10/22/02
Spinning and unfinished objects

I have been spinning some almost everyday, and love finally having the time to do that. I spin mostly late at night, after working. I am working on the endless border leichester fleece that I bought a year ago. When I washed this fleece, I hand picked the long locks open on half of it, and did not on the other half. It was an experiment to see if the washing would take enough lanolin out of the fleece to make the locks open easily when dried. I found out that would not happen at least on these tightly curled locks. So the first half of the fleece was spun up in no time, I just took those open and therefore very clean wool and drum carded it, and spun it. I have been working on this other half for an endless amount of time it seems, but am finally almost to the end of the basket full. I am pulling the locks open, rough carding it on hand cards, and then taking those rologs and drum carding into big bats. This is what I then spin.

I am so tired of the gray wool (that I loved to much when I bought the fleece) that I am considering overdying the yarn with a green color. I do not have yardages measured yet, but I will have enough for a sweater. I am pushing on this project, I want the sweater for myself for this winter.

On a more fun note, I went to a local restored house during the city's fall festival, and sat with several other spinners on Sunday. It is very enjoyable to me, to spin and answer questions that people walking by have. I always use my Ashford traditional when I spin in this type of environment, which has a lace flyer on it. I treated myself, and spun a superwash merino, that was so soft. I would let the people feel the fiber, they could not believe it was wool....since wool is 'always' itchy. This will be spun very thin and plied for a shawl eventually. I have thoughts too of dyeing some of the roving in pinks and blues for baby sweaters.

Ah but I can certainly think up projects faster than I can complete them! Right now in knitting, I have a Christmas stocking 1/2 done, a pair of socks for me on circular needles (yes I am trying to knit both pairs at once on the circs) a WWW scarf that I pick up and knit on while waiting for web pages to load, and a knit hat that I have to finish soon for my hubby. Actually that will be my travel project this weekend.....I am going to SAFF (Southeastren Animal fiber festival) in Asheville. And I have my list ready, believe me! Current wish list includes a Tina2 or that type of spinning wheel, a drum carder with wide spaced teeth (used, to use really as a picker) different types of dyes, and fiber. Speaking of fiber, I just ordered two pounds of the Spinderella Thrums that I have heard so much about, I am looking forward to seeing and working with that.

CW