Spinzilla is coming
TNNA’s Spinzilla event is coming. What’s Spinzilla? It’s not a giant spinning lizard. No, instead Spinzilla is a global event where teams and individuals compete in a friendly challenge to see who can spin the most yarn in a week! Spinners can sign up for a team based on proximity to a store or an affinity with a certain brand or go it alone and spin Rogue. Team Spinner registration is open August through September 22. Rogue spinners have until October 3rd to sign up. Sign up for Spinzilla here if you want to join a team, or here if you want to spin as a Rogue...
read moreOn the demise of SOAR
I received an email yesterday that announced that this year’s SOAR (Spin Off Autumn Retreat) will be the last. I am surprised, and saddened. I know some of the sadness, frustration, and anger that the SOAR staff must be feeling right now, having to make that announcement. There are no photos below, only memories. This year, the event will be held just outside of Chicago. I believe that this will be the 31st year that the event will be held. There’s a thread on Ravelry that discusses the great memories that SOAR go-ers have of the event. I shared there, and I’m going to...
read moreVogue Knitting Live Day 2
Vogue Knitting Live continued on Sunday. As I knitted my way to the Marriott, I thought I was prepared. Really. When I pack for a class, I put everything but the kitchen sink into my backpack. I took Brenda Dayne’s Mrs. Beeton class. If you haven’t seen them, Mrs. Beetons are lacy wrist warmers with a beaded cast-on edge, and added beaded adornment. Brenda Dayne is famous for her podcast, Cast-on. The supply list for the class listed the following: Smooth light colored wool, DK or light worsted preferred. Pencils, Graph paper. Stitch dictionary not required, but would be an...
read moreMy Hands Hurt…
This past weekend I was lucky enough to attend Vogue Knitting Live. I took two classes, and spent a LOT of time wandering around the market, visiting friends and seeing what’s new in the fibery world. VKL, as it’s known, ran Friday through Sunday. On Friday night I stopped by after work to hug Sarah and Sam of Cephalopod Yarns, and Kate and Elizabeth at Dragonfly Fibers. My heart was happy I got to see “my people”. While the market was open, it wasn’t terribly crowded. I’d done this before though, and I knew it was going to be insane. On Saturday I...
read moreTdF day…nine?
This is a shoebox full of locks. I spent my weekend washing, then flicking locks from the fleece I brought home from Maryland Sheep and wool. In the video I did some months ago I talked about what I look for when I pick a fleece, and why I chose this one. At some point I think I say that the fleece isn’t as greasy as a full Cormo. Someone needs to monitor me when I say things like that. Really. This fleece is easily as greasy as the finest Cormo I’ve spun. It’s totally worth it, but I wanted to be honest. This started out as 3.8oz pulled from the center back of the...
read moreTour de Fleece day 5
Happy Independence Day! Today is the day we here in The United States celebrate our decision to declare independence from Britain. I’m ashamed to admit that I’m in my mid thirties and I’d not read the Declaration of Independence fully for a VERY long time. I’d forgotten how specific our founding fathers were at listing the king’s misdeeds. The fact that I’m celebrating while spinning a British wool dyed here in America, and following a French bicycle race is not lost on me. I’m spinning Blue Faced Leicester wool, a breed of long wool sheep. According...
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