# Tour de Fleece?



## gone-a-milkin (Mar 4, 2007)

WIHH asked if I am doing the tour this year.
The answer is no, Im not. I didnt sign up. I have some friends blogging their progress and it going to be great to watch THEM compete.

Anyone who needs inspiration on their spinning should follow the daily threads on ravelry.

Here is a link to Day One. 

http://www.ravelry.com/discuss/tour-de-fleece/1728417/1-25

It is chock-full of pictures of yarns made by people around the world TODAY.
The thread just keeps growing. It is 24 pages long already. 

You will see every possible colorway, fiber, spinning aparatus, style of spinning, different plying methods.

Just a phenomenal collection of talent. 
Very inspiring.


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## gone-a-milkin (Mar 4, 2007)

Maybe next year we could drum up a team from HT? :teehee:


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## susanne (Nov 4, 2004)

i would be in :gaptooth:


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## gone-a-milkin (Mar 4, 2007)

Your yarn is beautiful! That 3 ply is just the niftiest thing for getting the colors to stay together.

Today I get to ply that border leicester. I woke up with that on my mind. 
It was hard to restrain myself lastnight, but I managed to hold off.


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## Marchwind (May 10, 2002)

Loving the pictures! WIHH that yarn is beautiful!

Okay can you all give me a synopsis of what the purpose of the Tour is? Do you have to spin a certain amount each day? Are you to do something with the yarn you spin (sent to someone, donated, used in a project at the end)? What are the specifics of this? 

GAM I love the idea of an HT team or a Fiber Forum team (I wish we had a better name than Fiber Forum).


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## Marchwind (May 10, 2002)

Thanks WIHH! That was a perfect explaination, at least as far as I am concerned. I wonder what the HT team should do or not do next year?

GAM I have never tried the Navajo ply for keeping colors together. I know lots of spinners do this though.


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## gone-a-milkin (Mar 4, 2007)

What should we at the HT Fiber Forum do for the Tour de Fleece next year? Hmm.
Probably any darned thing we want to, considering the rural-type characters we have around here. :gaptooth:

As long as there is a thread for it and people post pics? The sky is the limit! 

I was showing my DS16 some of those pics on ravelry. He was pretty amazed that there is such a HUGE world-wide community fiber artists out there. 
I guess he just assumed that *I* am the only "Weird Mom". Wrong! :teehee:


Also, I saw a pic on there that got me to thinking. (uh-oh, right?)

Appearantly, there is navajo plying -AS YOU GO!- on the drop spindle.??!
Like, you would spin a length of singles, then PLY it, then WRAP the whole 3 ply yarn on the spindle. All in one fell swoop. 
She called it "plying on the fly".
I need to research that. NEED. LOL


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## Mrs. Jo (Jun 5, 2007)

Oh there's a youtube video about plying on the fly! 

I have been trying to figure out how to do that but keep getting stuck. 

It looks so cool. ~ Mrs Jo


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## Marchwind (May 10, 2002)

Oh man, it would solve so many problems. Hey if you can do it on a spindle why can't you do it on a wheel? Talk about time savers.


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## gone-a-milkin (Mar 4, 2007)

[YOUTUBE]7Jc2tYkv_EU[/YOUTUBE]

The part that was stumping me is how you would keep the yarn from unfurling when you change directions. 
She shows it really clearly in this video.

Guess what I am going to be trying tomorrow. :teehee:

It looks like good exercise to me.


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## gone-a-milkin (Mar 4, 2007)

Here is a link to Day 2.

http://www.ravelry.com/discuss/tour-de-fleece/1729522/1-25

My family is not thrilled to have me use up all the internet speed. < Pobrecitos!>


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## Marchwind (May 10, 2002)

Poor family! That is fascinating, but it doesn't seem faster than just spinning a single and then plying. Maybe if you tried it and got really good you could go faster. At least viewing the video here it looks too small to really see what is happening. I should view it at YouTube. Thanks for posting this GAM. Let us know how it goes.


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## gone-a-milkin (Mar 4, 2007)

Very nice. I have never spun anything very thick before.
Not ever, so far. I love that wensleydale. What's the wpi on that?
Beautiful photos too.  

I finished my border leicester. It is 8oz, 2 ply, and I got 443 yards.
I have it all washed with rosemary shampoo and it is sitting in the sunshine here.
Trying to think of descriptives for this fiber. 
There is just amazing drape and loft and a BOUYANCY to this yarn.
Plus it smells delicious. I am having a hard time keeping my face out of it. 
(maybe I should be embarrassed to admit that? :teehee: )

I think it is the most balanced yarn I have ever spun too.


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## PKBoo (Apr 10, 2008)

I am definitely in for a Tour de Fleece next year! I toyed with the idea this year, but I made 5 entries to the local fair, and I am working furiously to get those done. It's great incentive!

WIHH - your yarn is beautiful! I am so envious that you can spin, AND PLY, 4 ounces in one day! It just takes me a long time to spin (and knit). But I'll keep crankin' away 

GAM your yarn is awesome too! I know what you mean about "bouyancy" - the Shetland/BL gray that I just spun (and have started a shawl with :bouncy: ) feels that way, and I was having a hard time describing it. That's perfect! It reminded me of a whole bathtub full of soap bubbles, and using your hands to try to "squash" them down haha!


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## IowaLez (Mar 6, 2006)

That is some purty yarn, GAM and WIHH!

I joined the Tour forum on Ravelry just now, just to be a little part of it. The Peloten and Majacraft teams are the ones I should be a part of. I have spun something every day of the month so far, but I don't think I will post pics or anything, I'm just too tired and hung over from the fireworks to think about it too much right now... I don't know how some of the posters have time to spin, with so many posts and pics! Some of the yarns in the pics so far are too beautiful to be real, and the diversity of creativity is stunning! It is inspirational!

