100th post and news from the Fair!

So apparently this is my 100th post; I guess I feel slightly less horrible about not posting more this month because I have some pretty big news in the scheme of my knitting/spinning life to share.

 

First, I got a new card reader so my camera and new(ish) computer can talk, so hopefully no more blurry pictures. Sorry about all of those. I may have to take some make up shots of my various yarns, but we'll save that for another day.

 

This last week was the local fair! I entered 5 items, two knit and 3 skeins, into the novice category. I know, I know, I'm really not a novice knitter, but I think I really do still qualify as a novice spinner, and this fair lets you enter as a novice your first year almost regardless of experience (granted if I ever find a fair that has similar rules, I won't be taking advantage of the real newbie's). And it worked out this year; I was the only novice, so I wasn't taking ribbons away from someone who is really new. Anyway, here's how it all went down.

 

Gotland- 2 ply- from Tour de Fleece
First place in novice 100% wool 2 ply
I was very happy about this, as this was my first skein to hang straight directly off the niddy noddy. The judge also made some nice comments about the consistency of the ply, so yay!

Dyed BFL- 2 ply- Spun in January or February
Second in novice 100% wool 2 ply
Since these first two skeins were spun so far apart, it's nice to see that the latter really was better. This skein, along with three others is marked for a shawl from the Malabrigo Book 4. That also means I get to enter the shawl next year in a special category called "Second Time Around." I hope it'll work out, I might have some issues with the gauge...

That lovely alpaca sweater from my handspun alpaca!
First place in novice large wearable items
This is where I got to show that I really was a novice, to the fair at least. Apparently when you spin the yarn and then enter the project, the judges like to know that you spun the yarn and didn't buy it. I probably could have gotten bonus points if I had said this was my first "real sweater", but I didn't (I guess that's not fair, I did knit a little sweater for Tiny when she was like 3, but for some reason I never count that as a sweater...).

Tapiz Mitts- Malabrigo Silky Merino- 4 color Fair Isle
First Place novice small wearable item
Started the first one right after the alpaca sweater in like February, and finished the second one less than a month ago, but they made it. The judges liked my color choices, and there weren't many other color work items, so that will have to be something to keep in mind for future fairs.

Last but not least, 100% alpaca- 2 ply- from TDF

First place novice exotic fibers

 

I wasn't even going to enter this because I dyed it with food coloring (which I will tell you about at some point), but a friend told me to put it in because not too many do exotic fibers and it should do well. It made it into the special awards case. It didn't get a special award, but it was in the case with all of them. Pretty good considering it's only the second time I've spun alpaca other than what I did for that sweater.

 

So I can now say that I am an award winning spinner and knitter. I don't have to tell people what the awards were, but I do have awards. I already have thoughts going 'round for next year's fair to help keep the ribbons coming!

Finishng up TdF2014!

So I wasn't quite as productive as I wanted to be, even though I did reach my ounce goal, but the traveling threw me off my game. Anyway here is what I got done!

Four ounces long wool in Thick'nThin

Four ounces merino/silk singles

Four ounces 2-ply gotland

Four ounces 2-ply chunky targhee

 

Three and a half ounces 2-ply fingering alpaca and four ounces long draw 2-ply merino

 

All told, that makes 23.5 ounces in a 20 day event. Not bad, and I certainly went through a lot of my fiber stash (though I did get a new shipment from Paradise Fibers at the very beginning of the Tour).

 

I guess it's time to check the graphs...

I have plenty of fiber left, but I did make it through quite a bit of my stash. It's sure a good thing that I have all those bags of fleeces in my garage. I'll have to start those up again next week.

 

I'm very excited to see what I get this month in my PF fiber club, hopefully it'll be something new and exciting! I'm sure it will be, they always put together a great  shipment. Which reminds me that I still need to post about last month's shipment, maybe over the weekend.

