Hello everyone!
How can it be Monday already?? Especially when my brain is still back on Saturday processing all the information I learned from taking Jenny’s plying class on Saturday in Howell at Beth’s shop Three Sheeps to the Wind.
Holy cow people – did I learn!!
I learned so many things that I was so totally clueless about!
I need to take some pictures of my class work – but the weather this morning is a bit grey and not very photo friendly!
But, I learned about ply backs, three ply (really multiple ply, but I only plied 3 singles), navaho plying, and so much more than I can possibly blog about at one sitting!
I also met some amazing women on Saturday! Amazing! The fellowship that existed in class was so incredible. I have increased my circle of spinning friends – wonderfully so!
So, Jenny had me thinking and thinking when I left her class. My goodness, there was so much information she shared with us! I learned that I need to ply my singles sitting in a different chair than I have been – this was my light bulb moment on Sunday afternoon as I was plying some singles I experimented with. I changed my chair and voila’ – my plied fiber suddenly was much nicer! I also took a page from Jenny – I counted!! And checked!! And changed my count to get the twist I needed to match my ply back! I know – can you barely stand it? I can tell you that I am so thrilled with my outcome!
Now, let me tell you about my other “ah-ha” moment from the weekend. On the drive home, Blogless Mary and I had much to talk about. It was such a great weekend – we both agree that we want to go back and take a class from Beth, who truly was an incredible hostess on Saturday. Her shop is lovely, welcoming, and filled with fibery goodness. Incredible fibery goodness! Abundant fibery goodness!! My goal is to become a member of her Ravelry group – “I have slept in a wool shop”. Yeah, I know – my pulse is racing a bit also!
Well, back to my “ah-ha” moment.
I had purchased some Zitron Unikat several months ago and knit a pair of socks from a skein of it. I was not impressed with the fiber – it is not plied, and it was not fun to knit with. It is a very unstable fiber – thick and thin – in fact, in some places, it was down to a fine thread. Well, my brain was rolling around, digesting all that had been crammed into it. At the end of the day, we all spun some pencil roving – I had never spun with pencil roving before. Here is where the “ah-ha” comes in…. the Unikat was basically like the pencil roving.
So, on Saturday night I spun the Unikat.
On Sunday I plied the Unikat.
Wow, gentle reader – what an amazing change! This yarn that I did not like at all was transformed into an incredibly beautiful fiber!
I need to set the twist and finish spinning up the remainder of the skeins, and I think I will have some lovely yarn to knit some socks with!
I also got some incredible fiber from Beth on Saturday – photo’s will be here later.
I am off to head to the unemployment office – doesn’t that sound fun?!?
Yeah, that is what I think too!
Have a great day everyone!
I’ve thought this for awhile, but now you have convinced me. I need to take a spinning class. There is only so much you can learn from books and DVD’s. Can’t wait to see your photos, and good luck on the job hunt!
Isn’t it great when we find those aha moments! I have had many in knitting and even had one this weekend in regards to Entrelac. Now to put my idea into practice to see if it works.
Have a great week and enjoy the Thanksgiving Holiday!
please come back. I have so much to talk to you about and there wasn’t enough time. Bring your wheel, I’ll have the snacks and the fiber and the tea.
My weekend had ‘Oh-oh’ moments… 🙂
Oh wow. What an incredible weekend. I SO envy you! But in a *good* way 🙂
Hi Kat,
It was a lucky day for me and the class when you walked through the door of The Spinning Loft and sat down on one side of me during the plying workshop. YOU, and that great laugh of your’s, are like a tonic…especially useful when one sleeps over in a wool shop the night before and goes to bed around 2am and then has to say at least somewhat sensible sentences when teaching. I, myself, am rather proud of my “mime” interpretation of Andean plying techniques…issued when I hit the wall at around 4pm on Saturday!! Thank you for spending your Saturday with us. May our paths cross again and SOON. Happy spinning!!
Cheers, Jenny
It amazes me that you would ply yarn you bought. Am I reading that right? I am planning on spending mucho time with you and Mary tomorrow afternoon-can we watch Days of our Lives? I’m having problems with my Elizabeth Zimmerman jacket too. I discussed this with Mary after work and she is having her usual sock problems. I said, “Mary you are always having sock problems!”