Tour de Fleece - Day 5

...or, "It started off okay..."

The day started off quite well. I finished up the Lollipop Cabin Rib Fantastic sample sock I had been working on, then wandered around the yard posing it on anything that didn't move and taking endless pictures. I really love the colors in this yarn, but they are tough to capture! Here are a couple of my favorites:





See the cool toe? It is basically a slip-stitch heel, at the front end of the sock. This is my biggest wear spot, so I was intrigued to see a pattern which incorporates a reinforced toe. I also thought that the way the slip-stitch ribs line up with the ribs in the lace pattern was pretty clever.

Ialiuxh seemed happy with the sock and it was one more thing that I could cross off of my "To Do" list, so I was feeling pretty good at this point.

Since this was Day 5 of the Tour de Fleece and I had just finished my active knitting project, I decided to bring my wheel to Knit Night and spin instead of knitting. That was where things started to go a little sideways...

My TDF plan was to finish up my sock singles (check!), spindle (check!) and work on my woolen spinning with using EKF batts. I started the first batt section at a spin-in on Monday and it went pretty well, lulling me into a sense of complacency. Tonight, I got my wake-up call.

Yep, I struggled all night long to get a consistent grist in my singles. Fending off comments from the peanut gallery about my sparkly batts and what on earth I was planning to do with the final yarn didn't help my spinning or my mood. I think I'll be taking next week off and spinning at home in peace, quiet, good light and my choice of music. Here's what I had on the bobbin at the end of the night:



I may have to back off to a 2ply to get a DK / Light Worsted weight final yarn, since my singles are looking a little thicker (at least in some places) than I had anticipated. I'll have to do some sampling to make sure, probably when I finish the first bobbin (so that I can adjust my color / batt management plan to get a heathered yarn).

Tour de Fleece - Days 1 - 3

Yep, I am skipping right over Black Sheep Gathering to the Tour de Fleece. I had a wonderful time at BSG, but if I pause to write it up and post it here, I will end up missing the TDF entirely. So... I will do a catch up post later on, if time allows.

Tour de Fleece is a spin along started by blogger Star Athena in 2006. Last year it straddled Blogger and Ravelry and this year it has pretty much moved over to Ravelry entirely. Participation has soared with the move to Ravelry, going from 400 spinners last year to 1150 spinners this year. Yikes! That's a lot of spinners!

Basically, every day that the Tour de France rides (July 4 - July 26), we spin. There are some standard teams that are just a part of the tour itself, then a whole host of wildcard teams, most of which are sponsored by dyers / fiber suppliers. Everyone sets their goals at the start of the tour and works towards them throughout the month.

My primary goal was to work on the woolen spinning techniques I learned at NwRSA Conference this year. Of course, after BSG I am also yearning to play with some silk and/or silk blends, but woolen spinning comes first, or actually, second...

Day 1

Grinding away on the third and final bobbin of Briar Rose BFL "Ply by Night" (sock) singles. So close! Quit at 11:30pm to take pictures, with about 24 inches of roving remaining.



Day 2

I was away from the house (and the wheel) for most of the day, so this was a spindle day. Spun up some Shetland/Alpaca roving on my Bosworth Featherweight.



Day 3

Woo hoo! Finally finished the Briar Rose singles...



...and moved on to the Enchanted Knoll Farm "Gold Dust Woman" batts!





The batts from EKF are farm-raised and contain Cotswold, Merino-Targhee X and Tussah Silk with Sari Silk & Angelina accents. I am spinning them long draw, semi-woolen and shooting for a heathered 3-ply DK to Light Worsted weight yarn suitable for a hat, mittens or a scarf.

I only got a chance to spin up about 1/8 of the first bobbin of singles today, so I am not sure yet if I am spinning fine enough to do a 3-ply or if I will have to back down to a 2-ply. I need to sample tomorrow and check.