Before finishing:
Before finishing - nice, but a bit lifeless.
After finishing:
After steam finishing- WOW! Look at that bloom!
Yep, the biggest lesson I learnt this time around was how to finish polwarth top! I’ve done the 2-ply with thick and thin before, and I recall that the finishing was pretty brutal on the soft fibre (that was South African, similar in feel to polwarth). So this time I thought I’d try steaming it, rather than a hot bath. I put it in my veggie steamer with just enough water in the bottom of the pan to produce steam but not to touch the yarn, gave it five minutes then turned it over for another five minutes, then pulled it out – it was so so so puffy! I can’t believe how much it’s bloomed with this finishing! I wish you guys had Squoosh-O-Vision! It’s stunning.
But all in all I’m not happy with it. The hedgehogs just aren’t sticking properly and they need to be lighter-weight. I’ll tie them up with some fine crochet cotton next time, and deconstruct the twine to make fuzzier, lighter hogs.
The Pratchett Project 
OOOH! I do love the contrast of the hedgehogs to the fiber though. Squoosh-a-vision?! You’re TOTALLY on to something there too! 😉
Oh yeah, wouldn’t that be the bomb? There is one final draft of this yarn to come, so don’t go away 🙂
Yay, squoosh! I made raffia tassels like that once, same size and shape, and they also refused to merge with the yarn. Deconstructing is a good idea.
Thanks – I’ve made another batch of tassels, this time deconstructed, and I like the result better now. Going to start on the second edition today.