Knitter in Progress...

Hey Robin,
As much as I have been trying to avoid adding yet another fiber-centered obsession to my repertoire, I have found myself bitten by the spinning bug.

After my first attempt at learning-by-ditto-paper-instructions was a bust, I was given a few pointers by friends who spin a LOT and then you pointed me in the direction of Megan LaCore and I was re-intrigued by the prospect of creating my own knit-fodder.... I purchased some wool from a Falkland sheep (not directly, sheep can't use the internet... I think the screen gives them a headache) and started prepping/drafting the fiber per Megan's instructions.

Here's what I have so far with just a little fiber left to add to the spindle:

 

Sorry I had to use a flash, the light has not been awesome around here lately... the colors are much richer and for the record, this is a lot of yarn. I think it might be too much to have on the spindle all at once, but there's so little left to add that it seems silly to start a new batch! 

...though now I have to buy a new spindle because... shoot... it looks so nice sitting there on this one, how could I remove it? (Frankly I am scared to do it. I have no idea how to get it off there without it becoming a hot mess... any pointers? Anyone? ...Beuller?)

I'm just so proud of myself!

Later ;)

Giving it a Spin

Hey Kate,

Last night, I watched crime shows and drafted the roving I've had for over a year and never did anything with. It's not the softest in the world, which made it not as pleasant as it could have been. In fact, by the time I was done with most of the drafting, I had pretty much decided that spinning may not be for me. Too fiddly. But I reserved judgment until doing the actual spinning.

This morning, I turned on The Art of Megan's spinning video. (Megan has been a huge help.) While I was following along, The Spawn came over and "helped". She was fascinated by the entire process and giggled and cheered and made the whole thing a great time.

So, I've decided to make it a Mother/Daughter activity and continue with the yarn making. Sure, The Spawn is a hindrance during the drafting part, currently, but that's a good activity for TV. And she'll get better at "helping" as she matures.

I've also decided that the whole process doesn't have to be that fiddly. If I have fun making it and if the end product is only for our consumption, then who cares that it's not even in the same universe as perfect?

In the knitting front, I'm almost done with my summer driving mitts. Will post when done.

Later!
Robin