Update

The Finn-cashmere yarn which I dip-dyed in layers a few weeks ago has moved on to the next stage:Here's my sample of the Feather and Fan lace design I'm planning to use. The close-up shot emphasises the cashmere halo, whereas it looks nice and lacy from a bit more of a distance. I'm supposed to be heading out the door already, so I won't upload another pic now.

Adding Colour

My skein of Finn-cashmere spindle-spun yarn has undergone a transformation in the last week.I've been progressively adding colour--five related blue-greens to be precise. The photo doesn't quite pick up the subtleties of the variation, but it's definitely not white any more. Now that it's dyed and rinsed and dried, I can think about knitting it up. First I need to make some decisions about what I'd like to make. Then a bit of sampling will be in order. I also need to document my process, since I'm planning to include this article as part of my folio.

Meanwhile, I've been working away at different preparation methods for worsted spinning. More of that to come.

My friend D is safely home, having flown from about 15 degrees in Melbourne in the morning to something like 36 in Brisbane by the time she landed. I must say, I'd rather be home, wearing a sweatshirt and spinning away!

Happy Spinner

It's been a while since I gave you a nice piece of spun fibre to enjoy. Here's the Finn-Cashmere I've been playing with this last week: I spun it up on my drop spindle earlier in the year. Now I'm dyeing it to make a scarf for myself. I'll include it with my Spinning Folio, so that's two benefits from the one skein of yarn. And I loved every minute of spinning it. That makes me a happy spinner.

I'm also a happy spinner because I've got far enough with sorting out the box of bits that will comprise my Spinning Folio that I'm back to actually spinning. I've sorted out where some of the main gaps are in the work that I've done. Now I get to fill the gaps one skein at a time. Right now I'm working on a sample of worsted spun merino: one small bobbin spun, one to go. Then I'll ply, wash, sample and knit a swatch. It will have it's moment of glory with a page in my presentation folder. There's not that much of it, so that will probably be all it will ever be. But it's so nice to spin that I don't mind.

Test Driving

I was thrilled to see several traders with drop spindles for sale at the wool show. I tested as many of them as I could. They all looked great, but I wanted to buy one that would be a joy to use. The only one that was irresistable in my hands was this banksia drop spindle by Ron West. It was the lightest one he had left of this type: 35g. The balance and weight distribution on the shaft are both very good. When I started it spinning, it didn't want to stop--and neither did I. As a bonus, the whorl is made from a banksia nut and it's just fascinating.It seems that several of the wood turners making drop spindles are in the product development phase--still learning and interacting with spinners to see what works well. So I did have a lot of fun trying things out and discussing possibilities.

I also had a chance to thank Maureen Shepherd for the beautiful Finn-cashmere tops I bought from her last year. They pretty well go everywhere with me in my drop spindle bag and I'm about 3/4 of the way through spinning 100g. They are giving me so much pleasure. Find out more about Finn sheep here.

Journey Planner

This morning I feel as though I've been hit by a train. I'm exhausted, my legs ache and I don't want to do much at all. But since it was the Bendigo train that hit me, there's a smile on my face and my mind is happily rolling over the things I saw and the treasures I brought home with me.

But first, my journey planner:
Going to the wool show on the train means at least five hours of travel. I did that sum on Friday night as I was setting the alarm to wake me in time to make it to the station. So, before I did anything else, I made provision for five hours of fibre-loving travel.

First I packed my favourite drop spindle with the Finn-cashmere tops I'm currently spinning on it. That was perfect for my first class seat on the way up in the morning. Then I packed this Alpaca-wool-mohair yarn and a pair of knitting needles. The yarn is hand-spun, semi-woollen, so it's nice and fluffy and quite soft. you can see there's lots of variation and interest in the yarn itself, so it was just the thing for the journey home. The roomier first class seats were booked out and I was too tired to concentrate much. So a garter stitch scarf filled my hands and mind beautifully while we talked over our day and got to know our fellow passengers a little.

We shared a carriage with a fantastic sock-knitter: interlacing cables in a wonderful red!--and a family who were cooperating on a project made from their Bendigo treasures: he was flicking out the dyed English Leicester fleece while she twisted it in her fingers and incorporated it straight into a crochet piece. Meanwhile the little boy "helped":) I wasn't even the only knitter on the suburban train which took me home!

And then there were two . . .

I didn't plan to start a family of drop spindles, but it seems to be happening anyway. Not that I'm complaining at all. In fact I'm still rather besotted with this new love in my life. Yesterday I went to South Bank Market to meet Charly and pick up my new baby drop spindle. I'd been keeping a close eye on her blog waiting for the new consignment from Spindlemaker to turn up. I was determined to have an Australian made drop spindle and here it is: You've already met the spindle on the right--I'm still spinning the Finn-cashmere blend on it. On the left is "Myrtle", so called because the whorl is Myrtle wood and the shaft is tiger myrtle. Weighing in at only 23 g, it should help me to spin even finer. I celebrated by buying a hank of Charly's merino-angora blend tops, hand dyed in an incredible pink-purple colour combination.

I'd planned to make a quick visit to the market and proceed to a nearby art gallery, but I was having so much fun seeing all the great offerings and talking to various stall holders about their work that I stayed at the market well into the afternoon. My purse is a bit lighter as a result, but so is my heart, so I'll accept that as a fair trade-off.