Spinning, spinning and more spinning :)

So yeah, I promised I would be cleaning house this weekend (and I did do some cleaning house) but I ended up spinning way way more than I thought I would be. And loving every minute of it.

Decided sometime on Friday night that I was going to spin up some of the scrappies that I purchased from Funky Carolina. I don't know what I was thinking but I picked up 10 bags of scrappies from her (and she sent me an additional one cause she shipped the stuff to me late). Don't get me wrong, I love the bags, but I wonder if me picking up her entire group of scrappies caused her to send it out to me late. There is some different fibers in there, but there were a lot of colourways that were the same. I would think that some of the colourways would have almost 4 ounces total weight if you put them all together. Makes me also wonder if they are really scrappies or if they are just another way for people to try out her colourways.

She did have some fibers in there that I wasn't too fond of, but I have no idea what they were. They spun up beautifully, but they don't feel anywhere near as soft as the merino top that I have been spinning recently feels like.

In any case, I decided to practice pre drafting and spinning fingerling weight yarn from the scrappies. Random colours, 2 ply yarn. I think I've figured out how to predraft now, before I wasn't spending nearly enough time predrafting. I also figured out that I don't like splitting into thin strips, I prefer to predraft the entire roving. Thin strips seem to break more easily for me, so the entire roving works well. It was going really well, and was lots of fun seeing what colours I would pick out at random of my big bin of scrappies (and it's a big bin!). I finished 3 four ounce skeins of fingerling/sport weight yarn this weekend. That's a ton of spinning!

Very interesting way that the yarn colours worked out. It's a good thing that Funky Carolina's colours are all pretty complimentary, otherwise I would have gotten some really ugly combos. Some of the colours I would never have thought of putting together at all! Some are gorgeous. The last skein that I did, I specifically picked out some spring colours, light greens, light purples, pinks, yellows, and more greens. The yarn turned out gorgeous, and since it was the last one that I had worked on, it came out really nice and even. Very tight ply, very smooth. I think most of the scrappies that went into that skien were merino, they were so soft, and pretty.

I have also figured out long draw seems to give me the most control over merino yarn. Before I was getting a lot of nubs, and thick spots when I was drafting in to spin, but with the long draw method, I can really watch how much of it is getting in there. I also installed my high speed whorl onto the wheel. It makes so much of a difference, I wish I had done it earlier. I almost feel that I'm ready to graduate to a better wheel soon. But I've only had this one for not even a year yet. I am starting to feel the limitations of it, that is isn't as smooth as it could be, that it doesn't have enough bells and whistles to enhance my spinning experience. I think I'm going to hold out for a while longer and practice more. Perhaps finish off the rest of the scrappies (by my calculation that is at least another 8 skiens of yarn in that bin), and then some of the other fiber I have hanging around the house.

This throws my thought of putting the spinning wheel up and knitting totally out the window. I am really enjoying spinning, and fiber takes up so much room. Best I turn it into yarn :) Yeah, that's the ticket.

On the knitting front, I started doing a pair of gloves for myself. I think I may frog them and start over. I did a cable cast on, but now I think I should do a provisional cast on, and then knit up from the wrist and down from the wrist so that I can do an invisible cast off. The cable cast on is not stretchy enough in my opinion, and I don't really like the long tail cast on. I wonder if I can figure out how to do the provisional cast on so that I can knit both gloves at the same time.

Socks are currently on hold. Hats are also on hold. Possibly one more scarf, and a bunch of gloves, and maybe more spinning :)

Need more time to spin and knit, but I think I may have overdone it a tad this weekend, my fingers/wrists were a little stiff/sore on Sat/Sun and Mon mornings. That has got to be a sign that I did too much!

Must remember that even if I enjoy it a lot, I need to do it in moderation!

Onwards!

ps... I found my camera battery charger so I may be able to start posting pictures again!