Persistent Knitter

That’s how much you can cram on an Ashford Joy bobbin. More would have fit; but that just seemed silly. I’m spinning it pretty fine. it’ll be a three ply yarn and somewhere between fingering weight and sport (hopefully more towards fingering weight; but it tends to bloom when washed because I’m drafting it woolen style with a long draw).

Oh, and no this isn’t the stuff that I dyed. This is roving from Blue Moon Fiber Arts, colorway “Puck’s Mischief”. I love it.

I just ordered a bazillion rolls of highlighter tape for resale on The Knit Foundry. The price has gone up too; so once I receive those (a week or so) the price will be going up on my website as well. Until then (and until stock sells out) you can buy it at the current price, $3.20 a roll. New price will be $3.40 when the new stock arrives.

Buy them here: http://www.knitfoundry.com/prod_highlightertape.html

(note – I’m out of Standard Purple. If you want to order quite a few, please select Color – no proference and I will send you a good assortment. Colors will be substituted if necessary automatically).

Started with white superwash BFL. A bit of dyeing outside in the snow.

Leaves us with this:

A close up:

Oooh. pretty. (lucky me!) And we’ll be spinning it on this:

I would not have such fabulous dyed stuff to spin if it weren’t for my wonderful spinning group who organized, hosted and then rinsed and delivered my dried roving to me. Wow. I have decided I’m not cut out to dye fiber or yarn at this point. I’m lucky that there is plenty of wonderful dyed stuff out there already for me to buy.

Normally I don’t like to wait to block before sewing together (too impatient); but with this, I’ll have to measure out the sleeve holes before cutting steeks, and it seems like a really good idea to get that measurement perfect before doing the cutting. I love the colors of the koigu – and I think it looks great with the white yarn as a background in this sweater. I have also finished the sleeves; and should be done with it soon. No hurry – I don’t have a specific baby in mind for it :)

I’m particularly impressed that I somehow managed to make the sleeves have a green stripe at exactly the same point on each one in the middle of it.

I have been busy ignoring my fiscal tax preparation responsibilities. This is one of the activities I went to; spinning! It was a slow trickle of attendees, but once we got going; we had quite a few people there. That’s my wheel you can see with nobody sitting at it. (Although not anymore, because Marie, in the purple, bought it the very next day).

I now own this:

Which I’m actually quite excited to get my kids onto and spinning! The single treadle might be a bit more challenging for them; but I really didn’t want this in a double treadle so I could sit at any angle to it.  It’s simpler than the matchless, and much less fussy (I hope).  I think they will do OK with it. So far they are content to sit and treadle for 5 mins (they fight over whose turn it is). Spinners in the making!

You can see I’ve already almost filled a bobbin with it. I got a pound of coopworth Ashford roving as a ‘gift’ with the wheel. The color is pretty; but there’s a lot of VM and neps and junk in it. I’m spinning it long draw, very quickly, just to get the feel for how the wheel behaves.

So today I said goodbye to my new spinning wheel.  My wheel no longer, it now belongs to Marie.  Rose was beautiful, but I just wasn’t getting along with her as well as I wanted to.  I’m a bit sad, because in addition to being beautiful she had some really neat features, and maybe I should have made a larger effort to get along; but Marie really wanted a Rose, and I was happy to have tuned up her wheel for her; esp as she paid me full price for it (and bought the woolee winder and bobbins as well).

I think we (spinners in general) are lucky to have the ability to choose between so many fabulous wheels; and I’m lucky I have the money to purchase what I like.  A friend of mine is on  more of a budget than I am, but she was still able to find herself a great wheel.   I already have an amazing wheel (even if it clanks occasionally and makes me grumpy), and was trying the Rose out as a somewhat more portable option with lots of capabilities.

So it didn’t quite work out. I think I feel about wheels like I do about cars.  There are different types of cars/wheels and they are each good for a specific kind of job.  I also feel that I like to spend at least a month of solid time with a car/wheel before deciding if I really like it.   A 5 minute test drive in either case isn’t really going to cut it for me.

My next wheel is going to be an Ashford Joy.  Very portable, and I actually got to do the 5 minute test drive already.  I also happen to know there’s a member of my spinning guild who would be happy to take it off my hands if I change my mind after my month long test drive; so it’s a low risk investment for me at this point.  Plus it’s just fun to get stuff in the mail (it’d be nice if I could get one locally – but again, “oh well”).