I'm baaaack! ~ post from Guest Blogger Jeff

hi there!

long time no post. life and work had been suuuuuuuper busy and knitting and spinning had gone by the wayside. now that we're into July, and the "big meeting that pays my salary" is over, i have time to knit and spin again! maybe i'll actually finish my shetland triangle sometime soon!

it's also been fracking hot and humid in PA and that has made me not want to knit - plus, it's Tour de Fleece! so i've been spinning lots more than knitting (although, i did finish one baby blankey and start on another - good old no thinking garter stitch).

here is some yummy spinning goodness:


corriedale spun on my great wheel

 speaking of great wheels, i, uh, kind of just acquired another one...


the "new" GW is in the front of the "old" gw.
i just need to get a drive band and a little piece to keep the wheel on and i think we're in business!

and now, back to your regularly scheduled spinning pics:


this became...



...this! a 2-ply wensleydale from Into the Whirled
in the Doctor Who inspired colorway Mercy Hartigan



black welsh mountain and tussah silk blend from HilltopCloud
single was spun months ago, but finally plied it this week

north ronaldsay from Gnomespun - my first "successful" attempt at long draw on the Lendrum

and....

BFL from HilltopCloud naturally dyed with marigolds

will become a 3-ply yarn with the other 2 braids above (also
naturally dyed - both with berberis)

Oops.... post by Guest Blogger Jeff

Somehow this 200+ year old great wheel ended up in my possession. I don't know how that happened, but boy am I excited about it. :)

Overall, this Maryland Sheep & Wool Festival was the BEST. I'm sure Will will be posting all about it over on his blog, and he is the real blogger in this family, so I won't go all into it except to say I spent lots of money and don't feel bad about that one bit. We took a shepherding class on Friday(decided I wouldn't mind having a small flock for fleece, but probably won't go into it full time), spent all my cash on Saturday on goodies from Gnomespun, Into the Whirled, Persimmon Tree Farm, Loop, and a few other small farms on some breed specific fiber (Icelandic) and yarn (Montadale), took the sheep breed walk with the amazing Deb Robson on Sunday morning and learned about breeds I'd never even heard of (have you ever heard of Soay or Hog Island sheep?), and bought a great wheel that's been around as long as we've been a country. All in all, a fabulous weekend!

Of Spindles and Roving and Wagtail Yarn

That's the tale I have to share today!  A recent care package full of homemade jams and stashed yarn sent to a Ravelry friend in Pennsylvania got me this in return :

I'm quite certain I got the better end of the deal but I'll take it!  A skein of Wagtail Yarns sport weight Fine Kid Mohair (enough for a small shawl) in a rich shade of brown from The Tangled Web in Philly, my first bunch (bag, bundle, ????, I don't have the words in my vocabulary yet) of Pencil Roving in a heathered Mountain Laurel shade (4 ounces ~ enough for?) that he got at the New York State Sheep & Wool Festival in Rhinebeck, a great card and this (also from Rhinebeck!):

It's made by Kundert Spindles in Wisconsin ~ the type of 'wood on whorl' is Butternut (so much to learn...my head is whorling!  what the heck is a 'whorl?' and what do those numbers '1.2' mean?).  Thanks Jeff for picking this out for me ~ I love it even more knowing that you went there with a mission to get this girl spinning!  It is gorgeous and after I've stared at it for a couple days and am not afraid of breaking it, I think we will become good friends!

My chaotic schedule and a freaking sore elbow have kept me from getting much knitting done (it's not a knitting related injury but I'm thinking I may have to lay down the needles for a bit or it won't get better ~ SHOOT!).  I've been working on my Cranberry Capelet ~ I'm just past the halfway mark (it's more like an oversized dickey right now ~ remember those from the 70's and 80's?....shudder).  I've had to modify it as I go since my gauge was spot on with swatching but tighter on the actual knit.  Not a big deal since it's top down and I can try it on as I go.  I'm loving the fit, and the yarn and color are perfect ~ the cables really pop!

Guess that's all I have to share for now.  Unless you want to hear more about my awesome spindle ;)

I'll spare you and just add one more picture of my new toy ~ I hear people name their wheels...I might have to find this thing a name!     ~ Melissa