I've been up to quite a bit of fibering these days ...

First, there was the Tour de Fleece. I didn't expect to get all that much done, but was pleasantly surprised when I wound this off and measured it:



It's a 3-ply yarn ~ two plies spun from batts I drumcarded back in January (you can see them in this post) and the third ply from natural gray Jacob. The final yarn's color surprised me a bit, because the fiber looked quite different in the batts. But I'm very pleased with it.

My final TdF tally was 812 yards of this three-ply, dk-ish weight yarn. Added to the 610 yards I finished just before the Tour started, I have a little over 1,400 yards of this yarn so far. I still have 4 out of the original 18 batts I drumcarded left to spin, plus a whole lot of the natural gray Jacob, which means I'll have plenty plenty plenty for a sweater. Hopefully I'll finish spinning it soon, because I'm itching to start something with it.

I decided on a 3-ply because I figured I'd want to knit some sort of stitch pattern, probably cables here and there, and wanted to make sure I got good stitch definition. Haven't swatched with it yet, so we'll see if I achieved success for that plan of action.

At the Uniquities Spinners' Day Out market in Vienna last weekend I purchased some yarn (I know, I know) from a local farmer friend. It's 85% CVM / 15% Angora and is just the most beautiful oatmealy color. Wallys has wonderful yarns spun from her flock of sheep, which includes CVM and other soft, fine fleece breeds ~ Merino, Rambouillet and Cormo plus angora goats and rabbits. She sells at local farmers markets, but not online at this point.

I loved this yarn so much, that I cast on a sweater almost immediately and have been working steadily on it over the past week or so ...



Using a combination of Elizabeth Zimmerman's percentage system and Barbara Walker's excellent book, "Knitting from the Top" (if you don't have this book, I highly, highly recommend it), it's a simple top-down raglan with a mock-turtle neckline. I'm in love. I love top-down sweaters for the same reason as toe-up socks ~ I can try them on mid-knit to see how things are progressing.

The green detail is knitted in some leftover Birte I had from some test knitting in a pattern improvised from stitch patterns in Lizbeth Uptis' book, "Latvian Mittens." There will be a longer border on the cuffs and along the bottom cuff (which I'm also thinking I may do as a shirt-tail style) incorporating the neck stitch pattern plus some additional stitchwork.

Other than these projects, I have a pair of socks going (no photo yet) and I've been washing and dyeing alot of fleece lately ... Finn/Dorset/Targhee X dyed in two different color themes, CVM, Cormo/Merino X (not sure yet what this will end up as). Then I have more Cormo, Gulf Coast, Romeldale, Rambouillet and a couple of others yet to do ... all in time for NYSW.

I'm also doing a Cormo blend for NYSW, with cashmere, baby camel, yak and baby alpaca, which should be really nice. The Cormo comes from another local friend's farm, and she has beautiful, covered fleeces.

All the yarns and fibers have arrived for the Holiday Knitting and Spinning Clubs, so these are now in process as well. And, it's really time to start thinking about NYSW! Yay!

July Knitting and Spinning Club Photos below!

50/50 baby camel / tussah silk:

100% Superwash Bluefaced Leicester light fingering sock:

This is the last shipment for the regular club. The 2010 Holiday Club is now closed and in process, with the first shipment anticipated in mid-August.

Happy Fibering!

Spirit Trail "Get Ready for the Holidays" Knitting and Spinning Clubs are now open (at least until they're full ... :-D ).

Information is HERE.

Oh, and I'll be attending the Fiber Farmer's Market sponsored by Uniquities Yarn Shop to be held at the Vienna Community Center in Vienna, Virginia on Saturday, July 17 from 1:00 pm until 6:00 pm. If you're planning to attend, and would like me to definitely bring a yarn or fiber along with me, email me or leave me a comment here.