I would want to be on the HT team next year, and I would be willing to offer a prize or two, too. Count me in. As long as I don't have medical stuff going on then. 

I am plying a red wool/silk/mohair/angora/clear angelina yarn today, plus I'm spinning a really fine Corrie yarn on my Aura, to see how it handles non-art yarn. I have to interlace (Jacee Boggs uses a different word for it) the singles yarn around the opposite flyer arm to make it balance and spin smoothly, but that improves fine spinning on many other wheels, too, and it shouldn't be considered a shortcoming. 

Spinning is nice, calming, quiet, and away-from-people, after such a busy time. I am kinda glad our city friends are gone, tho, I don't have much use for city folk on a day-to-day basis. They don't like the country life for more than 48 hours, and the quiet out here drives them nuts.


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## gone-a-milkin (Mar 4, 2007)

Wind in Her Hair said:


> My advice is - start stashing that fiber for next year's Tour de Fleece!
> 
> When you spin every day, you go through some fiber!


Isnt that the truth! I am not even trying for 24 days of spinning here.
There are days off in there though, I believe. ? I think so.

I was going to try that plying on the fly today, but darn it. I didnt really find anything in the stash that I felt like 'wasting'. 
Oh, I have fiber, dont get me wrong! I just need to do preps on it.

Spinning also cuts into my valuable knitting time. 

Cannot wait to try my next acid dyes (when they come). 
I have this 10 oz of roving called 'Buttercream' merino/silk. 
That is the one my mom got me and hinted at a triangular shawl.
I have it all dyed (in my mind :teehee: ) 

purple/rose/sapphire/turquoise/sapphire/rose/purple. With the widest band of turquoise in the center. Can you see it? LOL

My spinning is FAR from perfect! I think I have more control because my wheel is pretty slow. 
I have plenty of time to get consistent twist, especially from mill-prepped roving. 
It is not that exciting or challenging though.
Hopefully I will have another wheel by this time next year. 

Leslie, surely you can find time to get a couple pics of your pretty stuff on here.
It doesn't take that long. Maybe you just need more practice? 
(pretty please? :kissy: )


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## Marchwind (May 10, 2002)

Beautiful girls!!!! GAM that reminds me of the Romney I spun for you, color and everything. I think you did a far better job with yours though. WIHH I love that Mohair. Didn't you get that at the Shepherd's Harvest? Can't wait to see it spun up.


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## gone-a-milkin (Mar 4, 2007)

A link to Day 3.

http://www.ravelry.com/discuss/tour-de-fleece/1730549/1-25


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## gone-a-milkin (Mar 4, 2007)

Day 4, link. 

http://www.ravelry.com/discuss/tour-de-fleece/1731684/1-25


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## Katherine in KY (May 11, 2002)

Lovely yarns you all are posting. GAM, yours is amazingly perfect. Wow! I'm with WIHH in demanding far less perfection in my spinning. I did, though, just reply some merino/tencel I spun a while ago, and it looks soo much better. Am starting a simple mindless knitting shawl with it that I can do while travelling.


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## PKBoo (Apr 10, 2008)

That is a GORGEOUS color WIHH! WOW - love it


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## gone-a-milkin (Mar 4, 2007)

WIHH, you are a rock star!  Is that all 8 batts on the niddy noddy?
I do love green yarn. 

I spun for 5 hours today and got only an ounce and a half on the bobbin.
Treadled as fast as I could at some rambioullet roving, spinning as fine as I possibly can.
Thank goodness it is only 4 oz. I am going tomake a straight 3 ply from it.
At the end I felt like I was riding a bicycle up a hill alright. 
Pics tomorrow.


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## sbanks (Dec 19, 2010)

I am sooo jealous of you ladies. I don't even have a stash to spin. I have to wait for next years fleeces.

Off to make a center pull ball with my nostepinne and then on to plying with a drop spindle.

Happy spinning!


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## PKBoo (Apr 10, 2008)

gone-a-milkin said:


> At the end I felt like I was riding a bicycle up a hill alright.


We're all going to have amazing calves by the end of the summer


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## gone-a-milkin (Mar 4, 2007)

PKBoo said:


> We're all going to have amazing calves by the end of the summer [/QUOTE}
> 
> LOL! Yeah, and I was sweating too. Burning calories and everything. :gaptooth:
> 
> Annie has a whopping 7:1 ratio. You can make fine yarn with her but you gotta pedal fast and draft slow.


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## Marchwind (May 10, 2002)

Looking good! Does it just shimmer?


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## gone-a-milkin (Mar 4, 2007)

I need my own fiber scale too.
I keep swiping the DH's one he uses for measuring hops. 
That is only fair considering how many times I have had to hunt for my tape measure.


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## Marchwind (May 10, 2002)

LOL, GAM! I have an old postage scale I got at an auction. Diet scales may work too and are fairly cheap. Do you not need to weight your dyes when you use them?


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## gone-a-milkin (Mar 4, 2007)

So far I have just been measuring my dyes with a set of stainless spoons.
I suppose it is not the most EXACT way, but good enough at this stage in my game.


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## gone-a-milkin (Mar 4, 2007)

A link to day 5:

http://www.ravelry.com/discuss/tour-de-fleece/1733074/1-25


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## gone-a-milkin (Mar 4, 2007)

Here is where I am with that rambo after about 8 hours. 











Need to get all 3 bobbins to look like the one I am holding there. 
Maybe 6 more hours?


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## gone-a-milkin (Mar 4, 2007)

That fiberoptics stuff is sure pretty. I cannot imagine spending $26 on 4 oz of roving though. Not in a million years. 

I am learning so much from following these threads! 
It is infinitely educational. Including seeing what is 'in' and how it could affect the pattern designs. On and on.

I am the most impressed with people who are doing all their own fiber prep.
Some of those ladies are hilarious too. 

Cannot wait to see what you decide on next, WIHH.


