Favorite Fiber

Just wondering out of curiosity what fiber you all enjoy spinning the most and why?

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Frances Tornese on March 24, 2012 at 9:42pm

I enjoy wool and specifically Merino and Romney the best. I think I would enjoy silk more except that I can't get my hands smooth enough so they don't snag the fibers.

Permalink Reply by Susan the Blue Lake Knitter on March 24, 2012 at 10:10pm

I love all the fibers I spin, but for now my merino/silk blends, and targhee are my favs. I also enjoy my alpaca fibers, though I don't spin as much of this as I would like. I have some Polwarth and South African Fine on hand that I'm dying to try out... I may have to change my mind after these... LOL

Permalink Reply by cherylbwaters on March 26, 2012 at 11:43pm

I agree with Susan. Anything I can spin - though BFL is really nice.

Permalink Reply by christina | AlohaBlu on March 24, 2012 at 11:11pm

i love merino blends like merino/bamboo, merino/nylon, merino/silk, merino/tencel - love the feel and the shine you get with tencel and bamboo. targhee is super bouncy too! i've just started spinning cotton roving and that is super soft! i have some cormo coming in and i can't wait to try it out since many here like it.

Permalink Reply by Elaine Wenger on March 25, 2012 at 6:34am

Christina, did you say Cormo? It is super soft. The Maryland Sheep and Wool is the first weekend in May. I might be looking at a Cormo fleece then. Or a CVM/ Romendale fleece.

I enjoy Merino, Merino/ Silk/Bamboo, Polwarth, BFL. My family won't wear coarser wools so I don't waste time spinning and knitting them.

Permalink Reply by Susan the Blue Lake Knitter on March 25, 2012 at 6:44am

I have not found a wool that isn't fun to spin... they are all nice, but I find myself sticking with the next to the skin wearables for most things. I recently acquired some Polwarth, but have not had a chance to work with it yet... it's next up, after I finish the 6 oz. of alpaca, and 12 oz. of mohair/long wool blends sitting in the wings.

I have only spun a little bit of Cormo, and would love to get more of it. My DD spun and dyed some Cormo for me for my birthday, but there is nothing like spinning it yourself.

I have so many things I want to try, and so many ideas... there are just NOT enough hours in a day for all that I want to do.

Permalink Reply by christina | AlohaBlu on April 5, 2012 at 6:09pm

Susan - here's a photo of my dyed Cormo, along with the 'matching' yarn. I had dyed the yarn first when the dyes were warm, then dyed the wool after the dyes cooled. They started to break almost immediately after I painted them onto the wool - curious. Even more interesting, I used 2 acid dyes and 1 fiber reactive dye (normally used for cellulose fibers) and the yarn came out nicely. am thinking i might try dyeing another wool in this colorway this weekend. BTW, this colorway is CoffeeBean & TeaLeaf, after my favorite 'mainland' coffee shop.

Permalink Reply by Susan the Blue Lake Knitter on April 5, 2012 at 6:17pm

Christina, That is lovely...such nice rich colors... it's amazing how the dye reacts in different ways. Never a dull moment.

Permalink Reply by Julie Hartford on April 5, 2012 at 7:11pm

Wow, that's amazing how that spun up - beautiful!!

Permalink Reply by christina | AlohaBlu on April 5, 2012 at 7:52pm

oh sorry i confused you. i haven't spun up the cormo yet but used the same dyes on some laceweight yarn. the yarn came out completely different than the cormo! i was about to spin the cormo this evening but brought out my blending hackle instead . . .

Permalink Reply by Dawn Railsback on April 6, 2012 at 6:06am

That is gorgeous! Can't wait to see the Cormo spun up!

Permalink Reply by christina | AlohaBlu on March 25, 2012 at 12:18pm

Yes! I have been looking for a while for some Cormo because I hear it's wonderful. I found an 8-oz listing on etsy so grabbed it. Oh! I forgot about CVM! I want to try that too. I agree with Susan - so many things to try!