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So, a couple weeks of this:

finally gave way to two days of this:

and this:

Meanwhile, I finished these:

Both are Anne Hanson of Knitspot (her Wing O’ Moth shawl). Both are in their “unblocked” states, but I still think they look pretty. The lilac is Misti Alpaca laceweight yarn. I started and completed this one first and had such a great time knitting it, that I bought some merino laceweight from the Woolen Rabbit to make another (in Rosemary/Thyme colorway). I cannot praise Anne’s design and technical prowess enough. The pattern instructions are superclean - no errors, very clear, and catering to those who read charts and those who do not. This is a great pattern for newer knitters who want to take their knitting to the next level, yet it’s entertaining for the more experienced. The motifs flow from one to the next as the shawl grows between the needles. It was so much fun to knit! Her online shop if a must-visit web destination, as is her blog.

Then, this moved in:

Yup. That would be rain (and more fog). So, I took the handspun from the Tour de Fleece and cast on another Anne Hanson design - the Fiddlehead Scarf:

I’m not liking the bands of color, but I love the stitch pattern and the way the fabric feels - the alpaca/angora combo with merino is sublime. I also finished a second bobbin for the Cormo Project, and I cast on a secret project that I’ll introduce in the future. So behold! Cormo single bobbin deux:

Remember, before I began the Tour de Fleece, I was working on a project to spin a pound of Cormo into enough laceweight yarn to knit that fabulous capulet from Victorian Lace Today? Well, I’ve been working on it. I have one full bobbin and the second is rapidly filling up. I’m hoping to ply and set the yarn next week some time. Pictures are below.

It has been quite the week. Yesterday, I saw Jhumpa Lahiri at the bookstore - she was signing her new book, The Unaccustomed Earth, and the evening before I attended the reading and Q&A. Such an elegant and accomplished person!

I’m ready for summer to end and autumn to begin. It’s been an unusually hot, humid, and wet summer for us in the extreme Northeast. Cooler weather has moved in this past week and brought with it even - yes, you’ve guessed it! - **more ** rain**!!!! The lushness of the summer foliage makes me think the fall colors will be spectacular. I’m looking forward to my favorite season of the year!

I just said good-bye to the guys who pick up the stragglers who couldn’t finish the race. I decided that instead of just hopping on board the trailer with my wheel and calling it quits, I would forget about the Tour this year and enjoy this project I’ve “accidentally” found. (If I can’t remember the Tour, I can’t possibly have not finished it - ah, De Nile - such a peaceful, relaxing river!)

So, just look at my progress. I’ve plied about 100 yards of yarn, I have about a 200-yard yield of singles to ply, and a smaller ball of the luscious alpaca/angora/wool fiber to spin. And I know exactly what I’m going to do with my newly spun lace-weight yarn. I’m keeping that under my hat for a subsequent post in the near future.

If nothing else, not finishing - ahem! - this year’s Tour de Fleece has taught me that when you find yourself left behind in the South of France, it’s best to just enjoy the scenery!

The Scenery:

This has been quite a dirty race! (And it’s not over yet). I’m finding a lot of debris in the fiber as I spin - sharp, grassy, twiggy debris. The kind of debris that will ultimately weaken the fiber over time. I hate that. So, like a good little spinner, I stop and pull out the offending matter.

Other than that, I’m very happy with what I’m spinning. A lace pattern hasn’t presented itself to me, but the singles look and feel so pretty. Yup, the singles. I’m trying not to dwell on the fact that I was supposed to be plying yesterday. I’m still spinning the singles, but the ball of fiber is getting smaller and the bobbin is filling up.

Progress is slow, but certain.

I’m making progress, but I am behind. I was hoping to start the plying stage of the Tour tomorrow, but that isn’t happening.

I lost an entire day yesterday. I had been running on fumes this last week - covering for someone at the store who took vacation the entire week (if you live in an area that earns most of its income from summer tourism, you know that taking vacation now is a big NO-NO), then handling some rush freelance design assignments, and juggling life. I had no sleep and no time to eat all week. I was pretty run down yesterday and slept a lot.

