Because it's nice to know what other spinners
think about a fiber you haven't yet tried,
welcome to the Knittyspin Fiber Fiesta feature!
Each type of fiber is tested by 2-4 average
spinners, each with a different background
and level of experience. Each spinner is
provided with the same amount of fiber, and
each spinner spins, plies, finishes and knits
each fiber as it speaks to them. Their feedback
is collected on a standardized form and
summarized below.
Fiber that did not receive good feedback will not be featured
in Knitty, in accordance with our review policy, so if
a fiber is featured here, it means the majority of spinners
liked it!
Retail prices
are in USD.
Fiber
Optics Hand dyed to produce a gradient
yarn when spun.
Fiber
Merino/Silk
Gradients
Color
purple-to-gold
Weight
4 oz
Put up
top
Price
$26.00
# of spinners
4
overall
impression
A Great
colorway B It was beautiful at every phase and a pleasure to work with. I want
more. C I cannot say enough good things about all of her fibers.
I could spin this and only this. D Rich color and unbelievably soft.
how does it feel? 1= pot scrubber
5= baby’s
bum
how much predrafting
needed?
1= a ton
5= none
how did it spin? 1= fought me like Moby Dick
5=
aaaaaah
dye leak? 1=lots
5=none
describe it
in a phrase
A Fun
and interesting colorway B Tequila sunrise C The whole package – stunning
color, buttery softness and smooth
spinning D Yummilicious
how did you spin
it?
A Worsted B Woolen longdraw C Long draw from the
fold in random chunks of color D Worsted split in
half and reversed colors when plying
to make it marl
how did you
ply it?
A 2
ply B single C 2 ply D 2 ply
WPI
A 10 B 14 C 16
D 10
how did you finish
it?
A Rinse
and whack B Hot soak in Soak
and hang C Warm water gentle
whacking D Rinse
and hang
did
it do what you expected, or were you
surprised?
A I
am anxious to make a finished product
to see how the yarn stripes. Colorway
is great. B The colors were
intense and beautiful. I couldn’t
stop watching them when I spun, wonderful
long, clear color runs that flow into
each other. I was hoping for a finer
yarn. I keep forgetting about the ‘puff
factor’. C No surprises really. I might try spinning a lighter
yarn with it to show off the drapiness. D Exactly fabulous.
what
would you make with it?
A Sweater,
cowl, hat, thicker shawl B Shawl, working with
the gradient color
C All sorts of things. Silky scarves and sweater. D Anything. I want the
color for socks
Floribunda
Rose (a kettle-dyed one-of-a-kind colorway)
Weight
4 oz
Put
up
top
Price
$14.00
#
of spinners
4
overall
impression
A Loved
the colorway and it spun up beautifully B Lovely colorway,
fantastic fiber to spin C Gorgeous earthy
color D This colorway looks
just like a rose bush. BFL dyed with
care; the fiber still has its crimp
defined.
how does it
feel? 1= pot scrubber
5= baby’s bum
how
much predrafting needed?
1= a ton
5= none
how did it
spin? 1= fought me like Moby Dick
5= aaaaaah
dye leak? 1=lots
5=none
describe it
in a phrase
A Earthy
and cozy B Wood nymph C Rosewood D Rosie
how did you
spin it?
A Worsted B Worsted C Woolen, sliding
long draw D I simply sat down
and spun it up into plump goodness.
how did you
ply it?
A 2
ply B 2 ply C 2 ply D 2 ply
WPI
A 12 B 8 C 6 D 14
how did you
finish it?
A Soak
and whack B Hot rinse and hang C Soak in SOAK and
hot water and hang D Hot cold hot whack
hang to dry.
did
it do what you expected, or were you
surprised?
A It
did what I expected- the roving was
soft and beautiful and it created soft
and beautiful yarn. B I loved seeing all
the colors combine when I plied C Really like how
the earth tones almost eclipse
the pink, but the pink holds on to
lift it. D Floribunda Rose spun up graciously with no surprises
what
would you make with it?
A Sweater B Cardigan C Sweater D Beret or shawlette
Natural
Obsessions Targhee is a wonderful wool to spin,
and has spectacular bounce and squish.
I love how it takes color and how those
colors create a visual sense of cushiness.
Fiber
Targhee
Color
Oceans
at Night
Weight
4 oz
Put
up
top
Price
$20.00
#
of spinners
4
overall
impression
A Spun
like a dream B Easy to spin and
great cushy wool yarn. The colors spun
up to be a denim-y looking yarn. C Love the colors.
Great range of blues D Lovely texture,
and color. Family members coveted the
color at first glance. Excellently
sproingy
how does it
feel? 1= pot scrubber
5= baby’s bum
how
much predrafting needed?
1= a ton
5= none
how did it
spin? 1= fought me like Moby Dick
5= aaaaaah
dye leak? 1=lots
5=none
describe it
in a phrase
A Denim
wooly cushiness B Forever in blue
jeans C Very calm D Targheelicious
how did you
spin it?
