Spinning Mornings

I have decided it is time to resume my 'Spinning Mornings' because I have not been spinning at all lately and I really miss the peace and quiet and sense of fulfillment these few minutes in the morning at my spinning wheel provide to me. And I know if I don't spin in the morning, I never seem to get to it later in the day. So, on this beautiful Autumn morning, when the Japanese maple tree outside the window I spin in front of is at its most glorious red, 

Japanese Maple in all its red glory.

I sat down at my wheel and gifted myself 30 minutes of spinning some glorious brown (of course) Jacob roving. It was exactly as Zen-like as I remembered and after just a few moments I was moving smoothly along spinning at 32 WPI (which will 2-ply with some beautiful light brownish-creamy Jacob roving  I just happen to have in my stash, to 16 WPI and will give me a lovely sock weight yarn). If I keep this up, I should be able to get through my entire roving stash in................

Jacob roving with newly spun single @ 32 WPI

Where Have I Been?

Seems it has been forever since I sat down to update this blog-not really, it just seems that way. So what have I been doing and where have I been? Knitting, spinning, reading, working and to Virginia answers those questions. Knitting on socks, a lace scarf; spinning more Leiscester & Dorset and some alpaca/merino blend; reading more Donna Leon 'Inspector Guido Brunetti' books (once you start this series, you can't stop); spending Sunday's at The Spinnery working; and dining with former colleagues at a wonderful B&B and visiting good friends at their beautiful home in Virginia. Also spending time with good friends - both old & new and welcoming in my favorite season of the year- Autumn!

The SS09 socks are completed and have already been worn on a couple of our cooler days and the Cat's Paw scarf is just rows from being completed. I have already decided on my next lace scarf pattern - 'Branching Out' which I will knit in Shetland yarn. My needles also hold another pair of socks, of course, my needles always hold at least one pair of socks in the works. This pattern is perfect for Autumn but since this pattern requires diligence and concentration, I will be casting-on another pair that will be portable. I finished the fourth (!!) Penllyn sock this morning -so I can justify casting on another pair of socks - Yea! I say 'pair' because that is what I will do - cast-on a pair and I think it will be toe-up on Magic Loop. The Falling Leaves sock required me to finally get a grip on making a short-row heel and I find it quick and not too awful looking. I also like not having to pick-up gusset stitches, my least favorite part of knitting socks. You may also remember that I will not have to purchase any yarn to begin a new pair of socks, another plus; even though, just this week, I had 2 new skeins of gorgeous sock yarn join their new friends in my stash. These yarns are from Blue Moon Fiber Arts and are called Gail's Autumn Joy and Fall "On Tap" - you can just imaging the colors; now tell me, how could I have resisted these yarns!

Oh, yes, I also attended the Garden State Sheep & Fiber Fest a couple of weeks ago with my DH and a friend, an excellent knitter and just getting into spinning; and, yes, I did come home with more fiber and yarn. But, I had to - I had no choice! One must support ones local merchants, mustn't one? And this same friend and I took a 2 session Drop Spindle class at the Museum of Early Trades and Crafts in Madison, NJ. A good class with an excellent teacher and we both came away with a skein of 2-ply drop-spindled yarn and a desire to spin some more on our drop spindles. It will never replace my wheel but I feel like a more complete spinner since I can now spin and ply decent yarn on the drop spindle. BTW, if you are in the area and have never visited this gem of a museum - drop in sometime.

During my sojourn from 'blog updating' I made my first needle felted item - a little pumpkin, just in time for Autumn. This process is fun and I see some simple Christmas presents being made over the next few weeks. It is sure faster than knitting presents for everyone. And, finally, I taught (and got paid to do it!) my first knitting class at The Spinnery last week - I really enjoyed it and am now writing a Socks 101 class that I will teach on November 14, 2009. This is wine-making time and DH is vamping up for that this coming weekend. So things have not been quiet at Davenport Pines while I have been away from my blog. Hope all of you have been busy, happy and well. 'See' you soon.

PS. If you have not seen the movie 'Julia & Julie' - don't miss it!

PPS. As I read back over this Blog entry - I realize how correct Eric (Julie's husband in the movie) was when he said to Julie "It is all about you." By its nature a Blog is all about you - hmmm, I have to think about if I like that.

From Fleece to Fiber Presentation

This past Tuesday, we (friend of the 8 fleeces and I) gave our presentation to our local knitting guild chapter and, happily, it was a great success. The ladies came out in force and seemed quite interested in all we had to say. I had built a PowerPoint presentation of the steps in the process going from the sheared fleece to a finished project. In the case of the Border Leicester, a gorgeous purse Peggy knit from our fleece's yarn was lined with silk and even had a label with our endeavors' name 'The Fleece Connection'. We also had on display the various stages the fleece goes through from 'in-the-grease; cold-washed; hot washed; teased & picked; hand-carded; drum-carded; spun singles; 2-ply worsted weight yarn; skeined; a ball ready for knitting and the finished swatch (in Peggy's case the wonderful purse). Everything looked quite impressive laid out on tables and shown together in a basket...but we think most of the ladies would probably just head to their LYS for their yarn. I gave a spinning demonstration which was also very well-received and the entire proceeding had lots of energy...we were pleased that every one enjoyed it.

