Spinning

Last spring my good friend Dianne came for a fiber retreat. While here, she tried to teach me to spin some lovely angora-Cormo yarn she had had processed, from her own bunnies output. The stuff is lovely, but my spinning skills were sorely tried. I was pretty discouraged, and with getting ready to move, moving, then unpacking, I've not spun since she left.

Out of some wild hare (sorry, couldn't resist!) I signed up for Tricotin's "Spin Me A Treasure" swap, in which you have a month to spin up 100 grams of fiber for a victim. Last night I started spinning this luscious blend, as my victim loves natural fibers, doesn't like dyed fibers, and wants a fairly fine yarn (up to sportweight.) This seemed to be just right. After all, it is passing on the lusciousness of my Christmas gift from Dianne last year to someone else who will love it too. And there should be enough left over for me to knit up something with it and gift someone ELSE. So win/win/win!

For whatever reason, I can spin this fiber now. I don't know why -- after all, it isn't as if I've been practicing since then. But last night I started inchworming along, and today it has gotten to be a normal spin! No more inchworm! I'm delighted. Yes, there have been a few places where I've broken the yarn and had to unwind and fix, but for the most part the yarn is doing a wonderful job. I figure it is the yarn's fault not mine, as I've not done anything to improve my spinning!

Then reality set in. I was so sure my lazy kate had 2 more bobbins on it. I looked about an hour ago, and there was only 1, and it was full of adult mohair! THAT won't be nice with my soft lovely angora/Cormo! The other bobbins (I bought 3 extra with the Wooly Winder) must be in the -- storage unit. Are you tired of me saying that about missing things? I am. I wound the mohair off into a ball, freeing up that one bobbin.

Howard and I went over to the storage unit, it is a lovely day, and I was desperate. I found a bobbin right away, got almost home and realized that it isn't a Wooly Winder bobbin, but original to the wheel. Bad words. I may go back to the storage unit tomorrow.

Another option is to figure out how to use Serena's wheel, which has an Bulky Head spinner. If I spin up two bobbins on my Louet, I can then ply on that. And I don't have to dig in the storage unit. Again. sigh I suppose another option is to fill the current bobbin, wind it off in a ball, and then fill it again. I could then ply on to the second bobbin. Third option would be to fill this bobbin entirely, wind it off into a center-pull ball, and ply both ends together. Am I missing any options? Any suggestions?

By the way, Serena's wheel, which is living here until she is ready to take it home, is a Cinderella wheel, put together from a kit created in Australia or New Zealand in the 70s. A lady in Ontario Canada had it. We heard about it from friends in Toronto, drove up and bought it for Serena. This was while we lived in New York State, it would be harder to accomplish now! It has tiny bobbins, and yet has this huge plying head. ALL of her bobbins together wouldn't be enough to fill that one bobbin! I have permission, actually encouragement, to use her wheel as I wish/need.