On the mend and handspun

Tuesday, 26 May
Yesterday was a tough day.  I could not get comfortable and it felt like I had sandpaper in my eye.  Working with fiber I sometimes get something in my eye, but this was really annoying.  This morning when Jim put the drops and salve in I thought I would have another day like yesterday, but right now I'm sitting up (looking down--no tipping the head back unless I am getting the eye drops) and pretty comfortable.  I will be able to finish up a class tonight!  I can see the inside of the eye shield very clearly and a bit more definition beyond.  The vision is still watery, but I can see and that is a wonderful thing!

Thursday, 28 May

Yesterday was a better day and I was able to teach a class, which was enjoyable.  The students finished their projects and had more planned.  It is rewarding to see the pride they have in what they accomplished during our class time together.

Getting ready for class.  I ended up using an eye patch to keep anything from getting in my eye.  A little lipstick and a comb through the hair and I was good to go!

Since the surgery I have been able to knit a little and spin a lot.  I wear the eye shield to keep any flying fiber out and since I look downward it is a nice way to keep up with projects.  

I finished the Jacob/silk noil blend from Ewespun Fiber Mill.  Deb blended the two together the day of our field trip to her farm.  During the spinning of the pound of this fiber I really got a feel for the Ashford Country Spinner.  Reginald is nice.  I like the whoosh-whoosh sound of the large bobbin going around.  I took a couple of pieces of yarn off and kept one a single and one I let ply on itself.  I decided I liked the look of the single, as it reminded me of Lopi something between the Lett Lopi and the heavier Lopi yarn.  I used the swift to make a large skein and tied it off in six places, soaked it for a bit in Euclan Wool Wash and hung it in the basement under a little tension to dry.  The next step will be to measure yardage and knit up a swatch.

A nice big skein of continuous yarn after a soak.  What will it be after I measure the yardage?

Welcome to the flock Reginald

Reginald is the newest member of the spinning wheel family.  I was at spin-in on Saturday and noticed him in Mary's space at Anoka Fiber Works.  He was a little dusty and needed his screws tightened, and I thought he was amazing!  On Tuesday, armed with tools and a dust cloth I set to work on him.  Mary had some oil and in no time he was in his element.  I brought the pound of Jacob/silk noil roving with me added a long leader to the bobbin and now have a nice single in the works.  Reginald is an Ashford Country Spinner.  Knitsinclass (Kate) is his former owner.  Joanne was helpful today in helping me track down the instructions.  Naturally we started looking at the internet together, which led us from the Ashford website to Ravelry, and then we looked at patterns, and so on and so forth.

The Ashford Country Spinner Double Treadle was made between 1999-2012 according to the website.  I did not notice a date stamp on Reginald, but I did find a date stamp on Louie (8088) making his birthday in 1988.

Reginald in all his glory.  The fiber is Jacob/silk noil Deb Peterson carded at Ewespun Woolen Mill the day of our field trip to her farm recently.

Now I know Louie's age!  On the bobbin is more of the Dark Side of the Moon.  I will have a sweater's worth when I am finished.  

I finished Dreaming of Provence by Tori.  It is a lovely pattern and the Madeline Tosh Unicorn Tails were the perfect choice of yarn for this project.  It is the perfect hat to wear on a cool spring day.

From bottom to top: poppies, lavender, sunflowers and almond flowers.

I recently had a class at Anoka Fiber Works using the Harrisville rug hooking kits.  Everything was included, but I encouraged the students to bring bits and bobs of their handspun yarn to use in addition to the yarn in the kit.  Deb Peterson carries the kits in her Anoka Fiber Works space.

Mine is on the left and Dawn's on the right.  Adding our own bits and bobs of handspun yarn made each picture unique.

Last but surely not least is Monkey Jacobus.  I finished him during the latest monkey class.  It is a challenging project to knit, but the result is so darned cute and always brings makes me smile.  He got into the leftover blue yarn and is making himself some pants.  Annita Wildshut's toy patterns are delightfully charming.  One of my students started the Vera Bear and it is adorable.  She said that after knitting the monkey the bear  is very easy.  

Monkey pants in the making!