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threadbender.bsky.social
Threadbender
@threadbender.bsky.social
400 followers 230 following 240 posts
Hi, I’m Mel or Melanie and I’m here for the fibre.

Threadbender.Etsy.com
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threadbender.bsky.social
Handspun 3 ply socks in progress.

Fibre: Magically Delicious on 50%Southdown, 25% Dorset Horn, 25% Bio-nylon, dyed by @hipstrings.bsky.social

Pattern: Simple SKYP Socks.

#handspunyarn #handspinner #spinning #handspinning #sockknitter #knitting #knitter
Knitted socks in progress. The yarn is handspun in shades of blue, purple and green. A collage showing (clockwise from the top left) blue, purple and green handspun yarn, the yarn on bobbins before plying, the finished yarn again and finally, the fibre from which the yarn was spun.
November 15, 2025 at 4:23 AM
threadbender.bsky.social
Some spindling …

Fibre: superwash merino/cashmere/stellina

Dyer: Ewesful Creations

Spindles: Spindlewood square whorl.

#handspunyarn #handspinner #spinning #handspinning #onmywheelorspindle
Spindles with handspun singles yarn against a woven backdrop. Also pictured is the handle of a pair of scissors. The singles are light blues and greens. The woven backdrop is beige and yellow. The spinner’s eye view of the spindles. These spindles have square whorls in a variety of woods are held in my hand against a backdrop of variegated green houseplant leaves.
October 18, 2025 at 9:48 PM
threadbender.bsky.social
Just a hat. It reminded me of how I used to love knitting before a repetitive stress injury made me stop. I’m careful now about how much I knit in one session. I savour each stitch.

#handknit #knitsky
A ribbed hand knit hat in a blue-grey colour against a floral background.
October 18, 2025 at 9:28 PM
threadbender.bsky.social
Yarn spam grand finale.
Dyed by my friend Ana @artbyana on silky soft 100% Merino the spinning was sheer bliss. It’s a lace weight 2 ply at 16-18 WPI.

Hot-Cha-Cha: 645 yds/590 m, 123 grams/4.3 oz.
Hot-Cha-Cha Pink: 160 yds/146 m, 31 grams/1.1 oz.
Hot-Cha-Cha Orange: yds/286 m, 54 grams/1.9 oz.
A collage depicting 2 ply handspun yarn. Upper left is pink shown under tension on a skein winder. Lower left is orange shown under tension on a skein winder. Lower right is one ply of pink and one ply of orange shown under tension on a skein winder. Upper right is all three skeins. Three skeins of 2 ply yarn shown coiled back on themselves as a circle. The biggest skein on the left is a blend of pink and orange. The one on the upper right is orange and the one on the lower right is pink.
October 5, 2025 at 10:28 PM
threadbender.bsky.social
The second to last day of this round of yarn spam.

Cecelia @noreasteryarns.bsky.social kindly sent me some washed Romney fleece which I picked and carded into batts along with some fawn alpaca, honey tussah silk and sari silk.

314 yards/287 metres in 194 grams/6.8 ounces, 9-10 WPI worsted weight.
A collage showing a finished 2 ply worsted weight yarn at the top left and bottom right. The yarn is grey with speckles of blue, yellow and a little red. At the lower left is the carded batts from which the yarn was spun. The upper right shows the spinning in progress. The fibre has been spun onto a bobbin on a spinning wheel. A foot on the spinning wheel treadle and a beige carpet is in the background. A close up of a 2 ply yarn against a white background. There is a white string twined in the yarn to prevent the strands from tangling. The yarn is grey with speckles of blue, yellow and a little red and green.
October 5, 2025 at 12:15 AM
threadbender.bsky.social
Yarn spam day 8 is Twilight Tangello, Organic Polwarth fibre dyed by Katya @hiddenpondyarns.bsky.social It’s bouncy and squishy and was not happy to be twisted into a skein.

