Sunday, June 21, 2009

Fiber content = high

Finally, a post with fiber! (It's good for you, you know...)

When I got home from France, this was waiting for me:


My prize from Walden at Eternal Arts 'n Crafts! I made good use of it this afternoon, and now it looks like this:


Currently cooling after setting the dye...can't wait to see how it came out!

I also finished this:


570 yards of fingering weight alpaca. This is the fiber that I bought last year at Alpacapalooza in April. I can't say that I'm thrilled with my fiber preparation, but I've learned a lot doing it. Lesson #1: wash it, card it, wash it again, card it again. I only washed and carded once, and there was far too much VM and dirt left in the final yarn for my taste. But it is soft, and cleaned up nicely:


And today, I bought this:


I haven't done much spindling, but it's time to re-teach myself, since spindles fit in suitcases and wheels don't. This is a 1.3 oz (I also have a 2 oz), so it's a little lighter weight for finer yarn. It spins beautifully, and has a ton of space to wind on.

I also sold my spinning wheel today. I was sad to see it go, because I really liked that wheel. But, I bought it knowing that it would most likely be a temporary guest, and it wouldn't be any better for the moving and storing. I'm also not sure that it would have survived the move, given that it came damaged. So, it found a new home this afternoon. When I get back from Germany, I'll start looking for a replacement. Until then, my spindles will keep me company.