Tour de Fleece 2019, Days 14-17

I'm going to be honest here, days 14-16 look very much the same as days 11-13 : More white Lincoln singles.  The only difference is I now have 2 bobbins full, and I have to skein them off now!  Day 17 was the 2nd 'rest day' of the Tour, and since I had the afternoon off work I didn't want to waste it completely.  So I washed some fleece!  The first fleece to hit the spa was a Clun Forest that came from The Spinning Loft.  I started out with about 9 oz and will have to give it a second weigh in when it has finished drying.  It had a bit of VM and some yellowing, but was overall pretty clean and only smelled vaguely "sheepy".  After 2 baths with some Unicorn Scour and 1 soaking rinse, it came out bright white and very, very fluffy.  Here's a photo of the raw fleece next to a tiny bit of the first batch I washed:

I am really looking forward to getting to spin this one up - it seems very springy and light, and MUCH different than the Lincoln I've been working on. 

Tour de Fleece 2019, Days 10-13

Plied and skeined the Shetland, so I could clear some bobbins.  I really need to spend a day or two just clearing off the random bits off my bobbins.  I have plenty, just never an empty one when I need it.  Next up is some Lincoln that I bought from Blue Moon Alpacas.  I have a full pound, so thought I should spin with a purpose in mind.  I found a Spin Off article about Lincoln and after reading a bit more about it decided on low-twist singles for use as weft in weaving.  It may become part of a rug or blanket, depending on how it looks finished.  I had forgotten how much I really love spinning longwool, and how quickly they come together.  The Lincoln does shed a ton when spinning, though - I had to find an apron!

Tour de Fleece 2019, Days 6-9

I swear, this really is a different bobbin than the singles from Day 1. :O  I love using natural coloured wool, but wow does it not look exciting in a photo!  This is part of a 4 oz bump of Moorit Shetland from AvillionFarmFibers on Etsy (the same vendor the Jacob came from).  It is a lightly heathered brown that is going to turn out 'tweedy' with the nepps left in.  There is minimal VM and it is a touch easier to spin than the Jacob.  I still have troubles drafting it on occasion, though, but that is honestly probably just be me.  I've been spinning it as a modified forward draw (drafting forward, but with the twist in the draft zone as much as possible).  Getting consistent drafting is definitely a work in progress.  It is going to turn out 'rustic' with some lumps and bumps.

Tour de Fleece 2019, Days 4-5

Plying!  Plying is one of my favourite parts of spinning - it is relaxing and feels like it goes by so quickly compared to singles.  Plus, I love seeing how the yarn puffs up as the twist comes out!  I was a bit lazy about measuring, though, so that will come in the final post-Tour, post-spa tally. 

4 oz plied Jacob

Tour de Fleece 2019, Days 1-3

Days 1-3 of the 2019 Tour de Fleece progress!  I'm working my way through the stash of Shave Em to Save Em (SE2SE) fibers that I've been stockpiling the past few months.  I feel like my spinning time never seems to happen these days, so it was really nice to have an excuse to actually do it.  I have let far too many of my hobbies slip the past couple of years, and it makes me sad.

I picked an easy one for my first spin - 4 oz of a Jacob roving from AvillionFarmFibers on Etsy in a nice mixed grey.  It has a fair amount of VM, which I've been picking out as I go, but is a really  nice spin.  I used it as an excuse to practice my woolen spinning, which I'm not as good at.  It holds together nicely and drafts well.  I'm definitely not the fastest londraw spinner, though - it took me 3 days of sneaking in spinning time to get through all 4 ounces.  Day 4, I ply!

Tour de Fleece, days 11-20

I feel like the Tour has just zipped by me this year!  I've been spinning on my Tomato Salad singles every chance I've gotten, but the progress has been slow.  The good news is, the second bump of singles are DONE!

I'm a bit concerned about the difference in colour between the first and second bumps of fibre.  The first one spun up pretty much as expected, close to the previously spun yarn I fell in love with in the first place.  The second bump, while still very pretty, had a lot more undyed/white fibre in it, which made the colours much more muted and leaning towards pastel.  Hopefully they will still look good together when all knit up.

Pardon the blur!

Tour de Fleece, days 6-10

One of the first years I was really active on Ravelry and participated in the Tour de Fleece, someone spun up the most amazingly beautiful yarn and posted it in the daily finish line threads.  I was smitten from the first moment I laid eyes on it and had to hunt down the dyer and pick up a few braids.  I knew right away what I wanted it to be, I just needed to spin it.

*cue crickets*

Three more Tours passed and it still sat there, patiently waiting, in the storage bin.  It was starting to give me sad eyes by the time the Tour started this year, and I can't say I blame it.

The good news is that I still love the colours on this one as much as I did 4 years ago, and I still love the sweater pattern I'd originally had in mind (Goodale, for those of you on Ravelry).  The spinning itself is taking a while, but I'm enjoying it.  The first bobbin of singles is spun, and the second one will be started after the day of rest.

FatCatKnits Tomato Salad on Falkland wool.  This will be chain-plied to preserve the colour progression and will make a warm, sturdy, striped sweater for this fall.

The orange gets me every time.