Back in the saddle

It's Tuesday, Hubby's out, there's Stargate SG-1 in the DVD player, and I'm spinning on the spindle again.  My plan is to use George, the chunk of cream roving I got free from the yarn store, and the puff of green and lilac dyed fibre that came with my spindle from The Bellweather.  Putting the dyed stuff in at regular intervals will make a slightly variegated yarn. This is my first attempt at the spindle after using a wheel, hopefully my drafting skills have improved.  I'm going to use some acrylic yarn as a leader this time, and I may be able to spin the whole lot tonight. It'll make a very small skein.  I have a plan for it.

Picked up Lee Raven's book Hands On Spinning at class on Saturday, and it is wonderful!  Sections on spindle spinning, wheel spinning, fibre preparation, how to pick a wheel, how to make a spindle, how to fix it when the yarn comes out wrong, multiple ways of drafting, all the useful stuff.  Lots of pictures and projects.

The wheel-spun skein got washed tonight to set the twist.  If it's anything like the Kool-Aid yarn, it'll sulk for three days, defiantly soggy.  Can you use a hairdryer on wet yarn?  I need to get a bunch of tie-on shipping labels so I remember what's made from what (Dark Coopworth, spun and plied on a borrowed Louet S10 ST wheel, April 24th-29th 2006).  My next roving is another from Copper Moose, Sugar Maple Colonial Wool, two or three different browns with streaks of grey, orange and red.  This similar to Corriedale, which is supposed to be easy to spin.  It feels even softer than the Coopworth.