563 yards/518 metres in 201 grams/7.1 ounces, 11-12 WPI which makes it a light DK/heavy sport weight.
A collage showing yarn during and before spinning. The colours in the yarn are pink, purple, orange, and pale blue-grey. In the lower left hand corner is the fibre from which the yarn was spun. It is braided and formed into a circle. The top right corner depicts the singles before plying. The singles are on a spinning wheel bobbin which is laid across the second half of the fibre. A two ply yarn against a white background. The colours in the yarn are pink, purple, orange, and pale blue-grey.
October 4, 2025 at 1:05 AM
threadbender.bsky.social
Yarn spam day 7 and I’ve caught up to yarns finished in July! This is Berry Mimosa and it’s a squishy, bouncy, soft and elastic 2 ply DK weight.

Dyed by Katya @hidden.pond.yarns on Targhee wool, it’s 283 yards/259 metres in 99 grams/3.5 ounces.

#handspunyarn #handspinner #spinning #handspinning
A collage depicting handspun yarn in stages of progress. The yarn is primarily pink with areas of gold and green and some purple. At the bottom left is the fibre used to spin the yarn. It has been braided and formed into a circle. At the top right are the singles on bobbins held in my hand with the leaves of a houseplant as background. The two singles are then plied together to make the finished yarn. The finished yarn wrapped in a one inch notch on a wraps per inch tool. The tool is made of wood and is held in my hand. In the background are the green leaves of a houseplant. Wraps per inch (WPI) are used to measure how many wraps there are to an inch. This gives an indication of how the yarn will knit or crochet up and what size needles or hooks to use.
October 2, 2025 at 7:27 PM
threadbender.bsky.social
Today’s yarn spam brought to you by Marrakesh, dyed by Kairee @chaoticfibres. Marrakesh, formerly known as HDBP, is 80% Polwarth/20% Bamboo and it’s a velvety soft and very elastic heavy DK/light worsted weight.

392 yards/358 metres in 214 grams/7.6 ounces, 10 WPI.
A collage of handspun yarn and the fibre used to spin it (lower left). Upper right depicts the yarn before plying on a spinning wheel bobbin. The bobbin is laid across the remaining half of the fibre. The colours of the hand dyed fibre are primarily pink, purple, rust and gold. The spun and plied yarn on a wraps per inch measuring tool. The tool is made of wood and has a one inch gap at the top. The handspun rust coloured yarn is wrapped within the one inch notch to give a wraps per inch measurement. The wraps per inch, or WPI, gives us an idea of the grist of the yarn and the gauge it will knit or crochet at. The WPI tool is being held in my hand and there are green leaves and carpet in the background. 2 ply yarn shown stretched on a skein winder. The colours of the yarn are rust, gold and purple but the overall effect is of a heathered pinky-purple due to optical blending.
October 1, 2025 at 10:43 PM
threadbender.bsky.social
Yarn spam day 5 is Mushroom Hunt dyed by Meaghan @bramble_ridge on 75% BFL/25% Masham. The Masham content makes this yarn more elastic than drapey and a little more rustic and lofty too.

209 yards/191 metres in 108 grams/3.8 ounces, 10-11 WPI DK weight.

#handspunyarn #handspinner #spinning
A collage of handspun yarn in shades of gold, yellow, orange, green and blue in various stages of spinning. Top left and bottom right are the finished yarn. Bottom left is the hand dyed fibre from which the yarn was spun. Top right is the spun singles on a bobbin which has been placed atop the remaining fibre. Two singles are plied together to make the finished yarn.
September 30, 2025 at 5:36 PM
threadbender.bsky.social
Today’s yarn spam is Mmmm, Cashmere, dyed by @chaoticfibres It’s 70% 18 micron merino/30% cashmere and it’s so, so soft! I loved the way this felt as it moved through my fingers. It is a light and lofty 2 ply fingering weight, 14-15 WPI.

515 yards/471 metres in 117 grams/4.1 ounces. 💙💛💚
A collage showing the fibre (lower left), the pre-plying singles on the bobbin which is resting on more of the fibre (upper right) and the finished 2 ply yarn. The fibre and yarn are shades of blue, yellow and green.
September 29, 2025 at 8:13 PM
threadbender.bsky.social
Magically Delicious dyed by @hipstrings.bsky.social on 50%Southdown, 25% Dorset Horn, 25% Bio-nylon.