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## gone-a-milkin (Mar 4, 2007)

I think you really should get a nice yardage from that Autumn braid. You can do it!
A pretty shawlette wrapped around that new tiny baby...<sigh>


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## PKBoo (Apr 10, 2008)

GAM your yarn is awesome! So fine and consistent - it's amazing! I hope I get to that point someday...

Do you have something in mind for it? And why 3 bobbins (I'm assuming to make 3-ply yarn, but isn't that what Navajo plying does?) 

I have not been following the Tour de Fleece threads, but you have inspired me - I'll have to "catch up" tomorrow. It's too darn hot outside to do much of anything 

WIHH - that Fiber Optics link roving is drop-dead gorgeous! The colors are so rich! I haven't bought any roving, since we have the sheep and alpaca, so I don't know what it's like to spin something in color like that.  

How do you dye like that???? I just got a drum carder last month - how do you get batts into roving?


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## gone-a-milkin (Mar 4, 2007)

I just want to do straight 3 ply. The singles are so fine and in the past I have had issues with breaking superfine singles when I navajo ply it. 
No idea what the yarn will become yet. Need to finish it and get a look, see how much yardage I get. 
It is next-to-skin soft wool so we will see. Too soft for socks really. IDK yet. 

The best I have ever done was 357 yards from 4 oz. Hoping to beat that this time. 

Everyone feel free to post your spinning progress up here. 
No need to be in the actual TOUR. Everyone loves pics.

This is just a practice run for me, for next year.
I am thinking it would be fun (for me) to attempt to spin an entire fleece (at least enough for a sweater) for the tour next year.


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## Callieslamb (Feb 27, 2007)

Wow! How you 'guys' can spin! Your yarns are fantastic!!!!! I am so jealous. I am here in Texas....way away from my wheel. I did get 10 rows of one sock done! LOL!! I can't wait to get home and get to spinning!


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## Marchwind (May 10, 2002)

WIHH I was going to say maybe it has silk. Looking at the sheen on the spun yarn. Are the fibers fairly long too? I love the colors, my favorites  As for adding more twist, remember that when you ply some of that twist is taken out so you want your singles a bit over spun for a balances yarn.

GAM Love your spinning, you are such a fiber-savant


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## PKBoo (Apr 10, 2008)

Wind in Her Hair said:


> As far as making roving from your batts - what I do it just hold up your batt and tear a 2"strip down the side of it until you almost get to the bottom, then turn it over, and tear until you get to almost to THAT end and repeat until you you have along lovely piece of roving, wind it carefully into a ball and you are good to go. OR you can spin the batt like a huge rolag, too.


Thanks! What a great idea - and I could braid it too, then dye it when it's in a braid? Time to break out the white fleeces and start washing! After perusing all of those pictures on Ravelry TdF, I NEED color in my life!!! I have some Cushing's dyes - I'll have to start with those until I can get some Jacquard.

I finished spinning the second bobbin of our BFL ram last night. He is almost as soft as alpaca! We're going to breed him to our 4 ewes, and I can't WAIT to see what the lamb's fleece will be like :banana: I am soooo happy with him!










The bobbin on the left was spun worsted (fingers close to the orifice), and the bobbin on the right was spun woolen (long draw) just because I hadn't done long draw in a while and wanted to do it  I really can't tell much difference between the two - the worsted is a little shinier. We'll see what happens when they're plyed.

Last night I also carded one of our alpacas, Killian:









and got half a batt spun:








It's hard to see the color inside - tomorrow I'll take the bobbin out in the sun for another pic.

Thanks for the inspiration - this is great practice for next year!


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## IowaLez (Mar 6, 2006)

Here is the red yarn I have spun from 7/1 to 7/6 during the TdF. Today is cloudy and the lower lite levels allowed me to take pics and get more true colors in the yarn.

It is a blend of red mohair, red corriedale, recycled cut up sari silk, clear angelina, nylon and white angora.


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## gone-a-milkin (Mar 4, 2007)

Yay, more pics!
You all make me feel so happy just by sharing. 

WIHH, that fiber looks almost exactly like the colors in my sky right now. Thunderstorms.

PKBoo, you have some nice FULL bobbins there. I can hardly wait to see that alls plied and dyed.

Lezlie, those are excellent photos. Your yarn also looks PERFECT. 
Just stunning. 

I am still fiddling with little dinky singles.
It will be an accomplishment to get through this fiber.


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## sbanks (Dec 19, 2010)

What does my yarn want to be? baby booties, diaper cover, cap?


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## Marchwind (May 10, 2002)

Fun!!!! I've been spinning at work all week on my drop spindle. Things at work are sort of stressful with the construction of the whole airport and us being moved hither and yon. Our offices are finally finished and we have moved into them. Our baggage area is finally done too, that is also where our break area is. Guess where I've been hanging out? Yep, I don't have to deal with all the office crap, it is cool and quiet. So I sit and spin  No pictures it is just mindless spinning nothing to show and tell. But it keeps me calm. 

This thread is true inspiration. I'm almost tempted to dig out my stash but I'm not going to that is counter productive right now.

Keep posting pictures and stories.


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## gone-a-milkin (Mar 4, 2007)

sbanks, that came out nice. Especially for your fist try!
How many yards is it? You are wanting to make a baby thing with it? 

Marchwind, I have been thinking about you and sending you lots of good vibes to get through this time.
Glad to hear you are spindling at work. That should help. Stay strong! XOXO


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## Marchwind (May 10, 2002)

Thanks GAM I really appreciate that a LOT!!!


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## gone-a-milkin (Mar 4, 2007)

Oh, and a link to day 6. http://www.ravelry.com/discuss/tour-de-fleece/1734477/1-25

Just posting the links everyday is going to be good exercise for me. 

Expect this thread to be obnoxiously long. :teehee:


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## sbanks (Dec 19, 2010)

I'll make just anything. there is a craft fair in November I believe and I wanted to make baby booties, hats, etc to sell. Just some quick items.


