Mystery spin - three

So now that it is revealed here are the niddy gritty details.

Thrumbs -some Cotton & acrylic, but mostly wool or wool blend. total weight 3grams.

 lighter colored alpaca - I bought this second hand and it wasn't labelled as to what type of alpaca, it is softer than the one below. 30 grams.

 Darker colored - same label problem - it is harsher and thicker in texture than most alpaca I have worked with. 60 grams

 Lincoln longwool - some veg, clean but unprocessed otherwise. 55 grams

 brown sheep wool roving from Wyoming. 14 grams

 Mohair roving from the same mill in Wyoming near my Grandpa's house. 16 grams

 This is Correidale sheep's wool. I was very unhappy with this purchase as there was a huge (about a pound) ball of muddy yuck in the center of the fleece, I couldn't see it at the time of purchase. There was also a ton of veg - I am very tolerant as that goes but this was excessive. I will not be buying from this farmer again. I like spinning Correidale and this is courser than many I have worked with. 18 grams.

 This is Rose fiber, it is rayon made from rose stems, it is soft and flyaway and lovely. 48 grams

 don't forget the beads!

So here we are the Mystery Spin revealed. I am excited but honestly have no clue what to do yet. Still pondering, one viewer asked me to discuss how I will be addressing the differing stable lengths  and I sure will - after I figure out what I am doing. One current thought is sort them into two strands by stable length, ply them together and then autoply beaded thread around them. But I haven't decided.
 ~Julia

Monday Morning

One of the things I do on my personal blog is write on Monday about what is going on what I am thinking and intending for the week. I thought that might be fun here. Over there I use a framework and I think I will use something like it here, but not the same one.

Right now I am...
In my kitchen drinking coffee, from the mug my Mother-in-law gave me. I have a fresh lemon and rosemary infusion scenting the air.

In Video Production...
I have one more section - the results - to work on for the green skein video I mentioned in the chatty podcast and then some minor edits. I am hoping to have it live on Wednesday. Shooting will begin on the New Mystery Spin video this week! I am really curious to see what is in the box!

On the Wheel...
Actually, right at this moment nothing but I am working on some test skeins of Corriedale Wool for a friend who will be knitting an Aran sweater. We are working together on this as a gift for (not telling) and I have spun an oiled 2-ply Spun Z-S, next is an oiled three ply Spun Z-S, then both again but Spun S-Z, then one (whichever she is leaning towards liking best) un-oiled. I am making her one oz samples to swatch and compare. This project will be fit in around other things.

On the Loom...
Will be a blanket, I have decided to weave and waulk a wool blanket, partially as a get to know the ins and outs of this loom, partially as a demo piece for The Rare Breeds Show at Garfield Farm Museum.

In the Dyepot...
More self striping yarn!

Papers and Bolts...
This week I need to send in the application for another show and get in contact with the guy who runs my farmer's market.  I also really need to update the Etsy and Square Stores!

Who I am watching... 
Mina at Knitting Expat. Grace at Spin Weekly. Rachel at Wool N' Spinning. And Kate at Milk Thistle.

Mystery Spin the First

The First Mystery Spin video is up. Link here. I hope you like the video.

Show notes:

Main skein – Wpi 13, 214 yards, 3.65 oz, DK

Small skein – Wpi 13, 30 yards, .50 oz, DK

I only lost about .05 oz in the processing and prep. One of the fibers had quite a bit of small vegetable matter within, which you saw me picking out. The mini skein is entirely the second strand plied onto itself and I think it would make a nice finishing edge. I am not entirely happy with this spin up, the second strand is less showy but spun up nicely  and I like it better. The combination of having both cotton and silk – I said they weren’t in the bin, but I was wrong, the soft creamy stuff in the unveiling section is cotton – made for a difficult spin. I have a balanced yarn here, but I am not as happy with it as I would be if the entire yarn was the second strand’s colorway. In deciding how I would spin this up I chose to put most of the angora, lighter colored alpaca, mohair, all of the silk and all of the cotton into the first strand. The darker colors (Merino, Lincoln Longwool, Wensleydale, alpaca and glitter) went to the second strand so set myself up for this issue, but I had a good reason, I wanted the stable length of the silk to help stabilize the shortness of the cotton. I do feel that this was helpful, but maybe not as much as I hoped.  I did go through the bin again to make certain (touch wood) that all the cotton and silk are out of the bin I have set up for my mystery spin selectors to pick from. I added some more stuff while I was there so I am looking forward to the next one.

I am working on my framing and hoping that some changes I am making to my set-up will improve the visibility of my hands in the shots. If you have suggestions, I welcome them, both in video and in what you would be interested in me working on. I have the next mystery spin box made, this time by a dear friend, and am working on a spin of brown sheep wool that I dyed and a silk blending. The next podcast will be a catch up chat so you can see more of what I have been working on!

The apron I am wearing in so many of the shots is recycled men’s silk ties. The silk helps the wool not to stick to me so I don’t arrive to pick my kids up from school looking like a sheep. My dad suggested making another in different colors might help the video, so I am gathering a few more for that project.

http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/super-eyelet-shawl

I am thinking about either making the Super Eyelet Shawl by Fiona Wright or weaving with it. I would love to hear your thoughts.