A DAY AT HOME

Every other morning there is a new flower blooming on the orchid!  I do love to have an orchid in my room!

My total yardage for the four skeins was just under 900 yards of superwash wool/nylon which I dyed. I'm thinking I will make a crocheted blanket since I have been enjoying that lately!  I still have 4 more skeins to add to the pile so I know I will have enough yarn for a blanket.  Or maybe I could knit some small mitered squares blanket--isn't it nice to have ideas?!

This pipe is where my 'lizard' lives--sticking his head out like a submarine periscope checking out the world. 

 I heard a flurry in the afternoon and she sat there for a bit 

but left empty handed, to my relief!  

I put out seeds for you so leave my lizard along, please!

 

MORE TDF DYEING

Another crockpot of dyed wool;  I'm still not thrilled with the color but it did improve some.

I squeeze out the water and hang them to dry overnight.

The first skein of the orangey-brown yarn;  it is soft and squishy!

The next skein is still an orangey-brown but lighter in color.

And the last hank of wool turned out the best in the lightest color.

I will look forward to a lot of spinning today!

WORKING WITH COLORS

The Posy table runner is a done deal!  

It was fun to use the Fat Quarters to make the flowers!

This 60" x 66" ,or so, quilt is all pieced except for the narrow top  and bottom borders!  I just ran out of oomph for the long strips! lol

I did piece some of the cat/flower layer cake blocks---the colors are so rich and a lot of fun to make!

A bit more spinning is happening also.  I tried to make some olive green roving!  It came out way too orange/brown---a common error when working with this color because it is made of green and red and the color 'breaks' into its components instead of the end goal color.  I will try again.  Yes, it is still a pretty color, just not the one I was going for!

 

MONDAY GOALS

I am heading out to lunch with several quilting friends--an old group that no longer meets but these friends still do!  Afterwards, I have a table runner to complete on the frame!

And some roving to dye so I can continue with the Tour de Fleece!
 

MAKING MORE YARN

Another bobbin of the Superwash Merino finely spun wool.

And now there are two skeins with about 225 yards in each.  I've ordered some more of the Stroll Bare Roving so I can dye some in a solid color to match these skeins.

Oh, and look at the beautiful new orchid blooming; 

 this orchid sits on my bedroom window sill

 so it brings a smile each time I see it!  

 

THE POINT OF ALL THAT SPINNING

I plied the two singles into yarn and then I prepared the roving to spin the next two singles.  The fluffier roving on the left is the same length/weight as the one on  the right but I have stretched or attenuated the roving which opens up the fibers after being compacted by dyeing and drying.  I love how it makes the fibers light and airy and it calls me to be spun!

Here is a close up of how the yarn looks on the bobbin right after plying the two singles together.

And here is the skein of 230 yards of 2ply yarn, 

about a DK weight of superwash Merino.

 

SPINNING WHEEL SPINS

First I dyed some roving.

Then it dried overnight.

In the morning, I had two 3.5 oz of roving ready for me to spin!

And spin we did!  Lena slept for hours like this while I made singles and today is plying day!

 

DIPPING MY TOES IN THE TDF

I don't think I even attempted to play with TDF (Tour de Fleece) which coincides with the Tour De France; a fun way to inspire and motivate me to get back to spinning!  This is some Gulf Native sheep wool that I cleaned and dyed myself.  I will finish up this fiber that has wanted to be yarn for several years!  It is very relaxing and I enjoyed the few hours I spent spinning.  

 

WOOLLY AND FLUFFY

I am back to spinning some natural colored wool, still Cotswold, but again I am out of batts.  Guess what I will be making today?

I whipped off a school of stingrays last night--

I hope to make them for some boys to enjoy.

 

COLORED WOOL

While I was carding some more  Cotswold wool, 

I had a craving for color!  I found a bag in my wool station and decided to empty it and spin!

This one contains all of the cool colors and I have enough to make another skein in warm colors!  Fun spin after all of the yards of natural colored wool!  193 yards of this yarn.

The field next to the pond out back is loaded with these flowers!  They are called Meadow Beauties, about 1-2" across (they do have 4 petals, I just happened to photograph a broken one!)

This was also a pretty find, Blue Heliotrope.  Yes, it can be poisonous to cats and dogs but it is far out back and I don't have plant eating cats!  Hummingbirds love it so I am leaving it!

 

TDF UPDATE

I ran into a little trouble with my e-spinner not wanting to play the bobbins of singles but I found a back-up plan by using an old flyer and managed to get four skeins equaling 793 yards so far. 

 These will end up in the dye pot eventually.

 

SPINNING ON SUNDAY!

I have my spinning station arranged by my bedroom recliner.

(On the left is a cat cushion;  Lena spent a good part of the day there but of course, moved when I tried to get a photo!)

The view is relaxing-even if it is raining out or I can watch a movie on my laptop while I spin.  (Spinning can be a bit messy-see the fuzzy bits attached to the 'neps' or 'noils' that are found in a fleece!)  

The little bits of grass or hay are also picked out as you spin-just part of the process. Yes, most of the debris in a fleece comes out in the washing and carding of the wool but the wool doesn't easily let go of the plant matter!

I managed to spin 3.6 ounces yesterday and will spin another batt today after church to round it out to a full 4 ounce bobbin.  

This Cotswold wool is a joy to spin! 

This spinning is a relaxing way to mark the passing of June!

 

TDF 2024 DAY ONE

The Tour de France  begins today 

and all spinners unite for their own event, the Tour de Fleece!  

I printed out the Tour's schedule to guide my spinning whether it will be easy, rigorous or a day of rest.

The first batt I carded earlier this month is now teased into a roving ready for me to start when the race begins!  

I will enjoy spinning some yarn today!!!

 

MESSING WITH WOOL

I used the enforced up time in the morning yesterday to card some more fiber so I could spin another bobbin. 

 This is how the wool looks when I begin.

I load some on my hand card first.  (just glob it on! lol)

And then make sense of the wads by combing them for a few strokes--it doesn't take much to get it fluffy like this!

Next, I load these fluffly bits from the hand cards into the carding drum and add about 4-5  of the fluffy fiber from the handcards to make a 'batt' from the drum.

I brought 4 of them into my bedroom so I could spin from bed and someone immediately began to do her own fiber ministrations--biscuit making of the most intense attention!

And then she promptly laid down for a nap!

I did get to spin after a bit because a jet went over and she thought it was thunder and went to hide!

After I did my spinning, I finished the Dotz project I was working on when in NY last week!  (because I mount it on the art board before I work on it, I can recline in bed with it leaning on my knees to work on it!)  I didin't notice it there, but do you see the face of a woman toward the right of the water/sky?! 

 If you don't see her, blame it on my head cold--

it does impair my brain to be so stuffy! 

 

MORE YARN!

I have some yarn to show for my spinning time-216 yards of worsted weight yarn.  I have plenty more of this fleece so I hope I can match the results.  I wasn't able to wash this yarn to set the twist because it poured all day and that doesn't help it dry!  

 

BIT OF A CRASH

 In my usual MO, my body is needing a bit of a crash (in bed) to recoup from the travel, etc.  I did a bit of spinning to try out the weird batt/rolags and they were a huge success!  I will be making some more when I am upright again!  It shouldn't be long!

PRAYERS FOR SMOOTH TRAVELS!

I managed to get the two bobbins plied into yarn-7 ounces of 2 ply yarn.  I will let it set on the bobbin for a while.

The piecing and cutting are on hold for a bit, also.

We are taking a trip to see my parents to celebrate their 70th wedding anniversary with them!  I'm hoping for a drama-free day of air travel!