Tour de Fleece Days 7-16 - Spinning Singles of Into the Whirled Polwarth/Tussah Silk in Captain Tightpants Colorway

Here is the link on Ravelry to the spinning:
https://ravel.me/akasha/ct

Life has been busy.  So I haven't really had a chance to catch up on blogging or even posting to Ravelry about the Tour de Fleece!

Since Into the Whirled was having a team again I wanted to participate.  Love their fibers.  Much to my shock, I am was down to only FOUR of their fibers left! *gasp*.

I almost spun the Rhinebeck colorway. But just couldn't stop myself with Captain Tightpants! Love the colors.  I thought about saving it for a year when I participated in the Firefly TdF group.  But didn't want to wait.

I decided to split it down the middle & spin the singles on two bobbins.  Figure I can see what a two ply looks like as well as Navajo/chain plying.  The colors are so bright that I want to keep them clean & have them pop.  I really want the yardage of the 2-ply.  But may decide that Navajo/chain plying is a better way to go to keep the colors strong & saturated.

Going to see what happens when I ply & decide then.

Kinda funny that I am spinning Polwarth/Silk blends back-to-back.  Love anything & everything with silk.  And the Polwarth in particular spins wonderfully with it. 

Very happy with both the Into the Whirled & The First Draft fibers.  And given their vintage in my stash, it is amazing they spin so beautifully! I think I predrafted The First Draft last year when I started it.  But can't recall.  And with the ItW, didn't predraftt at all.

Day 7 - Started Spinning Singles

Progress pic:

Created via Instagram's photo collage:
https://www.instagram.com/p/Bzriip2BZtIcI2C3Kbxu9oSgkBb8Hxo_kU-XQQ0/

Loving the colors.  Bright & wonderful.

Viewing for the day:
I had to watch the Shindig episode of Firefly where the reference comes from. Still a fav!

Day 8 - 1st Singles Continue

Progress pic:

Created via Instagram's photo collage:
https://www.instagram.com/p/Bz9SWgGBIiAGtEYHZvZOwCMrOc9g9DRSo8oC6k0/

Viewing for the day:
Mary Poppins Returns
Hadn't seen it before.  Best part was Sick Van Dyke dancing! Though Colin Firth chewing scenery was fun too.

Day 9 - 1st Singles Continue

Did a fair bit of spinning.

Progress pic:

Created via Instagram's photo collage:
https://www.instagram.com/p/Bz9Te8Whru2LTKwd_CwawM5rk3bqAgImGtM_bY0/

Viewing for the day:
Got some Scottish ale in the Hopsy Sub. Figured Brigadoon was needed!

Day 10 - Finished 1st Half of Singles

Happy the 1st half is spun! Not too shabby!

Progress pic:

Created via Instagram's photo collage:
https://www.instagram.com/p/Bz9b5OeBkZM_JPPEI0xuBGTeeFqsMTxa47P2W00/

Viewing for the day:
Watched part of Cry-Baby. Also got a dance number in the most unlikely place...while watching The Umbrella Academy.

Day 11 / Rest Day - Starting 2nd Half of Singles

Technically, it's a rest day for the Tour de Fleece. But did a tiny bit of spinning. Starting what may be the 2nd singles.

Progress pic:

Created via Instagram's photo collage:
https://www.instagram.com/p/B0ADYwlBelciGAJp-uaZd7glKrVpBf5isrD4_U0/

Day 12 - Little Bit of 2nd Singles

Not a lot of spinning.  But commuting days I am happy to get to get anything done!

Progress pic:

Created via Instagram's photo collage:
https://www.instagram.com/p/B0DrBlWhKa1FKDc0HEUsLg-XgUOSlziLgDajWs0/

Day 13 - A Little More of 2nd Singles

Another commuting day so not a ton of progress but some!

Progress pic:

Created via Instagram's photo collage:
https://www.instagram.com/p/B0H-AnhBYLZTvr1rr17x62bd-l4CCIM8Sy3PC40/

Day 14 - More of 2nd Singles

Busy work day but no commute. There was an awesome band at the clubhouse on our lake. Spent the evening there. But still got some spinning done. Hooray!

Progress pic:

Created via Instagram's photo collage:
https://www.instagram.com/p/B0H_XRJhmE4fzNBFWHYinW9OYnUzKeRJR5JJLw0/


Day 15 - Yet More of 2nd Singles

Spent a good deal of time spinning.  But also did some other things.  Got a fair bit done.

Progress pic:

Created via Instagram's photo collage:
https://www.instagram.com/p/B0KipB4htrTqDSxmElIScVrXk3CRAkB75wm9a80/

Viewing for the day:
Watched Man of la Mancha. Had been a while. Wish I had gotten to the brilliant blue while watching Peter O'Toole... And didn't recall Brian Blessed was in it!

