Friday, February 29, 2008

taking off on a tangent

We dipped down into the single digits last night...burrrr.... The woodstove has been cranked up, and I took advantage of the blower heat by washing up some Alpaca that I had in my stash, and putting it on the wooden window screen to dry. It only takes a matter of minutes and it is finished.

Once it was washed I just had to sample it. Well, I couldn't just let it sit there and look pretty in a basket! It spins up easily.

Photobucket

I ran the hand cards over it lightly, once or twice, and from there I rolled it off onto a size 17 knitting needle, and spun from the end of the "cigar". Here is a close up with the infamous dime shot on the Quebec wheel.

Photobucket

I've also been experimenting with a new toy. Grace let me borrow her Inkle Loom so I could learn about sheds and pick up patterns. I am having fun.

Photobucket

Too bad there are other responsibilities in life that cut into my fiber time. When creative ideas run wild, I find it hard to think of anything else. Right now I have about 6 projects that are in progress...and still more percolating in the background. I keep taking off on different tangents....

12 comments:

Anonymous said...

That's an old dime you have there! Your alpaca looks so smooth; mine is hairy and almost prickly, I'm obviously doing something wrong!

Anonymous said...

Oh, beautiful fiber! So glossy-looking. And I bet it has that wonderful woodsmoke smell now, too. :-)

cyndy said...

Actually, it smells like my shampoo!

We don't burn wood in the woodstove, our stove is a Harmon, and it burns good old PA Anthracite! (that is coal for those who have never heard of it).

Pea coal is a nice size, and warms the house with a steady and even heat. And no woodsmoke odor!

KnitChick said...

Woodsmoke odor has it's pro's and con's...it's kind of nice sometimes, but maybe not ALL the time...

Funny that it was mentioned how smooth this is...I was thinking it looked a little fuzzy...do you spin one handed long draw on the saxony as well? And that's REALLY thin yarn, based on the size of that dime! Wow!

Oh, my Great arrives TOMORROW!! So I'll be putting up pics of her very soon...turned out I didn't get copies of the pics from last weekend which is why none are up yet. Can't say I have such a good excuse for the dyeing photos ;)

Judy said...

You got an extra day today to catch up on all those projects!!! Well it sounded good. I didn't get much done either!!!

Ravelry's que works great for the knit/crochet idea's but I started writing down spinning/weaving idea's before they get lost in the gray matter and forgotten about.

Good Luck catching up

Lisa at Greenbow said...

When I read your title I thought maybe you were on an angry tangent. ha... Happy to see that you are in a creative bend. It's much more fun that way.

annmarie said...

what a lovely sheen the alpaca has!

Cathy said...

Lovely tangent!!

cindy said...

A fine weight for the alpaca. It's important to go off the beaten track. It's what keeps us alive.

Donna B said...

Have fun with the inkle loom! Your alpaca is lovely....makes me want to go spin.....

Boy, do I know that tangent feeling...I think I am going to have to start keeping a journal just to let a little pressure off the old brain. :-)

Sharon said...

The alpaca is so shiny it almost looks metallic!

Anonymous said...

Fibery tangents are the entanglements of my life.

Looks like you're off to a great beginning with the inkle loom. Next thing you'll be weaving on a four-harness. :-)

Blog Widget by LinkWithin