Welp … Tour de Fleece 2015 has come to an end (on Sunday). Although I signed up for one team — October House — I mostly spun along with my friends in the KnitPicks (and more) Stashdown Ravelry group. It was an informal spinning team and we had a blast. At least I did. 😀
The tour was great in so many ways and I learned so much in my short 6 week journey as a new spinner. Even with my dislocated thumb, I enjoyed spinning so much, I think I’ve found my sweet spot in yarn crafts. Don’t get me wrong, knitting and crochet are not going anywhere, but there’s just this feeling I get when I put the spinning techniques together (even as a learner) and see a continuous thread unfold from a cloud of fiber. Just like some people only want to knit lace (oye!) or socks, or blankets, or sweaters, or hats … I just want to spin! Not to make anything, but just to see the thread emerge. I think I’m that spinner who’s F.O.s are the skeins themselves and not the item made from those skeins.
For the tour, I:
- learned to use bootleg hand combs and hackles aka dog combs and rakes to prepare fibers. They work, but the tines on my combs are loose after two uses. I should have known it might have been a bust since two of the tines were already shaking when I opened the packet. Plus while they do a decent job opening the fiber, the ones I have pull, rather than separate so I lost 2 ozs of fiber my first go around on a dyed braid. It could have been my technique or it could have been the brand of dog combs I used. Since I can’t afford to lose so much again, real fiber hand combs are on their way to me right now.
- learned how to use hand cards
- spun 600 yds of fiber
- salvaged a matted braid of fiber and made bird’s nests
- dyed four braids of fiber. I got success with all these … none of them ended up matted or felted. Every skein fluffed back up after drying and is usable. I was very excited about this since I’d only dyed yarn before … never fiber. I’ll show you those in my next Dyepot Stories post.
This pic represents most of my efforts during this year’s TdF, and I’m immensely proud. The Wensleydale I dyed during the tour has been shipped to my friend already, but I’ll find a pic somewhere and post it later. My wheel spinning start took a while to actually take off but now that it has, it’s like Super Grover — “up, up and awwwwwway” 😀
For my TdF2015 efforts, I’ve been “rewarded” by my friend Elisa with 1lb of sheep. Yes, I said sheep. And notice the quotes around the word rewarded. LOLOLOL!!! Her gift is making me start from one step up from scratch. I can’t raise the sheep in my apt, but she’s sent me 1lb of amazing bfl locks that I’ll have to scour, process, spin then knit. That’ll give me a head-start and some practice before I start my sheep to sweater project in 2016. Since that’s it’s own adventure, I’ll update you on that once I get it. 😀
Hope you are all well, with lots of crafty, happy things keeping you occupied this summer. Talk to me in the comments and let me know how you’ve been. ❤
D'NALI 
Well done you!! There’s this lady who is a member of our Knit Nite group and all she does is spin. She gives away most of the yarn she spins, but she just loves the whole process of spinning: the fiber, the prep, the spinning and the plying. She doesn’t really enjoy knitting and she and our whole group is perfectly fine with that. She said the same thing, spinning is her sweet spot!! A sheep to sweater project is going to be amazing!!
Thanks sister. 😀
See … that lady right there … she’s my spin twin and I love it!
Ah this is awesome! No lie, I had a dream about spinning last night (must have glanced at this post before bed). Hopefully next year I can be a part of TDF. I don’t know much about spinning, but it is really incredible that you feel like you’ve found your niche in it. Sheep 2 Sweater project? Giiiirl, cannot wait to watch that unfold
LOLOLOL! I hope you get spinning dreams until you have no choice but to start spinning!!!
I think everyone has their niche … some people just get to theirs waaaaaay faster than I do. 😀
So much love for this post, especially for grover! I am looking forward to watching you continue on this journey. Super pleased to hear you have found your crafting passion. ❤
I love Grover too! I love the fact that he keeps trying even if he gets stuff wrong a million times (which he does) … he just keeps trying. I love Grover! ❤
I love the Tour! I’m always so sad when it’s over 😦
Me to! The cycling tour and now the spinning tour. I love watching all the awesome creativity on IG. Amazing.
You’ve accomplished so much during such a short time – I am totally in awe! Looking forward to reading about your sheep to sweater project 🙂
Thank you so much. Sometimes I don’t even know how I got here … to this spinning place I love so much already. 😀
I adore Super Grover, he’s my favorite muppet 🙂 It’s so funny how we pick things about yarn crafts we love. I’m slightly sweater obsessed, you love spinning…we all find something that we gravitate towards.
Friend … you laughed after you typed this comment didn’t you? 😀 You really called yourself *slightly sweater obsessed*. Slightly. That made me laugh, and laugh, and laugh, you Sweater Maverick you!!!!
I do agree with you on two things — Grover is the bomb (also my favourite muppet) and yes … we all find something we gravitate towards. 😀
Ok, ok…I am totally sweater obsessed 😛
😀