Tuesday, November 17, 2009

Just Like Mom Used to Make!

Saturday was Market Day for the Friendship Spinners, and Fuzzarelly went. Seemed like forever since I had been to a meeting, and it was good to see all my friends there. I took my new blend called Bunny Luscious, which is 80% prime white angora and 20% fine, undyed merino. I sold a few things, even.

Then I bought 20 fleeces.

Raw Lincoln and Wensleydale fleeces.



It made me happy and didn't cost very much on a per fleece basis. I have been All Angora All the Time for so long, that I was getting sick of fuzz and sick of rabbits and sick of drumcarding. I know! Not good! I needed to do something different, and this was it.

Many of them are dark, and so I am thinking about actualizing my idea for Baaad Bunny, a dark sheep wool and brightly colored angora mix. I carded a 50/50 blend yesterday and spun up about 8 ounces, and it is drying now. I am curious as to how the two inelastic fibers will knit up. The yarn, (I used white wool and white angora,) is lustrous and strong and would be good for lace, I'm thinking.

The Handsome Shawl is languishing again. I think I just don't like the dusty mauve colors or something, but since I need want to have it finished by April, I will have to gird my loins and grit my teeth and just do it.

The socks also languish. They are at heel flap stage.



This garment, though, is in my hands a lot. It is the Artisan Vest from the Green Mountain Spinnery book. The yarns are almost all Knit Picks worsted wool. I found them in my large bag of mostly handspun, and these were leftover skeins from a couple of different projects, along with a bunch of natural dyed and fairly unattractive ones. I overdyed them all with fuchsia and black, so they harmonize nicely.



Listen, I even swatched! My gauge worked out to be 17 X 26, over four inches, and the pattern gauge is 20 X 28, so I re-figgered the math and cast on Sunday evening. I am psyched!

And for no particular reason, this is what hangs over the couch - my art quilt, Morwen Mede, and the whatnot shelf.