight sections, but once I started spinning I realized that the colors are so close together that a lot of them will end up being blendy mixes of each other. Given that there’s already a lot going on with the colors, I decided to spin it all onto one bobbin and then chain ply it.
While the colors make me happy, I wasn’t initially delighted with the fiber prep. Like other Inglenook stuff I’ve gotten, it smelled like a barnyard, enough for me to want to wash my hands after spinning. Also the silk was not especially integrated into the wool, so I had the problem of loooong silk staple lengths leaving the shorter polwarth behind when drafting. However, after a little practice, I adjusted my spinning to accommodate it and everything was fine.
The upside to waiting a while to spin is that during that month or so, the fiber lost most of its funky smell, and indeed I didn’t end up with stinky yarn. It took me about a month to spin and ply the rest of it.
Plying
I am so pleased I decided to chain ply this fiber. Every time I hit a spot where the colors started to look a little muddy, there was always at least one ply of bright orchid, or soft green, or a bit of silk shining through to break it up. I tried to keep as much color clarity as possible while spinning, but there were a few sections of white or almost-white. Still, they mostly just last for one chain section before another color pops in. I don’t know how the dyers managed to make everything line up so well, but I’m super pleased with this colorway overall.
Finishing
I am also in love with with the resulting yarn. The colors softened up just a tiny bit in the washing process, so no stark whites and just a few darks. Since I was chain plying I tried to spin it pretty fine, but polwarth is a floofy, poofy wool, so I ended up with a worsted weight yarn at about 9 wraps per inch. Consequently, there’s only 274 yards of it. It’s not enough for a big project, but it’s definitely next-to-skin soft, so it will make a delightful hat or cowl. I can’t wait to see how it knits up.
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