Fighting Tough to Handspin Fibers

About a month and a half ago I started a new spin. A fiber blend I had purchased because I loved all the natural colors in it. The roving seemed airy enough so I sat down at my Majacraft Rose and away I went. After a few minutes of struggle and trying to spin from both ends of the fiber I realized it was going to need some extra prep. I started by doing a bit of pre-drafting - it was a little better. Then I stripped down some of the roving to make it less to handle and pre-drafted that making sure to spin from both ends looking for the smoothest draft. Well it was a little better so I prepped a bunch, wrapped it into cute little nests and carried on. I noticed as I kept spinning that the fibers just wouldn't draft easily. They were not blended very well and getting caught up on each other. I kept spinning and kept fighting the fiber. Almost 2 ounces in I put the wheel away (literally out of sight) until just the other day. There was one last little nest of fiber to finish out that first 2 ounces. I took a deep breath, spun from both ends, and guess what... it was still miserable to spin. Did you think I was gonna type that all was good? hahaha, no! In fact in spawned the creation of this blog post. 

Life is too short to fight fiber! I had 2 ounces on 1 bobbin and decided that was it. So what do I do from here and what to do with the other 6 ounces of unspun fiber I have left? Read on for clever ideas of getting out of a not so very fun spin.

What to do with the 2 ounces of spun yarn on the bobbin?
My options as I saw them were to chain ply what was on the bobbin, leave it as singles, or ply it with another single(s). To make the yarn go farther and with the most curb appeal I decided to ply it with a mohair/silk single I had on hand. 

So now, what to do with the other 6 ounces of fiber? Here are my tips in case you ever find yourself in this situation...

1. Re-home it or depending on what it cost you, try to re-sell it (be kind and mention the difficulties!).
2. Break it down and re-card it using handcards, a drum carder or blending board.
3. Add it to a "trash stash" pile and use is for stuffing or mulch later.

What will I do with this fiber? Most likely I'll break it down and re-card/blend it since that is a pretty easy option for me and I think my carder will make it easier to spin. Most likely it will end up in some mystery fiber down the road. 

The point of all of this is that it is OK to stop a project, spring new life into it or just call it done. Life is too short to fight with our crafts! Be it spinning, knitting, crochet or what have you, if you have struggled, debated or put something down for a very long time maybe its time to revisit it and see if it is actually worth your time? Maybe you give it another chance or maybe you realize it is holding you back. Whatever your decision I encourage you not to let it linger or hold you back from your next make!

I would love to hear what you would do with it or what you have done in the past when faced with a similar situation? 

Be sure to check out my YouTube channel videos from inside the wool mill, handspinning tips, and more!
https://www.youtube.com/@ewethfulfiber