Spinning and Questions

Look at this!! It is a beautiful roving from Kim!  I was able to try it out and it worked up fairly smoothly for me.  It seems I just can't draft worth a darm (not quite a damn), but this roving is small enough that I was able to get it to 'sorta' work.  BUT, this is not second nature to me...I need to really think about it and my hands don't want to work, the spindle goes too slow or too fast and it just becomes a mess.  In the middle of the night I woke up and said "You can be such a silly grrl!  You were spinning backwards!"  What's a grrl to do?  Practice, practice, practice.  I shall keep trying...if only because there are too many beautiful rovings out there that I want to fondle. Thank you Kim for sharing some of your gorgeous bunny wool. I hope to do it justice someday (soon!).

Katy is one of my long time blog friends.  She is a woman of strong character and seeing her comments each day brings a smile to my face.  It was a thrill for me that she was first to say 'Interview Me'.  Just remember rules and answers should be on your Blog along with the answers.

1. You have lived in Alaska and speak of it often in comments on my blog. Would you like to live there again?
2. Your mother is a knitter extraordinaire and most likely taught you to knit at a young age. When did you decide you love to knit and that it would be a part of your everyday life?
3. We have the same philosophy on housekeeping. Does it bother you or (like me) do you think a 'lived in' house is A-ok?
4. If you decided to work outside the home what would your dream job be?
5. What is one thing you would love to do that you haven’t done as yet?

And because Jackie has become a great blog pal, too. I decided to grant her wish and have her answer a few questions.

1. You only have one brother (as do I). Was he a big part of your life while growing up and is he now?
2. You eat ice cream every night at 9:00. Is the rest of your life that organized and scheduled?
3. You don’t have number 99 and 100 on your About list. Please add them here.
4. You kept Shelby’s secret very well, but are you usually good at keeping secrets?
5. If you could live anywhere on earth where would that be?

More snow tomorrow!  It's spring in Utah...warm one day, cold and snow the next.  Where am I going to take Chickami pictures?

Comments

[Kathleen]

Wow, good questions Margene. Thanks. Your spinning looks pretty good to me. Or is it spindling? Those colors are beautiful. Good luck getting it unbackwards. :)

[Anne]

Oooo! Is Kim's roving super yummy or what? I'll be anxious to see that colorway in person and we can compare it to the Chocolate Mint you saw a couple of weeks ago and the Purple Haze that is aging in my stash.

Keep practicing - you'll get it!!!!!

[Teri]

Here's praying that _I_ don't catch the spinning bug and have to devote a whole room of my teeny-tiny house to roving now, too! ;) just kidding. Go, Margene!

[Norma]

Huh. Funny how you and I can often be on the same page. Just this morning I was thinking that I really should give the spindle more practice, even before (or at the same time) as I'm trying out the wheel. time, time, that's all I need. (I keep going around and saying that in comments, but no little Time Elves seem to be coming my way!)

[Annie]

I can't even imagine trying to use a spindle. To me, spinning is much easier with a wheel. Is there a wheel in your future?!?

Great questions for Kathleen and Jackie. I look forward to their answers.

[Liz]

Mmm, Kim's roving looks so yummy, I need to get my hands on some of that. Your spinning looks great, too, but I'm sure you'll have a wheel before we know it. :)

[Cindy]

Margene,
Don't give up! I love spindle spinning. I, too, in the beginning had trouble. The preparation of the fiber is key to proper drafting. Take a length of fiber , split it longways then predraft it before you attempt to spin it. This always makes a difference for me. Also when you are new to spindle spinning using a coarser fiber like a romney.Good Luck!!!

[Paula]

Hi Margene, thanks for the comment on my Spearfish socks. I wasn't sure about that colorway. I think it looks good. I am starting to get the urge to spin. I bought my first copy of Spin-Off mag today. I am trying to find a class.

[Kimi]

Wow, she knits, she spins...the multitalentedness!

I'd try spinning, but I already have WAY too many projects I want to knit. If I add one more hobby I suspect my toddler will starve and my husband will leave me.

[Jenny in NC]

Hey - you're spinning! Talk about zen and the process - it doesn't get much better than that. There is no backward spinning, just Z twist and S twist and whatever hand you prefer drafting with. Just remember that if you ply, spin the other way. I love spindle spinning for the pure low-tech and portability of it. I can usually get several yards done in the school carpool line in the afternoon. Keep up the great work! :-)

[julia fc]

Well, you know, I hate spindle spinning too, which is why I am going to say this:
wheel!
there, I said it.

[Liz]

I haven't ever tried spindle spinning, but I have tried Kim's rovings and I LOVE them. I've spun about 12 ounces total of her rovings and I love them to pieces. They are the ones I am going to make the Flower Basket Shawl with. Mint Chocolate plied on itself, and then Purple haze plied with the Mint Chocolate. I still have to spin up the 6 ounces of purple haze to be plied on itself. The I will be ready to start knitting on the project! I didn't think it was possible, butit's even softer when it's been washed!