The Dorset was not left out, although being white without lots of lustre or sheen, it definitely takes a back seat to the Leicester (which my English friend Paula remined me was pronounced 'Less-ter' not 'Lye-ster'...try as I might-I really am not a Brit.
Not being as creative as Peggy, my swatch looked exactly like a...SWATCH. The drum-carded Dorset is truly gorgeous however, it looks like puffy white clouds. I am spinning this at closer to an Aran weight and the swatch did make us all say 'Aran sweater'. This is the fleece we have the most of and a lot of it will be in the dye pots we are planning for later in the Summer or eartly Autumn...another endeavor of 'The Fleece Connection'. Who knows where all of this will lead us...but we are having fun, even though it is very time-consuming to go from 'Fleece to Fiber'. Going through this entire process (the only thing we have not done is raise & shear the sheep) certainly does give you an appreciation for the time when there were no yarn shops!

My Spinning Places

Since I have three spinning wheels and a very small house, I have set up spinning places in 3 rooms. My favorite spot is in what I call my parlor...a very English room...it is upstairs and is where I have made a retreat for myself. My office is just off this room so everything is very convenient. It is a space to read, knit, listen to music, sew, watch my sports programs (Go Yankees!) on a little TV and, now, it is a place to spin. The Louet S51...a delightful little wheel...is at home in this space. My spinning chair is an antique Victorian balloon back chair...I so enjoy being surrounded by history. That is some of the carded Border Leicester in the basket at the foot of the wheel.

The view from the windows is of our wooded property and when I sit and spin at this time of the year I look out on the fully leafed-out trees and hear the many bird songs. The sun rises through the side window and early morning is my favorite spinning time and where I enjoy a cup of my favorite Irish Breakfast blend tea. In the distance I can hear the local trains; a sound I have always found peaceful and comforting. Spending time in this space is an antidote to the stress and chaos of the life beyond my walls...it is my centering place.

To Card or To Comb?

On this beautiful Spring day (the heat wave of the past 5 days is over...for now) the birds are singing, the sun is shining, the Crab Apple looks like a white cloud & the Cherry trees are in full bloom , violets are peeking out all over the place and I should be out in the gardens weeding and cleaning up the winter debris; but, I am still washing my Gotland fleece...my puny 14-ounces of fleece...I am on the third day of fleece washing...what will happen when I get POUNDS of the stuff??

Yesterday, DH & I set up my new Strauch Petite drum carder and I just had to try to card some of this fleece I have been diligently washing and rinsing and washing and rinsing and...well, I now understand why Stephanie Pearl-McPhee is so picky about how she washes fleece...I just put mine into the wash pot, then into the mesh spinning bag and then onto the drying rack...didn't worry about keeping locks and fibers lined up...now, what a mess! it will take me forever (OK, an exaggeration, but you get the point) to get this all carded. I have to tease each lock and this fiber is VERY curly & VERY crimpy (see photo), so to try to line up the fibers just a little before sending it into the carder is tedious...to say the least. I spent about an hour and just got 1 rolag completed...I had to send it through the carder 3 times! However, when I finished and removed the rolag from the carder it was glorious...like a light gray cloud and so incredibly soft I had to keep 'petting' it...and it spun like a dream. Yes, I had to sit right down and spin a part of the first carded bit...the blend of colors in the yarn was fabulous. But my question, to all you Master Fleece Preparers out there, is should I buy a set of combs and comb the curly, crimpy fleece first before carding? I do want to spin wooly, but not fuzzy.

The timer just went off...down to empty the 3rd rinse (the one with the vinegar in it) and then a final quick rinse, a spin and then set out to dry. Only one more batch to go. Yes! Now I need a good cup of tea...what will it be? How about a lovely Tippy Yunnan...that will make the carding go better...sure!

Spinning, Fleece and Spring

Spring is here...sunny, deep blue skiy and lots of daffodils and forsthyia looking like sunlight...but the temperatures are still in the 30's at night and mid-40's by day...which is just the way I like it. Spinning is going very well with 4 yarns completed...3 of them waiting for the project to be knit with while the bulky singles spun with heathered grey/brown Jacob roving has become a pair of Maine Morning Mitts and I look forward to wearing them on our next Maine sojurn.

Finished spinning the Fallen Leaves roving...that's it on the right...gorgeous colors and so lofty...it will become a vest with a shawl color.

Bought my first fleece last week...Yea!! Gorgeous shades of grey with a hint of gold Gotland with a wonderful staple and crimp and very clean with light grease...it should be easy to clean and card and as this is my first attempt at both, I am glad that is the case. Later roday I will be picking up my next fleece (yes, that is addictive too), an English Leiscester that a knitting friend has arranged. My knitting friend will also be getting a fleece because, even though she doesn't spin (yet!) she wants to learn about the process of turning sheep wool into yarn. We will work together and that will make it lots more fun. The adventures continue!