End of the First Week

Having been inspired by a new friend, I have decided to expand this blog to include what's going on in general in my life instead of dealing solely with The Shawl.

Packing is continuing today to get ready to head to Indiana on Monday. It is the time that we plan for and anticipate throughout the year. I am taking my newest shotgun this year - it is over a year old now, and Jim says I might just as well use it since we never know how many more years we will be able to do this. It is the roughest hunting that we do - mostly because the temperatures are so beastly hot. But as soon as we are done, we are already planning for the next year.

I made a new fiber friend yesterday, which to me is always a good thing. I think she will fit in well with our spinning group. I always enjoy our monthly gatherings and I feel as though we are as close as family. Their troubles are my troubles, their joys are my joys. Since my worry bank is pretty empty now (after Rick's surgery), I have room for other's troubles. But in general, life is good.

Next week is my birthday. I already got my present from Rick, Pam, Taylor and Allison. The new carder is from Jim for the next bunch of birthdays and Christmases, but that is all right. I still look forward to my birthday. I suppose at this age, I shouldn't, but I do.

Back to spinning - my spinning is going well, but rather slowly. I have been trying to finish up a few other projects, so I have only been spinning about an hour a day. And since I am spinning so fine, the bobbin is not filling up very fast. But it is looking good.

And I spent part of the day Wednesday at Amy's mill, doing a re-card of my cormo lamb roving to try to remove some vegetable matter. It took us four hours, but the results look very good. And it was a learning experience for me. Our power was off at home due to a tree on the line down on the Pullman Road - back on by the time we got home (hurray!) - so it was a good day to be away.

Now I will have a week without getting any spinning done at all, so no progress will be made. I will be taking a couple lace knitting books to see if I can finally decide what pattern I will use. That would be progress itself.

Changes Already

Only three days in, I have already made a significant change to my plan.

I have decided to use a two-ply yarn instead of my normal three-ply. It will be a lighter weight and I think I will use larger needles to emphasize the lace pattern more. I am well into the spinning of the yarn and I will check my first plying to see if that will be what I am after.

Tomorrow I am sending out the check for my new carder - I am very excited about that. A very great tool for me to use. My original carder has already been sold to a friend. Progress there!

I am still not positive about the pattern for my shawl. I may just go with the fan and feather pattern. There is one other that I am thinking about, but I have some time.

Progress continues.

The Beginning

This is the beginning. I have decided to try to spin and knit a shawl to enter into the Michigan Fiber Festival (MFF) Fiber Arts contest in 2010.

I have chosen the fiber that I will be using - white cormo top from my friend, Char. I am spinning a three-ply yarn. I have one skein done. It is the skein that I entered in the skein contest at the 2009 MFF.

I am still trying to decide what shawl pattern I will use. Part of me wants to to the fan and feather circular shawl again and another part wants to do a different lace pattern shawl.

Now the work begins in earnest.