Paws 2 Spindle
After living with huskies for 2+ decades, we decided to do something with all the fur that we've collected over the years: spin it into yarn! Then knit it! More huskies and their outdoor adventures can be found over at @Paws2Trail@mountains.social.
Icon: a cartoon husky with bi-colored eyes winds yarn he's just spun onto a Turkish spindle. Art by @Mehndi_tgr@meow.social
Banner: 13 balls of white husky yarn arranged in a row from rough to refined on a metal patio table, in bright sunlight.
#TourDeFleece Rest Day # 2 No spinning, but I did transfer my Tibetan Mastiff / merino blends to skein/hank format for better side-by-side comparison. Making up for my unofficial rest day last Friday.
In these photos, top to bottom:
- 2:1 TM/Dark Chocolate (purple ties) 3-ply -2:1 TM/Espresso (orange ties) 3-ply large & 2-ply small
- 3:1 TM/Espresso (yellow ties) 3-ply
I'd already done a 1:1 TM/Espresso blend, and found that it really didn't have the fuzzy halo you get from 100% fur yarn: it was just a brown yarn. So, the bottom 2 blends are to see if I can get more of that halo back with a smaller fraction of wool, while still keeping the benefits of wool's "memory". The fur is much harder to come by, so the more wool I can get away with, the longer I can make the fur last.
The 3:1 does indeed look fuzzier than the 2:1, so I'm quite curious now how it'll compare after wash, thwack/snap, and swatch.
The Dark Chocolate is a slightly redder brown merino from a different sheep from the same flock. It's still subtle, but you can see the difference from the Espresso a little more here than on the bobbins. It brings out the redder tones in the fur, whereas the Espresso is a better match for the dark browns in the fur.

I have defeated the Yarn Chicken!
Yesterday it was nearly 80F/27C* and I finally finished the Harlow Worsted hat I've been working on the last couple of months of winter.
I'm really happy with how it turned out! This should go nicely with the Wheat Scarf that I made using the same golden colored yarn. It's taller than the one I made with Oni's fur so I can get better ear coverage while still folding up the brim for contrast, and I think I got the height spot on this time.
I like strategic design decisions to combat the yarn chicken. I wasn't sure I'd be able to complete the crown with the golden yarn I had left, so I added in the graduated stripes in gray to make the gold last longer. It worked! I kind of wish I'd started the stripes lower down now. I think it has more character than if I'd simply switched to all gray when the gold ran out, as was my original plan.
https://ravel.me/harlow-worsted
* Just for 1 day. We're comfortably back in the 40s today.