Investing

 

Yesterday the box of yarn I ordered arrived.  About $200 worth.  Yes, that little pile of yarn is close to $200.  

What will I make with it?

A better weaver.  One who has never woven with any of these particular yarns before, and therefore needs to understand how they will behave, both in the preparation and in the loom.

The white skeins are a blend of BFL and silk, the three cones in the middle are a fairly thick cotton and the smaller cone by itself at the bottom is a yarn made of two plys, one linen, one cotton.  

The BFL/silk combo is a bit stiffer than expected, but that will simply make it a good candidate for warp in weaving.  Until I can get a sample woven, I won't really know its true nature because it will likely develop into something quite nice after wet finishing.  The density is high, the twists per inch are fairly high, it doesn't seem to have a whole lot of elasticity, so I'm expecting to enjoy this yarn.  We will see.

The 100% cotton is mercerized and - as I say - thick, at 3/2.  It should weave up into nice table textiles - place mats, table runners.  Maybe small curtains.  Cotton performs well in sunshine, standing up to sun degradation reasonably well (although the dye may fade).

The cotton/linen 2 ply?  Well, that is a very interesting yarn.  It is somewhat finer than the cotton and I expect I might try a 2/8 cotton and use it for weft on that as well as a small sample on the 3/2.

Once my sampling is done, I'll create some small items and test my conclusions.

What do I expect at the end?  Will there be something useable?  Perhaps.  But I'll have expanded my knowledge.  And if someone asks me about how to handle these yarns?  I'll have answers with some knowledge to back my opinions, not just give them my best guess.