Let's Go To The Fair!

Day 177: Until I went on this recent spinning jag, I wasn't sure I'd have any entries for the Washington State (Puyallup) Fair this year. I've taken prizes in every category I've entered over the years, but of course that means that my best works in those categories have already been shown (not that I don't have other Fair-quality pieces I could submit). There are still a few categories I haven't entered, and spinning happens to be one of them. For handspun yarn, you are required to submit a skein weighing at least an ounce. Not a problem there! I've just completed the final processing of eight ounces of Bambino (Merino/bamboo) in the "Twinkle, Twinkle" colourway. I think it's one of the prettiest and most luxurious yarns I've spun to date. The name undoubtedly derives from the golden yellow bamboo fibers which pop out from amid the magentas and purples of the wool. There are even touches of blue and lavender in it which gives it a gorgeous tweedy look. It will be my entry in the "Blended Fibers" class. I also hope to have a pair of socks done in the "Hickory Dickory" colourway for the "Socks" class, and a piece of weaving as well.

Bobbin Along

Day 168: Just call me Red, Red Robin 'cuz I'm bob-bob-bobbin along! This week's spinning projects included finishing up a second bobbin (4 ounces) of a Merino wool/bamboo blend and allowing it to rest for a few days alongside a fully loaded companion. A short nap improves its disposition when it's time to ply. Most spinners prefer to let the fibers relax into the twist imparted in spinning for a day or two before plying. Call it "fiber yoga," if you will, for after having bent into contortions, the fiber now needs to maintain its pose to achieve the greatest benefit. In the meantime, I broke out a manual tahkli and a free sample which came with an order of wool top, a luscious moss green blend of Merino and alpaca. The freebie yielded a whole 16 meters of double-ply lace weight yarn, just enough to add a few rows to the top edge of sock cuffs. That said, it's not a fiber I would care to spin on a regular basis, the alpaca having a tendency toward fuzziness like Angora. I sneezed a lot during that spinning session, despite the fact that alpaca fiber is hypoallergenic. With a few days under its belt, the wool/bamboo blend is ready to be plied now, but must wait in line until I am finished with another colourway of the same product currently on the wheel.