In a later knit swap I was gifted a 2oz batt of some beautiful Twilighty Merino/Silk blend fiber in black and red. This was about 5 months after my first tries at spinning. I decided to give it a whorl (pun intended:)). Once I twirled my first few spins onto the leader and started on to the actual fiber it just felt like buttah through my hands!! Oh was so rich and just plain yummy. It was like sinking my teeth into a moist chocolaty chocolate brownie. Oh my!:). And after spinning my first mini skein of thick and thin yarn in a black with wisps of reds here and there I was just in love.
I could have bought boatloads of fiber online. Fortunately I am not an online shopper. I have probably purchased a handful of things here and there through the Internet. And fiber and yarn is something you just have to feel and smoosh to buy. I looked and looked online to find something to really catch my eye and convince me to order.
Luckily for me an LYS store that recently moved has decided to sell spinning supplies including fiber, spindles and even spinning wheels! I had never been since it was not really on my way to anywhere but I made a special trip. Very pretty fiber and has things I haven't found at my usual LYS. They offered special wool wash, dyes, special knitters lotion, and other pretties. But the first thing my eyes caught was the pretty bright pink fiber. I immediately chose the right 4oz bag and claimed it. I also picked up all I needed for a small knit swap: some Noro for a one skein hat pattern, a cute "rather be knitting" magnet, Utter knitters hand lotion, Hiya Hiya needles, and 4 travel packs of Eucklan wool wash. All done!!! (look for a whole blog on all swaps that have been had (:)
So I took my cloud of pinkness home and just started spinning away on my spindle. Not much could stop me (another reason why my knitting WIP's are a little unfinished) and before I knew it I was ready to ply my first batch of lace weight singles. I decided to Andean ply but honestly it was a big kinky mess once I got it off my finger (and regained all feeling to my middle finger). Once I started to ply the kinked singles kept pulling my hairs on my arms!! Kinda like when you get your eyebrows threaded. Ouch!!! Anyways, I figure I might was well keep going since all these singles are already the way they are. I finished plying and it is a nice more thin than thick fingering weight. My second attempt at Andean plying was even worse. Somehow it got tangled and now my half way through plied yarn is just sitting there waiting for me to have the energy to pick it back up. As of now I am content with my 2nd addition to my spinning collection. A Schact spindle top and bottom whorl and an actual notch!! (yup my first one didn't have one). I am spinning the rest of my fiber on it. I have to fix my mess of Andean plying that is just mocking me though... I'm planning to make a shawlette out of the finished yarn. Cant wait:)
So now I am into buying an actual spinning wheel. Jane at my new found LYS was sweet enough to let me use her Schact Ladybug. I had a blast and caught on pretty quick after a few tries. I feel its is a great wheel and I was right about me wanting a double treadle. It is to cute for words and reasonably priced for a spinning wheel. A Schact at that. However, as I am going to talk about in another blog, I plan to give up my daily lunch buying and actually pack a lunch to save up for the wheel. Kicking a bad habit and rewarding myself in the end. It can only be a win win situation right??
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