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## susanne (Nov 4, 2004)

not much spinning going on here. we put hardwood floor in our house.


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## gone-a-milkin (Mar 4, 2007)

New flooring is a good excuse to take some time off from spinning.
At least for a few days. 

Is it beautiful? Do you LOVE it? I adore my ancient beat-up wood floors. They are rough, but just so homey.


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## susanne (Nov 4, 2004)

gone-a-milkin said:


> New flooring is a good excuse to take some time off from spinning.
> At least for a few days.
> 
> Is it beautiful? Do you LOVE it? I adore my ancient beat-up wood floors. They are rough, but just so homey.


oh yeah, i love it. we used 5"wide maple board. fits so nicely to my maple wheels )

2 years ago we built an addition to the house and run out of money. so we just had the ply wood that i painted as flooring. now to see it complete (well almost) makes me happy and well worth the brake in spinning.

my knees hurt, my back feels like it is breaking, but the floor looks very nice


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## PKBoo (Apr 10, 2008)

Finished an ounce of alpaca last night:









WIHH, this is what was on that last bobbin (it was just darker in the house). The color is different than what I thought it would be. It started as this:









Also started plying the BFL singles (that prompted the other "spinning too loosely?" thread). 

I didn't make much progress today - errands and housecleaning (UGH!!!!) Why do we even have to do that! (I usually don't - which is why I end up having to have marathon cleaning sessions  )


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## gone-a-milkin (Mar 4, 2007)

The link to day 7~

http://www.ravelry.com/discuss/tour-de-fleece/1735951/1-25

I just finished plying all that rambo.Whew!

Pretty alpaca, PKBoo!

4 oz on one really full bobbin.


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## susanne (Nov 4, 2004)

everyobdy your spinning looks very nice


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## gone-a-milkin (Mar 4, 2007)

The link to day 8~

http://www.ravelry.com/discuss/tour-de-fleece/1737348/1-25


Here is what I took off that fat bobbin. 308 yards, 4 oz. 
You can see the VM I will get to pick out. 











WIHH, how are you holding up? It says the bicyclists are taking monday off from pedalling.


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## sbanks (Dec 19, 2010)

My bobbins must be extremely small compared to the ones you guys use because I only get about 9 plied yards on a full bobbin. Unless I am measuring wrong.


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## gone-a-milkin (Mar 4, 2007)

sbanks, 
It really depends on how thick you spin. That is one reason people usually list the weight of their skeins (in grams or ounces). 
On this last stuff I tried really hard to spin it thin. Still only got 308 yards, 3 ply. That is not a record for me. Meh, oh well. 

Some wheels do have tiny bobbins though. Maybe yours is one of those? How do you measure your yarn?


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## Marchwind (May 10, 2002)

GAM I love a three ply it is such a pretty round yarn. That looks so nice.


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## gone-a-milkin (Mar 4, 2007)

WIHH, I have decided that for next years TdF, there should be a special prize for the person with the very best excuse for not spinning. 
On this forum, we can usually come up with some doozies. 

Danged straightline winds. Another term they use here a lot in the springtime is "microburst wind". That is when nobody near you gets whacked, but some unlucky family suffers tremendously. Blech.

Glad your MIL's place is going to be okay.


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## Marchwind (May 10, 2002)

WIHH good to hear the damage was minor. Were you up here when those straightline winds hit Itasca? I had trees downed in that one, luckily not one on the house but plenty across the drive and it took out power lines too. 

Wow She is a lumber Jill by day and spinner by night. There has to be a song in there somewhere.


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## Marchwind (May 10, 2002)

Work through it WIHH, "feel the burn", lol! Hope you heal soon so you can climb back on the wheel with no aches and pains. I think a day off is in order, maybe take it today and spin tomorrow. Hot baths and rub downs, that's what athlete's do, or is that ice and rub downs? Take your pick it will all feel good.


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## gone-a-milkin (Mar 4, 2007)

She's a lumberjill and she's okay! She spins all night and she works all day! 

LOL


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## Marchwind (May 10, 2002)

:bouncy::hysterical::bow:


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## gone-a-milkin (Mar 4, 2007)

Today I found some of Lana's targhee that I had forgotten about. 
I have been practicing with my carders on it. :teehee:

At least it isn't brown.


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## sbanks (Dec 19, 2010)

I was doing my math wrong. I am using a 12 inch long hand quilting frame for a niddy as I have not purchased one yet.


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## gone-a-milkin (Mar 4, 2007)

Link to the pics from day 9~

http://www.ravelry.com/discuss/tour-de-fleece/1738433/1-25


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## PKBoo (Apr 10, 2008)

Great colors GAM - can't wait to see how it spins up.

Hope you get some  WIHH - aching muscles are not conducive to the Tour!

No spinning at all this weekend for me - we spent it at the beach with family, and it was relaxing! Got a lot of knitting done on the shawl though - I only have 2 more repeats to go :happy:


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## gone-a-milkin (Mar 4, 2007)

Today is an offical day of rest for the bicyclists.

Of course there is a thread for it anyway. http://www.ravelry.com/discuss/tour-de-fleece/1739610/1-25

I am finally getting the hang of my hand carders! 

Today I blended an ounce of the softest shetland locks with an ounce of raw alpaca.
I had saved back this shetland because it was so full of vm. Pretty sure it is from right behind the sheeps ears, it is so soft.
Going to try to spin that really, really fine starting tomorrow. 

I also vaccuumed up all the buffaloes that were capering around the house today. :teehee:


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## Marchwind (May 10, 2002)

WIHH I love that picture. Can't wait to see how it spins up. How will you ply it?


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## gone-a-milkin (Mar 4, 2007)

here is the link to day 11~ http://www.ravelry.com/discuss/tour-de-fleece/1741026/1-25

I spun that shetland/alpaca today and got 165 yards from it. It came out loopy and strange. Not BAD, but I wasn't expecting it to do that. 

