Knit by Nora

Compulsive ~ a strong, irresistible impulse to act (i.e., to knit) and Obsessive ~ to occupy the mind excessively (thus this blog)

Friday, June 09, 2006

Today’s Fiber News

I am so behind in blogging. I still have my Great Lakes Fiber Festival debriefing to document because someday when I go back, I will want to remember my first time and everything I bought! And if it is all spun and knit up. I also have raw llama to show you…a gift from a reader and local knitter, Judi of Baden. Judi and I met on Monday at Yarns Unlimited and it was a pleasant break from work. And there are my knitting projects that keep rolling. My Dale of Norway tank is close to done but will still take a couple more weeks because I have a baby shower on June 26th. Although I do not normally knit baby stuff, it is our office manager who is a sweet-heart. So I dumped everything for a baby cabled cardie in ivory and sage with two matching hats. It is very fiber-hectic.

This is my buffalo roving. For the first time I am spinning woolen instead of worsted. The difference is in worsted, the fiber is all lined up side-by-side. In woolen they are every which way. I am doing this because the nature of the buffalo roving requires it as the fiber are pointing in random directions. I do not think you could card them into a line and in any case, I think it makes sense to listen to the fiber rather than whip it into shape. This does make a warmer yarn according to my spinning literature.

I am probably going ply for a bulky. Mark said he would wear a cap made of this yarn and since it will be warm, it fits with the fiber. Personally, I think his interest has something to do with the buffalo is big and strong and sheep/bunnies are small and sweet.

I am spinning it a Louet spindle which I love for two reasons. The first is it was made in Holland and since I am half Dutch, that is cool. The second is more obvious…the cute little sheep faces.