Sunday, March 6, 2011

Acrobatics

I'm on Spring break.


Yeah, I found that humorous, too.  I do wish that the weather would make up its mind.  I don't like getting my hopes up only to be let down time and time again.

A few days ago there were daffodils poking out of the snowless ground.  (That's The Composer's shoe.  He seemed amused by how excited I was about "the first signs of Spring!" while dancing around and taking pictures.)


And today, well, look at that first picture.  Spring break, indeed.  All of my friends (including The Composer) have left me to fend for myself all week, which means I can spend each and every day knitting spinning watching movies and eating chocolate while not cleaning my apartment or putting on real clothes practicing for as long as I want.

I picked up my spindle again yesterday and spun for a while.  I was lulled into that peaceful zen state that spinning tends to create.  The soft merino sliding through my fingers, the mesmerizing spin of the spindle, the way that the repeated motions allow you to lose yourself in your thoughts, the spindle whorl doing graceful acrobatics as it flies across the room...


I guess I got a little too excited with my thigh roll.  It was cool to see what the copp (spun fiber wrapped around spindle shaft) looked like without the whorl on the spindle, though.


I was able to stick the whorl back on and keep spinning for a bit, but eventually it fell off almost every time I went to spin the spindle and my stream of expletives kept getting longer and longer...  I eventually just laid some unspun fiber over the hole before sticking the shaft in to tighten things up and it worked like a charm.


I had forgotten how much I used to enjoy spinning.


Did you know I've never actually knit with my handspun?  I mean, it's not like I've produced very much of it, but I've always given it away when I finish it.  I should probably keep some for myself at some point...  if I ever finish what I'm spinning, that is.  Honestly, as much as I enjoy the process of making this yarn, I gotta tell you, I don't think I'm a spindle kinda guy.  I'm still waiting for the day that I have a spinning wheel.  I have all these ideas of myself spinning yarn for sweaters and hats and mittens and wonderful woolly, warm things and, well, that's just not going to happen with me and a spindle.  I get the portability thing, but I don't take my spindle anywhere and I know a wheel would suit my needs much better.


And when I get one (note I said "when" and not "if".  It may be ten years from now, but I'm determined to have a spinning wheel before I die) I will spin up this fluff that I got for Christmas this past December from my mother.


I know a picture doesn't show you much, but it's a blend (well, handfuls really) of a bunch of different fibers - mohair, leicester, corriedale, ...something else... I can't remember.  Anyway, this is my wheel fiber.  It may have to wait a while.

And just so you don't think I've stopped knitting, I give you the beginnings of a lace shawl (by the way, that blue one from before?  Ripped.  Thanks to all of you for being so incredibly eager to tell me that my knitting looks like crap and that I was out of my mind.  You didn't say it quite like that, but I got what you were thinking.  I appreciate the support.)


And a hat that I started this past August.


Please don't say anything about the crappiness of my stranded knitting.  I function under the delusion that once I block this hat my stitches will be the image of perfect.  Blocking, in this delusion, will also get rid of all those ends.  That's the only way this hat will ever be finished.  Those ends intimidate me.

And hey, if you know anyone desperately trying to give away a spinning wheel, I'm your man.

9 comments:

  1. Ha! I told you it looked beautiful. :)

    Your spinning is stunning, by the way, and I'm not blowing smoke up your skirt. Or pants, as it were.

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  2. Wow, gorgeous spinning. I'm glad you were able to doctor your spindle and carry on.

    Are you matching fibres to The Couch now? Cushions or drapes?

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  3. After reading ALL of this it did make me laugh !

    firstly.. "do" get a wheel your spinning is beautiful and you won't regret it and I love how you fixed the spindle.. very cool :D

    secondly.. I won't tell your knitting is crap because it's not, its beautiful !
    I love that hat, so cute :D

    enjoy spring break...lol I'm sending you some sunny blue skies from Oz ;D

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  4. 1) Are you purposely spinning Irish-flag-colored fluff?

    2) OMG what IS that red yarn?!? It's so pretty and I'm super jealous so you have to tell me exactly what it is.

    3) The Composer (aka Jake Gyllenhaal) better get used to you taking randomly ecstatic photos of plants and animals. (Weirdo.) (Merry Christmas!)

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  5. You are such a music major. Your crappy spinning, stranding, knitting, etc is the stuff we mere mortals envy.

    You are also a dear. I love the composer's bemusement at your antics.

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  6. What crappiness? Are you crazy? Your chullo is gorgeous and the little llamas are too cute. The ends, yes, those are not something most knitters look forward to, but take a quiet evening for that, some relaxing music, maybe a good friend for company… :)

    By the way, where did you get that bright blue spindle? I've never seen one like that.

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  7. Your spinning is impeccable. My Spring Break isn't until May...YIKES!! Enjoy your snowy spring.

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  8. I'm sorry for your snowy spring break, but your spinning is lovely! I can't pick a favorite that you're working on; all of your fibers are stunning. And your colorwork looks awesome from here, so I wouldn't worry too much about that.

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  9. If you are super desperate for a spinning wheel (as I was 9 months ago) I would highly recommend a Babe Fiber Starter wheel. They're made from PVC and a wheelchair wheel and you can get one for ~$200 (way less than a $600 Ashford, Louet, Kromski, etc.) Mine works very well, and while it's not super fancy, it allowed me to have a wheel on my grad-school non-existent budget. I still plan to get a "nice" wheel someday, but for now I can still spin 4 oz in a weekend!

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