Great White Bale Lot 2
$ 42.00
The "wait, no, seriously, this is woolen-spun too?!" marvel of a yarn that was spun at Blackberry Ridge in Mount Horeb, Wisconsin.
305 yards / 279 m
Weight: Approx. 4.2 oz
Suggested needle size: Anywhere from US 5-7 (3.75-4.5mm)
The second of four yarns spun out of a single, 676-pound bale of scoured superfine Saxon Merino from upstate New York as part of the Great White Bale narrative yarn adventure that was the foundation for Clara's book, Vanishing Fleece.
Lot 2 was spun in Mt. Horeb, Wisconsin, at the Blackberry Ridge Woolen Mill. We left one skein au naturel, the other was sent to Kristine at A Verb for Keeping Warm. There she and Adrienne naturally dyed it using madder extract in a technique that gave deliciously subtle varying shades of saturation.
Lot 2 is another truly one-of-a-kind yarn that can never be repeated.
Swatching notes:
- As with Lot 1, I urge you to play with needle sizes and see what happens to the fabric. While it looks far smoother and more ”worstedy” than Lot 1, this is also a true woolen-spun yarn. As such, it will expand or contract to fill whatever space you give those stitches.
- Again with the bloom! While both of your skeins have already been washed this time, they will still bloom quite beautifully in that first wash. With that bloom comes a cohesion that will turn your stitches into fabric.
- The yarn’s smoother surface texture means you can get away with a lot more. Stockinette ap- pears smooth with just a hint of artisanal thick/thin, ribbing is plush and three-dimensional. Cables? Amazing.
Lace is a little trickier because the yarn is so poofy, it tends to cover up the YO holes more than a slick worsted-spun yarn would. If you’re considering lace, look for a pattern that has large areas of knit stitches. That’s where the yarn will really define itself.
What really gave me the vapors? Seed and garter stitch. Speaking of garter stitch, since you have two colors you should try shadow knitting or even stripes.