Then I dyed it blue. Now it is drying. Pics tomorrow.


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## Marchwind (May 10, 2002)

Sounds really interesting GAM. Did it just do that itself or did you spin in differently? Can't wait to see pictures.


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## gone-a-milkin (Mar 4, 2007)

Okay, here it is. 



















I did several things differently with this.
I spun the singles all on one bobbin. They were dead smooth singles with no neps or lumps at all. 
I did NOT let the singles rest for more than an hour. 
I treadled half the singles over to the 2nd bobbin, then plied them straight 2 ply.
When I took the skein from the swift it was pretty balanced and looked perfect. It only twisted about a half turn, which is not ever a concern.
It looked just like my yarn usually does. :shrug:

Then I put it in the water and it went wild. 
It looks like 1 ply made a little "loop" or bump about every inch or so through the whole yarn. ?

My hypothesis is that the ply which twisted in the yarn was the 2nd half of the singles. (The part that had not been treadled from 1 bobbin to the other.)
Feel free to share your own guesses. 

It is a very soft, fine yarn anyhow. I do like it. 

I guess that is why you should let singles REST, or at least treat them all the same? LOL


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## PKBoo (Apr 10, 2008)

GAM - that's COOL yarn! It will make a great scarf or hat (or anything actually!)I can't wait to see what you do with it 



gone-a-milkin said:


> I did NOT let the singles rest for more than an hour. I guess that is why you should let singles REST, or at least treat them all the same? LOL


By resting, do you mean to stay on the bobbin for 24 hours before you do anything with it? Does that help to "set" the twist or something? (I thought water and heat did that... :shrug: )

I just finished 2 oz. of alpaca, and I was going to N-ply (I want to enter it in the local fair next week). Should I wait until tomorrow to ply?


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## gone-a-milkin (Mar 4, 2007)

PKBoo, I dont know. I have asked and read and am now resorting to trying all different stuff. :teehee:

I have never had this happen before. Usually I let the singles sit overnight. 
It lets the fiber get settled into its twist some. That kind of makes sense to me.

Also, when you spin the singles from one bobbin to the next, you distribute the twist somewhat through it. 
That is a 'fix' for uneven spinning: put the uneven bobbin on the lazy kate many feet from the wheel and slowly wind it onto a new bobbin.
The twist travels that length between bobbins and evens out.
It works on singles and on plied yarns, both. 

I am back to fiber prep today. Merino locks. Whee!


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## sbanks (Dec 19, 2010)

my latest spinning:










trying to finish second bobbin and then ply before July 29th so I will have at least one empty bobbin for the fiber festival.


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## gone-a-milkin (Mar 4, 2007)

sbanks, that looks like more than 9 yards to me. 

Skinny stuff, very nice (and slow to fill the bobbin!).
Keep at it, you have plenty of time til the 29th.


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## Marchwind (May 10, 2002)

Here's my 2 cents worth. You have wool (Shetland) and Alpaca. I believe you carded them together? If so the mix may not have been "pure". By that I mean that you have more Alpaca fibers together in some part of your bat and more wool in others. It wasn't a pure exact mix of the two fibers. When it was spun, the Alpaca which tends to be slippery, may have slipped past some of the wool and some of the wool may have gripped onto itself. Your singles were like your batts/rolags. As beautiful as they were they were not a perfect blend of the two fibers. Then you plied them further mixing the blend in other ways. One washed the wool acted as wool does and Alpaca acted as Alpaca does. Wool has sproing and memory, Alpaca tends to drape and not have memory issues. So when you washed them the wool went "boing" and the Alpaca went "ahhhhh". Now you have a fine combination of two very different fibers resulting in a beautiful yarn that has a LOT of character. I think one knit it will be sumptuous and you may not even notice the "lumpiness" of the yarn.

If they were two different singles that also explains things using the same principal.

That's my guess!


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## Marchwind (May 10, 2002)

Sbanks very nice spinning you have there. When I spin really fine stuff on my CC wheel it seems like it takes forever to fill a bobbin, and they are small bobbins. Keep up the good work.


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## gone-a-milkin (Mar 4, 2007)

Okay Marchwind. That is as good a guess as mine. 

There is also a real difference in the staple length of the two fibers.
Shetland 4-5 inches and alpaca maybe 2.5 - 3 inches.

I was worried that the tog would all go first into the yarn, but it really didn't draft like that. 
It went out smoothly but there WERE a few spots that seemed like mostly alpaca. 

It was my very first attempt at blending different fibers. They were both very close in color. 

I should try it again. Maybe with white merino and grey alpaca? Then I will be able to SEE which fiber is doing what. Hmmm. 

I just washed some white merino today. :teehee:

I really clicked with my carders now and I finally have some control over how the fibers pick up. None of the (many, many) videos I watched really explained it very well.

There is no substitute for practice!


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## Marchwind (May 10, 2002)

Alpaca is a slippery fiber and like Angora it will tend to stay on the carders and sink to the bottom of the teeth, at least this has been my experience. I have found the trick is to try to mix the fibers together by and as best as you are able before you begin to card them. It's similar on a drum carder but there you an peel the batts off tear them in half and mix them up a bit easier.

Did you notice that the Alpaca and the Shetland picked up the dye differently? Another thing to keep in mind, Shetland will begin the felting process as you knit with it (this is one reason steeking worked so well). Alpaca I believe felts fairly well but I'm not sure it felts like Shetland does.


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## sbanks (Dec 19, 2010)

Well, I thought I had lots of time also but now I have a job starting the 19th and ending about 4-5 days later. (I clip dogs and this is a 250 dog (with long hair) kennel). No I don't spin dog because it still smells like dog and I HATE that smell after 6 years of doing this.

So I have to get busy between now and the 19th to get that bobbin finished.

