I fractaled

(I don't know what my problem is regarding getting photos in focus. Maybe it is the camera, maybe it is my eyes, maybe the whole world is currently out of focus (sure feels that way). I apologize for the quality of these pix.)

I overheard some spinners discussing fractal spinning and wondered what it is. According to this site, it is a way to divide some multicolored roving in such a way as to mix up the colors without making a mess of it. Basically, the spinner divides the roving in half lengthwise, then divides one of those halves lengthwise into 2, 3, or 4 pieces (I chose 3). The first half is spun on one bobbin; it may be drafted by pulling it lengthwise. The rest of the roving is spun on another bobbin. This creates one bobbin with long color runs and one bobbin with short color runs. Then the two singles are plied. Easy peasy.

I chose to work with 5 ounces of Lorna's Laces Shepherd Wool top (100% superwash merino) in 'Devon'. Merino is not one of my favorite wools to spin; I find it too slick, but moving the drive belt on my wheel helps hold the yarn together. After spinning a ton of light gray Shetland into super bulky, high grist yarn, I struggled a bit to get a thinner single.

After plying and steaming, I'm left with an incredibly bouncy yarn. I'm not quite done yet - I should have close to 200 yards when finished.

This effort doesn't represent my best spinning but the luscious colors help overcome the lack of consistency. It's also a fun way to experiment with spinning without going too crazy. And the results are sure to please.

UPDATE: Once this roving was all spun and plied and steamed, I ended up with 189 yards, 128 g, of Aran to Bulky yarn.