Buttercream Soft Hackle
Hook - Daiichi Model 1710/Size 14
Thread - Pearsall's Gossamer Silk (light olive*)
Hackle - Hungarian Partridge Feather (bleached/Ginger)
Body - Custom Wool Dubbing Blend (8:1 Ratio - Eight parts natural cream colored yarn /One part lemongrass colored wool yarn)
Rib (optional) - Pearsall's Gossamer Silk (light olive*) see note below
*Primrose color would also work nicely if you do not have the light olive colored Pearsall's silk.
Detailed Tying Sequence:
1) Mount your hook in the vice.
2) Attach your tying silk, just behind the eye of the hook, with five snug wraps.
3) Prepare a partridge feather by stripping off the small fluffy fibers at the base of the feather.
4) Tye in the partridge feather by the center stem, leaving roughly 1/8" of bare stem (makes wrapping easier). The tip of the feather should be facing out over the eye of the hook. Use only four or five wraps to secure the feather in place. Clip off the excess stem.
5) Wrap the tying thread back to the bend of the hook.
5) Dub the tying thread and wind it forwards, towards the eye of the hook. Make sure the dubbing is thin at the back and gets gradually heavier. This will help form the taper of the body. Leave enough room at the front of the thorax to wrap the hackle and form the head.
6) Wrap the partridge hackle back towards the tying silk. Use only one or two wraps of hackle.
7) Wind the silk forward though the hackle fibers, being careful to wiggle it back and forth. This prevents the silk from matting down the hackle fibers.
8) Whip finish with only three or four wraps.
9) Clip off the tying silk and add a small drop of head cement.
This pattern is intended to be a sulphur imitation.
I found an easy way to estimate my wool yarn dubbing blends, and produce repeatable color blends without measuring. I simply cut a piece of the cream colored yarn (the length doesn't really matter). Take this piece of yarn and fold it in half once, twice and a third time. Folding the yarn should give you eight (8) strands of equal length. Now cut a piece of the blending color in a length equal to the folded piece of yarn. Combined the pieces of yarn together and trim into roughly 1/2" long pieces. Blend in a coffee grinder until the yarn fibers are all loose and separated.
Yarns used:
Lion Brand Fisherman's Yarn (100% wool / "Natural" color / #098) - this forms the base
Patons Classic Wool Yarn (100% wool / "Lemongrass" color / #77223) - blending color
This is the method I used to estimate the ratios of the dubbing blend.
No Fold (equal length strands of each color) = (1:1 Ratio)
First Fold = 2 Strands (2:1 Ratio)
Second Fold = 4 Strands (4:1 Ratio)
Third Fold = 8 Strands (8:1 Ratio)
and so on...
