Wensleydale Singles Ain't Gonna Lie Flat

Someone asked me recently why I had said that the wensleydale singles were round, round, round and would not really show stitch definition in lace patterns well. I, rather assuredly, said that they would do what they wanted to do and would return to their desired state even with blocking. Well, I had some experience with similar fibers, but it was cool that she questioned me, because I realized that I had been making some assumptions... I had my woven scarf on which I based my comments, but hadn't sampled it with knitting... Her sample, she said, blocked out perfectly and didn't have any issues with the sample not showing stitch definition in her desired pattern or wanting to round out. So why was I saying what I was saying? That led me to re-question why... why, indeed?

I decided to do an experiment... 2 samples of a simple lace pattern, both with the same size yarn, needle size and pattern, one the wenleydale singles and one a recently spun merino 2-ply. Both yarns have had their twist set and are balanced in the hank.

Here are the results.
Can you see how the wensley- dale singles (at right) don't lie flat and are 3 dimensional, while the merino just sits down flat, 2 dimensionally, and shows off the lace? In the wensleydale, where's the lace pattern? These are not blocked yet, but I would betcha lots that it will not make much difference.
Here's a closer look at both:

This exercise confirmed that the wendledale singles retain their own form, not 'molding' to the lace pattern. They create their own unique look that is very attractive on it's own. Simple patterns, like garter stitch, really show off the beauty of the yarn without fighting it's desire to form pronounced loops. At least this is the case for my fingering to sports weight singles. Perhaps with finer, lace weight singles, this will not be so pronounced. That is an experiment for another time!