Tour de Fleece update

I have been a spinning machine for the past 2 days.  Tour de Fleece started yesterday ... here's what I've done so far:



Fiber: Tussah silk/merino blend  from Ashland Bay (I think it was called "Blues")
Purchased from: SlimChicken on Etsy
Spun on: Majacraft Suzie Pro
I had spun this fiber up into singles before the Tour began, so Day 1 was spent plying.  I washed it today to set the twist, etc and it is drying.



Fiber: Corriedale top from Hello Yarn Fiber Club (Feb 2010)
Colorway: Seasick
Purchased from: someone on Ravelry
Spun on: Majacraft Suzie Pro
Yardage: to be determined after plying
I finished spinning this yarn into singles and will find time to ply later this week, perhaps.  I think it will be very cool once it's plied.


I dug this pretty fiber out of my stash and HAD to start spinning it.  It looks like this so far:


Fiber: Optim from Chameleon Colorworks  Dyeworks & Fiber Studio, 4oz.
Purchased from: French Creek Fiber Arts, September 2009
Colorway: Flaming Sunrise
Spun on: Majacraft Suzie Pro
It is so much fun to spin.  Optim is merino wool that has been stretched and then set.  The resulting fiber is finer than merino and looks like silk, but has the properties of wool. How cool is that?  I need to get some more of this stuff!

That's what I've been up to.  Now time for a little R&R (reading and relaxing) before bed so I can rest up for another spinning session tomorrow.  G'night!

~mz

There are bunnies in there, I swear!

I might have just bought about 32 oz of this pretty Shetland Humbug fiber from International Fleeces.

32 oz of fiber should be enough to make a sweater's worth of yarn, depending, of course, on how it's spun.   For some reason, I'm obsessing about having at least enough spinning fiber for a sweater.  I know that I have enough fiber to spin yarn for 3 sweaters and that's just the fiber that I have bought in the past month.  There's also the smaller amounts that I've picked up here and there over the years.  And since I got my beautiful spinning wheel, the fiber stash has multiplied like crazy. Good thing that spinning and knitting are pretty much my "main" hobbies, else I'd be in big trouble (Oh but there is that pesky genealogy project that I just started  ...).  One of my goals for 2012 is to spin yarn for a sweater AND knit a sweater from that yarn.  Right now I have 3 fibers to choose from:  this pretty Shetland Humbug; a beautiful Romney/mohair blend and some Lincoln that I got for such a great price I just couldn't leave it there.  I sometimes think that I'm enjoying spinning a wee bit more than knitting, but that has to be just a phase since my lovely wheel is so new.  Right?  that's my story and I'm sticking with it.

All that to say that I must find time to knit and spin more, and figure out how to do it all faster!  One of my knitting friends is so prolific.  Every time I see her (which is a couple times a week) she's got a project finished and another one on the needles.   I always ask her, "How do you DO that?"  She says, "I'm retired!"  Man, I need to retire so that I can have more time for hobbies and other things I love.

But since I can't do that for at least another 3 or so decades, I better get moving and head to work.  

Bye for now!

~mz

Tour de Fleece fiber

I've just about decided which fibers to spin/ply for Tour de Fleece 2011:

* I have 3 different colors of roving that I dyed a couple months ago. One is a hot pink, one is a neon green and the other is a bluish purple. I think I will try to spin/ply them all together and hopefully get something kind of Noro-esque. (EDITED TO ADD:  I think this fiber is out!  I started spinning a bit of it, just to see how it would turn out.  It appears that the fiber felted slightly during dyeing and is a little hard to work with.  I will keep working on it until TdFleece  -- as "training" -- but it will not be part of the competition.) (EDITED AGAIN TO ADD PHOTO)

* Last month at the Great Lakes Fiber Show I took a spinning class with Carol McFadden (she has an Etsy shop called feistywomandesigns). She made some batts in shades of blue that she calls "Eboni's Blues" (yep, after me!) I bought 8 oz of that and can't wait to spin it up. See the photo. Pretty, huh? (N.B.: This is Carol's photo, not mine)

* I was able to get my hands on some Corriedale from Hello Yarn fiber club from Feb 2010. The colorway is called Seasick ... Blues, browns and golden yellows.

* And finally, a superwash merino/bamboo blend from Fiber Optic Yarns in the colorway Besame Mucho.

I'm not sure what else might end up in my TdF queue, but I want to get started NOW!!!!!

Ciao,

~mz

It's time for Tour de Fleece!!!

It's nearly time for the Tour de France, which means it's also nearly time for the Tour de Fleece!  This is an annual event where spinners (of yarn, that is) spin during each day of the Tour de France.  I've joined up with a few different teams already and am in the process of setting this year's TdFleece goals:

1. Spin (and ply?) about 3oz of Corriedale wool top in the colorway "Seasick" from Hello Yarn fiber club (from February 2010)
2. Spin (and ply?) about 4 oz of Merino in the colorway "Winning Colors" from Tuscan Grove 
3. Spin (and ply?) about 4 oz of merino/bamboo from Fiber Optic Yarns. 

My "training" in the next several days will be to finish the last 2 oz of a very nice Tussah silk/merino blend that will eventually become a nice hand-knitted something as a gift for my boyfriend's mother.  Maybe a cowl, depending on yardage once it's all plied up. Here's a pic of what it looks like:

But now, I'm going to get out of the house with my honey for a few mins, then settle in for some spinning and Dr. Who once we get home.

Ciao!

~mz

Play ball!

I'm at the Cleveland Indians game! There's an event called Stitch n Pitch where knitters and crocheters spend an evening at the baseball game. It's loads of fun and I have attended for the past couple of years.  Tonight the first place Indians are playing the Minnesota Twins. Let's hope the Tribe pulls out a win. So far so good ... we just got a quick 3 outs. Line 'em up and knock 'em down, boys!