The Details

4oz of BFL & Firestar from Frabjous Fibers

12wpi/Sport Weight

approx 230yds

One of my go-to shows to rewatch/listen to while spinning or doing fiber prep is Futurama. Because, at heart, I’m 12. So when I was digging through my stash last week (after a beer or 3) and saw this label I immediately read Spargle instead of Sparkle. In my mind this yarn became Iris Spargle, the totally-made-up-by-me daughter of Helmut’s equally fictional estranged 2nd wife, who had a fling with Elzar.

This is also my first entry in Merinelle’s Spinning Challenge. Our January challenge was to take a a commercial yarn and replicate it as closely as possible. I chose this ball of singles that I lost the band to years ago –

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I don’t remember the brand name or fiber, but I very vividly remember buying it while living in Austin. One Saturday every month NASlacker and I would have breakfast at the Magnolia Cafe or Austin Java, then head down South Congress to a salon for our hair appts, which was conveniently across the street from Hill Country Weavers.

Due to a number of colliding factors we really weren’t happy living there, so when I came across some yarn that had a colorway actually called “Carolina Blue”  a huge wave of homesickness came over me (mind you, it didn’t take much, as I was also pregnant with Little Buddy at the time). Three of the best years of my life were spent getting my MFA at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hil; so just finding a little bit of baby blue while living in a sea of burnt orange meant the world to me. I MAY have teared up a bit when I bought it.

Choosing this yarn allowed me to spend some time remembering UNC and The Triangle, but it was also a good way to challenge myself. Spinning singles is easy, but spinning 4oz of consistent, strong, balanced singles is very hard.  I mostly achieved my goal. The consistencey isn’t completely there, but it’s close. It’s a bit overspun in spots, but not too badly. My yarn is more Sport than the DK weight of the original. But it’s the most balanced single I’ve ever spun and it’s going to make a great weft for a scarf.