Going Batty

When plans change and a grrl can't do what a grrl wants to do, a grrl should do what she can to ease the pain of disappointment.  The main reason I wanted to go to Estes Wool Market was to meet up with my grrls, my people. There isn't much that can be done about that (except hang out with friends here), but there is something that can be done about missing out on the shopping part of a wool market.  Tan tried to entice me with a link to some nice batts, but I decided to forge my own way and ended up on Etsy. To ease the pain of a fiberless weekend and came up with this beauty...

Meet Mojave Nights batts from exclusively linda lee. Linda knows how to treat a customer. Just look at how carefully she wrapped each batt.  Also, included in the package was a gift and a note for future discounts.  The batts are so soft, so beautifully carded that the spinning should be easy.  I can't wait to spin up a bit to find out how the finished yarn will look. But, first things first...

When my eyes were bigger than the amount of time I had to dedicate to spinning, I made the pronouncement that I would spin three different items for the month of June.  Common sense has now prevailed, I am only working on the superwash portion of the Ravelry Spinner Central challenge. The roving is Spirit Trail's gorgeous superwash merino from Jennifer's Fiber Club.  I do believe the beauty of this roving, and the resulting singles, has calmed my delusions of grandeur. At least I hope so.

Carole's 10 Minutes A Day has inspired me sit and spin every chance I get. It's easier to slip behind the wheel than it is to pick up the knitting needles if there are only minutes to spare.  A few minute a day have added up to quite a bit of spinning over the last three weeks.  When spinning a very fine single with superwash becomes too much and I want to have some spinning fun I put on a bobbin of this textured Signature Batt from Crosspatch Creations.

This batt was a custom blend for the 2006 Northwest Regional Spinners and it's a blend of Romney X with Merino and Romeldale, tussah silk, bombyx silk, faux fur (angora), cut bombyx silk and silk noil.  It's a riot of color and texture and a blast to spin...totally opposite of the fine, controlled spinning for the superwash.  Amy and Bellwether both have good posts on the best way to spin batts....which are always an adventure.

Maybe I will get through much of this fiber stash by spinning for 10 minutes (or more when I can) a day.

Comments

[Dianne]

Mojave looks too tempting to let wait long..a gorgeous fall 'something'..I'm sure you have just the right 'recipe'..~

[Carole]

Oh, that Spirit Trail fiber is just fabulous!

[Manise]

Lovely fiber all of it.

[Monika]

Oh, how gorgeous your new batts are!

[CindyCindy]

A riot of color. I love it. Mojave Nights is absolutely lovely and you have quite a bit. What does it want to be? And, I'm still sorry about Estes. Not the shopping so much as the fun and friends.

[lolly]

the colors in that batt are amazing!

[Anne]

It surely ads up, doesn't it? I've actually BEEN spinning, which also...ahem.... helps one to have finished spun product.

Enjoy those beautiful batts!

[Chris]

Love the new batt colors!

[Lucia]

I'm so sorry you won't get to go to Estes -- well do I know that disappointment. You've made up for it in a most excellent way, however.

At the moment both of my spinning projects are very fine, and you're right, it's demanding. The cure is to finish the Grafton batt, a mere 2 oz, and get started on an easier project.

[marianne]

Mojave Nights... now that's some gorgeous batts! but I'm tellin' ya... that Spirit Trail? I could almost eat that. The Signature fibre reminds me of an angel food cake with confetti baked in... wonder why I'm always referencing food when looking at fibre... :^)
Sorry your trip didn't work out... we had plans for a west coast trip and it's not working out either... wah.

[Birdsong]

Thanks for all the great spinning inspiration! I need to start the 10 minutes program... I am wanting to spin enough for a vest, but needing to work on spinning consistently. The Mojave colors are along the lines of what I am searching for...hmm, I might be able to make up some shopping myself:)

[Stitch-n-Snitch]

The batts from Etsy are fantastic. How beautiful! :)

[Knitnana]

A grrl's gotta do what a grrl's gotta do to make it through tough times!
(((hugs)))

[Marcia Cooke]

Those batts are gorgeous...I'm very partial to the Crosspatch and am about to start one myself. Bellwether's tutorial is just how I did the Crosspatch I got at SOAR and that came out great. With smoother batts, I often roll them tightly, then gradually draft out (method in Deb Menz's book) until it makes a very long roving. There's also a way of stripping a batt so it comes out in one piece. Too much wool...too little time!

[Beth S.]

That Crosspatch fiber looks almost too fun to be legal. ;-) Must get myself one of these batts at some point...

[Hillary]

That Spirit Trail is just gorgeous and so are the Mojave Nights batts. It's funny that you say it's easy to slip in and out of spinning more than knitting. I'm just the opposite. I like to settle in to spinning but I can pick up a sock and put it down a zillion times a day with no problem.

[MX]

Beautiful, beautiful!

I'm enjoying the 10 minutes/day spinning too and am amazed at how much spinning is getting done.

Thanks for sharing!!

[Cheryl S.]

It's all so beautiful!

[Rebecca]

Those are beautiful batts! But I really love the Spirit Trail you're spinning, the oranges call my name. Strange how orange isn't normally my fave unless it's combined with all the normal fall colors. Can't wait to see how that one plys up.

[Teyani]

Spirit Trail's bright color takes my breath away with its beauty :-) and the new batts you got are lovely too. such great customer service!

What a small world our spinning network is - I know Amelia over at Bellwether. She's so sweet - and a fabulous spinner. She's off this weekend at BSG fiber fair in Oregon.

[Kim]

Wow....you sure now how to treat yourself! Those new batts are beautiful, but I have to admit that I love the oranges....so pretty!

I've been doing the same, a few minutes here and there working on some fine singles as well.

[Uli]

Haven't said HI in a long time. Linda Lee is an awesome seller and I love what you received from her.

The orange on the bobbin is gorgeous and I love the 10 minute a day spinning idea, too....

[Cookie]

What a good find at etsy! Aren't Jennifer's colors amazing? I hope you can find some comfort in your spinning.

[Romi]

Oh. My. Goodness. :drooooooool:

[Jennifer]

I'm drooling over that batt.

[Rachel]

So good looking, everything :)

[claudia]

Mojave Nights is a beautiful colorway.

[Wool Winder]

If you've got to go batty, that's the way to do it.

[Cathy in Va.]

Thank you for the link to Bellwether's batt-spinning tutorial! Now I have a much better idea how to handle a nice batt I bought at last year's MS&W.