Day 16 - 2nd Singles Done!

Spent a good chunk of the day spinning.  Watched two musicals and got the singles done!  Woohoo!

Progress pic:

Created via Instagram's photo collage:
https://www.instagram.com/p/B0NIP_1BZFAiAwa7iTEEemDU_JMu8wmBVMyrBY0/

Viewing for the day:
Xanadu & Hair.  Xanadu is one of those musicals I watch regularly.  Still love it.  Gene Kelly is always awesome.  And I love Olivia Newton-John.  Definitely of its time.  But in a fun, campy way.  Hair is also very much of its time.  But very different in feel.  Didn't actually finish watching it as it is long

Days 2-6 of the Tour de Fleece - Fun with The First Draft Polwarth/Silk

I have been working on The First Draft Polwarth/Silk in the Thomas Waith Is In Love colorway.  I got the first half of the singles spun during last year's TdF!

Day 2 - 2nd Singles Done!

Got to spend a good chunk of the day spinning.  So I completed the singles.  Hooray!

Created via Instragram's photo collage:
https://www.instagram.com/p/Bzo0TZhB13-obdlt_4i-2eTaXmuE006fZk9VFE0/

On the musicals front, I watched Moulin Rouge first.  Love that movie.

Decided to watch the Heathers musical episode of Riverdale.  It is fun.  And I like the music much to my surprise the first time I watched it.  Love the 80s movie and didn't see the point in the musical version.   But after hearing the music, I think it is fun.

I watched part of Little Shop of Horrors.  Would have finished, but my DD wanted to finish it with me. So we finished it the next day.  And probably best not to have her watching huge plants that eat people right before bed!  *grin*


Day 3 - Started Plying

Created via Instragram's photo collage:
https://www.instagram.com/p/Bzriip2BZtIcI2C3Kbxu9oSgkBb8Hxo_kU-XQQ0/

Started plying.  Probably should have let it rest more.  But....  Not that patient.  And want my Akerwork bobbins for the next project!

Love the way it is turning out.  Parts look very much like candy cane.  Other bits look like pink cotton candy!   Think it will be fun and DD loves it.

For musicals, we finished Little Shop of Horrors & also watched the musical episode from Buffy the Vampire Slayer.  The kids have been hearing the music in the car for most of their lives! 

Debating when Elder Munchkin is old enough to watch the tv series.  She seems to love vampires & more.  And one of her fav shows at the moment is My Babysitter Is a Vampire.  Buffy is *definitely* older.  But we'll see...

I have to give a huge shout out to Akerworks - https://www.akerworks.com/ LOVE the bulky bobbin I got. 

I had serious issues with the bulky Woolee Winder flyer with my Ladybug.  The wood bobbins combined with the weight of the WW flyer made it way too heavy & took too much force to treadle.

I had been thinking I would sell the WW bulky flyer.  But since the Akerworks bobbin is much lighter, it spins wonderfully.  Hooray!

And even more awesome, I won it as a prize with last year's TdF Akerworks group.  So I didn't have to spend more money to see if it would work with the bulky flyer.  I would gladly pay them for it!  I know I really want to buy more of the regular bobbins.  Love them.  And really want at least one or two more for 3 plies & maybe letting bobbins rest before plying!

Day 4 - More Plying

Created via Instragram's photo collage:
https://www.instagram.com/p/BzuKhsfhdpIzcJXTt6I4pB6h7cMs22Bz6Q8NrY0/

Loving it still.  Though seems slow going.  Tuesday through Thursday, I work in NYC.  And my commute is about 2 hours each way.  So I spend about 4 hours in transit.  So on those days, I know I won't make as much progress...

Day 5 - Yet More Plying

I got home late as I got stuck at work.  So I was way late.  Impressed I got anything done!  But I did a good chunk of spinning.

Created via Instragram's photo collage:
https://www.instagram.com/p/Bz0OMlqhKsuclDhxcHh2LlTnVEsfJSofXqyK340/

Day 6 - You Guessed It!  PLYING!

Yep.  Yet more plying! 

Created via Instragram's photo collage:
https://www.instagram.com/p/Bz0O55bB1Hw3SSBXd3VIPP9S61C5JS26EvQCPo0/

Ran out of singles on one bobbin.  So I am breaking it at a good color transition & plying it together.  On the one hand, that means I am getting close.  On the other, the bobbins are very uneven in length.  A lot more on the bobbin I spun this year. 

I am curious what this means as I have a pretty dormant ply with an active one for most of the plying.  But the last bit will be two active plies. Not sure how it will behave.

