cotswold samples

Judy delivered a sampling of Cotswold for me to play with. After two good soaks in the basin, there was still quite a bit of lanolin in the fleece.

...of course I reached for the spindle to see how it would work out, and have decided to send it back for a third soak. The lanolin on the fiber left a residue on my hands, and subsequently, my combs and my spindle...and I was not happy with the handle of the resulting yarn. This small batch of Cotswold needs a lot of attention before it is ready to spin, but I think it will be worth it.

I'm still having some troubles with my blog template, photo editing etc. and have not gotten it worked out the way I would like, so thank you, dear readers, for your patience in the meanwhile.

measured amounts

Checking the chart for measured amounts of precipitation for the month of September, I notice that on average, my geographical location should receive about 4 inches. To date, the measured amount for the month of September, so far, is over 9 inches. I've come to the conclusion that so many rainy days in one month can lead to melancholy and mold.

The sun fights to break though and burn off the fog on those days that the rain isn't falling. When it shines, it brings color to my world! This past Friday, at the Hatton farm, I dyed a small amount of wool from Grace with onion skins that Greta shared with the group. The subtle orange and red flashed tones look so pretty with the sun shining on them. So pretty, I reached for the Ledbetter spindle...sample, sample, sample.

My Shetland Hurricane Mittens took the blue ribbon at the PA Endless Mountains Fiber Festival! The pattern is Ceangaltas Mittens by Robin Melanson.

Speaking with one of the judges, I was told that the decision to award the mittens with the blue ribbon was unanimous. The fact that they were handspun, woolen and fulled, coupled with the design and execution of the pattern, was what scored the most points. I must admit, that there were not many entries due to the weather and poor attendance this year, but I was happy to receive the ribbon anyway!

Fingerlings and Finishings to Start

Fingerlings:

I have received some emails requesting to know the variety of fingerling potatoes that I grew, so I thought I would answer the questions here. They were French Fingerling (Solanum tuberosum), from seed that was purchased from Johnny. My husband calls them small potatoes with a big price tag...but these were a great producer, and taste wonderful alongside of other roasted veggies. I have been roasting them, lightly tossed in olive oil, along with winter squash, onions and garlic, even broccoli--and serving them up as a side dish. It is easy, fast and tasty. They are also the perfect size for throwing into the stew pot.

I wash these fingerlings before storing, and then again before I use them. Since they are grown organically, I don't peel the skins off because the skins contain most of the nutrients. Leaving the skins intact can also help to preserve the nutrients of the interior flesh of the potato...which can escape into that potato water when cooking....and wind up down the drain...wasted.

Finishings:

I have finished spinning the Finn/Alpaca blend! This yarn was produced on the Quebec Wheel, and is the first pound I have spun on it....sort of my "getting to know you", or "breaking in" yarn. The blend (a gift from the Hatton's) was processed and dyed at Wooly Knob Fiber Mill. It did not have a colorway title, so I am calling it Pee Gee...that is after the name of the hydrangea it is displayed with...H. paniculata 'Grandiflora'..or Pee Gee. It was the closest way to try to show and describe the color of the yarn.

This yarn was spun longdraw, soft and lofty, but there are spots where the yarn is overspun (this is where the wheel and I were breaking each other in). It weighs in at 20 ounces, and measures out to 1218 yards of approx. 14wpi. of 2ply.

to Start:

I have already started working with the yarn. Two days ago, I took the 8ft triangle loom out and set it up in front of the piano. I used to set up and work off of the stone mantle, but the Great Wheel is currently occupying that space. Friends and neighbors that stop by no longer comment on the fact that I have turned my living room into a fiber studio....it is just the visitors that do....and they only come in the summertime ;-)

good things come in large packages

...or black plastic bags...

A couple of months ago, I received a big box in the post. Inside of the box was a big plastic bag. Inside of the bag was a Shetland Fleece, from Cathy.

(insert your best Westminster Dog show voice here- "This is Shetland #16 white/silver").

I've never had the opportunity to work with Shetland wool before, so this is a first for me. What's that? You want to have a closer look...

The fleece appears to be in good shape, there is some VM (that is Vegetative Matter for all you non spinners), and there are some short cuts (places where the shears cut twice) and it appears to have been well skirted. Oh good... What's that you say? You want to examine a lock?

I pulled out a handful from one of the cleaner areas. The staple length is at least 7 inches. At times like this, it comes in handy if you know the exact measurement from the wrist to the tip of your middle finger...in my case this is precisely 7 inches. Yummy...I love a long staple. It also passes the tug test..the tips are strong and sound...

I spent a good portion of the day scouring the fleece. I use several large washtubs, because I like to discard the dirty water in the compost pile rather than down my drain. I set the dirtiest portion of the fleece aside for an experiment, that I will make note of at a later date. I scoured the fleece in hot water and my favorite shampoo...not cost effective, but I love my fleece to smell good when I spin it.

Soaking up the last bits of summer sun, the first batch of the clean fleece lounges on the deck to dry. It only had one dunk in the water and it looks pretty white and fluffy. I tease some of it through my fingers...oh, it is nice. I'm going to have to do some test driving to see which wheel will get to know the Shetland Fleece. I'm hoping it is destined for the Great Wheel, I think it would spin a nice woolen yarn...but that will have to wait until another day...a day when I get a chance to do some sampling. It's all part of the process.