Twists of Fate

Anyone else out there an Avenue Q fan? If so you’ll recognize the title. And maybe, if I am evil enough, you’ll be singing it all day too. :D

I’ve lost all my words about the workshop with Carol Rhodes, but suffice it to say that she is FULL of awesome and fabulous and a wonderful teacher. I learned quite a lot about fleece selection for spinning the Arans (not likely, because I hate me some bobbles yo), Guernseys (somewhat more likely if I really decide I love my brother, the merchant marine) and Fair Isle (possible, but not anytime soon) yarns and patterns.

For Aran yarns, we spun two different fleeces. I tripped and fell and bought some Cheviot, which I learned is pronounced Chee-vee-ott, and it’s sitting and waiting for me to wash it. The Galway (I think? I can’t find my little booklet from the class…I think it’s in the studio with the wheel) fleece is hard to find outside of Ireland. I can see where I may want to do an Aran hat or maybe some mittens with a wristband that has some cables, but dude. The bobbles. I hate the bobbles. I have a bobble loathing that is probably fairly unreasonable, but seriously, why wear something that looks like you’re wearing cat testicles proudly on your clothing?

With the Guernseys, I learned that I really love pure Blue Faced Leicester in combed top format, but am no so much with the enjoying of the personally combing or carding it. Those spiral, crimpy locks are lovely to look at and a bitch to work with. I want to roll around with it in soft focus and maybe a suggestive soundtrack (the FLEECE people, this ain’t a Dolores production), as long as it’s clean, but if you want me to spin it? Pure BFL in combed top please. I did find that the Scotch Mule crossbred fleece was MUCH easier to work with, as the teeny tiny curls were magnified so it was easier to work with, and I think my best yarn of the entire weekend was spun with the two locks of that Carol was able to share. I am tracking some of that down for next year (they already sold the whole ‘08 clip foo…and yes, I googled it) and getting me some.

Last but not least were the Shetlands, who are small, cute, and too smart for their own good. Sadly, by this point in the weekend I was spinning wounded and totally on overload. I did get that there is a remarkable amount of variety in the breed, that I could spend just about forever working with just the natural colored palette that the beasties come in, and that a true moorit is a beautiful thing to see. Also, when I’m tired I can’t spin nearly fine enough to make a Fair Isle weight yarn.

I would be QUITE remiss if I didn’t mention that Suzanne, part of the brains behind Madrona Fiber Arts, is a damn fine cook. Plus, the house was gorgeous, and Rakish Joe and the super sweet Diva were quite welcome distractions for someone who has no animals of her own. Besides the dustbunnies that roam the land that is my apartment, I mean. Suzanne was a gracious host for the hordes, and mmmmmm good eats. I didn’t even mind driving from where I love out to the house, which seemed like a really long drive in the 7am hour for three days in a row.

Anyway. Good Eats (sans Alton). Fab teacher with a Table of Happy (many knitted samples). Great classmates who put up with my severe crankiness when trying to ply from three wound balls (never again). All in all, well worth the money and I am very much looking forward to the Bohus class next month!

And now, to the porn. While buying up some of the types of fleeces we worked with in class (though I did go with roving for some of it), some of my other purchases arrived. For some reason, I keep getting Coopworth and Corriedale mixed up in my head. I really didn’t enjoy working with the Coopworth roving I purchased when I first began spinning. Maybe it was a strange batch, but it reeked of a weird glue-like smell and was really really rough. I’ve shunned Corriedale because I thought it was similar, but then pulled my head out and got to reading, and from what I understand it’s really quite a lot softer, finer, and if these fleeces from Twin Peaks Sheep and Wool Company in Colorado are some of the best of the breed? I’m a happy happy camper indeed.

Holly, right out of the bag she shipped in.

And some of the fiber washed up today. I always let my fleeces soak overnight in water with half a squirt of Dawn. Then I drain, wash twice (these only needed once) with three squirts of Dawn and then two rinses. I got a new toy that spins out so much more water than the salad spinners did and it’s worth every single penny I paid for it.

I’m rather pleased with how well the “locks” stayed together here, even if they all fluffed up into a mass that makes it difficult to really distinguish individual locks. The crimp is super obvious in the fleece, but the individual locks really kind of blend together into these big blocks that stayed together well in the wash.

Not the best pictures of the washed fleeces, but I used the Crackberry camera, and lightened them a bit when I uploaded them. I need to work on a lighting plan for the studio. The carpet is a dark teal and it faces mostly north.

OH! Before I forget, I must thank my favorite NOR-ma for the lovely pink sock kit I won from her blog contest! We share a birthday, and she was giving this away on the day. And then Sandy pulled my comment number out of the morass and lo, I won! On my birthday! For a giveaway she did for her birthday! The cosmic coming-togetherness boggles my little peabrain. But it’s happymaking, and it came with a card that I believe is a January One special (I could be wrong and please do correct me Norma if you read this and I am wrong) and it was very warm fuzzy inducing when I opened the package today.

Whew. A long post, but there was lots to talk about for once!