I mis-calculated on the 9 yard stuff. Using a 12inch quilting frame for a kniddy is not a good thing. I had 170 rows on each side of the quilting frame at 12 inches long so it was more like 100 something yards. 340 x 12 in divided by 12in to get feet divided by 3 ft to get yardage? I think? ; -0

anywhoo, off to get what I need for the job (did I mention I get to sleep in a tent the whole time? or my car?) and figure out how to pack my crochet project so not to get it contaminated with hair.

Happy Spinning all you craaaazzzy fiber arteests!


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## gone-a-milkin (Mar 4, 2007)

The link to day 13. It has been nearly 2 weeks already!
http://www.ravelry.com/discuss/tour-de-fleece/1743903/1-25


Brushing out the merino here. I tried to spin a bit but after the 2nd phone call in 15 minutes I gave that up for the day.
Just as well because I dont have a clear plan at all what I want to do yet anyways.


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## PKBoo (Apr 10, 2008)

WIHH & Marchie - GREAT explanations! That makes it so much more understandable! 



Marchwind said:


> So when you washed them the wool went "boing" and the Alpaca went "ahhhhh".


Love this quote - it made me think of sheep jumping around and alpaca lounging - it made me laugh!

Here's what I've been working on - it is spinning up beautifully (and quickly)! She is a BFL/BL cross, and she's one of my favorite to spin:

Raw DIRTY locks - she was filthy!!:









I use a flick carder and "comb" every lock - it gets rid of all the VM:









Basket of flicked locks ready to run through the drum carder:









I'm hoping to get through this quickly so I can do some dyeing woohoo! :dance:


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## gone-a-milkin (Mar 4, 2007)

Beautiful loooong fiber there. <drools>


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## Marchwind (May 10, 2002)

PKBoo I'm glad you liked my desription, lol!

Beautiful fiber you have there. Can't wait to see what it spins up like.


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## frazzlehead (Aug 23, 2005)

GAM those poofy bits look a lot like what my Icelandic yarn pretty much always does - and Icelandic & Shetland are very similar, so I'd say that Marchie's hypothesis of "wooly bits" is probably bang on.

Icelandic relaxes and halos up beautifully once you wash it - I always hot/cold/thwack my finished skeins and love how they puff up and get airier.

I have some stuff I did with alpaca in one ply and Icelandic in the other - I'll go look at it and see if it has that 'smooth/poofy' thing going on and report back.


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## PKBoo (Apr 10, 2008)

gone-a-milkin said:


> Beautiful loooong fiber there. <drools>


I've really only spun long fiber, since it's what we "grow" here haha! A friend of mine shears twice a year, and I'm not sure what I want to do this year - dilemma dilemma! It would be cleaner if we shear this fall, and I could send it to a mill to be made into roving, but I absolutely adore the long locks. 
What lock length do all of you like to spin? I would eventually like to start selling it, so it would be good to know what people like.

Good news - I've spun a balanced yarn (I think!) There are two differences in what I usually do though, and I'm not sure if that affects it. I got a new Ashford niddy noddy that 1.5 yds in length, so the skein is much shorter than what I was using (my dad had made me a niddy noddy that was almost 3 yds!  ) AND, I put 300 yds in one skein. It hung perfectly, with no twisting, but would those two things make a difference? Off to wash it - pictures later


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## Ana Bluebird (Dec 8, 2002)

whoooh, look at that BFL ! I've never spun that---YET. Need to think about trying some--SOON. Thanks for the pictures.


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## sbanks (Dec 19, 2010)

Left bobbin is left over singles from plying. Right bobbin is 2 ply mohair.


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## Marchwind (May 10, 2002)

Sbanks as for what we spin or like to spin in terms of length? I prefer a 4-6 inch staple I don't mind spinning longer but carding the longer locks can be difficult and tiring. I suppose one would or could comb or just flick the locks.

Your Mohair looks nice. You don't see much colored Mohair.


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## frazzlehead (Aug 23, 2005)

Okay, GAM, here's the picture of the alpaca/Icelandic I did: the dark strand is alpaca, and you can see it did not poof up at all really when washed (and dyed), but the blue Icelandic (which was white before dyeing of course) has really expanded and gone wooly. 










So I think the poufy bits in your blended yarn are, indeed, the wool showing it's true self.

ETA you can click here to see the giant sized up close version of the picture, if you want.


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## gone-a-milkin (Mar 4, 2007)

frazzlehead, thanks for the pic. I think you may be right about the fibers behaving differently from eachother. 

sbanks, that is some nice mohair yarn. For the left-over singles you could make a centerpull ball and ply from both ends.
If you dont have a ballwinder, this method works just as well.
http://knitswithballs.blogspot.com/2007/07/how-to-make-center-pull-ball.html

Or you could navajo ply it, creating a 3 ply.


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## gone-a-milkin (Mar 4, 2007)

Here is a link to todays spinning. 14 days of it.

http://www.ravelry.com/discuss/tour-de-fleece/1745214/1-25

I have been working with this white merino and it is just so darn fine. 
If I get the singles too thin, they break. 
They break from too much twist or from not enough. 
The last merino fleece was NOT the same as this one. 
There must be a trick to it, I still havent found my groove is all. 

I havent had much success with carding it either. It gets all broken up no matter how slow I go, with either set of handcards.
So I have been flick carding it with a soft cat slicker brush, which is working, slowly.
I know it will make gorgeous yarn once I figure out how.


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## Marchwind (May 10, 2002)

Yep WIHH, you can see the stress lined in fleece sometimes too. I've been known to snap a lock or two myself. I've never watched fleeces being judged before I bet it would be fascinating. The closest I've ever come was being able to stand next to a shearer and examine the fleeces as they come off the sheep. Now that was fascinating this shearer (a woman) knew these sheep fairly well and she knew a good fleece when she was one peel away from a sheep.


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## sbanks (Dec 19, 2010)

Thanks for the tip. I have a home made nostepinne that I do this with. It works great.


