Homespun

Some time ago, a friend described me as being more "homespun" that she was. I took it poorly at the time: Didn't that mean something humble, not artful, probably plain?

Nowadays I have a different take on the word, a lot more positive -- in part because handspun is homespun! The word can mean something beautiful. Or at least I try to spin something beautiful.

Lately, I've been working on spinning a two-ply thick-and-thin yarn: above, in merino and silk. Your first ply alternates between very thin and very thick, while your second ply is as even as your fingers can make it. Both plies are overspun slightly. When you ply them together, you use the even ply as a binder and you loop the thick-and-thin ply around it, as playfully as can be.

This technique is well described and illustrated in "Spin Art: Mastering the Craft of Spinning Textured Yarn" by Jacey Boggs. You can learn more about it here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kAEx88UX-6Y

At the top of the page and below are photos of two yarns spun in merino. All are available now in my Etsy shop, Random Acts of Color..