So far, I have met the goals I set myself, and learned a few things as well.
Draft #1. This is what I use most, so it was quick and simple. Divided the Acorns braid for a fractal pin and spun the first single.
I did the second draw from the class, and boy the backwards draft does not come easily to me! I persevered, cranked up the tension on my miniSpinner a lot, and spun the whole amount of fibre. I was afraid of getting some angry flashing lights, but apparently the tension was not too high, just much more than I like.
Then I went on reduce the tension to normal (i.e. no tugging just a gentle nibble) to spin the second half of Acorns braid.
Draft #3 done. Massively overspun at the start, but improved towards the end. I was surprised that it was so uneven because it was another short forward draft, but hey. You live, you learn. And on day 3 I learned that I am not really enjoying spinning merino from the fold. Which did not bode well for the next day.
Finished plying Acorns and I have finally managed to completely fill a bobbin. Yay! 113 g of sport weight is the perfect amount for the lace bobbin, apparently.
4th draft done. Ugh! Spinning merino from the fold is such a wrong thing to do to it, and short backwards draft has still not clicked.
However, the BFL cheered me up right quick. I started on the first yarn of three, the cables. I split the first third of the braid vertically into four pieces and then flipped two for maximum barberpoling. First single is finished and it was a delight to spin.
Draft #5 is my second favourite draft so far. I used it to spin the Acorns, in fact. Second single for cabled rainbows is also done. I totally see now why BFL is loved so much by handspinners. It is silky, lustrous and soft all at the same time. I am loving spinning it.
Rolags are coming up soon. Whee!