Spinning & Stuff

Ok. I’ve been spinning for four hours, I suppose I should stress my carpal tunnels in a different way for a little bit. I’m determined to finish this merino/silk blend that will be plied with a straight silk. I got it for Xmas last year, it’s a *dream* to spin & so beautiful. I just finished a bobbin of the merino/silk, now I need to pop it off the wheel & do a bobbin of silk, ply them, and then I should only have to repeat that process once to finish this stuff. Then I need to figure out what the heck to make with it. I have a skein already from last… January? February? I guess I don’t have a picture of the finished skein, just one of when I started it out…
It’s too bad the sheen from the silk on this doesn’t come through…Last night I set around 380 yards of a merino blend called “midnight” that’s black blended with a deep red & a really deep blue. I love the final setting part — I love all of it, I’m very process-oriented & the process of creating yarn from cloudy-fluff is something I really like… but in this case, within the final setting, this is the part that’s my favorite… You take the yarn after it’s been gently soaked in hot water, then shocked in cold. You gently squeeze the excess water out of it, then you take the skein by one end and whack it on the countertop a few times. Then you move a quarter of the way around the skein, and whack it on the countertop a few more times. Usually about halfway through this time, the yarn’ll all of a sudden catch air & totally fluff out. I love that fluffing out. The first thwack after it fluffs out is kind of unpredictable. Then another quarter around the skein, and another… a couple or three good whacks each time & then hang it up to dry.

Ok. That’s enough about spinning.

Today I went in for the physical part of my physical. My doctor is so awesome. She and her husband are two of only three people who have ever been able to get my blood drawn on the first try. She *rocked* that draw. After that I went to the UW bookstore to spend my graduation gift card from my brother. I got Yarn Harlot: The Secret Life of a Knitter and Felted Knits. The felted knits book has The Sweetest little felted ballet slipper pattern. I got suckered in by that, but it looks as though there are some other potentially good patterns too. Then I went to La Belle Fleur but they weren’t open yet. A quick stop by the drug store for cheap green sparkly stuff & green nail polish for M1 for Halloween & then home. Work a little bit, go see M1’s Halloween parade at school. She refused to wear her hat, silly girl. More work, dinner & then all that spinning stuff I was just writing about. Now? Swimming lessons tomorrow, dinner with my brother & his fiancée the next, and then P & I take Halloween off. Halloween off! Halloween off! Mwahahahahahahahaha!