SPINNING FOR THE TOUR DE FLEECE!

This is the first time I have ever participated in the Tour de Fleece.  You spin every day during the Tour de France and put pictures of your spinning as often as you can.  I have no problem spinning everyday. 

Starting Day 1  this is Colonia Wool in Color Burgundy from Ashland Bay.
I have two pounds of this and hope to make it into something

Day 2  Still working on the Burgundy.

Day 3 Started on some of Kelly's "Rocket Man"  He is BFL spun from the locks.

Day 4 Had to ply some yarn to free up my bobbins because I keep wanting to spin something else.  Either get tired of the color, or just want to change

 

 

 More Rocket Man and then the plied yarn.

Day 5 & 6 I worked on some of the roving Tammy dyed.  Very nice and a change of pace.

Day 7  Had to work at the races today so I spun on my Turkish drop spindle between phone calls and then at lunch.  A great change of pace.  This will be "mutt yarn"  all different fibers spun one after the other then plied together into yarn.  Always turns out great!

 Day 8 Been spinning on the roving that Tammy dyed.  Can't wait to see what the yarn finally looks like.  Her's was beautiful!

 

 

Day 9 did more spinning on the Tammy fiber, then plied it, washed it and vole.....A beautiful skien of yarn.

 

Day 10 is a rest day, then back to work!!!

 

 I've been spinning more on the locks I got from Kelly

 

Then it was on to the red Moreno I got from Loraine Powell.  I bought this about a year ago and spun one color of red, then lost the other pound.  Found it last week so I have been spinning that for the last 5 days.

Started with my knee getting iced, but I can still spin while icing knee.  Not my best day.

 

Making progress by day three.

Finished a whole pound of Red Moreno tonight.  Day 5 for this.  I can't believe I fit a whole pound on one bobbin.  This is way cool.  I have the other red spun up and can ply it together tomorrow.  I have a really cute jacket I want to knit with this. 

To be continued.  Only four days left I think.

Fiber Dance Festival.

So much going on this weekend.  I was very busy all week getting ready for this event.  Tammy, Carol-Gay and I had a booth at the Festival.  We have all our yarn, knitted articles,  roving, and some of my fleeces to sale. 

This is our booth.  Lots going on here.

I sold one of my spinning wheels and a couple of fleeces so I can get a new electric spinning wheel.

 

These are some hats I have made that was for sale.  Don't really expect to sell them now.  They do better in the fall.

 

My friends doing a Back to Back practice.  I can't spin right now because of my knee, sure miss doing that.

 

Me, Tammy , and Carol-Gay holding Carol-Gay's critters.  I have the sheep and they have angora goats.  Really sweet.

This was such a fun weekend.  The next time we do this is in October.  Looking forward to that.
 

SPINNING FOR THE SHEEP TO SHAWL

This Father's day we had two teams to spin and weave a shawl at the San Diego County Fair.  I always love doing this.  This year I didn't enter the spinning contest ( I do so poorly under pressure) so I had a very relaxed time.  Some of my friends and I have been working on spinning the warp for this project for over a month.  That was probably my favorite part.  We met every Tuesday at one of the Girls houses (Kelly's ) and made plans, spun on the yarn and had lunch together (thanks again to Kelly) 

Until I got my new electric spinner I was in a blue funk about spinning.  Most of the time I was in so much pain I couldn't even concentrate on knitting.  But with my new miniSpinner I am in heaven.  I can spin all day or into the night.  Happy Girl!!! 

This is all my gear set up ready to go at the Sheep to Shawl.  I got this wonderful case that was really made for ice skaters to carry their Ice skates in and they can sit on top to put on and take off their skates.  It works perfect for my minSpinner as a table and of course as a carrying case.  It has awesome wheels that light up as it roles.  Ron bought me a new chair to match and I got the bag at the grocery store to match.  I'm all decked out and even got a battery for the spinner so I can spin anywhere I go.  It also has attachments to spin in the car or motor home or boat.  Great fun for me and I just keep making more yarn.

We had two teams this year so it was double fun.  We had two looms on stage and our plyer was on stage.  The rest of us spinners were on the floor in front so we could spin and answere questions people had about what we were doing.  This is always a great out reach to the public about spinning and all fiber arts.  It advertises our spinning class, but also lets people know we are out there.  You'de be surprised how many people don't know there are spinners in San Diego.  You wouldn't think we would need wool things, but it's everywhere. 

 

This is our loom right before we got started.  It was already warped and ready to weave on.

 

 

Here you can see the beautiful warp.  It was such a fun project.  The white in the middle was mostly my Isabell.  She is a Columbia sheep.  The colors on the edges are mostly Tammy's sheep and Aunt Cocoa, Beth and Murphy.  We all donated what we had to do this project.  It was such fun.

This is the Shawl we wove with our handspun.  It turned out so beautiful.

I really love weaving.  Totally different than knitting or crocheting.  It makes fabric.  I just warp my table loom for dishtowels so will be weaving while working this summer.  I still can't use my big loom because of my knee.  Oh well, that's another story!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A new Car for us!

We have been needing a newer car for some time but were waiting for the right time.  We were more encouraged about finding one when we helped Rhonda look for a car for Tess.  There were lots of good cars out there and we even found some in our price range.  Then poor Lilly had transmission problems and added to the radiator problems we were already having it was just too much. 

 

 

MEET BETTY WHITE

She is a 1999 Chrysler Town and Country Limited.  Perfect condition.  One owner kept in the garage her whole life and I don't think anyone was ever in the back seat.  56,000 miles almost unheard of.  The engine is so clean it looks like a brand new car.  It has all leather anterior and rides like a dream.  We love her.  After poor old Lilly this is real luxury.  It's longer than our silver van was so we are still getting used to it.  We really feel blessed to have gotten her.  She was just waiting out there for us to find her.