Spun with more twist than usual, the yarn feels sturdy, which is how I like sock yarns to feel. Future socks for me!

3 ply fingering weight, 390 yards/356 metres in 111 grams/3.9 ounces.
A collage of handspun 3 ply fingering weight yarn in shades of purple, blue and green. The bottom left is the fibre from which it was spun. The fibre has been braided and formed into a circle. In the upper right corner is the 3 single ply yarns shown on spinning wheel bobbins. These singles were later plied together to make a 3 ply yarn, which is quite sturdy and durable. The 3 ply yarn shown while under tension on a skein winder. The yarn is shades of purple, blue and green.
September 29, 2025 at 12:12 AM
threadbender.bsky.social
Tide Pool on Polwarth/Llama/Silk dyed by @brambleridge.bsky.social, 2 ply heavy fingering/light sport weight (13-14 WPI). The yarn is elastic and soft, 310 yards/283 metres in 108 grams/3.8 ounces.
A collage showing the fibre, in process spinning on a spinning wheel and the finished handspun yarn, all in shades of teal, rusty orange, grey and a sooty green.
September 26, 2025 at 9:24 PM
threadbender.bsky.social
Mermaid Giggle on Merino dyed by Jude @ewesful_creations. Love these soft blue-greens.
433 yards/396 meters in 112 grams/4.0 ounces of chain plied (3 ply) fingering weight (14-15 WPI).

As usual, I am waaaaay behind taking photos, so there will be yarn spam for a few days.
A collage showing some blue-green fibre, the fibre being spun, and the resulting yarn. Blue-green handspun yarn. Blue-green handspun yarn showing the wraps per inch ( or WPI) which gives an indication of the grist, or thickness of the yarn.
September 26, 2025 at 3:05 AM
threadbender.bsky.social
Sea Glass, dyed by Ewesful Creations on my Spindlewood square drop spindles. Each spindle was a memento of a year at the now gone Madrona Fibre Arts Retreat. What great memories they carry. The fibre is really soft and sparkly - 80% Superwash merino, 10% cashmere and 10% stellina sparkle.
Two spindles resting in a bowl of fibre. The white fibre is dyed in shades of blue, green and yellow.
September 17, 2025 at 3:01 AM
threadbender.bsky.social
Spinning the batts I cranked out in August. I was going for birch bark in this one. The singles kind of look birch barky.

#handspunyarn #handspinner #spinning #handspinning #onmywheelorspindle
Hand spun greyish singles on a bobbin that is part of a spinning wheel. The singles were spun from the drum carded batts in the next photo. Greyish looking drum carded batts - the fibre used to make the singles on the wheel. The different fibres that have been drum carded into the batts including merino and Falkland merino, black mohair and green/burgundy flicked mohair locks, alpaca and green sari silk waste.
September 8, 2025 at 1:20 AM
threadbender.bsky.social
Hope Springs Eternal on Polwarth/Cashmere/Silk all signified, dyed by the magic hands of Inglenook Fibers and spun on my beloved Bosworth Midi spindles.

#handspunyarn #handspinner #spinning #handspinning #onmywheelorspindle
A tray is pictured on a wicker table. In the tray are 12 drop spindles carrying handspun singles in the blue and blue-green family.
August 28, 2025 at 4:18 PM
threadbender.bsky.social
Been making batts …
Blue-green batt shown on a drum carder. Fibres are Bluefaced Leicester and Merino wools, tussah silk and sari silk. A pile of magenta coloured drum carded batts. The Fibres are Merino and Corriedale wools, tussah silk and tencel. Some hand dyed, some commercially dyed. A stack of greyish drum carded batts. The Fibres are Merino and Falkland Merino wools, flax, llama, mohair and flicked mohair locks, alpaca and sari silk waste. Everything but the kitchen sink in these.
August 21, 2025 at 9:15 PM
threadbender.bsky.social
Both photos are BFL/silk dyed by two different Canadian dyers, Ewesful Creations and @brambleridge.bsky.social The blue-green has been plied and is soaking, and I started the other one this morning while watching the Tour.
A pair of bobbins holding some blue-green singles waiting to be plied. In the background is a plant and some pink and blue fibre. Blue faced Leicester wool and silk on a bobbin in the process of being hand spun. The wheel is a Majacraft Little Gem and the fibre has been dyed in black, warm brown, rusty red and teal.
July 26, 2025 at 7:53 PM
threadbender.bsky.social
BFL/silk dyed by Ewesful Creations.

