Spinning In Place

Baby Update

Rachel called today and said that the final, official, we're-not-going-to-change-our-minds-again name of my first granddaughter is . . . . (drum roll please) . . . . . Addison Grace. I love it. Rachel's still working on getting the sonogram photos to me. But they must be pretty good. She says you can tell that the baby has John's nose.

Spindlers' Summer Breeze Exchange

Today was Christmas in July! I love Spindlers exchanges; I've had great luck with all of them so far, receiving some wonderful things - and having a lot of fun picking out items for my exchange partners. In this exchange we were to send 6-8 ounces of fiber suitable for lace spinning a summer wrap. And "it can be fun to tuck an extra treat or two in with the fiber".

Here's what Micki in MA sent me: A ginormous Brushstrokes Batt of alpaca, merino, and silk from Indigo Moon Farm. It's hard to tell from the photo, but what appears as blue on my monitor is actually the most gorgeous purple. Me? Purple? Oh, yeah, I love it. Lots of orange and green in there also; perfect contrast with the purple. It is one of the most beautiful things I've ever seen. I can't wait to spin it.

But wait, there's more! A Greensleeves spindle with a Butcher's Crown to protect the hook! It's gorgeous. I haven't had a chance to take it out for a spin yet, but I bet it goes forever. Thanks, Micki, very much! Your package is taking a whirlwind trip around the country, but I promise it will be to you very soon. (I'm laughing, Morgan. Honest!)

Le Tour de Fleece

Remember the bobbin disaster? Where one end of the Traveller's bobbin fell off after I'd filled it with fiber? Saved it! I received some great tips from Spindlers, Spin-List and the Summer Spinning Challenge group. So I took a deep breath, put the bobbin on an upright lazy kate, set the wheel for fast in-take, and carefully transferred the singles to a new (hopefully better made) bobbin. The fiber got tangled once when it looped over the top of the broken bobbin, but that was easily remedied.

I also spent 4 hours spinning today and have almost finished spinning the Iris Eyes. I'm hoping to be able to ply it this weekend.

Summer Spinning Challenge

I'm giving up on Grover for now. I'm still not happy with the fiber prep; Grover deserves better. And I signed up for the Challenge to get me to spin, not spend all my time doing fiber prep. So until I can card the wool into batts, I'm going to move on to something else. Plus, I'm dying to start spinning the Brushstrokes Batt. Did I mention that I love it? Micki sure nailed it with that gift.

My new challenge is going to be spinning the batt - it's about 9 ounces according to my (not very accurate says the post office) postal scale. I want to spin it at a lace weight, ply it, set the twist, and be ready to start crocheting it by the end of the Challenge on September 22.

Teaser

Two little bitty teasers:

• Hey Vickie! I finished my part of your birthday present (just a little late - sorry.) And I have pictures. And I'm not going to show you. You'll have to wait until Wednesday. heeheehee

• Dick's been busy finishing up the studio. And I've been holding out on showing you. But it should be done tomorrow. So here's a sneak preview of what you can expect: Clear as mud? Any guesses??