plying navajo style...

i got home today and decided to spin up the remainder of the split roving. i have 4 oz of this sw blueberry patch merino/tencel from susan and i am using 2oz for this spin. i split it in 1/2 and then divided to predraft. from there i lost track so there was really no real rhythm. i'd divided down to about pencil roving size, but forgot to keep track of the color sequence. i was concentrating on spinning about lace to fingering weight and trying to not overspin. when i plyed it i relearned the rule about overplying a bit because it unspins a bit during plying. that was a pia.

i love the colors, and am getting better at plying.

i ended up with 2 small skeins, about 50 yards each
what i learned: overply singles that will be plyed!



next on my agenda: i am planning on felting winter boots in the norwegian lobben style. i need to felt some fabric, quilt it to a lining, make a pattern, cut it out, sew it together and apply a sole. i have been wanting to do this for years, and now am going to do it with my 7th grade class!

4 days to the spinning retreat!

make peace, spin fleece!

weeeeeee!!!!

today i cast on for a pair of lightly felted mittens using my newly spun border leicester woolen single ply. i'm using size 6 needles and a basic 36 st pattern in my head. my flash is out of control.



tonight i decided to go for the luxury and reached into the stash and pulled out this treasure from Susan! it is a yummy superwash merino/tencel roving. i really want to roll around on it, it is soooo0000000 soft!



henry likes it.... he thinks that it is shiney and very luxurious.



i'm not sure, but i think that this is lace weight... i'm lazy remember, someday i'll figure out how to measure.



last but not least from my lovely day... my sweet viola player



make peace, spin fleece!

meet mecchia

the rest of her finally came today. it wasn't really head over heels love at first site, but we're getting to know each other, and i like her alot. i can tell she isn't a perfect first love, but maybe the love will grow and deepen as we become more aquainted. assembly took me quite awhile as i have only had personal hands on contact with simples such as the louets and ashford kiwis. but i think i have all of her parts in the right places. i am a lazy spinner, much as i am a lazy knitter. i like it all mindless. now, i have been knitting (and other fiber work) for over 30 years, beginning as a very small child. but spinning is something rather new to me. 5 years max, and most of that on drop spindles. i get to attend my second spinning retreat next weekend! i am sooooo excited (picture squealing and jumping up and down) fall in alaska, spinning (or knitting/felting) to my hearts content with no children or cooking, and a white elephant gift exchange with other fiber enthusiasts as excited opening gifts of fiber as new brides are opening lingerie!

meet mecchia, getting settled at my house



i spun up some border leicester
what i learned: second cuts make a cut difference in the outcome (or work in processing) of your spinning!



now i know that i said that it wasn't head over heels love... i can tell you right now, i was thrilled to think that she was coming with 5 bobbins. this is the problem with having an internet affair. when reality arrives... i see that the bobbins are actually mini bobbins. "tweensie" as my son would say. they are also not the quick change variety.

this might responsible for the giddy and irresponsible action i took today in purchasing this:



check out her bobbins! i am giddy like a guy checking out boobs!
we meet in person in 2 1/2 weeks. after the retreat, but oh well. tomorrow i start making some mittens with my handspun leicester.

speaking of the leicester. i have (until today) happily gone without really knowing what the significance of second cuts are. this fleece, while well scoured, and in good health.... has horrible second cuts. being the lazy spinner i am, there are small blobs of these second cuts all over my skein. i spun a worsted weight thick/thin homespun, single ply woolen style. i tried to spin long draw... i didn't really succeed being that it was still a wee bit sticky with lanolin, and i am a lazy carder, but oh well, we had fun... and chocolate chip cookies with bailey's on the side.

what's worse?

question: what could be worse than waiting for your spinning wheel to arrive from nz?

having only 1 of 2 boxes arrive from nz.

whaaaaa!

coat of color anyone?

while surfing blogs one day i found this coat and was in a hurry so i didn't write anything down. i saved the pic to remind myself to go back there to buy the pattern. but durn-it-anyway all i can remember is that it was $36, but can't remember where!?? arghhhhh if anyone knows, could you purdy please send me the addy? areyoufunkyenough at yahoo dot com.