Handspun

I want to show you something. This is my third batch of handspinning, a present for a dear old friend.


Sunshine 3 ply
Fiber: Lisa Souza Superwash Merino in Squash Blossom
Spun worsted with a short forward draw
Ratios: Singles spun at 14:1 on Ashford Kiwi fast flyer set
           Plied at 10:1

Washed and Twacked to finish
Finished weight: 16-24 WPI with a few looser bits, roughly a light fingering weight yarn
I really like that there was a slight barberpole effect

As soon as I ran out of the first of the singles, I opted to switch to Navajo plying (I am getting better at this!!!)

           "Navajo Sunshine"

12-20 WPI, closer to a heavy fingering, light DK weight

I think if i were to do this again, I would want to do all the singles as a Navajo ply in order to preserve the color progression. I like that this one feels more solid, but I still think the barberpole effect on the 3 ply was really interesting and pretty.

So here is my question. Do you think there is a market for handspun? Are knitters still interested in buying yarns that are spun by someone else? Or is it just too expensive?

This is something I've been toying with for the shop. I can spin fairly evenly, and it might be a nice thing to add to the shop, but what do you think? It's obviously something that would only get updated once every two months or so, because of the time involved in spinning fiber. What do you think? Are you more interested in spinning for yourself, or would you consider buying handspun?