i really look forward to sundays. that’s the day that my spinning class meets and even when i don’t wake up as early as i’d like, once i realize it’s spinning day, i leap out of bed to get ready.
today was no exception; i lolled a little after the alarm went off and finally got myself to brave the chilly bedroom floor and get dressed. david was already up and working on the hall ceiling—normally he sleeps til afternoon because he stays up til morning every day, but there he was. i’ve given up trying to figure out what passes for sleep patterns around here. i headed down to put the coffee on.
while it perked i packed patterns and got my orders squared away to go out monday. as soon as that was done i set up my wheel, shoved the tables in our “dining room” to the walls, and checked my hair (i never look first thing when i’m aiming for a positive outlook on the day).
all set. where the heck were the spinners? and why does the clock on my computer say only 8:57 when it’s 9:57? silly thing; it must still be on the old time change.
heh. what a dork. i guess i didn’t get the news about the time changing last night—i thought that was gonna happen next week. but the good part about it was that i was all set to spin with a spare hour, so i sat myself down and got started.
i finished spinning and plying the soft maine wool i purchased at rhinebeck from hope spinnery, which was a complete pleasure from start to finish. the roving drafts like a dream—i’m going to get some more of this next time i see them.
i spun it long draw and when i realized that i had three equally-sized batches of three related-but-different dye lots, i decided to do a three-ply yarn. it hasn’t been washed yet but i’m very happy with how it looks. right now it’s a little overplied but i’m hoping that after washing it will be balanced (the first two bobbins of singles have been sitting for about two weeks).
i do love the way each dye lot shows up distinctly in the yarn; i hoped it would be noticeable but expected more blending. the yarn feels a little more firm than i imagined but it will wear very well and/or show off stitch patterns nicely. i netted 180 yards which will make an excellent hat i think.
i need to work more on spinning for 3-ply; this is one of my very few experiments with it. the finished yarn is so nice and much more suitable for sweater knitting than 2-ply i think (handspun 2-ply pills a lot). it would be smart for me to invest the extra time in making 3-ply yarns more often.
i also had yarn on the bobbin that needed to be skeined up
which i spun from woolen rabbit splish-splash roving. this is kim’s merino option and i think the colorway is fool on the hill. the fiber is super-soft and has a nice sheen to it; again it drafts beautifully and i spun it long draw into a fingering/sport weight yarn. there are 300 yards here so i have plenty for a soft, cozy scarf.
i’m just about finished with the brown sock yarn that i started ages ago in a corriedale/nylon/lincoln blend. it needs to be plied and i’m hoping to do that this evening. i didn’t take it to rhinebeck because there was so little left to do on it. anyway, once that’s done, all three of these batches can go into the bath and be hung up to dry.
and since sunday is for spin talk, let’s talk about something gorgeous my friend janel laidman sent me this week.
janel, editor of spindlicity, an free online magazine for spinners, has created this 2009 calendar featuring gorgeous photos of unusual artisan-made hand spindles
the photos and calendar pages are huge, with plenty of eye candy for anyone and lots of space to write in the important events of for each day (like fiber shows . . .)
each month features a special spindle arranged with fibers and other ephemera to offset its beauty. it would be a great gift for a fiber artist, secret pal, or swap partner, or any artist whose work is inspired by color or texture. i don’t even spindle (i know . . i should learn) and i want them all. or, i at least want to touch them all. just once.
you might also recognize janel as the author of author of the eclectic sole; her recently released sock book.
proceeds from sales of the calendar will support the continued publication of spindlicity.
17 thoughts on “an hour plus a year extra”
As long as you both are accomplishing the work, crafting, socializing, and other activities each day, and you’re getting enough rest to stay healthy, don’t worry about “sleep patterns”. Artificial cycles are forced on us too often in modern society; an “owl” will have trouble adapting to the daily patterns of a “lark”, and vice versa. Most people fall between extreme owl and lark cycles of sleep and wakefulness, but the more closely you can work with your own natural circadian rhythm, the better.
For anyone interested in the science of circadian rhythms and sleep patterns, Coturnix at “A Blog Around the Clock” has a lot of great posts on the topic. Today there’s on one daylight savings time.
Hi Anne, Beautiful spinning! At first, I thought the first color was purchased (since it looks like something I just bought by Jagger Spun via Webs. “Fool on the Hill” will make the loveliest scarf. Pretty spindles. Lots of good stuff today.
The yarn you spin looks amazing in the photographs. I know you sell knit patterns and have purchased a few. Do you also sell any of the yarn you spin?
Oh, Anne! Hope Spinnery is just down the road from me a bit. Wonderful place. Small world, always, I say. The calendar is so great. I’ll have to check into that.
Thanks for sharing. Oh, and yeah, why don’t you sell that yarn? Good Idea, Shannon!
terrific spinning! lovely color and blending and amazing thickness consistency.
hope you enjoyed the rest of your day and the extra time.
Yea we forgot about the time change till like 10am! That’s when we found out lol. Love the spinning! I’m gonna go get my wheel…it’s been too long.
Yay for spinning! I did some spindle spinning yesterday, and kept thinking how much I want to get another spindle or ten. Knitting really is a gateway craft, isn’t it?
You know what? I too love your Sunday spinning class, as it means that you talk spinning more often on the blog! 🙂
Excuse me while I add the butternut to my queue. Love it, so feminine! OK, is a spindle a good intro to spinning? Anyone? Ferris? Anyone? 🙂 loved reading about your recent adventures!
That first yarn is *beautiful*.
Anne- Who needs pictures of nude firemen when you have spindles and fiber?
I mean, I ask you.
That gold hope spinnery stuff turned out great!! I love it! And your butternut scarf is gorgeous. I love those little 7-up bubbles that seem to float up on it.
Geez!!! I really need to get back to spinning. Your Hope Spinnery yarn is lovely and makes me want to rub my face on the computer screen (it looks THAT soft).
now that is a rare treat! 🙂 todiscover that you had an hour all to yourself, with nothing to do but spin.
lucky you !
don’t you just love Kim’s new splish splash?
what a gorgeous calendar too.
Your spinning is great! Yes, that is “fool on the hill” and you did a beautiful job with it!
Janel has such a good eye for design, whether it is a still life with spindle or sock design!
And I couldn’t agree more – that first yarn is divine.
Sharon, yes, yes, yes. Learn to spindle before you go to a wheel. The pace of spindle spinning is what helps you to truly understand what the drafting zone is, how to draft, the benefits/deficits of pre-drafting, how your drafting influences your finished yarn, how to work your yarn into thick or thin. There is less for you to coordinate and no force is pulling your yarn onto a bobbin, so you can truly focus on the drafting process. Once you have that down, then go on to the wheel if you must. Or just spindle to your heart’s content!
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