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A Little Tangled

Handspun Worsted/Aran yarn, Wool and Bamboo, micro skeins

Handspun Worsted/Aran yarn, Wool and Bamboo, micro skeins

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Micro skeins of worsted/light aran weight handspun yarn, 90% wool & 10% bamboo fibre

Handspun from rolags/punis using my vintage Ashford wheel and chain plied to give a light airy yarn with pops of colour and texture. All these yarns have a soft handle but they do vary in texture according to the sheep breeds used. 

These are all aran or worsted weight yarns (9-12 wraps per inch) with a suggested tension/gauge of approximately 20 stitches and 28 rows to 10cm/4" on 4.5mm needles. Combine them with each other, other colours of my handspun aran or other yarns of similar weight.

If you'd prefer to spin your own yarn then you might like a look at my current selection of rolags and combed top

This yarn is supplied in a skein (hank) with contrasting yarn ties. I wind a skein for each bobbin of yarn I spin and then weigh it. This means you might see some odd weights but you won't find any joins in your yarn. The length (yardage) of each skein is calculated (from skein length and number of turns) individually to give you the most accurate figure. I suggest you wind the yarn into a ball before starting your project, if you'd like me to do that for you just leave me a note at check out.

Cool handwash only. This yarn may felt.
All my handspun yarn is washed after spinning, this sets the twist and helps eliminate any loose dye. However, it's always a good idea to wash dark colours separately, just in case!

Colours

Portsdown, Limited edition, 10g, 18m (20 yds), 10 wpi

Named for the chalk grassland found on Portsdown Hill this is soft olive green with 'flowers' of coral and pink with some teal to represent the view out over Portsmouth Harbour from 'The Hill' (that's what we call it as I live at the base of it!) 60% Merino, 30% Jacob and 10% Bamboo

Netley, Limited Edition, 11g  21m (23 yds), 10 wpi

Rich reds to reflect the rich history of Netley - from a 13th century abbey to a military hospital with a victorian village and castle thrown in fro good measure. Velvety reds with a touch of royal blue and purple. 45% Merino, 15% Exmoor, Blueface, 15% Zwartbles, 9% Bluefaced Leicester, 6% Lustre breeds with 10% Bamboo

Salterns Lake, 11g, 26m (28 yds), 10wpi

Areas within Portsmouth harbour are termed 'lakes', Salterns Lake is at the North West of the harbour as it becomes Fareham Creek, If you've seen Fareham Creek at low tide you'll know this green (and possibly be able to smell it too!) Its a strong green base with lots of depth and texture, 90% Corriedale, 10% Bamboo

Cadnam, Limited Edition,13g, 29m (32 yds), 10 wpi 

Cadnam is where the M27 ends and you feel you've arrived in the New Forest. If the season is right you'll see the soft pinky purples of this yarn as the heather blooms 60% Merino, 30% Jacob and 10% Bamboo

Wallington, Limited Edition, 11g, 26m (28 yds), 10 wpi 

This yarn reminds me of the bright turquoise and orange flash of a kingfisher as it dives. If you're lucky you can witness it for yourself on the river Wallington as it passes through the village of the same name 60% Merino, 30% Jacob and 10% Bamboo

Horsea, 12g, 28m (31 yds), 10 wpi 

Horsea Island in Portsmouth harbour was home to the Naval firefighting school and the dark colour of this yarn reflects the burnt structures used for practice. There are some touches of teal and orange too, the relatively undisturbed area was also a haven for wildlife 90% Corriedale, 10% Bamboo

Bursledon, Limited edition, 12g, 22m (24 yds), 10 wpi 

Home to the last Victorian steam driven brickworks in the country, Bursledon inspired the brick reds, chocolate and burnt oranges of this yarn 30% Merino, 30% Bluefaced Leicester, 30% Jacob and 10% Bamboo

Beaulieu, 12g, 21m (23 yds), 10 wpi 

From the French 'beau lieu' meaning 'beautiful place' the village of Beaulieu was perfect for this multi coloured yarn. Pink, green, blue and yellow all alongside one another for a pretty yarn. This yarn is 36% Devon Closewool, 36% Romney and 18% Exmoor Blueface (all raised in Devon) blended with 10% bamboo fibre  - it has a slightly more robust handle than the other yarns

These yarns are spun from a variety of wool breeds as I've noted in the colour descriptions. Dyed and processed in the UK before being blended with the bamboo fibre, by me, in Hampshire. All merino is sourced from non-mulesed flocks and fibres are dyed to Okeo-Tex 100 standards

Minis & Micros

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!

 

Yarn weight & tension/gauge

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

 Weight US Yarn Standard WPI*

Tension** 

Suggested needles
Lace 0 - Lace 34+ 33-40 1.5-2.25mm
4 ply, Sock, Fingering, Baby 1 - Super Fine 18-30 28-32 2.25-3.25mm
Baby, Sport (4 ply) 2 - Fine 12-18 23-26 3.25-3.75mm
DK, Light Worsted 3 - Light 11-15 22-30 3.75-4.5mm
Aran, Worsted 4 - Medium 9-12 16-20 4.5-5.5mm
Chunky 5 - Bulky 6-9 12-15 5.5-8mm
Bulky, Roving 6 - Super bulky 5-6 10-12 8-12.75mm
Jumbo, Roving 7- Jumbo 1-4 6 or less 12.75mm + up

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

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

Are you looking for some more?

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!

Washing & Care

'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.

Colour matching & images

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

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