After all the good spinning vibes I picked up on Sunday I decided to spend some time at my wheel yesterday. As happens with spinning, "some time" quickly extends to "hours and hours." I finished spinning the CVM (California Variegated Mutant) I got from my spinning instructor in November. During class I teased it out and ran it through the drum carder twice causing a
mountain of chaff and dust and dirt to fall out. The chaff just kept on coming though. As I spun this my legs, wheel and floor would get blanketed with chaff. After a while I found it very entertaining to see just how much crap would fall out of the fleece. And there's still a lot in there. I tried to pick out the big bits while I was spinning it but I know it's still pretty chaffy. I did a seriously fast and loose long draw on it and Navajo plied it all up. I ended up with 156 yards of heavy worsted weight yarn.
It's very soft and sproingy. I like it.
I also started spinning the Lincoln/Romney cross. It has very little crimp. I have flick carder and dog brushed the locks and was trying to spin it as a glossy worsted (it's very white and shiny). But it's so slippery I'm having a hard time keeping it together without twisting it hard as a rock. So I'm letting the fibers get a little more muddled and it's much easier to spin but not as glossy. I'll live.
In knitting, I'm starting the neckline on Durrow. I did a little reading up on troubles people had with the neck being too large. I'm making my own problems by knitting it in the round. I've never done saddle shoulders in the round but blithely assumed that I'd be able to figure it out when I get there. And I can, but it might mean knitting and ripping a few times which isn't my favorite approach to take.