Just gonna have to see when it gets it bath!

I really think this needs to be the warp of something like a scarf where if there are tension differences it can look artsy.   Not sure it will or if it will just look like bad weaving!  But I figure it should be interesting.  And having it with a warp of a more commercial yarn should help.  I may even have a nice Dresden colorway yarn to compliment it. 

Hoping to get the plying finished tonight.  *fingers crossed*  TGIF!

Not sure if I will do more musicals tonight.  Or if I will watch more Stranger Things...  Hubby has to go to a board meeting tonight.  So I have solo tv time after the kids head to bed.  Decisions decisions!

Tour de Fleece Day 1 - Back to Spinning

It is funny how I go almost completely silent for a whole year except when I got a new-to-me loom! 

Then it is Tour de Fleece time!

Signed up for the Schacht & Akerwork teams again.  Didn't see anything for Into the Whirled and was sad.  But last minute, they posted an unofficial team.  So happy they did.

I decided to also participate in Team Warped.  It is with the Warped Weavers groups.  Since most of my fiber goes onto my loom, figured it was a good team.

I generally pick a team for watching while I spin.  Last year was Babylon 5.  I have also done Firefly, Doctor Who & others.  This year I wanted to do musicals as a theme.  Much to my surprise, I really didn't find a musicals group on Ravelry.  *blink*  There are ones for certain musicals.  And even two for Hamilton. Closest was Movie and TV Show Soundtracks.  But with 18 members & no recent posts, I didn't figure they have a team.

So I am just doing my own thing!  Will try some new musicals as well as ones I love.  If anyone actually reads this anymore, suggestions are welcome!

Day 1 - Jukebox Musicals!

For the start of the Tour de Fleece I wanted FUN!

I actually wanted Little Shop of Horrors.  But much to my HORROR, I don't own it!  *blink*  I had it on VHS.  And in the purge before moving, I let go 99% of my VHS.  I kept a couple things not available on DVD.  But everything else was let go.

I was browsing Netflix, Amazon Prime & HBO in hopes that someone had Little Shop.  No luck.  Ordered it on BluRay for the same price as purchasing it streaming.  With special features & both the theatrical & director cuts. 

In looking, I added a bunch to my watch lists.  One I stumbled across is a jukebox musical called Walking On Sunshine.  Loads of silly 80s music.  And it fit the bill.  Light, bouncy & lively.

I left the drive band on the back post when I switched the bobbins at the end of LAST YEAR'S TDF!!  So it stretched out.  So grateful my Ladybug has the drive band tension adjuster!  Otherwise I don't think I would have been able to start spinning as I had stretched the band out with it sitting like that for a year!

Much to my embarrassment, I still have half of The First Draft Polwarth/Silk in the Thomas Waith Is in Love colorway from LAST YEAR'S TFD on the wheel!  I had finished the first set of singles.  Though in some fairness, I spent EIGHT DAYS spinning the first half!  Wow...

It's on my Akerworks bobbins.  So I need to get them cleared off.  So I started the Tour spinning the second half of the fiber.  Though either I am spinning it to thick or I am spinning faster.  Between Day 1 & some of Day 2, it is about 3/4th done.

I am trying to be smart & take breaks in spinning.  Given I haven't in eons, it makes sense.  It seems to be working well as I am not sore for Day 2.

I also watched Mamma Mia.  Have watched it before.  It is fun.  Not in my top 10 musicals.  But I was looking for jukebox & light.  Fit the bill. 

In addition, I started on Hunky Dory.  Hunky Dory is set in the late 70s.  It is about a teacher in a school in Wales putting contemporary music in Shakespeare's "The Tempest."  A bit slower paced which is not a problem.  But I also decided to take a break last night to play some Borderlands 2 with DH.

I am happy with my progress!  I finished about 2/3rds of the remaining fiber.   I think that is excellent progress.  My only concern is that I may not be spinning it as thin as the half I did last year.  But we will see when I ply it!  Mind you, plying will be interesting given half has been sitting on the bobbin for nearly a year.  So the spring to it will be very different.

Here is the progress pic:

Created via Instagram's photo collage:
https://www.instagram.com/p/BzoNGN_h8O-3gthLZBF6PxqMf_MCUZqlOjJtc40/

The details are on my Ravelry page:
https://ravel.me/akasha/twdfl

And for anyone wondering about the colors, this is definitely from my daughter!  Soooo not a pink gal.  *laugh*

Hoping to get back to posting pics on Flickr.  Of course, since it was bought, the service has gotten worse while the cost has doubled...  *sigh*  May be time to start shopping for a new photo service.  Sucks as I have had almost a decade with Flickr.  But it isn't working a lot recently...