It seems like we take turns hitting slowdowns in our web posting. This time it was my turn. I am barely caught up with my personal e-mail much less anything extra. I think the new spinning wheel may be to blame. As you can see, I have now produced some plied product. This is DesignKnit fiber — a beautiful colorway in 100% corriedale. I am satisfied with it, but not overwhelmed. I do know I will get better.
And it looks far better than it did! This is how it appeared before I re-plied it. Classic newbie error — I plied in the same direction as I spun. To make it better, I sent it back through the wheel in the opposite direction, unplying and then replying each section as I went. I also think it would have benefited from my not trying to 3-ply as my first wheel plying experience.
The singles weren’t that bad, but they were victims of two things –
- I overspin. I try not too, but I do. I can go for short stretches where I manage to keep my feet from pumping away like crazy, but it doesn’t last…yet. As a result my singles have lots of energy.
- Erica had warned me that this fiber might have some felty bits in it and offered to refund my money. I examined it (at the time) and couldn’t see anything I thought was felty. When I actually opened the braid and got into it, I understood what she meant. It does have a few felty bits. I consider it a great way to learn and wouldn’t have it any other way.
I’ve also been busy with the farm…especially the wandering about admiring nature. Here is our fungus tree with a new addition. It is cool how absolutely round that hole is! We have very accurate woodpeckers here. And below is a shot of geese flying south for the remainder of winter. I love listening to them call to each other and imagine the guy in the back is letting the guy in front know that he’s keeping up. Either that or the guy in front is calling for someone else to spell him so he can take advantage of some drafting for a bit. Look closely and you can see how hard they are flapping their wings!
All of Saturday was pretty much consumed by the Pennsylvania State Farm Show — the largest farm show in the country!
We don’t just do princess torsos in butter…we do a whole cow…okay, calf.
There are many sheep…some in very cool outfits.
There are rabbits of many colors and varieties…though these will look pretty much alike on the dinner plate. (Sorry, K & J, but these are the same breed your mom and I used to raise!)
Dale found a combine he wanted. At least he wanted to go for a ride in it.
We decided to let sleeping hogs lie.
The youthful intensity of those entered in the poultry event was fun to watch.
I particularly appreciated the “stare ‘em in the eyeballs” method of inspiring greatness. (No chickens were harmed during this competion despite the eery similarity to the way our special operations forces have been reputed to have killed goats.)
Finally, no good farm show could be without…alpacas. I made several new friends — both four legged and two legged. And came away with some beautiful rovings.
Dale sized up the competition in the fiber arts and baking categories and says we can take them. I can hardly wait.
Love, Jan
P.S. If you were wondering about the title of this post — that’s a goal of losing 55 pounds this year. I want to be healthy for retirement! Five down, fifty to go, so now I’m at 50 in 50! I’m still 53 though.
Jan and Ellen are identical twins who have always had an innate fashion sense. Crafting is an integral part of their lives and they stay stitched together sharing their love of knitting, family and community.
January 11th, 2012 at 4:47 pm
You should know that I did the exact same thing to the first really nice batch of fiber I ever spun with on my wheel. Thank goodness it can be run back through, exactly as you did! (Oddly, it was in the same color family as yours, too.) Your festival looks fabulous, and I can’t wait to see you guys take on the fiber and baking worlds - I know you can do it!
January 12th, 2012 at 4:41 pm
I’m sorry that my suspicions about that braid turned out to be true! It looks like that yarn put you through all kinds of paces on the learning curve! My first 8 oz of yarn was about 300 yards long, as I remember (overspun, and waaay underdrafted). It’s all a matter of practice. For the overspinning thing, it helps me to think of a song or put on some music with a nice, slow beat if I’m feeling particularly energetic while spinning. I can follow a rhythm much better than I can make myself slow down. =)
January 12th, 2012 at 10:58 pm
Great goal for this year. Maybe I’ll join you - I would love to lose 25. But I sometimes believe I have to retire to get healthy.
I did first think you were going for 55 skeins of yarn - that spinning is looking pretty darned good. And you will go from overspinning to underspinning, take my word.
Judith MacKenzie was lecturing tonight at the Weavers Guild of MN and she was extolling the praises of energetic singles and yarns. Yours would please her! She also made good points about how we spin with our crocodile brains and it is better to adjust the wheel than try to make ourselves spin differently.