#handspunyarn #handspinner #spinning #handspinning #onmywheelorspindle #tourdefleece
July 23, 2025 at 12:37 AM
threadbender.bsky.social
Plied my heart out over the past few stages, and started a new spin with a custom blend from @hipstrings.bsky.social called Canopy. It’s Merino/Shetland/Tussah/mulberry Silk.
527 grams total of plump, bouncy yarns. Berry Margarita (Targhee wool) up top, Grey Romney Tweed to the left (Romney/Alpaca/Tussah/Sari Silk) and Twilight Tangello on the right (organic Polwarth wool). Shades of green fibre being spun, shown on a bobbin of a Little Gem spinning wheel.
July 17, 2025 at 2:47 AM
threadbender.bsky.social
#tourdefleece stages 1, 2 and 3: My batts have been signified, now they’ll rest while I spin some super soft hand dyed organic Polwarth.

#handspunyarn #handspinner #spinning #handspinning #onmywheelorspindle
Tweedy singles mid spin on a spinning wheel. The singles are spun from batts carded by me. The Fibres are Romney, alpaca, honey tussah silk and pops of colour from recycled sari silk. Tweedy singles on a bobbin which is resting on a bed of the fibre from which they were spun. The fibres are Romney, alpaca, honey tussah silk and pops of colour and texture from recycled sari silk. Two bobbins of tweedy singles ready to make a 2 ply yarn. They are held in my hand against a backdrop of a green-leafed house plant.
July 8, 2025 at 2:41 AM
threadbender.bsky.social
I’m ready for the Tour. 190 grams of drum carded batts ready to go tomorrow. Romney/alpaca/honey tussah/sari silk. After this I’ll dig into some dyed braids.

#tourdefleece #handspunyarn #handspinner #spinning #handspinning
Rolled drum carded batts ready for the spinning wheel. The batts are sitting on a wicker table. Rolled drum carded batts ready for the spinning wheel. The batts are sitting on a wicker table.
July 5, 2025 at 2:18 AM
threadbender.bsky.social
Recent spins L to R
Magically Delicious: Southdown/Dorset Horn/Bio-nylon, 3 ply fingering for socks for moi.
Tide Pool: Polwarth/Llama/Silk, 2 ply heavy fingering.
Mermaid Giggle: Merino, chain plied fingering.
Mmmmm Cashmere: Merino/Cashmere, 2 ply fingering.
Fantastic Fungus: Falkland 2 ply sport.
An array of handspun yarns draped over the back of a rattan love seat. L to R, dyed by Hipstrings, and Canadian dyers Bramble Ridge, Ewesful Creations, Chaotic Fibres and Simply Fibre by Nicole.
June 28, 2025 at 9:21 PM
threadbender.bsky.social
Berry Margarita dyed by Katya @hiddenpondyarns.bsky.social

#handspunyarn #handspinner #spinning #handspinning #onmywheelorspindle
A bobbin of handspun singles on a bobbin that is resting on Targhee fibre dyed in shades of pink, orange, green and purple. A bobbin of handspun singles on a bobbin that is still on a Majacraft Little Gem spinning wheel. The fibre is Targhee dyed in shades of pink, orange, green and purple.
June 27, 2025 at 4:03 AM
threadbender.bsky.social
Berry Margarita dyed by Katya @hiddenpondyarns.bsky.social

#handspunyarn #handspinner #spinning #handspinning #onmywheelorspindle
A bobbin of handspun singles on a bobbin that is resting on Targhee fibre dyed in shades of pink, orange, green and purple. A bobbin of handspun singles on a bobbin that is still on a Majacraft Little Gem spinning wheel. The fibre is Targhee dyed in shades of pink, orange, green and purple.
June 27, 2025 at 3:59 AM