Feeling Sheepish

2 more sleeps until I wing my way to Rhinebeck and in honour of that trip, I've been working with my new Schacht to attempt to do some plying. First I set it up in double drive and spun the singles from two different batts of merino roving. One was variegated ruby tones with flecks of mustard and charcoal from Grafton Fibers. The top bobbin was a deep rose colour from The Black Lamb. You can see the singles on my Lazy Kate here. I've been reading the Deb Menz book on Colour in Spinning and though these singles were intended as a way to get acquainted with my wheel, I figured I could kill two birds with one stone and ply them to see what the blended result was.
Here it is - the first full bobbin of 2 ply yarn. It's interesting to see how the rose "quiets" the fiery colours on the bottom bobbin. I also boldly decided to set up my Schacht in Scotch Tension mode to do the plying. I chose the Schacht because of it's versatility so, I figure I'd better use the different settings. I did like the Scotch Tension for plying - the take up is nice. Of course, I couldn't get the plying to work until I used the hooks on the flyer on the left side instead. I couldn't find any reference to doing this in the instruction book, I guess I'm supposed to be bright enough to figure it out...guess again.

Up until now, I've only spun with Merino which I hear is a hard one to start with because the staple is not so long. It's so soft though that it makes it worth while. I have wanted to try some Blue Faced Leichester for a while so, I've treated myself to some roving from Lisa Souza. Here are 4 x 4 oz hanks of BFL roving in colourway Jonquil and colourway Lime and Violet. I can't wait to try this. Lisa's customer service is wonderful, I highly recommend her to do business with.

I'm sure these lovelies will be joined by my bounty from Rihinebeck. I'm hoping some of my favourite podcasters will cross my path. This trip is all about the roving for me (and the amazing friends I'm going to see). I'm not really planning to buy any yarn or books. Maybe a Golding spindle lace weight? I also want to try the Louet Victoria. Every girl needs a few wheels right?

Stay tuned - full report next week.

CIAO