wordless Wednesday: Take that, wheel!

10/19/2009

spinning in public...crazy!

Almost every year, we spend a week in the Outer Banks of North Carolina. We rent an ocean side house with a pool and the kids all *neeeeeed* swim goggles. Every year, we buy goggles. And then no one can find them the following year. A couple years ago, Peter ordered two pair of goggles that each came in nifty little plastic tubes with screw on lids. The goggles disappeared, as usual, but I saved the tubes. If I'd put the goggles back in the tubes, they'd be gone too.

Did I know then that a .5 oz Golding Tsunami would be the perfect fit for a swim goggle tube? (I gave the other one to Em for her Greensleeves Ethan Jakob.) The screw on top even accommodates a clip for hooking on a belt loop or strap.

So this, being small and convenient, is my long term, go to, carry with project. What I was spinning at the Plain White T's concert, earlier this week at the library, pretty much anywhere I have a minute or two.

The fiber, merino/silk clouds, was a gift from my friend Leah. I don't have a project in mind or any deadline. I just spin, wind off when I need to and stuff another handful of fiber in the bottom of the tube on my way out the door. That's not crazy, it's good planning and keeps me sane.

But this. This is crazy.

My singles on the left, ordinary sewing thread on the right.

Spindling

Em and I went to Threadbear (our not-quite-LYS) for their celebration of Distaff Day on Sunday. Among other activities, we watched co-owner Rob give a very informative fiber dying demo. The dyes he used (I need to find out the brand) are crystals in the jars (and include mordant)...you can sprinkle the crystals where you've already painted to add flecks of color. Way cool!

Anyway, I persuaded him to sell me one of the SW merino samples he dyed and brought it home still dripping. Yesterday morning, after checking it was dry, I couldn’t resist spinning “a little” on one of my spindles. The fiber was so luscious, it just flew through my fingers. I ended up spinning and plying the whole 4 oz...

I actually had the plan to split the roving in quarters, spin 1/4 of it then join another 1/4 from the opposite end (blue-grey) I started with (red). So that each end of the single was the same color (reds) and the color changes met at the blue-grey in the middle. Repeated for the second single. I hoped the colors would mostly match up when I plied, so I could divide the yarn in half and start a sock from each orignal end…both socks would start with the reds.

Unfortunately, my division of the fiber wasn’t all that equal. The last 1/4 was way thicker than the other three and I ended up having to divide the excess between the two bobbins (lengths of capped PVC) I had going. I still ended up with quite a bit of match-up on the colors but I’d really like to try again with my original plan.

This was supposed to be jewel tones. It didn't end up that way but I love it anyway. It will eventually become socks.

I'm not sure what the 3 or so pounds of raw (unprocessed?) black-brown shetland fleece still in my trunk will become. Since I don't have any fiber processing equipment beyond a sink and couple of dog brushes, probably a huge pain in the ass.

high fiber diet

This is what I'm planning for the New Year. I'm off to a good start...

This-- custom-dyed by Tracy of Copperpot Woolies-- merino/silk blend

will grow up to be Pretty as a Peacock

I'm spinning it up on my spindle and finished the first skein just before midnight last night. It's nearly dry enough to ball up and cast on...WOO HOO!

Santa brought even more Copperpot goodness...

This, this and...oooh, please step back so none of your drool gets on this.

Just for diversity, I think I may need some of this. She says she can dye some up for me if I tell her how much I want. How much do I want? Four ounces probably isn't high enough fiber for my diet. I don't want to blow my resolution right off the bat. Maybe around eight ounces?

llama, llama, llama

Remember that big bag of llama fleece that followed us home from LlamaFest? There's a llama in my bed! (ok, not exactly IN)

It's all been washed (you know, there is something about washing wads of animal hair that just grosses me right out, I had to chant *it's fiber, it's FIBER* in order to quell my churning stomach...oddly, I'm always finding fiber in my food these days and that doesn't bother me so much, wtf?) but it's still got A LOT of vm that was sort of hidden in the middle of the wad. It's mostly falling out when I shake it and the rest ends up on my lap as I card it (with dog brushes-- this is not all that difficult but it's not much fun either...I don't see a helluva lot of raw fiber prep in my future, lol).

Gorgeous, shiny, rich deep chocolate brown. A little pokey because I'm not getting all the guard hairs out (whoever told me llamas and alpacas don't have guard hairs...you don't know what you're talking about!). I have no idea what I'm going to do with this but it sure is purty.

yes, there IS knitting going on

I promised knitting content but I didn't promise it wouldn't be spinning to knit!

I'm working on some Earl Grey's...

They started out as some superwash merino laps in hazelnut

(from Yarn or a Tale)

I spun some fine singles and did a 2-ply sock yarn

(originally did a 3-ply but didn't like the feel as much)

I don't remember the yardage but each of two plied spindle-fulls madea HUGE ball, there should be more than enough

and the actual knitting...

( with a ball of yarn stuffed in the left sock to show the detail better)

and there's more!

I so enjoyed spinning this combed merino/silk blend in basil (also from Leah at Yarn or a Tale) on my cut out spindle

and plying it on a flower spindle

that I didn't really care so much about setting the yarn aside until

THE PERFECT project for it jumped out at me.

And then the Fall issue of IK showed up in my mailbox and I knew, as soon as I turned the page, this was IT...

Oooh...and there will be MORE knitting in the not-so-distant future because this arrived from Susie/Perchance to Knit in my mail today...

and I've been rubbing it all over my nekkid body ever since.

My family hopes my #4 Harmony tips from Knitpicks and my Peacock Feathers pattern show up soon so they can open their eyes again.

Note: I've been adding some new designs to the shop through the week. I did not rub them on my nekkid body. You know, just sayin'