Summer Spinning, having a blast
So in my first post, I wrote about how I am working on successfully transforming a gorgeous Romeldale fleece into a sweater. The early parts of the Tour de Fleece went really well. I had had hand carded over 150 rolags in preparation for the Tour, and I was really good about carding up more to make sure that I wouldn't run out.
I hadn't even thought of what I would do if I ran out of bobbins. After all, I could use my trusty ball winder- a decade old Knitpicks one- to just wind my singles into cakes. Unfortunately, that ball winder died a tragic death midway through caking a full sized skein (560 yards) of Miss Babs Yowza. Now, the Yowza tale is for another post (a future review of The Throwback sweater and Miss Babs yarn), but the ball winder breaking put a serious cramp in my Tour De Fleece. So, I bought a new ball winder off of Amazon.
BIG mistake. I thought it would be great because it is wooden and it looked so nice. When I got it, it had no instructions- no problem, I've done enough Ikea furniture to rig it up. But it would have been very smart to let people know to lubricated the metal shaft so that the ball winder would spin properly.
But that wasn't the end of the issues. After winding about 4 bobbins into cakes (multiple times- the cakes look weird if you don't oilk the shaft. It probably wound less than 10 cakes total), the drive band broke mid cake (yes, this is a theme). Reader, tracking down a replacement has been a freaking nightmare. Cotton doesn't have the stretch and grip, Home Depot doesn't have anything like it, my boss said it's an XYZ and I can't find any online.
But there has been one bright spot in this mess. I've rekindled my relationship with my Merlin Tree Roadbug. Carol the Roadbug was a joint Christmas gift from my now-husband and my parents. She was my first wheel, and I loved her. But then I got Ingrid the Schacht Flatiron and I neglected Carol. I had always planned to use Carol the Roadbug as a plying wheel, after all she's Scotch Tension and has Jumbo bobbins and a Jumbo flyer. But I didn't- I was always doing smaller 4 ounce spins that I could fit on Ingrid the FlatIron's bobbins.
But now I had 3 full 4 ounce bobbins of singles, 2 proper cakes of singles, and one cake that half cake and half franken cake. So I pulled out Carol the Roadbug, dusted her off, oiled her leathers and tightened up some things, and started plying the franken cake disaster.
And after some issues (like remembering which direction makes S or Z) I was able to fill both my Jumbo 8 ounce bobbins with some lovely yarn.
During the process, I also discovered some yarn from my ill fated first fleece to sweater attempt. The difference between the two spins is incredible. Not just for the lumps and bumps, but from the fiber itself. I obviously had no idea how to properly choose a fleece and no clue that I had had one that needed extra special attention.
Now, have I spun since I plyed those up? Yes, a little. I even got more bobbins (Akerworks!!). Have I even used those? Nope.
Why? Because it got very, very hot and the thought of touching even my lovely wool to play with it made me shudder.
But now I have to get back to it, as I want to enter my spinning into the Garden State Sheep Breeder's Association Fair contest.
Wish me luck and spinning mojo.
 |
| This is after spinning about 75 of the 100 rolags |
I hadn't even thought of what I would do if I ran out of bobbins. After all, I could use my trusty ball winder- a decade old Knitpicks one- to just wind my singles into cakes. Unfortunately, that ball winder died a tragic death midway through caking a full sized skein (560 yards) of Miss Babs Yowza. Now, the Yowza tale is for another post (a future review of The Throwback sweater and Miss Babs yarn), but the ball winder breaking put a serious cramp in my Tour De Fleece. So, I bought a new ball winder off of Amazon.
BIG mistake. I thought it would be great because it is wooden and it looked so nice. When I got it, it had no instructions- no problem, I've done enough Ikea furniture to rig it up. But it would have been very smart to let people know to lubricated the metal shaft so that the ball winder would spin properly.
 |
| Wonky, leaning, tangled, loose cake. No Paul Hollywood handshake for this |
But that wasn't the end of the issues. After winding about 4 bobbins into cakes (multiple times- the cakes look weird if you don't oilk the shaft. It probably wound less than 10 cakes total), the drive band broke mid cake (yes, this is a theme). Reader, tracking down a replacement has been a freaking nightmare. Cotton doesn't have the stretch and grip, Home Depot doesn't have anything like it, my boss said it's an XYZ and I can't find any online.
But there has been one bright spot in this mess. I've rekindled my relationship with my Merlin Tree Roadbug. Carol the Roadbug was a joint Christmas gift from my now-husband and my parents. She was my first wheel, and I loved her. But then I got Ingrid the Schacht Flatiron and I neglected Carol. I had always planned to use Carol the Roadbug as a plying wheel, after all she's Scotch Tension and has Jumbo bobbins and a Jumbo flyer. But I didn't- I was always doing smaller 4 ounce spins that I could fit on Ingrid the FlatIron's bobbins.
But now I had 3 full 4 ounce bobbins of singles, 2 proper cakes of singles, and one cake that half cake and half franken cake. So I pulled out Carol the Roadbug, dusted her off, oiled her leathers and tightened up some things, and started plying the franken cake disaster.
And after some issues (like remembering which direction makes S or Z) I was able to fill both my Jumbo 8 ounce bobbins with some lovely yarn.
During the process, I also discovered some yarn from my ill fated first fleece to sweater attempt. The difference between the two spins is incredible. Not just for the lumps and bumps, but from the fiber itself. I obviously had no idea how to properly choose a fleece and no clue that I had had one that needed extra special attention.
 |
| Oh mystery fleece, I had no clue what I was doing to you. |
Now, have I spun since I plyed those up? Yes, a little. I even got more bobbins (Akerworks!!). Have I even used those? Nope.
Why? Because it got very, very hot and the thought of touching even my lovely wool to play with it made me shudder.
But now I have to get back to it, as I want to enter my spinning into the Garden State Sheep Breeder's Association Fair contest.
Wish me luck and spinning mojo.
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