While I'm not usually given to such childish displays of pleasure, all I can say is... Eeek!!! Yay! I got possibly the best birthday present ever. (Did I forget to mention my birthday passed? Oops... it was Sept 29, so the gift was only slightly delayed..) Look at my shiny new toy!!
It's my very own extremely lovely Ashford Traveler! I had absolutely no idea I was getting one until I saw it sitting in the living room! Of course, I had to start spinning immediately... Here's the first bit of practice with the handfuls of fiber from when I first learned to spin. It's primarily alpaca, with a bit of wool as well.
Isn't it lovely and even? And fast too! For whatever reason, I'm convinced I need to ply everything, so... Look at all of the pretty mixed colors! Especially that red and the milk chocolatey brown... Next time I do something like this, I'll lay out my roving so that the colors will repeat and pattern and things. <3
Not jealous yet? I'll continue then...
Since I love plying so much, my fantastic mentor had me ply Chani with some high quality black acrylic yarn. She said I'd probably get enough length out of the total for a hat, so I'm looking for a nice pattern... Also, since I (really) overspun the fiber, it's boucle, which should make for a nice, cushy fabric.
Unfortunately, I didn't bring my wheel to school, since there's no place for it in my room and I fret about damage/theft, so I've also started some knitting. It's so nice to knit after all of the crocheting I'd beeen doing... And when I took it to a class to work on, I found out a guy in my Biology recitation group can knit! Or rather, he knows how and usually makes a scarf or a hat every winter but hasn't played with it recently. But now he wants me to teach him to cable, so we'll have something to do when we finish our assignments!
Where was I? Oh, right...
Ten points to whoever recognized it as Fetching from Knitty! I know, it's been done and redone, but I hadn't tried it yet! It's definitely a bit large, but I guess that just means my mother will try to steal them. I just need to finish its mate. I'm not a huge fan of the color, but it's the yarn my brother helped me dye, so it's very special. I think the next pair (should it come into being...) will be solid color, or minimally variegated. I'm considering overdying these with a dark red to mute the color differences and match my skin tone.
Back to homework now...
Much love,
- Cristy
Currently Listening to: "Playgirl" - Ladytron
PS: I forgot to mention that all of this was done with the guidance of Shirley at the Piedmont Fiber Guild. If you're in the Charlotte-Gastonia-Rock Hill area (or don't mind driving there), they're very welcoming to anyone interested in any kind of fiber technique or looking for fellow craftspeople. I know of several weavers, spinners, dyers, knitters, sheep owners, etc. If you'd like to contact them for more information, the web address is http://www.piedmontfiberguild.org/ or you can contact them at PO Box #2 Gastonia, NC 28056.
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