Infinity Yarn and Fiber - Phat Fiber Sample

Infinity Yarn and Fiber - Phat Fiber Sample
Originally uploaded by Project Pictures

Wensleydale, part two!

This beautiful braid is Wensleydale wool again, but this time in a combed-top preparation rather than a carded batt. (For those not in the know, a combed prep. of fiber aligns all the filaments parallel and usually sorts the long strands and discards the shorter ones, while a carded prep. jumbles everything together every which way. For true worsted spinning you need combed fibers. For true woolen spinning you need carded. But thankfully there are a lot of in-betweens in these two extremes).

Infinity Yarn and Fiber dyed this wool and named it "Murky". I'm betting there's a story there, but I'm not sure exactly what! I still was thrilled to get to spin Wensleydale again.

Like the MCMercantile sample, the staple seems to be about twelve inches long. This fiber, tho, seems even more glossy than the previous batt. That could be because it is combed and everything lying flat together picks up the light more than a jumbled batt. It could be a natural variation between two sheep. Both fibers were beautiful. Murky has a hint of brown in it near the creamy section, but the rest are subtle shades of aqua blue.

Spinning this was even easier than the carded batt. The combed top is (in my opinion) a better choice for this fiber. The strands slipped smoothly past each other and locked into place with the twist. The luster of the fiber clearly showed through and even though it is much more wiry and firm than Merino wool, its smoothness gives it a silky hand once spun.

I love this fiber, and if I were to start spinning hard-wearing items, I'd highly consider buying a whole lot more.