{Fat Cat Crochet}

The Tour de Fleece is over and I'm ready to get back to knitting.  I enjoy spinning but I'm easily bored so spinning everyday for almost a month was a challenge in its self. 

I took this...

Knit Witch 100% Super Wash Merino

 and made this...

Drop Spindle Spun Two Ply

and I'm using it to make this  scarf...

Le Petite Echarpe

 I think it's going to look great!

This post brought to you by Fiber Friday.  For more Fiber Art posts check out Wisdom Begins in Wonder

Well the plan was to Spin every day the Tour rides; Saturday July 3rd through Sunday July 25th. Days of rest: Monday July 12th, Wednesday July 21st. (Just like the actual tour).  And I did!  WINNER!!  Even got me a Yellow Leader Shirt!

I kinda like this spinning thing but I'm still going to wait until S.A.F.F. in October before I decide to buy a wheel.  Sometimes I jump the gun on things and I don't want to spend a couple hundred dollars on a wheel that is just going to sit and collect dust.   Like my treadmill did:)

After spinning everyday for almost 23 days straight I really learned a lot.  I was amazed at how different fibers like wool and alpaca were so different to spin  and that plying isn't scary  as I made myself believe it was:)

Like those make-shift bobbins and 'Lazy Kate'?  Hey, you use what you have on hand.  This was the 100% Super-Wash Merino from Knit Witch 

I'm planning to use my first hand spun yarn to make Le Petite Echarpe  (Ravelry Link).

Here are the results of 23 days spinning. Not overly impressive but for a Rookie Spindle Spinner and holder of a full time office job, it's not too shabby either.

I've been a baaad blogger but a very devoted spinner!  I've spun every day they've ridden.

I've spun up some mystery fiber

And some Gale's Art

the lovely Briar Rose  

and the first of the 3 different amazing Alpaca from Wonder Why Alpaca Farm.

The difference between wool & alpaca for this first time spinner was…slippery!

But I'm still spinning singles read: I have't tried plying yet.   So that is my challenge with this current roving.

This is The Knit Witch's Essoterica hand dyed roving "Delusion".

It's 4oz of 100% Superwash Merino.  If you're into yarn, pottery or spinning fiber you would check out her website http://knitwitch.com.  She's got some pretty cool stuff.

So I'm going to ply this one, meaning take two singles and spin them together to make a slightly heavier yarn.  And to do that I need equal amounts of fiber to spin the singles and the easiest way to do that without a scale it fold in half and cut!  It was kinda scary because I have no idea what I'm doing but ya gotta learn somehow.

I think this project will involve a little ZPDK advice…WINE!  See when you spin singles yarn you spin it all in the same direction but when you PLY two (or more singles) together you spin in the opposite direction that you did the singles.  Confusing?  Not really but it helps if you don't think about it too much, hence the wine:)

Wish me luck!

Spinning, spinning, spinning.  That's what I did in my spare time all weekend and Man! Am I dizzy!  Ha!  I crack myself up! 

"I'm so dizzy, my head is spinnin'"

*ahem* sorry.

Anyway, between sunning, boating, eating, napping, relaxing & visiting with Dad I've been participating in the Tour de Fleece.  This was my first attempt at spinning. I call it Tooty-Fruity:) 

It's a bit thick & thin and some would call it Art Yarn, I just think it's cool.  Not much here, didn't measure it, maybe 6 or 8 yards.  It's from some wool roving I recieved as a gift well over a year ago when I also recieved my Fat Cat Spindle. 

With practice,  pre drafting and some pointers from the Zombie Prom Date Knitters, I learned to control things a bit better and produced this.   

Much more even!  I took this off the spindle and started in on the Gale's Art Roving I bought at SAFF two years ago. It went from this...

to this...

to about 200 yards of this...

 Not too shabby.  I'm working on some very lovely Briar Rose Fibers now. Ooooo! Spins so nice and smooth!

I have 4oz of this color and another color.  If my current spinning is any indication I should get about 400 yards from each color!

I bought all this loverly fiber for spinning during the Tour de Fleece.

It's mocking me.

Can't you hear them?  "Why are we in the dark?  Come fondle us!  You know you can't resist for ever!"  "Spin me, spin me, spin me!"  

One more day my loverlies one more day.  Then you meet... the Fat Cat.

Bwahahahaha! 

Oh and I've been stocking up on plenty of this...

(both the bitching and the drinking)  It makes the spinning easier:)

This was part of Fiber Arts Friday.  Now go to our host and enjoy other great fiber adventures!!  Hey, link in too!  You know you want to be part of the fluff, fun. Fun.

Can someone please explain to me how I can use the same pattern, same needles & same yarn and get THIS result??

Grrrr.

Apparently Sheriff Black Bart has been trying to tell us something...

"I'm a GIRL! My name is Bar-Tina.  But you can call me Bart"

Remember the Ravelympics?  Where we crocheters & knitters challenged ourselves by starting a project during the Olympic Opening Ceremonies and (hopefully) cast off during the Closing Ceremonies.  Well now we are about to spin our way through the Tour de France.  No we aren't going to ride bikes through France.  We're going to spin fiber into yarn in Ravelry's  Tour de Fleece!!  

The object is to spin fiber everyday they ride, rest when they rest.  We even have a Yellow Leader Shirt!

Yes, spin fiber into yarn.  Yes, I know I can buy yarn already spun up but this is fun!  Come on it's an adventure!  Alas I won't be using a spinning wheel.  Nope I'm going to use a drop spindle Handmade especially for me by the amazingly talented SpinSanity.  Why? Well mostly because I don't have a wheel.

Fat Cat Spindle by SpinSanity

Plus you haven't felt these fibers!  

I bought these over a year ago at the  Southeastern Animal Fiber Fest (SAFF)

Merino from Gale's Art

and these from The Knit Witch ...she also has cool yarn bowls:)

Superwash Merino by Knit Witch

These two Briar Rose Fibers  fibers are going to look amazing plied together!  (Chris also has amazing hand painted yarns!)

Briar Rose Cormo

But these!….these I just want to get naked and roll in them can't wait to start spinning these.  These are rovings from the amazing Wonder Why Alpaca Farm!  Alpaca is soooo soft and warmmmm.

Wonder Why Rum Brown Alpaca/Merino

Wonder Why Kaboom Alpaca/Merino Blend

Wonder Why Romeo Alpaca/Bamboo/Merino

In total I have 27 ounces of roving.  Being a novice spinner plus spinning on drop spindle I have no idea how much of this I can spin during the race or how much yarn I will get out of it.   I'll keep you all apprised of my progress.

For more Fiber Arts Friday check this out!