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## gone-a-milkin (Mar 4, 2007)

I dont believe this wool is damaged in any way. At least not until I get my mitts on it. :gaptooth:
It is certainly not overprocessed. It 'pings'(I just tried it!). :teehee:
It is just super-de-duper fine. Like...well, I have never seen anything like it.

I think it just doesnt want to be spun skinny. At least not by me. 
Maybe I am being too perfectionist about it. I want it to be smooth, not all bumpy with broken fibers curled up in it. 

I have not given up.


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## Marchwind (May 10, 2002)

GAM can you comb it instead of carding it? I know Merino can be a bear to card and is easily over carded.


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## frazzlehead (Aug 23, 2005)

GAM you could also try thick and thin and then make coil yarn out of it - Caroline Sommerfeld, our instructor in coils & beehives class at Olds, said that Merino is very often difficult to spin evenly! I was so relieved, as I've found that too ... I can spin nice even singles with woolen prepped Corriedale, Columbia, etc but merino? uh uh. But if you do thick and thin (laceweight to 2x laceweight and back again) then coil it around either a VERY overspun laceweight single or a commercial crochet cotton/knitting cotton/sewing thread/etc you can get really beautiful yarn - especially if every so often you scooch the coils up against one another (that's how you make a beehive). The merino thick spots poof up when you wash it, and it's airy and warm and it does really neat things with the colours.


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## gone-a-milkin (Mar 4, 2007)

You know frazzle, that is exactly what I was thinking of trying! 
In fact, I played with some of the junky bits of it yesterday and plyed them with some random singles I had around here. 
It made into a rough estimation of coils. I had the "aha! so that is how they do that!" moment. 

My wheel Annie would probably be great for that type of spinning, with her slow ratio and spacious orifice.


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## gone-a-milkin (Mar 4, 2007)

First of all, it is day 16 of the tour. Here is the link. http://www.ravelry.com/discuss/tour-de-fleece/1747500/1-25
I missed posting yesterday's link. <shame on me, LOL>


In other news ~Art Yarns~

Here is some stuff. 










The red/purple is the Pakalana's targhee. n-plied. I put that in there to show you I DO know how to make yarn.

The next one is some merino brush-leavings. Junk wool core-spun with a brown wool singles. 
I really just practiced switching using one or the other singles for the core. To get the hang of it.
That yarn turned out a lot better than I expected honestly. It has a lot of VM in it though. 

The bottom one is from today. I attempted coils. I did achieve a few of them. Still working on "locking" them in place, or anchoring them. 
That is of utmost importance, it really is.











There is not much to that skein. 30 yards maybe. 

Next I am going to try super coils! I watched a video. :teehee: 
I have a lot of mixed wool singles spun and I am going to core ply them onto cotton crochet thread tomorrow. 
To avoid overtwisting the core, I am going to put the crochet thread onto a spindle and spin from that.
I will let you know how it goes.

What have the rest of you been up to?


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## Ana Bluebird (Dec 8, 2002)

Oh, my goodness. I hadn't noticed the Tour de Fleece over on Ravelry, but I love it and all those pictures. Maybe I could join next year---would be a great challenge. Love your sharing your pictures. Now I'll have to keep track of the Tour on Ravelry. So glad you led me to it.


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## Marchwind (May 10, 2002)

I have a dumb question. How long does the tour last? When is the last day?


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## gone-a-milkin (Mar 4, 2007)

The tour lasts through sunday the 24th. 
This is a day of rest for the cyclists.

A link to todays thread.
http://www.ravelry.com/discuss/tour-de-fleece/1748626/1-25

It is so fun for me to watch some of these people. 
Seriously, there are a few with hefty goals.
A few yarns that I just marvel at. How the heck do they do that?! 
I spent the day on my first totally core-spun thingie. It is drying right now. 
Nothing really marvelous, but now I *get* why people get those huge bucks for 40 yards of coils. 
Whew, it is slow to do that stuff. 

I am already looking forward to NEXT year's tour. :teehee:


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## Ana Bluebird (Dec 8, 2002)

> Ana, you may have missed it -but we here at HT Fiber Arts forum are planning to have a TEAM next year! How fun will that be?
> 
> I imagine will have prizes and photos and FUN and challenges - thats kind of what its all about!! Making it through the dog days of summer by spinning the Tour!


Oh, what a great thought! Looking forward to it.


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## Marchwind (May 10, 2002)

WIHH I'm thinking maybe it is just the same as if you were going to add another ply to that yarn only instead of another ply you are adding a coil or slub or something else. But I really have no idea. It's a good question, because it seems so counter intuitive.


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## gone-a-milkin (Mar 4, 2007)

Here it is.










This is mostly merino with just a bit of purple silk, and a handful of targhee.


What I did was wind a spindle with mercerized cotton crochet thread.
I wanted something STRONG for my first try at this. 
I always spin my singles clockwise. Not sure why, but that is how I do it.

I tied the singles to the crochet thread and started wrapped the wool over the core. Wrap some, push it up, wrap some push it up (etc).
Meanwhile the core is getting spun tighter and tighter. 
So, you set the spindle going to untwist the core for you. 
Sometimes you have to wait for the spindle to catch up before you feed the yarn to the bobbin. (or you can give the spindle a violent push to hurry it up)

At first it feels like you dont have enough hands, but it is doable.
After I got going with it, I added in some locks and practiced anchoring them on both sides to make boofy coils. Some of them look more like a popcorn kernel, but that's fine. 

It was slow going. The finished yarn is a little bit slinky. 
Like the coils kind of slide back and forth on the core? Not terribly though.
I thought it came out pretty well for my first try at it. 

When my spindle ran out of core, I n-plied the last few yards and called that enough of this project.


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## gone-a-milkin (Mar 4, 2007)

WIHH, your latest yarn is absolutely wonderful!
I know how much work it was to do all those teeny singles. 
You should be super proud of that skein.
It is in some of my favorite colors too. 

