And We're Off - The Start of the Tour de Fleece 2015

So it begins! 

I am doing the Tour de Fleece for another year.

It is the first year with the lovely Lady Rue.  She is terrific.

I signed up for toooo many teams!  Six in total.  Two fiber specific - Loop & Into the Whirled.  Two wheel specific - Schacht & Babe.  Two others - Spin Your Stash & Browncoats.  The prior is pretty obvious.  The latter is a Firefly group.  I don't have any Firefly specific fiber.  But they don't care.

Day 1 - July 4th

On day 1, I spun over half my lovely Into the Whirled Falkland batt in the Excursion colorway.  I started on the second half as well. 

I scored this lovely at Maryland S&W. It is a beautiful colorway.  So much I love it that I also got sock yarn in the same colorway!  *laugh*

Loads of pics on the project page.  I look pics of each color & some of the transitions. 

It is *definitely* a learning experience.  I haven't ever spun a batt with color transitions.  It is interesting.  I like it.  But it does require some attention.  For some of the transitions, I worked across the row.  Others that were solid color, I could just a chunk of fiber in whatever worked for the fiber.

I was originally thinking a shawl with the yarn.  So I started thin & then realized that wasn't gonna work.  It needed a more woolen touch. 

I really like it.  But I have to confess, I don't think I like Falkland.  It is a bit tough for me.  I am definitely curious to see the finished yarn.  I think it is kinda gonna surprise me.

Though I also learned what *NOT* to do!  A bobbin of some samples I had spun were resting on the on board Lazy Kate.  They kept spinning. I thought it was about the wind of wheel spinning making them turn.  It hadn't happened before.  But the probably was less than a couple ounces of fiber on the bobbin. 

Remember the wheel is new to me.  Only got it in May.  So I am still getting used to what it does.  So I thought cool.

Yah.  About that.  Not so cool.

Here's what happened...

The single wrapped around the shaft of the wheel!  It means it got wound around it. 

I am soooo grateful that they were different colors in the samples.  And it changed from grey to this blue/black colorway.  So I could see that it wasn't the same.  *sigh*

So that killed almost half an hour.  Getting it unwound and back on the bobbin.  Mind you, it was tons quicker when I pulled the bobbin off the Kate & just treadled if off the wheel.  So part of my time was about me not doing it in the most efficient way.  But live and learn...

Day 2 - July 5th

Day 2 went pretty smoothly.  The second half of the Into the Whirled Falkland batt got completed. 

Though I learned a valuable lesson.  Never watch a movie with the assumption that the kids are playing.  So you will be able to spin in peace & watch it.

I long time guilty pleasure of mine is Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band.  Yes...the musical from the 70s with the Bee Gees & Peter Frampton made up of Beatles songs.  Don't you judge!  *smirk*

The kids are 4 & 5 1/2.  I really figured they would look at it once and wander back into their room to play.  But instead, Elder Munchkin wanted to watch it.  And Little Guy didn't want to play alone.  So there was a whole lot of them asking who the bad guys were and them asking what was happening.  And me thinking I should just turn off the movie as there was a whole lot of explaining that I didn't want to do...

Another live & learn experience...  Whee.

Second half of the Into the Whirled Falkland Batt in the Excursion colorway.  Singles done & resting.

I LOVE the colorway and am sad to be done with the singles.  But it will be interesting trying to match up the colors when I ply it.  I hope I am up for the challenge.  Maybe I should do that on one of the TdF challenge days.  We shall see!

The white bobbin in the pic are some samples I spun pre-TdF.  There are actually nine different fibers on it.  Little bits & bobs from a terrific Etsy seller.  I plied them yesterday to get them off my bobbin for the next project!

That plying actually helped when it comes time for matching up colors as I was plying them from a single bobbin.  So I had to break the singles to match up the quantities.  Worked well.  And was useful in figuring out how to manage the yarns.

Day 3 - July 6th

Today, I am letting the Into the Whirled singles rest while I start on some of the Loop fiber. 

 

This is a beautiful purple Bump I was hoarding from myself.  My terrific SIL picked it up at Maryland Sheep & Wool in 2010.  I ended up sick so I couldn't make it that year.  She was so great to get it for me. 

It never made it into my Ravelry stash.  So it was pretty much forgotten until the move last year unearthed it again. 

I realized that with the sparkle, I should really let it go.  The deep purples are sooo very me.  But the sparkle, not so much. 

Since it is only Day 3, I am tackling two Bumps & plying them.  *gulp*

I realized that I can *probably* eke out a sweater for Elder Munchkin with two Bumps.  So I am hoping to keep this on the thinner side, but with enough loft to make it lovely to wear.  I am crossing my fingers I finish the two Bumps in time.

 

I am going to pair it with Water Ballet which I picked up specifically for my daughter. 

Here's the pic:

https://img1.etsystatic.com/049/0/5140402/il_570xN.725028073_e2xp.jpg

I think the two will be super stunning together!  But it is hard to go wrong with any Bump.  They are such a joy to spin & such amazing colors.  Yum!

Day 4 - July 7th

I hit the black hole!  The fiber is super dark.  I think black with silver sparkle.  (Need to look more in daylight...)

;

And so I only took two pics.  Even that was pressing it to make a point as it is yet more black with silver!!

It is also tricky because I am spinning at night.  So I have to take pics with the flash.  And the sparkle & flash aren't a good combo.  But hey, it is what it is.

Okay!  I am posting this.  Otherwise it will continue to sit here.  Whee.