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I am blogging at work (bad!), so I have to keep this short. Here are a couple of photos of my Tour de Fleece efforts (we do not speak of the earlier efforts at plying ugly yarn in this post). Along with BFL Monkey Farts, I give you Corriedale "Vacation to Canada."
And, a class photo with everyone together:
Why yes, I am rather pleased with all of it! More details to come when I am not on the clock...
Fiber: Bluefaced Leicester (BFL) in "Monkey Farts" from Spunky Eclectic. 4 oz. Ravel It.
Technique: Spun using a long draw on my Ashford Traditional, only flyer ratio is 7:1.
Result: Two ply, about DK weight? Haven't done the WPI yet.
Notes: I split the roving in half long ways (down the whole length of fiber), and used my birthday present to check that the weights were even. For the first single, I pre-drafted the split roving as-is, but found that it was a bit too much to work with. For the second single, I split the roving again (now working with 1/4 of the original roving), and found that much easier to pre-draft evenly (I first discussed this a few posts ago. See there for a photo of the pre-drafted fiber). I let the singles sit on the bobbins for a few days to relax (while I was producing fugly yarn!), and plied it up as usual (lots of twist, treadling like mad!). The plied fiber was quite twisty, but a good soak and rough smack on the counter produced an even, balanced 2-ply after drying. I love this yarn, and have already moved on to another Spunky colorway, this time in Corridale fiber. Loving it!
Recall from yesterday that I was in the midst of plying what I deemed to be the "ugliest yarn known to man." Well. It might not be The Ugliest, but it's still pretty fugly. Observe:
and
Uummm....no. When I finished 3-plying up this disaster, I had some singles left on two bobbins. It seemed that the only way to rescue this bad situation was to use it as a learning experience. Given the truly abominable color combination of the 3-ply, finishing the remaining yarn as 2-ply wasn't a suitable option. After getting some inspiration from the Ravelry Tour de Fleece folks (who pointed me toward an excellent video), and from the Yarn Harlot, I decided that I would use the remaining singles to teach myself how to navajo ply. This plying technique preserves color runs and produces a striped affect along the length of the yarn. I had nothing to lose, so I gave it a shot. Here is what I ended up with:
While the colors still aren't my favorite, alone they are less hideous than mixed together. A fine lesson, indeed, so the effort wasn't a total loss. Now, what to do with the yarn? Burn it in a ceremony to the Yarn Fates?
Drop by tomorrow for photos of BFL Monkey Farts! The skein is having a good soak now, and will be ready for it's blog debut by tomorrow morning. I'll tell you in advance that it's vastly more beautiful than the freakshow that I produced today. Then again, it would almost have to be...
Okay, so apparently today is the day that I post eleventeen million times (Or two times. Whatever). I had to pause from plying for a moment and post because I am currently producing the ugliest yarn known to man. I'm not fishing for compliments here - this stuff is FUGLY. Quite a learning experience though, one of those times when you just have to laugh, keep going, and get past it. I have been working on finishing three bobbins of this wonderful roving on and off for a while now. I had grand plans about three plies of various colors blending harmoniously and changing with each other. It turns out that reality is not as beautiful as my fantasy (as per usual).
After resting for a bit, today was The Day To Ply. I started plying. I was am not pleased. Maybe it will look better as a finished skein? Not likely! I am sorry Copperpot Woolies, it is totally my fault, not yours. I promise to do better next time...
OMG WTF?!?! I am dying from the ugliness!!
vomits
But maybe it was at least a good idea to try a 3-ply? Sigh.
We had Sunday brunch out at a local farm a couple of weeks ago. The farm is located directly across the street from Oregon Alpaca Farm, which is home to many (50+?) alpacas. Naturally, we took a walk across the street after brunch and fed the alpacas some pellets. Here is your daily zen...
Not that you would know it from the blog, but I have joined in on the Tour de Fleece this year for the first time. I am participating on two fronts: at the Tour de Fleece web page, and in the Tour de Fleece Ravelry Group. It's a bit confusing that these two are different, but I figured that I might as well cover my bases and join two parties.
My goal for this year's TdF, my first, is very simple - spin every day, even if it's just a little bit. In the lead-up to finishing my degree, I wasn't able to spin for several weeks. I got out of practice, and built up a decent fiber stash as a result. I want to use the TdF as motivation to get through a bit of the stash and to get back into the rhythm of spinning on a regular basis. So far, it's going well. We had family in town and went out to the coast for a few days, but I managed to fit the spinning wheel into the Subaru and got some spinning done while we were out there. Yes! I do admit to missing a couple of nights so far, but also got in a couple of longer sessions to make up for it.
So, let's get on to the goods! My first project was spinning the third bobbin of my Copperpot Woolies merino/colonial (Rav link; 4.3 oz batt).
I am letting the last bobbin rest before I ply it, but I'm also stalling a little because it will be my first 3-ply attempt. Wish me luck!
I joined the Monkey Farts TdF team on Ravelry, for people who are spinning Spunky Eclectic fibers, so I figured that I ought to tackle some Spunky fiber next. What follows is the first half of a 4 ounce braid of BFL roving in coloway Monkey Farts (of course!). 
I intended to produce a 2-ply yarn this time around, so I split the roving lengthwise and pre-drafted the first half. Here is how it looked. 
I had a little trouble producing a consistent strand with the BFL at first, but I adjusted my hold on the fiber a little and found that things moved along much better. This is my first experience at having to adjust my technique to suit the fiber (I haven't tried very many fibers yet), and I really enjoyed the challenge and learning experience.
I also really got a kick out of seeing how the colors in the roving were transformed as I spun it up. I am still a new spinner, but I don't think that this transformation will ever cease to amuse me. It's what spinning is all about!
My next move is to spin the second ply, ply the two together, and move on to the next colorway. After a minor fiber stash enhancement "incident" in Portland on Saturday, I am going to have a difficult time choosing between another Spunky BFL color and my new "Happiest Girl" one off color "Let's See What Happens." Stay tuned for results!
ETA: here are some photos for Joy (blueknits on Ravelry), who wanted to show the pegboard to her husband. Curt made it for me, and I absolutely love it. It's a great way to keep the craft room organized. Sorry for the dark photos - I took these during winter on the north side of the house.
Here's a photo of the frame that the board is mounted on. The 1" x 2" furring strips are mounted to the studs, and the pegboard is mounted to the furring. Easy!
