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Fiber Factory of One

Its a good week when I look at current projects and theres been some progress on most of them.

The Tour de Fleece continues, and to my great surprise Ive managed so far to meet the challenge of doing something spinning-related every day. After the Corriedale was finished, I dove into the two almost-forgotten tubs of unspun fiber and came up with a bag of green-and-brown roving made from what must be superwash merino, because the little slip in the bag says "100% superwash merino." I have no idea who made it or where it came from. For all I know, it was already in the tub when I bought it.

The lucky thing for me is that the roving is already divided into three equal pieces–and my next challenge is to make my first three-ply. Ive been spinning long draw still–not because I think its necessarily the best way to spin this fiber, but because I am enjoying the sheer hell out of it.

There have been no pictures, because as any Tour de Fleece rider will tell you, pictures of gradually filling bobbins are of only moderate interest to the spinner and hold no thrills for the general public. However, I probably should show you the fiber, shouldnt it?

I just realized forgot to photograph it.

Damn. Next time.

The green merino (that sounds like a niche-market superhero, doesnt it?) is on hold anyhow, because after filling two bobbins I went in search of a third only to discover it was already full of something. I dont know what. Yet there it was, filled with worsted spun...something. Either I spun a bobbin and completely forgot about it or elves have been at work. And, with apologies to my Icelandic friends, I dont believe in elves.

I needed the bobbin, so I pressed pause on the green merino (a sheep who travels around the world preventing ecological disasters?) and decided to chain ply whatever it is just to get rid of it.



I am the first to confess that this is, to put it mildly, an indifferent job of chain plying. I tried and failed to welcome an unforeseen opportunity to brush up an old skill. I rushed, with half my attention on old episodes of Absolutely Fabulous, glancing back at the remainder on the lazy kate every few minutes and thinking, "Dang it, are you still here?"

Old boyfriends reading this will be reminded of the last two hours of any given date with me.

I Swatched a Yarn and I Liked It

Lornas Laces sent me a nice supply of one of their new yarns, Haymarket, and Im turning it into a baby sweater pattern/sample piece in aid of my Snip n Zip (Steeks and Zippers) class.



Cannot say enough things about this yarn. Its knitting up very much like Léttlopi (which I used in my Icelandic sweater), but its extremely soft and feels sweet as it runs through your fingers. The colors, as you would expect, are luscious. It doesnt seem to pill much–what you see above has been knit and raveled six times and carried around in a bag for months. It still looks new.

Ive finished the trickiest part–designing the yoke pattern–after only four tries. Put out the flags.

Crotch Shot

And the Victorian bathing drawers for the Nautical Knitting cruise proceed apace. These are gonna be the talk of Belize.



Preliminary fittings indicate that the proportions in the original pattern are spot-on. That being said, the fit is startlingly revealing. Thats in keeping with period images of this sort of swimwear, but it really hits home when Ive got them on. One false step and HELLO EVERYBODY!

The things I do for art.

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Fiber

Fiber is not a nutrient, but it acts like one. It helps people stay healthy by preventing constipation, and in certain forms seems to lower cholesterol levels and prevent cancer. 

The Food and Drug Administration recommends that everyone take in 25 to 30 grams of fiber a day. But all fiber is not the same.  You need two kinds of fiber for good health: Water soluble and water insoluble. 

The following are especially good sources of soluble fiber, which may be helpful in lowering cholesterol:

• Barley bran
• Dried beans, cooked
• Legumes
• Oat bran

The following foods are especially good sources of insoluble fiber, which may protect against constipation and colon cancer:

• Corn bran
• Nuts
• Vegetables
• Wheat bran

Most fruits, vegetables, and grain products contain both soluble and insoluble fiber, so eating a wide variety of foods can help you get your fair share of both soluble and insoluble fiber.

Available link for download