100-mile skirt update

As a result of a great effort, and I kid you not, I now have two decent sized skeins of 2 x 2 cabled yarn.  It is a total of 400 m and 212 g. I know I don't have enough to make the entire skirt, but I have enough to get started, and maybe even get mid-thigh. But it's a darned good start and that's exactly what I need.

As a reminder, this yarn is made up of two strands of 2-ply yarn. In each strand there is a singles of grey alpaca and a singles of blue merino/silk/bamboo.Yes, that's singles with an "s", the single strand of yarn that you spin is called a singles. Don't argue with me, I didn't make up this spinning language.  

When you spin the singles for a cabled yarn, it's a good idea to put a gentle twist into it. The fibres I am/was working with are fine fibres and I was spinning a thin yarn, so I made sure that there was enough twist to just lock the fibres into place, that's a way to ensure a gentle twist.  Then I plied the grey and blue together putting a lot of twist into the ply. A lot of twist into it. So much that I had to take breaks because my treadling leg got tired. Seriously.  And I'm a runner. 

Then I plied those over/super plied yarns together and got a 2 x 2 cabled yarn.  Why all this work you ask?

I am making a skirt that I want to last and look good.  The seat of a skirt gets wear and tear so I wanted a structure that can take wear and tear and bounce back.  A cabled yarn is the answer.  At least that's what I have been lead to believe.

Here are the finished skeins all washed, bashed and ready to be made into balls and knit up. They are soft, surprisingly light and from a distance they look like denim.  There's 400 m of it, so it's enough to really get going on this skirt and then only (hopefully) have a wee bit to spin up to finish.

And then I'll have a 100-mile skirt.

Imagine that.