This is another bit of yarn I recently spun – it’s one ply of alpaca and one ply of buffalo (bison). I didn’t end up with much yarn – only about 120 yards or so – but it should be enough to make a little something.
This was my first attempt at spinning bison fiber. I got it at my LYS. The brand is ‘Buffalo Gals’.
The instructions that came with the fiber were interesting:
- Use a small whorl and set the tension on your wheel a little looser than for regular wool
- Hold it in your hand lightly – just as you would hold a baby bird! (my emphasis)
- Bison has lots of crimp! It needs only a moderate amount of twist to hold together.
. . .
I did find the bison a bit tricky to spin. It came in a ‘cloud’ rather than in a roving, and had a few guard hairs that had to be picked out. Also, the staple length is pretty short, and the instructions were spot-on about it requiring a light touch. However, once I got the take-up on my wheel set up correctly, which took a little fiddling, I enjoyed spinning it.
If you have any pattern suggestions for this small amount of yarn, I’d love hearing them. I’m thinking along the lines of a cowl.
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