This morning I rose with the sun and began spinning for an hour. Pure Bliss! The fiber is so soft, and I’m surprised that I can get the singles spun so fine. I’m excited to begin plying. My goal is to reach the Plying Stage of the Tour by Wednesday. I’ll post pictures soon.

I’m a morning person who gets her best work done in the early, early hours. But I have to fit in spinning when I can. Days have gone by when I’ve only been able to look longingly at my wheel. My mornings tend to be commandeered by freelance work. Was there ever a simpler time in life when we could finish our obligations and work on our leisure activities? I don’t spin for a living, but I do need to spin. I am relaxed and energized at the same time by it’s productivity, and I feel connected to a long line of craftspeople and artisans who had to earn their living from what they could produce. It’s humbling.

Leisure is a relatively new concept brought on by industrialization in the 19th century. As the middle class was conceived so was leisure. However, even with all the conveniences developed over the last 100 years or so meant to free up our time for leisure, I feel like I have less time for everything. I know others feel the same. I guess for me the challenge is to pace myself. Even if I’m slow, i.e. can only spin for 15 minutes a day, it’s still progress. Eventually I’ll get to the finish.

Well, onward up the hill….

I’m making progress on spinning the singles. I’ll have photos to post soon, but the core of the bobbin is completely covered with several layers of spinning. The singles are very fine, and if I ply 2 the yarn will be finer than laceweight. I’m okay with this, but perhaps a three ply yarn would be better. I’ll have to experiment a bit when I get to that point.

The fiber is so soft and the colors are of the forest where I live. You may actually recognize the fiber - I blogged about spinning it between fingering weight and worsted when I first got my wheel (this is the leftover fiber):

Check out the Tour de Fleece 2008 website. I’m getting a late start, but I’m giving it a shot! My goal is to spin from my stash all of my alpaca/angora/wool roving procured from some nice people at the Newport Spin In earlier this year. I’m going to attempt laceweight and then design a scarf or caplet - I haven’t worked that part out, but the goal is to spin and ply the fiber by July 27 (and, yes, the Cormo Project is on hold until this is done).

Behold the fiber:

sort of….

I have wanted to knit this the moment I laid eyes on it - the capulet from Victorian Lace Today:

(sorry for the fuzzy picture). The original is made with Kidsilk Haze - a yarn I like to knit with, but not to wear. I’ve looked at a lot of laceweight yarn trying to imagine any of them as this item (and me wearing it). Nothing inspired me.

For the past 2 months I’ve been spinning Cormo into different weights of yarn - setting the test skeins, swatching, and falling in love with everything about Cormo (the fiber, the singles, the plied yarn, my swatches - I just love this fiber!). So now I am determined to take this big ball of Cormo fiber:

and turn it into laceweight yarn (1100 yards!!!!) and knit the capulet. Here is what I did this morning. It will be a 2-ply yarn. One thing I’ve learned about Cormo is to spin the singles tight (and ply it slightly tight as well), because once the skein is washed the natural curl in the fiber asserts itself. This gives you some control over “shrinkage” but also results in a very springy yarn that is pleasing to knit up.

Cormo - it’s everything I want in a wool fiber and more - soft, springy, very easy to spin - I love it! I’ve been spinning it laceweight - it’s very strong. I andean plied a small sample so that I could try out a lace motif (using #0 dpns). I’m planning to knit a lace scarf, but I would like to to make some bobbin lace as well. I’m amazed at how fine I can spin the singles, so I think even plied this fiber would make some nice thread for bobbin lace.

Click on the photo for a larger image.

I’ve been swatching and planning what to do with my merino/silk handspun, and I’ve decided to make a shawl. I’m starting simple, since I’ve never made a shawl let alone designed one! I’ve decided to make a square shawl that can be folded on the diagonal. I used a provisional cast-on for the center square so that I can pick up stitches in the round later and miter the corners.

Here are my swatches (blocked) and the center panel thus far (unblocked):

The yarn is as much fun to knit with as it was to spin and ply. Spinning laceweight inspires so many projects - I’m thinking I would like to spin pure silk and then use it to make bobbin lace.

There is a surprise later on the blog - I’m having a very special visitor later today…. details to come….