I have been spinning a lot lately. I am determined to make a sizable dent in my fiber stash (ha!) which is clearly out of control and summer is the perfect time. First, and very importantly, I can spin outside.People in the Pacific Northwest are fanatic about gathering their sunbeams while they may – by which I mean we are outside as much as we can manage. Sometimes June cooperates and sometimes it doesn’t. This year, Huzzah! The weather has been darn near perfect since the dog trials.

Spinning in the sun

My most sustained spinning effort came during those dog trials. Our island community hosts a major sheep dog trial (see the information here) and, while the people-dog teams herd and the sheep graze, our fiber community demonstrates spinning, weaving, knitting, rug hooking, and felting. Spectators can take a break from the herding competition and do some hands-on learning including how to spin with drop spindles. Our local chapter of the Northwest Regional Spinners

Kelli and Lisa spinning at the trials

Association (NwRSA) demonstrates spinning with wheels. I always volunteer to set up and tear down each day, so I demonstrate spinning in between – 3 days of spinning 8 hours a day can accomplish a lot! We were pretty cold during the rains (note how bundled up we are), but when the sun came out, we could remove layers and get more comfortable. The herding dogs don’t seem to mind the weather and the sheep just enjoy the field. (Seriously, this was JUNE!)

3-ply Mixed Berries

I had, at the end of the trials, several bobbins of singles waiting for plying. I wish I could say that they were all perfectly planned… they weren’t. Most spinning gurus will tell you: spin with intent – know what you want to make. It matters because we need to use different techniques to get those intended results. For instance, softly spun, delicate wool doesn’t make good warp, but would feel warm and wonderful as a knitted cowl. Plans are for breaking, right?

One plan did come to fruition – I had been spinning a set of 3 braids of camel and silk from Edgewood Gardens. The braids spun like a dream and

2 ply orange sunset

the resulting 3-ply yarn is wonderful to feel. Three-ply yarn is great for knitting and I have nearly 500 yards, so I think some sort of cowl is in the offing.

I had originally thought the orange/yellow merino would be combined with a yellow but I decided at the last minute to ply it against itself. It is very vibrant and I think it will make a nice woven scarf if I combine it with that yellow.

Peony with silk single

I had one bobbin that didn’t have a mate so I searched my stash. Sometimes having enough stash is helpful rather than embarrassing: commercial silk ply worked brilliantly. The green silk gave the handspun a bit of shine and some strength. Like its orange and yellow friend, this is about the right amount for a nice scarf using a rigid heddle loom – I have between 200-300 yards of each.

Denim blues with white

Last, I managed to spin a new (okay, I haven’t stopped adding to the stash completely) blue braid with some white Polworth (a sheep breed) roving I had on hand. I am totally in love with the result and might keep it around just to fondle. And isn’t that white luscious? It even looks plush and cozy. If you have any ideas of things I should make with these skeins of yarn, I am certainly open to suggestions.

Just yummy Polworth

My recent spinning push has cleaned out an entire bin in my studio. Now I hope to get two sets done (one another three ply trio of braids and another a pair in complementary dyed black alpaca and silk) to clean out another bin. Can we call it summer cleaning? In the meantime, a little weaving has happened. More on that next time.