Friday, January 10, 2014

Just Keep Spinning!

I was reminded of Dorie's important words several times these last few weeks.  I have a spinning project that has taken a long time to finish.  It was a gray Jacobs roving that I found in my stash just after the Ravelry competition Tour de Fleece.  (This spinning competition takes place during the Tour de France.)  The Tour kick started my spinning energy, so July 22nd I tore into this huge pile of roving that came billowing out of the much smaller box.  My default yarn is a 2ply fingering wt, when I spin a woolen longdraw, it is a quick and easy method for getting a fluffy, lofty yarn.

I worked on this roving  pretty steadily thru the latter part of July and then through August, all the way until mid September.  (Mid September through most of November, I was on special assignment, helping my daughter in Ghana.)  It took me a little while once I got home to get back to it, but by then I had come up with a project that I wanted to do with all this yarn.  So I was motivated to just keep spinning!  The Holidays took a huge chunk out of my spinning time, which I do not grudge at all!  We had a marvelous time with family in for a visit and friends over to the house as well.

The temps were falling, while I spun in the new year with my Ravelry friends.  (I am not usually quite so close to the fire, and I don't normally have the wood stove door open either!)








Finally, those special days were over, and life closer to normal, I picked up my roving again, and got spinning!


Don't look at that lovely blue Merino roving that you got for Christmas!   Just keep spinning!











 Don't be tempted by the flax you are just itching to get on the distaff!  (Don't  think about the Antique German Double flyer  Spinning wheel you have on the way!)  Just keep spinning!











 Not a glance at the 8 oz of white Cormo/Targhee fleece that came in the mail!

Just Keep Spinning!


I told Lou Ann that I was sick to death of this gray, but I just kept spinning.  I even spiced it up by using a cool tweeding effect I saw on Youtube, on one of the skeins.  I think you can see it in the picture to the left.


Finally, Wednesday evening, I plied the last little bit, and plunged the final 5 skeins of yarn into a warm bath in the sink, hung them up to drip dry a little bit, wrapped them in a towel to smoosh the last bit of water out and laid them out to dry.  Thursday once they were dry, I counted the yardage in each skein, and made sure to label each one so that I will not be relying on my memory!

In the end, I have almost 3000 yds of 2ply fingering wt, handspun yarn.  It is destined to become a poncho, once I double check the math.







It has been a really long haul, but I am so pleased to have persevered and for me, to have not started another spinning project was huge!  I have several wheels so I could have easily done that, yet I knew, that I would have had trouble getting back to the Jacobs, and I really wanted it done!


Next week, I will get back into the studio and to the projects on the looms, I think I am ready.  I had hoped to join Lou Ann and the others in their study of Lace, but it isn't going to happen for this week, too many other things happening this Sunday.

Until next week, Happy Spinning and Weaving, Tina

1 comment:

LA said...

Congratulations on finishing your fleece. That should be enough to weave your project. We'll miss you on Sunday.