Getting Creative with Laceweight Cashmere

I'm in love with cashmere.  It's so delightfully soft and warm and light, yet surprisingly strong.  And it gets softer the more it's worn, so recycled cashmere is even more delicious than new.

The catch, of course, is that most cashmere sweaters come in fine gauges, so the yarn I reclaim from them is usually lace weight.  I'm afraid I don't have the time or patience to knit or crochet with lace weight yarn!  

I know that some fiber artists ply several strands of reclaimed laceweight together to produce a thicker yarn.  It just so happens that I have a spinning wheel in my closet (my mother's).  But I don't know how to use it, and I don't really have the time to learn.

So I decided to try working with several strands held together.  I've seen some nice projects on Ravelry that were made with three, four or five strands held together, so I knew it could work.  

The project I had in mind for this yarn was the Feather and Fan Scarf by Eliza Purnell.  I started with three strands of laceweight cashmere and an H hook, but to my surprise the result was too bulky.  I think it's because this cashmere is extra fuzzy, so it behaves like a thicker yarn.  It took just two strands of laceweight to get the perfect texture.

...did I mention that I love cashmere?  I love the softness of this yarn as it glides through my fingers.  What a treat!  I'll be working with cashmere more often from now on!