I am getting ready to watch all velmalikevelvet's (Colorbomb Creations) videos.
Her yarn is amazing and she is super cool too. 

http://www.youtube.com/results?suggested_categories=26&search_query=colorbomb+creations,+playlist


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## gone-a-milkin (Mar 4, 2007)

Today is the last day of the tour. My fiber stash really did change shape.
Even though I didnt officially do the tour, I spun almost every day of it.
Spun yarn takes up a lot less room than raw fleece and rovings.

I am back to spinning brown stuff. A 4 oz roving of rambo/cotswald from an animal named Prince. 
This wool makes great sock yarn so that's what I am doing with it, making a 2 ply.

I can barely even stand to put socks on my feet right now LOL. 
It has just been ferociously sticky and hot. 

I dropped the ball at keeping a perfect series of postings on this thread. 
The TdF is a big challenge. I will keep that in mind for next year.

I sure did learn a lot and got a bunch of practice.


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## gone-a-milkin (Mar 4, 2007)

About the socks wearing out~

I think the type of fiber has a lot to do with it. Soft fine stuff like BFL or merino doesnt hold up too well for socks unless it is mixed with some nylon.
Dual coated wool is amazingly strong. So is mohair and those longer fibers of alpaca.


A trick that can help is to add a 2nd strand of something to the heels and toes.
Or knit those areas with a sturdier yarn.

Also, having LOTS of wool socks is the best plan. 
Just like having several pairs of boots to rotate makes them all last longer.

Truthfully, I havent worn holes in any of my handknit socks yet. 
My first pair of spindle-spun BFL shrunk down too small for me though.
My mother has them now <tiny feet>. She is the biggest fan of my socks and probably the only person who would accept USED socks from me. :gaptooth: LOL

Another accident I had with my handknits was when one of my super-wash commercial yarn socks got wrapped around the agitator in the washer. 
It got roughed up good and is not too pretty now.  I am more careful how I add them to the machine after that.


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## Marchwind (May 10, 2002)

I know EZ has a sock pattern that is designed to have the entire heel and soul reknit just for the purpose of keeping the socks going. I think she designed then for her husband.


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## sbanks (Dec 19, 2010)

That tears it! I am moving to minnesota! lol

Beautiful yarn guys and gals!

I am looking for another wheel that I can spin chunky on so let
me know what you can come up with for around $200. I may just build me a spindle
wheel this wknd.


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## PKBoo (Apr 10, 2008)

Wind in Her Hair said:


> Its 55ÂºF this moring with the windows wide open and me in a fleecey robe and I was COLD! :nanner: :bouncy: :dance: I LOVE IT!!! The heat has BROKEN!!!! :happy: :clap: :grin:


I can't wait for those days WIHH! Here's what we've been doing to beat the heat:









I can't wait for the Tour de Fleece next year - WIHH and GAM you've been an inspiration!


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## gone-a-milkin (Mar 4, 2007)

PKBoo, you are every bit as much an inspiration!

I think YOU should lead the shawl KAL. 
You rock!

Adorable critters too.


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## Marchwind (May 10, 2002)

The last two days here have been glorious. Yesterday I wore a sweatshirt all day it was so cool. Towards the end of the day it got a bit warmer. Last night I slept with my summer weight down comforter on my bed with all the windows open. I slept so well.


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## Callieslamb (Feb 27, 2007)

Marchwind said:


> The last two days here have been glorious. Yesterday I wore a sweatshirt all day it was so cool. Towards the end of the day it got a bit warmer. Last night I slept with my summer weight down comforter on my bed with all the windows open. I slept so well.


Well, let's hope it cools off before you get here then....we were upper 90's all week with 99 here at 7 pm. Sorry.....

PKBoo- will she sheep get in the pool?


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## PKBoo (Apr 10, 2008)

gone-a-milkin said:


> I think YOU should lead the shawl KAL.


Ok, I will  I'll definitely need help from the "seasoned" lace knitters, but it does help that I just went through it (and ALL my mistakes are fresh in my mind haha!) And there were many tips that the author made that help, and I'm sure other lace knitters here will contribute their tips as well :rock:

Callie - the sheep won't get in the pool, but they do drink from it. I also make a homemade "gatorade" mix for the sheepaca: 2 parts salt, 2 parts baking soda, 1 parts salt substitute, then I fill a little gatorade container, add a scoop of sugar and a pack of Kool-Aid. I use one scooper-full (that originally came in the gatorade container) in a gallon bucket, and the sheep & alpacas all drink that during the day. I've been refilling it about 3 times during the day. I've also been giving them kelp, and they seem to be tolerating the heat better this year than last. Not sure if that's why - it's expensive but it seems to be making a difference


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## Callieslamb (Feb 27, 2007)

I have been hearing about the electrolytes fed to sheep - is that from you PKboo? Mine have really been chowing down on the minerals.

I am about to get the nerve up to wash some fleeces.....


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## Marchwind (May 10, 2002)

Callie I'll be there pretty soon (2 weeks) if you can't muster the courage yourself


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## Callieslamb (Feb 27, 2007)

I'll be waiting. :clap: My well water has iron in it and I understand that isn't good for the fleeces. So I am putting off cleaning them until I can figure out what to do or find a filter I can put on a sink that will get the iron out. We have a whole house softner, but I guess it doesn't remove rust. I am quickly running out of rovings to spin. And my yard has lovely lumps and bumps! 

I've been looking at all the Tour pictures! OH MY!!!! The yarns that can be spun are AMAZING!!!!

Good luck packing. If you need help on this end, let me know Marchwind!!!!


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## Marchwind (May 10, 2002)

Callie I have very hard water filled with iron too. I haven't noticed it doing any damage to my fleeces. When you wash your wool it isn't in the water long enough to cause any problems. At least that is my experience.


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