Hot off the Spindle: Fiber Optic Gradient Braid

This is my favorite thing that I've spun in a while. You might remember that last time I was in the States, at Knitter's Connection I picked up a Fiber Optic Gradient Braid. For months, I was too afraid to spin it because A.) I didn't know what I'd knit with it, and B.) I was afraid I'd ruin it.

Well, I picked a pattern - Lazy Katy, a gorgeous shawl with a stunning shape - and having finished the yarn, I'm fairly certain I didn't ruin it. In fact, I'm super pleased with how it turned out.

It's 516 yards of 16wpi (light fingering) yarn - more than enough for my shawl. The gradient braid's color was Dusty Plum to Olive - going from purple to navy blue to teal to olive green. I absolutely adore the bright colors and the way they effortlessly shift into one another.

I spun the braid by splitting the top in half and spinning each separate ply, then winding them into a plying ball and plying them together. One of my plies was slightly thinner than the other, so I broke off a small amount of each color and plied those into mini-skeins of yarn...

...Which I'm using for a few one-of-a-kind gradient hexipuffs for my Beekeeper's Quilt!


I had such a fun time spinning this braid - I can't wait to get the chance to spin some more Fiber Optic gradients.

~Joyuna