 

 I've also been working hard getting ready for my first fair, well as a knitter/spinner. I've taken my horse to fairs several times, but that was about 20 years ago. It's all a bit different this time around without my mom to take care of all the logistics. Anyway, that means the Tapia mitts are done! I'll have to get some pictures of those up sometime soon too!

Catching Up

 

So here is what I have been working on. The purple is Ashland Bay 100% Merino in a color called Rose Quartz; it's a nice purple, but it's not rose quartz. The yellow is a cream Baby Alpaca that I dyed yellow. Both are about 4 ounces and two-ply.

 

I was traveling from the 11th-19th. I did a bit of drop swindling, but as I was getting a blister from wrapping the single onto the spindle, I didn't get much done.

 

There are only a few days left of the TDF, but time is getting tight for finishing projects for the Fair also. The TDF is done on Sunday, and items must be postmarked for the Fair on Monday... cutting it close.

 

Once I found out how close the Fair is, I decided to switch from spinning and keep working on the Tapia mitts. Only 17 rows and the thumb left. Hopefully I can get that done today.

 

I am also plying my Thick'nThin wool yarn with some cotton thread, but I'm not sure how I feel about it. I want to just stop, but I kind of feel that I should get it on the niddy noddy first.... so many decisions. Well right now the priority is finishing the mitts, and mowing the lawn, blah.

 

 

 

Day 5, Long Draw

So I got some new fiber from the Fiber Club, and it had more of that lovely vertically dyed wool. Also, my yellow alpaca was not dry, so I figured I would try something new.

Ashland Bay Merino Top "Rose Quartz"

 For whatever reason, I figured I should try some long draw. It's coming slowly, but it is coming together and the long draw is doing much better things for the dying, though we'll see how it looks once it's plied- though I could always chain ply it and preserve the more solid color sections. I'm getting a lot of pigtails on the bobbin, but I'm not overly worried about that as I can work them out in the plying- though maybe not as easily if I chain it... this will require more thought...

I started on the merino last night after the euphoria of the chunky Targhee, and it's not going badly, or even terribly slowly, but we are leaving town on Friday morning and I have been busy with prepping for that. Hopefully I can finish the first two ounces of the Merino tonight.

I'm also working on dying some other alpaca too. I'll let you know how that comes out another day. Right now it's time to keep packing...

Day 4 Chunky Yarn

I used up my Targhee, and I am so thrilled! I think we need some comparisons for this one, probably not, I just want to.

Before

After

I went with a thicker yarn this time. I had a much better time stripping off very small sections rather than drafting, I think in the end I was working with 32nds of the yarn if not a few 64ths.  There's just one problem, clearly this is hat yarn, but I don't like hats... I don't know what I'm going to do with it...

The Targhee was very fluffy and a bit sticky, but it was great and I would love to spin more of it!

Anyway, it's been a while, well not really, but I felt like I needed to update the Progress chart.

 

So I guess tomorrow is the day to start on the alpaca. I've been working on dying it, but the yellow should be good to go for tomorrow.

Day 3 10:30 finish

Last night was a late one, but I did finish my 4 ounces of Gotland, which I am quite proud of since I only had 2 ounces spun in singles at 8:00. So I finished my other 2 ounces of singles and plied it last night too! Yay me!

Here's the finished skein. I love it so much! I can't wait to wash it and see how it finishes. I went a bit slower on the second set of singles to see if I could get fewer coils and then really worked on keeping coils out during the plying and in the end it just hung stick straight when I took it off the niddy noddy! Another first, yay TDF!

I'm not sure what I'm going to do with it. There isn't a ton of yardage, but I am so happy with it that it might end up being one of those yarns that gets hung on the wall.

The Gotland was fun, but interesting. It was very sleek and smooth in the singles, but then when plying the other direction, things got a bit rougher, again we'll have to see how it washes.

Overall, I am thrilled with this yarn. It's definitely going to the fair!

Now to start in on attempts at thicker yarn with that great Targhee...

Day 2, 2 Skeins

Here's what I have to show at the end of Day 2...

