Delectable fresh fig

I spun this deep purple yarn from fibre I picked up at Wellington Fibres. They have such an amazing selection of fibres in wonderful colours and blends. This one - appropriately called fresh fig - jumped out at me right away. Ever since I learned how to spin, I wanted to make something special for a good friend who's a super talented, and prolific, knitter. I knew this box of purple fibre would be the inspiration I needed to get back to the spinning wheel.

Once there, I soon realized I still have a lot to learn. The double-ply yarn turned out pretty well, for a novice. And I figured out a lot of stuff along the way. I certainly got good at checking my wraps per inch to get a consistent yarn. As a treat to myself after finishing, I got a plying bobbin to make the next skein go easier. Plus, I got a special flyer to spin bulky and novelty yarn. But I think I'll need a bit more practice with the basics before I get wild!

Getting warped

Tonight in my second weaving class I got the warp on my loom. Now that is some painstaking work! I have a new appreciation for my handwoven tea towels, and I already loved them so much! (Weird, yes. But they are so very nice to dry dishes! You really have to give a handwoven tea towel a spin to understand.)

If I had a picture from the class, it would be of me hunched over a loom with a rather perplexed and tense look on my face, perhaps a little dark cloud hovering above my head. We all did surprisingly well and even got out a few minutes early. The tedious work will all be worth it next week when we get to start weaving. Of course that hinges on my not having made a monumental mistake along the way and, boy oh boy, were there many opportunities for that. Cross your fingers.