A Worsted B Split it lengthwise,
spun one half from the end, the other
I divided and spun in short sections
and plied the two together. C Worsted thick thinish D This Oceans at Night targhee flowed right through
my fingers into a semi worsted single, on my medium whorl, scotch tension.
how did you
ply it?
A 2
ply B 2 ply C 2 ply D I plied her up 2ply
on a higher whorl in a neat plump twist
WPI
A 8 B 6 C 16 D 12
how did you
finish it?
A Rinse
and wack B Hot soak and hang C Rinse and hung D Soaked it hot and then
plunged it into cold, then thwacked
it on my house and hung it to dry for
all to admire
did
it do what you expected, or were you
surprised?
A My
yarn turned out chunkier than I expected
-- it poofed up after spun B Absolutely loved
watching all the denim colors combine
as I plied it C I like
this better when I knit it than when I spun it D This spin was awesome. It
just spun itself into a plump juicy single. The
colors are an awesome blue variety.
what
would you make with it?
A Mittens
or a cowl B Man’s sweater
or boyfriend sweater C Something that
would be seen, because of the great
color D Cowl, hat, mittens
A Bright
bold colors and an easy spin. B Fluffy and puffy C Vibrant colors D When I pulled
the fiber out of the tie up to see it
all, I found the fiber to be dyed in
an interesting manner. One end of it
was one color and the other another,
with very little change in the middle
or throughout the fiber. This posed a
how to spin it quandary…. Was
I going to end up with a skein with a
hunk of one color that blended to another
?
how does it
feel? 1= pot scrubber
5= baby’s bum
how
much predrafting needed?
1= a ton
5= none
how did it spin? 1= fought me like Moby Dick
5= aaaaaah
dye leak? 1=lots
5=none
describe it
in a phrase
A Soft
and lofty B Peter Max poster C Almost spun it self – long
draw with almost no effort and that is
saying something for me D Squooshy E Bouncy
how did you
spin it?
A Separated
in half lengthwise, spun from end and
plied B Pulled a quarter or
less vertically and spun thin worsted.
With the rest spun thick and thin.Used
the worsted as a binder reversing the
colors. C Long draw from small chunks from the fold in the color
order it came. D Woolen, chunky single E I spun it worsted on a large whorl, scotch tension with
my regular tight-ish
twist
how did you
ply it?
A 2
ply B 2 Ply C Single D 2 ply
WPI
A 7 B 5 C 24 D 14 E 12
how did you
finish it?
A Hot
soak and hand B Soak and hang C Way too much hot water
and agitation but it was all good D Fulled hot/cold soaks
with menacing E Hot and then cold
soak. Swung it out and hung it to dry
did
it do what you expected, or were you
surprised?
A Each
half had its own distinct colors.
When I spun it, it was like getting two
skeins of yarn instead of one. B Wasn’t sure
about the colors, but I love it as a
thick and thin yarn, added tone and depth
to all of the colors. C I forgot what it was
(or never asked) and assumed it was merino
or superwash merino. I got a bit too
aggressive with the agitation and it
started to felt on itself. But it was
salvaged and the resulting yarn was strong. D Had
I known it was Polwarth? Hmmm… it
wasn’t quite as soft as I would
have expected. I had trouble keeping
it even and that surprised me – it
was a little sticky E This Polwarth was a
pleasant spin as fiber goes. I stripped
it lengthwise and spun one strip from one
and then flipped the other strip so that
when I plied it I would have some color
opposition. This method worked to manage
the color most of the way through my skein.
what
would you make with it?
A Accessories B Art yarn cowl C Started a sock. Hats,
mittens. D Scarf or hat E Hat or mittens
A Smooth
spinning and a great heathery brown color. B Surprisingly soft
for Jacob, fantastically prepared. C I love the Jacob D Downright WOOLY. Squooshy
and earthy both. This fiber smells good,
feels good and wants to be spun up but good
how does it
feel? 1= pot scrubber
5= baby’s bum
how
much predrafting needed?
1= a ton
5= none
how did it spin? 1= fought me like Moby Dick
5= aaaaaah
dye leak? 1=lots
5=none
n/a
describe it
in a phrase
A
Naturally
heathery B Perfectly sheepy C Sheepy goodness D Jacobs are very handsome
sheep
how did you
spin it?
A Worsted B Long draw woolen C Worsted D I spun it semi long draw aiming for a puffy semi
bulky yarn. It spun up with dignity
how did you
ply it?
A 2
ply B 2 ply C 2 ply D 2 ply
WPI
A 12 B 6 C 10 D 12
how did you
finish it?
A Rinse
and whack B Hot soak in SOAK C Fulled hot/cold menaced D Soaked it hot with
a tad of SOAK and then plunged
it into cold, then thwacked it on my
house and hung it to dry
did
it do what you expected, or were you
surprised?
A Spun
easier and more evenly than I expected B Spun
very easily – one handed
long draw – no problem! C Easier than I thought D I expected Jacob to
be wire like, but it proved me wrong.
It was strong and fluffy.
what
would you make with it?
A Outwear B cables C workhorse cable sweater D A hat, a puffy car
coat, or mittens.
