My First Handspun Sock Yarn

I'm feeling rather proud of what I spun. :) (Note: spun from my A Piece of Vermont superwash merino roving, colourway Grotto.)

Here it is right after being plied, before soaking:

(It was all twisty because the singles had sat on the bobbins for quite a while.) First soak (with Eucalan):

There was some bleeding into the water, which I expected since I could tell there was more dye than had been absorbed by the fiber. I put in a chug of vinegar, though, just in case, when I confirmed that there was indeed bleeding.
Second soak (plain water):

Wrung and hanging to dry:

My lovely, balanced sock yarn:

Top: Two ply, as much as would fit on one bobbin. (81.3 g, 390 yds = 357 m)
Middle: Two ply, until one bobbin ran out. (21.7 g, 116 yds = 106 m)
Bottom: Navajo three ply. (8.8 g, 34 yds = 31 m) (I may use this for heels... I wonder how many yards I actually use for heels?)

Total weight was 111.8 g = 3.9 oz... a bit less than the labelled 4 oz, but then I'm in Winnipeg where it's super dry right now (wool can change a lot in weight depending on humidity, and I weighed it before washing), and there were a few little fluffies lost here and there.

Wow... I got a lot of yardage out of this! The Navajo plied bit looks like it's a more durable yarn, but I would have been a bit short crocheting socks if I had three plied all of it. Perhaps I'll try to get it a smidge thinner next time (or at least lessen the thick spots) and try a three ply. If I'm short, I can always knit socks instead of crocheting them, since crochet does use up the yarn a tad quicker. (Not as much faster as some people would have you believe, but still a bit faster.)

Oooo... I just realized I'll be able to use some of my very own *handspun* sock yarn in my blanket!!!

This pair of socks will be next after the LoveSticks. I could have been working on them already, but I wanted to leave them in skein form for show & tell tomorrow with Francine. Speaking of Francine, I should go to bed so that I'm not exhausted for my spinning class tomorrow! Good night!