Monday, August 16, 2010

So Much To Think About

As I looked again at the previous picture posted I realized that it was a terrible sample of spinning and especially plying so don't look close if you haven't already. Some days I am pretty good but I am still very inconsistent. Someone told me when you start to get better it is hard to get that irregularity back which is sometimes desired. I hope I can do both.

I am on a waiting list for a workshop at a fiber festival in October. The 4 hour workshop is called something like "the next step". It deals with ratios and more consistent spinning and plying.

John asked me today if you could send your fleece away to have it washed and prepared for spinning. (I think he is tired of all the fleece all over) No he was, I am sure, concerned with my tedious fleece preparation and my mental health. I told him I have to do it all the first time to really understand the fleece I have and realize which parts of the process I really enjoy and find relaxing and which drive me insane.

Right now I am washing some fleece for a friend and may process it further but this is in exchange for massages so that will even out any stress involved in doing a fleece for someone else.

My washing technique is pretty good but it is different for different sheep due to grease levels and also fineness of the fleece and it's possibility of felting. The fleeces I am doing for my friend is Icelandic which has inner and outer coats that are of different textures.

I spent almost the entire day (except for about an hour and a half of mowing) working on some phase of fiber production but now I have fiber in so many stages that I can go from one to another and not be too repetitive--- I don't get bored.

Some things I can do while doing something else so that helps move things along too. I will be so happy this time next week when all the washing should be done. I am still thinking about the hot tub for next year --throw it all in together.

1 comment:

  1. I am so glad that, in your retirement,you have decided to take on such a time consuming hobby. I would hate for you to be one of those that just sit on their front porch all day. (Although, I might even be tempted to do that with your front porch.) I always want to stop and ask them if they want something to do. I have plenty I could share with them.

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