Indian Summer (2013 September) on Superwash BFL+Nylon
Each month, we dye a brand new, unique colourway for our Spinning Fibre and Sock Yarn Clubs. We’re shipping out the October packages this week, so it’s a good time to let you know what we did for September:
the colourway //
Indian Summer is a searing hot, cranked up colourway of flaming reds, saffron, golden oranges, plums and wine. We’ve been making lighter, softer colourways in the past few months, and this month was perfect to get back to vibrant and saturated colours. Often times this summer it’s been unbearably hot. The coming of an Indian Summer will signal the real start to fall when we can enjoy our wools and crisp weather!
the yarn //
BFL Sock. Our beloved Bluefaced Leicester made washable. BFL is one of the softest, glossiest medium-long wools (longer fibre “staple” length), making it a great choice for socks. The fibre is naturally more durable than softer wools like Merino, and with the addition of nylon, your handknit projects will last for a long time.
This fibre is machine washable and won’t felt easily, but it’s always best to treat your finished knits with great care (read: never put your socks in the dryer).
knitting thoughts //
BFL Sock is ideally-suited to socks or other hard-wearing items. The bright variegation in this colourway would lend itself well to chevrons or a sock pattern like Skew. If you want to emphasize the strong colours, try a planned pooling project, perhaps.
the fibre //
Brand new to us, we brought in this gorgeous BFL+Nylon (85% Superwash Bluefaced Leicester wool, 15% nylon) blend top? It’s the perfect blend for spinning your own sock yarn!
Bluefaced Leicester is naturally a longer wool, making it stronger and glossier than other wool breeds. It’s well-suited for more hardwearing projects while also being soft enough for next-to-skin wear. The added nylon beefs up the blend and makes it even stronger. While this blend is machine washable, keep it away from your dryer!
spinning thoughts //
Since this blend is so wonderfully designed for socks, I’d look at spinning a 3-ply or 4-ply sock yarn with it. These hot, vibrant colours can be toned down, if you like, by splitting and recombining strips of different colours and spinning them together. Or Navajo-ply your yarns to maintain the clarity in the colours!
Stay tuned for future updates of our club colourways. I’m hoping we’ll post these on a monthly basis after the threat of spoilers has past! You can see many of our previous Club colourways here »
