Potential

Spinning techniques have finally been sorting themselves out in my head. When one first learns to spin it's difficult to see what a fibers potential can be.  Just loving the fiber isn't enough; one must know what its best qualities are and then gain an understanding of the necessary techniques to bring out said qualities. Experience, gained by trail and error, has been my teacher as I merrily play with fiber.

Experience was a big help when it came to plying Party Dresses as it wasn't the first time I'd made a 3-ply yarn. It was, however, a smoother process this time around.  The wool is a superwash Corriedale and it is one of the nicest superwash fibers I've spun. It's wasn't squeaky or slippery, and it acted more like normal wool, which made it easier to spin. Three separate bobbins were plied together to create a grand party of bright colors that melded together.  Sadly it's only about 150 yds, but it was enough to further my spinning education.

Success breeds success and that meant jumping right back on the wheel for more enjoyable spinning.  I really can't stop…having a great time - wish I could stay there!

After a long winters spinning drought, sitting at the wheel feels right, feels good, feels like the place to be.  My intent was to follow Terry's Spinning Mission Statement, but I might have already fallen off that wagon. In my defense it is the Spinner Central Group on Ravelry that has led me astray.  The June spinning challenge is Superwash/ Tweed/ Beach Vacation.  One can spin them all in one or separately. As it happens, three separate rovings that meet the criteria are in various states of spinning on Emmylou.  There is a bit more, about 2 oz., of the blue-tiful blue Indigo Moon roving left to spin.  It certainly looks like the sea on a beach vacation (Bahamas?).

The perfect roving for the tweed portion of the challenge is the coppery brown roving from Wooly Wonka.  Its mix of pink, red, gold, brown, and metallic will create a lovely tweed yarn.  Finding the right way to enhance this fiber has been a challenge, but I've settled on cabling the yarn as a way to show off the texture and its tweediness. Cabling means an investment of time, but it will be worth it in the end. The vision is for a yarn similar in texture to Rowan's Summer Tweed or Lavold's Silky Wool. This might take me the summer to do!
 

Two beautiful fibers in the works should be enough for any spinner, but the fiber that's really calling to me is this luscious, luxurious, super superwash from Spirit Trail.  Its nature is to be soft and fluffy, cushy and silky.  A sample skein (I couldn't stop myself from testing it out) told me it needs to be spun tightly and at a fine grist. If I want it to be sock weight that is. The color is like the summer sun and it's all I can do to not stop everything and start spinning this, and only this.

Sigh.

Comments

[Nora]

That is some amazing yarn! Wonderful! I have no desire to spin, but I sure love seeing what you spinners create. It's magic!

[Dianne]

You inspire me SO~and if I lived close to you I'd be at your door waiting for spinning lessons~but I'm still not sure I am a spinner..although I am struck by the beauty of the fibers you create..

[Carole]

Beautiful spinning! I haven't done a successful 3 ply yet but I'm going to try again.

[Teresa]

You are so focused! I need some of that. And maybe some of that superwash......;)

[CindyCindy]

OMG! Your rovings are beautiful. I love Party Dresses. What a cheery hat or neck warmer that will make. I read Terry's Mission Statement. I know I could spin 15 minutes a day. Why I don't, I do not know. So, what's keeping me from doing it? I do not know. I'm gonna have to go at it, huh?

[Laurie]

The orange reminds me of popsicles when I was a kid.

Beautiful work! Intention becomes more important. I like the differing intentions you follow.

[Chris]

Lovely color in that last picture - that would make gorgeous sunset socks!

[Kim D.]

Party Dresses looks wonderful. You did such a nice job.

What plans do you have for all of these spinning mini-skeins/batches you've worked up?

[Jennifer]

I'm so glad you like that color! I loved it and it seemed to say "sennnnnnnd meeeeeee tooooooo Margeeeeeeeene" ;-D

That superwash really is like butter. The stuff I'm spinning now is definitely for socks ...

Happy Spinning! Thanks for the photos!

[Jewel]

I have that fiber and haven't spun it yet. It came out so beautiful I will have to pull mine out and get started. I haven't done 3 ply yet but I will have to try it. Thanks!

[Jody]

Your spinning is really coming along beautifully. So when are you going to have the ultimate spinner's experience and buy a raw fleece and process it yourself?

[Wool Winder]

I don't think I'll ever get to the level you've reached in spinning, but I do have fun with it. The orange roving is going to be hard to resist.

[Tan]

Why fight it? That golden orange is delish.

[Anne B.]

All such pretty colours, how will you decide? Or just don't go to work and stay home and do them all!

[regina]

Your three-ply is just beautiful.

[Marcia Cooke]

Okay, okay, I'm oiling up the wheels today. I can't let you get so far ahead of me that I end up with the dunce cap in JUDITH'S CLASS at Rhinebeck! Love the Party Dresses 3-ply! Beautiful stuff.

[Hillary]

That Party Dresses 3 ply is really lovely. I'm not sure I would've seen that as a 3 ply but it looks really nice. You have such a good eye. I like the other fiber you're spinning too. I must get my wheel out tonight!

[Cheryl S.]

Oh, I'm totally in love with that beautiful sunshine!

[(formerly) no-blog-rachel]

That Superwash from Spirit Trail is drop-dead gorgeous - I can't wait to see it spun up.

I love spinning 3-ply. But it does make me sad when I don't end up with nearly as much yardage as when I do 2-ply!

[sherie]

Party Dress looks wonderful and the rest of your fibers are luscious!!

[Teyani]

sigh is right. that superwash from Spirit Trail is so stunning

[Margaret]

Love how your Party Dress plied up! Those colors are sooo far out of the box I've been stuck on this one and may just spin/ply the blue and green together and the red separately. Hmmm, contrasting toes and heels.

[Stacey aka The Loom Whisperer]

OMG! Screw the other stuff and only spin the sunshine! It is BEAUTIFUL! *ahem*

[Beth S.]

Oh wow, you're going to cable! This will be a sight to see, I know it. :-) And I think your idea about the texture is a brilliant one.

Speaking of brilliant, I love the sunshine orange, but you knew that. ;-)

[Julia]

What a good idea, to 3-ply the Party Dresses. I don't think it would have occurred to me, but it looks just great! Keep spinning!

[Kathy]

All so different and neat in their own way! I'm been enjoying being back on the wheel too!

[bellamoden]

Dayum that's some shiny orange stuff! I don't even like orange! But I like THAT.

Can't wait to see what you do with it all. YUM.

I've been thinking about a spinning wheel. Sometimes.

[Rachel H]

Can't say I blame you there. Enjoy.

[--Deb]

I can certainly understand that! It all looks so darn pretty.

[sandy]

THE COLORS! Beautiful, Margene! That will brighten our world!
The 3 ply yarn is stupendous! What will you make? (wait, did you say? I skim, you know. Let me go look....)NOPE! But it's 150 yards of pure bliss! A color riot~! Is that enough for mittens? Hmm. I've lost my mitten touch.
Spin on!

[Elizabeth]

(happy sigh). Just beautiful. All of it.

[Opal]

Isn't Spinner Central an evil enabler? :-)

[Norma]

Whoa! That Spirit Trail superwash looks good enough to eat!

[Birdsong]

Sometimes I DO wish I could simply spin all day...you do have enough of Party Dresses for a child's hat, which would be really cute.

[Lisa]

You are so right, reading your first paragraph was like an "A-Ha!" moment. :-) I'm having the same experience with my wooly trials and errors. Cool!