BFL Redux

I believe I mentioned last month I'd joined the Spin-ALong/Knit-Along or "SPAKAL" that the Knitmore Girls (http://knitmoregirls.blogspot.com) were hosting over on the Ravelry boards. This is a sheep (or fiber) to sweater project wherein we would spin the yarn for and then knit up a sweater by the end of 2012.

I tried doing this last year, spinning 36 ounces of BFL (Blue Faced Leicester) fiber, but I never cast on for the sweater. I didn't think the 1,100 or so yards of worsted weight yarn I spun would be enough for a sweater to fit me. When the SPAKAL project came along it was the perfect incentive to finish last year's sweater project, as well as stash bust some of the fleece I've got for a second sweater.

So on March 27th I split the one pound bump of natural multi-color BFL into sixteen approximately one ounce sections and started spinning. I finished plying my last skein on Apr 15th (1lb in 20 days - I think that might be a record for me). I did not get as much yardage as I had hoped, but overall I'm pleased with the yarn itself. I think it's slightly denser than what I spun last July (average wpi 8/9 vs 10/11 of last year's yarn), but it's still worsted weight. I can always use the "thinner" yarn for the yoke and upper arms and the heavier below.

Final results: six skeins, 292 yards of 4ply 2x2 cabled yarn (1,168 yds of singles).