A mixed bag of goodies...

both figuratively and literally. First the literal part. My Tour de Fleece prize arrived yesterday. I got a lovely spindle bag, a notions bag, a cute guy and 6 glazed donut soaps. So cute! I love goat's milk soap. In fact I only use locally made goat's milk soap from Clove Valley Soapworks on a daily basis. I will be stocking up at Rhinebeck although I can get it at other places locally also.

Now on to the figurative mixed bag of goodies!

First, a lovely blue skein of BFL that I just finished plying. It is a 2 ply from singles that were spun from the fold. The fiber is from Gale's Art, who will also be at Rhinebeck. It is very squooshy.

I also FINALLY finished spinning some white BFL I bought at Rhinebeck years ago when I got my Bosworth spindle. I have been rolling the singles into balls that I will ply some day. I am so sick of white that I need a break. Here is the spindle and all the little balls that have been wound off from it. The tiny ones on the lower left are the first ones I spun on it. The larger ones on top are more recent.

This is what I'm going to spin next on the spindle. Lovely Polwarth from Briar Rose that I got at Camp this summer. She will also be at Rhinebeck.

And last, but not least, is the Rose Lace Collar who may or may not make it to Rhinebeck this year. As you can see, the second sleeve is almost done. I have to do the colorwork, stitch up the hems, crochet the steeks, cut them and then do the bands. Progress is being made slowly but steadily but I don't do well with deadlines and I want to make sure this is right, so I don't want to rush it.

And that is the mixed bag of goodies for now... I won't be posting till after Rhinebeck unless I finish the Rose Lace Collar.

Tour de Fleece wrap-up

This is the first skein I completed during the Tour. Woolen spun, 2 ply of BFL/Silk from Corgi Hill Farm. I spun from a carded batt.

This is the second skein. I spun 2 of the singles during the Tour and finished the third single and the plying last week. This is a 3ply worsted spun from combed top, also BFL/silk. It is also from Corgi Hill.

I am very sad to report that knitting guru, friend and mentor Joyce Williams passed away on Tuesday. She was the author of Latvian Dreams and co-author of Sweaters from Camp and Armenian Knitting. I met her at Knitting Camp and was privileged to call her friend.

Tour de Fleece week 2 + Camp

Week two begins with more of the red fiber. I am really enjoying spinning this.

I finished spinning the first single on day 9. I also started on the second single. Monday, July 11th is a rest day so I don't know if I will spin or not.

I was at Meg Swansen's Knitting Retreat 2.75 last weekend. I only spindled when I was there.

I was also working on a class sample while I was there. It is called 'Here Comes the Sun'. I just finished binding it off and wanted to show it in its non-blocked state. It is blocking that brings out the magic in lace and you'll see that when I post the blocked version.

A close-up of the stitch pattern follows but the color is off in the photo. It is more accurate in the photo above. The yarn is Madeline Tosh sock in Glazed Pecan.

Tour de Fleece week 1

I actually spun every day this week and I got a lot of spinning done.

I started with this lovely green BFL/Silk batt from Corgi Hill Farm. I spun it woolen long draw for the first time. You can see little pigtails hanging off the bobbin if you look carefully. This is my day 1 photo.

Single # 2. Much better. More even and no pigtails. Day # 2.

Day # 3 was devoted to spindle spinning. I am way past park and draft now.

I finished the second single on day 5. Work got in the way and there was no spinning on day 4.

I plied the singles on day 6. It is a lovely yarn and is hanging in the bathroom to dry now.

I am so in love with BFL/Silk that I began spinning this gorgeous red on day 7. Worsted spun so you can see and feel the luster of the silk.

I am posting this for the first time from my iPad. Next week I will be at Knitting Camp so I am practicing.

The Tour de Fleece

Those of you not on Ravelry or not into spinning are going to be completely amused and befuddled by this entry. The Tour de France (a bicycle race) starts tomorrow. Since many of us work on wheels of a different sort, someone came up with the idea of having a parallel contest for fun. It is for spinners, i.e. those who spin. The whole thing is a play on words but it is a way to challenge oneself, try something new and make a commitment to spinning for the duration of the Tour.

There are teams on Ravelry. You pick a team based on any or all of the following criteria: your friends, your tools, the fiber you want to spin, your goals and objectives, and potentially any other criteria that make sense to you. I am on a number of teams besides the big team of everyone who is doing the Tour de Fleece.

The first is for Spindlers. Spindlers are people who spin on a hand spindle. Here you can see my fiber - baby Icelandic roving that I got at Rhinebeck last year. The picture also has my new spindle that I am inaugurating for the Tour this year. It is also from Rhinebeck, from Golding.

I am also on Team Footloose, which is for people spinning on the Hansen mini-spinners. I will be spinning on the Hansen when I am home and on the spindle when I am on the road as I will be for part of the Tour.

The other team I'm on is Team Corgi Hill Farm, which is the source of the fiber I will be spinning on the Hansen. This is the luscious loveliness that I am going to be working on. I will start with the two green batts on the top left. They are wool/silk and I am going to teach myself to spin them woollen.

The top right fiber is a Blue-Faced Leicester/silk blend in a color called Poppy. The bottom right is yak/merino/silk in a color called Copper and the bottom left is camel/silk in Purple. I will be spinning in that order and we'll see how far I get.