The picture is a bit bigger than usual to ensure that the color shows. This was very vibrant fiber, but it contained strips of color running the length of the fiber, and it was VERY difficult to keep any of the colors separated, in addition to the white silk running through. I think I did better on the bottom skein.

I had planned on chain plying this, but I think I am going to stash it for a while and combine it with some other darker merino/silk blends I have for a very soft, if a bit scrappy, shawl at some point in the future.

This is what I was planning on combining it with. I got it at that fiber festival last year. It is spun, but apparently I don't have any finished photos of the yarn.

 

Here are the three fibers together. Looking at them together, I might change my mind. The festival fiber has great long jewel tone color sections, and today's is much more mottled. I was going to use the black and white and a buffer. It would certainly be scrappy... but I don't really know what else I would do with these yarns otherwise. It gives me 12 ounces with them all, and I have it in I would say roughly lace weight singles, but I haven't figured the WPI's.

 

Looking at it more, the festival fiber does bring out a lot of the colors in the new yarn...

I guess I have time to think about it as I certainly don't have time for a new knitting project between the TDF, the mitts that I am still trying to finish before the fair, and the Moscow Coat that I am making some progress on. Tiny has also requested a sweater for the fall, and I have been dying some merino for a pair of convertible mittens for a friend for Christmas. Yeah, I guess I have some time.

 

Day 1, Skein 1

Yay! Very happy to have finished 4 ounces in one day, granted doing a single helps.

It's the Wild Berry from Louet. I got it from the Paradise Fiber Fiber Club in April I think. I did this in Thick 'n Thin, it was interesting, but it did take a bit longer having to stop my wheel and "bite" more fibers for the thick sections. It's probably something I would get more used to as I did it more.

Yay; happy me! I am going to have to update the charts, but as I still have several hours left in the day, I think I hold off until later. 

Pre-Tour Nerdiness

So I guess I really am a massive nerd here. Though not enough to get all the formatting figured out...grrr. Anyway. The Tour de Fleece starts tomorrow and I wanted to make sure that I have some fiber stats so that I know how much I get done. This chart does not include my fleeces that may or may not get washed and spun during the Tour. 

Please indulge my nerdiness as I make a few more charts and graphs...

 

Below is the big one. I hope to update it daily, slowly replacing the blue with the red. I will be getting another shipment from the Fiber Club soon, so then charts will have to be adjusted, but I think I can handle that. 

I think tomorrow will begin with the Triple Berry Jam Wool I have. I'm going to try to do a Thick/Thin single, so that should be interesting. Yay!

Tour De Fleece Day -1

Tour De Fleece

A bit early for massive prep, but I have signed up for Revelry's Tour De Fleece in the Rookie Group! It'll be a challenge to have make time every day to spin, but I think I can do it. Here's what I currently have in the stash.

Here is some Merino/Silk that I got from a friend that no longer wants to spin. It's just over 6 ounces. I'm thinking Chain Plied; I am planning to Chain Ply a few of the braids I have, but I enjoy the process. 

This is 4.5 ounces of Shetland. I am doing some traveling during the Tour, and I think I will bring this one with me and spin it with my drop spindle. We'll see if it stays a single or gets plied.

I've got some pencil roving of merino, silk, nylon, and silverpoly. My daughter has already called the yarn for a scarf.

More vast quantities of alpaca in my life. I've got a pound. I think I am going to try to maximize length here. I've got a few big shawls that I want to make.

Another 4 ounces of pencil roving. I already mentioned in the Fiber Club post that I am thinking about trying a chunkier yarn with this.

More chain plying for this one!

Another 3 ounces of alpaca. It might get added into the other alpaca or saved for it's own project. I guess we'll see how much yardage I get out of my pound.




So that's the run down on my current fiber. I think it adds up to about 30 ounces. I will be getting another two packages from the Fiber Club before the Tour starts, or at least by the end of the first week.
I'm excited to see what kind of yarn I'll be making at the end of this. 20 days of consecutive spinning should really help!