Kiss My Knits!

It took a little longer to get the husband and daughter out the door yesterday than I thought. I’d planned on leaving at 8 or so, but it wound up being more like 10. Just before I left, I got a call from saying she was already in Wake Forest, how was I doing? Yikes! So I hustled out the door and hit the road.


On the way, I stopped off in Greensboro at Yarns, Etc. which has a pretty good selection of cards, combs, spindles, and of course fiber. In a rare display of restraint, I only picked up six ounces of fiber, some of which will be shared with friends. All I know about it is that it’s wool and mohair. I was really eyeing those Louet hand cards, though. It was a good price. It would be handy to be able to easily blend my own fiber.


Because I was running late, I asked the proprietor if he knew of a faster way to get back to I-85. He gave me a quicker route than the one I’d taken. At least, in theory it was quicker. I apparently turned the wrong way, because next thing I know, I’m on a tour of scenic Greensboro. Stopping off at a bagel shop in a mini-mall about 15 minutes later, I asked an older gentleman how to get back to I-85 or I-40. He asked where I was going, and I told him Raleigh. He gave me directions to Raleigh – but they didn’t involve the interstate. He hates the interstate. Well, I can relate, but I was in a real hurry at this point, so I followed his directions for a while, reasoning that at least I was going in the general right direction. I stopped off at an auto parts store, where the clerks gave me a gentle ribbing for being lost. Ha ha. Good one, guys. GET ME OUT OF HERE.

Back on the road once more, I got a call from Pat saying that she was already in Raleigh at The Handmade Market Great. She drove three hours to get there, and now she has to sit around for another hour while I make up for lost time. Shortly thereafter, Laura called to say she was heading out too. Thankfully, they were able to find each other while I drove around aimlessly through the streets of Raleigh, lost again. I finally got there after 3pm, and the place closed at 5. Fortunately, we did wind up having enough time. And Pat and Laura clearly had a good time waiting for me, probably due to having the shared topic, “What the hell is up with Heather?”

We’ll go into the rest later – I have the windows open, and my neighbor seems to be cooking fried chicken, and I am suddenly ravenous. I will, however, show you the spun yarn from the fiber I picked up in Greensboro!

This morning, I gave that red fiber a whirl (so to speak) and it’s spinning up even better than I thought it would – at least given my skill level. However, there are small patches of black fiber that aren’t lined up as nicely as the rest. They’re creating little bumps in the yarn. I don’t have a real problem with how they look, but is there something I can do to prevent this from happening in the future? Is it just the fiber preparation and that’s life? Or is there some ancient mystical smoothing technique I can use to get rid of them? I’ve asked this question on so we’ll see what the answer is.

I also have an issue with having the yarn break after I move it to another hook, after I start spinning again. I’m assuming this is something I’ll work out as I get more experience, but I’m certainly open to suggestion.

Because this is the most consistent thin single I’ve spun, I have to show it off. (In the larger pic to which the thumbnail links, there’s a large rust portion to the right. That’s just my “leader,” some Lamb’s Pride bulky I tied on as a starter.) It’s amazing what a difference having my daughter gone for the weekend makes in my ability to focus. I love her, and she’s my primarily responsibility, so even if she’s not in the same room with me there’s always a part of my mind that’s tuned in to her. I’m feeling like I’m about ready to tackle the beautiful batt I got from Franquemont Fibers! Woo!