Handspun Worsted/Aran yarn, merino wool, alpaca & silk, mini skeins

I wind my handspun yarn into skeins (you might also call them hanks). Its a convenient way of getting yarn to you untangled and allows me to give you an accurate estimate of the length (count the number of loops and multiple by the length of the skein).

A Skein will be anything 30g or heavier

A Mini Skein is generally around the 20g mark so I use that description for skeins from 15g to 30g

A Micro Skein is under 15g. When the length of yarn gets down to sample territory rather than a usable length you might see Nano Skeins (bear in mind 8g of laceweight is going to go a lot further than 8g of chunky art yarn)

You'll notice that the weights of the skeins vary a bit, that's because I'm a knitter too and that makes me adverse to joins in yarn. Let me explain that a bit more clearly - when I spin say 100g of fibre on to two bobbins its very unlikely I'll get precisely 50g on to each one. I could split it evenly when I wind the skeins but that would mean taking a bit off one length and adding it to the other - you get two equal weight skeins but would find a knot in one of them!

To avoid the dreaded knots I don't even out the skeins. To make things a bit easier I group the skeins by size but always give you an approximate weight and length measurement. That doesn't necessarily mean the heavier skeins are better value, the length (yardage) is the important measurement!

I classify my handspun by yarn weight (thickness) and suggested tension/gauge (number of stitches and rows over a stated size) to give you a guide to their use -

Please, always check for yourself! Knitting a swatch and checking your tension/gauge is always a good idea but it's particularly important when working with handspun yarn

*wpi - Wraps per inch, literally a measurement of yarn thickness

** Stitches to 10cm/4" in stocking stitch

Sometimes you might need more handspun yarn than I have available, sometimes I can help with that...

As spinning is my relaxation time, I don't spin to order as such. If I have, or can obtain, more fibre for a yarn you can ask me to add it to my 'to spin' list. To do that either drop me an email at anna@alittletangled.co.uk or use the chat box. Once I know what you are looking for I'll work on spinning. When it's ready I'll let you and give you the opportunity to purchase it before anyone else. What I won't do is give you a precise date it'll be ready (minimum turnaround is 2 weeks) or take payment before it's ready (quantities over 200g may require a deposit)

To help you choose your yarn I've labelled them as

One of a Kind (OOAK) - These are one offs, I won't be able to spin any more than is already available

Limited edition (Ltd Ed) - I have a limited quantity of the fibre required to spin these yarns, let me know how much you'll looking for and I'll check if its possible

Repeatable - I either have, or can obtain more stock of the fibre to spin these. If a yarn isn't marked as OOAK or Ltd Ed then it's repeatable* (I reserve the right to make errors here, I'll always double check before I agree to spin!)

* When I say 'repeatable' I know you know about batch variation and that 'handspun/blended/made' means I'm no machine, there will be variations!

'Cool hand wash and dry flat' is my suggestion for the majority of my handspun yarn. Most will felt (which could be a good thing if you're a felter!)

I wet finish all my handspun which helps to eliminate any loose dye however, it's always a good idea to wash strong colours separately.

I do my very best to show you images that portray my products accurately. However, colours will vary with monitor settings etc and some, in particular reds, oranges and pinks, do not photograph well. If I can help with descriptions, just let me know using the chat or drop me an email at anna@alittletangled.co.uk