Thursday, March 28, 2013

on the wheel: easter fiber!

Hi there!
Ok, before I show you my recently acquired fiber-y goodness, here's a little bit of backstory.  I decided that 2013 was going to be the year I started living a healthier lifestyle, and since January 1st, I've lost about twenty pounds.  Woohoo!  My brother and I grew up getting amazing Easter baskets every year, and it's a tradition my mom has continued even though we're both adults.  This year, though, an enormous basket of chocolate seemed a little counterproductive.  When I mentioned that to my mom,   she said that she wanted to give me some spinning fiber for Easter instead.  How sweet is that!

skirted fleece mill spinning fiber roving

In a fantastic coincidence, a new fiber mill opened nearby last weekend!  My mom and I took a ride to the Skirted Fleece Mill for the opening day.  It was so much fun!  I'm in the habit of looking at hand-painted spinning fiber on Etsy before I go to sleep (which is a terrible idea, by the way, when you're sleepy and your resistance is low), but there really is nothing like seeing it in person.  

skirted fleece mill spinning fiber roving

How cute is their logo!  The little gray creature is obviously a sheep, but the other one is a yak.  They have yaks!  We got to see a baby one snacking on some hay, which was just adorable.

pastel blue natural spinning fiber roving

My mom and I came home with these two gorgeous 8 ounce braids of fiber.  The one on the left is a blend of merino wool, alpaca, and silk in the most beautiful Maxfield Parrish blues and natural cream.  The one on the right is Corriedale wool that reminds me of the crocuses that start popping up around Easter, even though some years they have to push through the snow to be seen.

skirted fleece mill spinning corriedale

I immediately started spinning the Corriedale braid, and I love it.  I've never spun Corriedale before, but if this is any indication of how it usually spins, it's going to become one of my favorite fibers.  It's soft like merino, but a bit sturdier, and it has the sheen of silk or bamboo without the slipperiness.  The fiber prep on this braid is really lovely, too.  It's easy to draft and spins very consistently and smoothly.  It's spinning up as a laceweight single, which I'm going to two-ply into a sock-weight yarn.  I'm hoping to get enough yardage for the Still Light Tunic if I make the collar, sleeve ribbing, and bottom ribbing in either cream or gray.  Added advantage of losing weight-- it takes less yardage to knit a sweater!  Yay!

I hope you're having a wonderful week!


6 comments:

  1. Julie, the fibers are gorgeous! I can't imagine a better Easter present than spinning fibers!
    My spinning wheel has been neglected lately... I got a little frustrated because I still can't seem to get the tension right for more than a couple of minutes. Add all the exams and you've got a spinning wheel that hasn't been used for over 4 weeks! :(
    I hope hope hope that I'll have some time and energy to really get into spinning next month :) Your gorgeous pictures are a great motivation!!!! Thanks :)

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    1. It really was the best Easter present ever. And thank you so much for the compliment, I'm glad to have been motivational! You'll get the hang of spinning, I'm sure of it. It took me a little while to get my tension right, too. My first few skeins were so overspun and underplied! It just takes a little time to get used to how it's supposed to feel when you're at the right tension. It's definitely easier when you're relaxed, though. I hope your exams went well!

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  2. I know that Corriedale is generally considered a bland fiber, but it is may personal favorite. I love the texture before and after. Your mother is so sweet, and the colors are gorgeous and very springlike. I don't get easter baskets from my parents anymore but we had egg hunts up to my senior year in high school! It just never got not fun so we kept on doing it every year. Fiber is definitely better than candy though.

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    1. Oh my goodness, I LOVE spinning this Corriedale! I love that it's a bit bland-- I don't have to stop to separate out clumps, and I can listen to podcasts or catch up on television shows and spin purely by feel. Yay for Corriedale!

      Aww, I love that you had egg hunts for that long, that's so sweet. I hope you have a happy Easter!

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  3. 20 pounds? Well done that's amazing!

    Such gorgeous fibres, and the colours scream Easter. Very good alternative.

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    1. Eeeep thank you!!! I can't believe how much my tastes have changed just in the past three months. I went to Starbucks the other day and ordered a hot chocolate and pumpkin bread for a special treat, and I couldn't even finish half of either one. I couldn't believe how overly sweet they tasted after not having many sweets lately!

      Oh my goodness, I plied up the first skein and it is like marshmallow peeps in wool form. Happy Easter!

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