Small Packages

At her talk the other night, Lisa Sousa gave each of us a small bag of very fine merino:



I spun my sample, both to see how it would spin up, and to test for yardage, should I want to do a whole project with fine merino. This fiber would be perfect for a lightweight scarf or shawl; it can be spun into a soft, fine and warm yarn.

I spun it up on a 3/4 ounce spindle:



It worked perfectly, I don't think either a lighter weight or heavier spindle would do as well for me. If I were doing a larger project, though, more than 4 ounces, I would likely use a wheel; a fast one with a very light tension.

I wound that small cop into a center pull ball and plied:

b

The results are a skein that weighs 25g (0.08 ounces), and was 608" before washing, 570" after washing (15.8 yards), or *about* 195 yards per ounce (197.5 yes. per ounce):



Lots of small shawls use around 400 yards, so a mere 3 ounces would be plenty! Lots! A Bargain! in fact. Where to buy? My retailers are Carolina Homespun, and Village Spinning and Weaving...click here to find other vendors.

Other small packages this week? I have been babysitting: