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Fractal Spun Winter Hat

When the new colors of wool came into the shop, I was immediately drawn to the combination of these 4 colors. Spearmint, Pistachio, Bright Green and Lemonade look so pretty next to each other.

I wanted them to merge together without actually blending the wool, so I chose to spin them using the Fractal Spinning method. This method makes a lovely, gradual gradient/striped yarn simply by dividing the roving and spinning it in an organized order of color.

There are many combinations that can be used for this method. Flip the colors around, spin long then short, then long again or mirror the colors for instance. No matter what, you are sure to get something beautiful as long as your colors are harmonious. 

Here’s how this yarn was made:

Begin with an ounce of each of the 4 colors.

Divide each ounce in half. Set one half to the side for use on the second bobbin. Spin the 1st bobbin using each color respectively so that the single has nice long segments of all four colors.

The second bobbin requires a bit more preparation. Divide each color in half. Set one half aside. Divide the other half in half again. Set one of those halves aside to follow the 1st half and divide the remaining half again. Continue to divide, saving one segment and splitting the other until you feel that you have enough variation.

Then spin all colors in order of size until all of the wool is on the bobbin. 
Retrieve the 1st bobbin that was spun with the long segments of each color and ply the two bobbins together. Notice how the colors blend while still maintaining the original base colors. If I had combined them using Hand Carders, the integrity of the individual colors would have been lost. It would have still been pretty, I’m sure, but it’s not what I wanted for this particular project.

This method creates an interesting gradient/striped look. 

I knit mine into a simple winter hat and even had just enough left over to make the pompom. 

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