Better than Expected

I'm writing this post from my favorite chair in Florida, officially on vacation. But before we left for our trip, I did manage to finish up my spinning project. I didn't have many expectations for this FatCatKnits Polwarth/flax yarn, as I'd never spun such a blend of fiber before, so I was very pleasantly surprised by the outcome.

I anticipated that the Polwarth would poof up some when it was washed, and it did, but only slightly -- not nearly as much as a 100% Polwarth usually does. The skein was fairly balanced after washing, too, and it still seems to have good drape. After finishing the yarn is roughly light fingering and 272 yards for 2.5 ounces.

Another pleasant surprise was how well the colors lined up in plying. I had split the fiber in half (more or less) lengthwise, but there was a bit more on one bobbin than the other, so there's a bit of barberpoling, but I think it adds to the depth of color. The flax content gives a tweediness to the yarn that I really like.

My only complaint about this skein is that, as I suspected it would, it blend considerably when I washed it: The wash water was a dark purple. The rinse water was a much lighter purple, so I highly suspect that it was a case of excess dye. I didn't notice any purple on the towel I used to dry the skein or in the shower where it was hung to dry, so I'm hoping I got it all out.

I won't be doing any spinning this week, but I'm excited to spin up the other skein of yarn from this club shipment when I get back!