Finally! I have officially completed my Broken Ornaments spinning work in progress (WIP).

I’m using my friend Kristen’s rules of thumb for when a WIP counts as done. 1) Could it (in theory at least) be sold at a local yarn store? And / or, 2) Could it (in theory at least) be entered in a fiber arts competition? I can definitely say ‘Yes’ to both of those. It may be a lumpy, uneven skein of yarn, but I have a rough yardage count (320-ish) and the twist has been set. It can now take its place of pride … on the shelf with the other handspun yarns I can’t decide how best to use!

(For more information about the whys and wherefores of tracking and completing WIPs, you can listen to my interview with Kristen here.)

I am pleased with how this skein turned out. Chain-plying the singles yarn gave me pretty sections of color. I know the “barber pole” look is all the rage in homespun, but with Broken Ornaments I couldn’t see the orange, blues and violets all intermixed! Even if they are “complementary” colors on a color wheel.

The chain-plying technique also produced a three-ply yarn, with a soft and squishy feel. Most of my handspun has been two-ply, which isn’t bad. It’s just not … round like the three-ply. Yes, I know spinning books talk about this, but it’s one thing to read it and another to touch it! I am definitely looking forward to knitting with Broken Ornaments, if I can find a project that would really show off all those colors!

Do you have any suggestions for what I should knit? Leave a comment below!