It is like a stargate

Tuesdays are for spinning, so yesterday (prepare yourself, those of you who have noticed I have trouble observing my own rule) I spun. I’m still churning out the singles of the polwarth roving, and now I have five, count ’em FIVE, bobbins of the stuff done.

My big plan, since I want the colours (and my uneven spinning) to come up as randomly as possible, is to do all of the spinning, then all of the plying, swapping out the bobbins at then end of each plied bobbin. This means, that if my bobbins were named A, B, C, D, E and F, then when I ply (and I’m making a three-ply) I might begin plying with A, C and F on the kate, and then, when I had a full bobbin of yarn, stop and ply A, B and D. The next time, B, D and E…. and so on.

Fivepolwart51108

This approach has a lot of advantages. It means that all of the skeins of yarn will have different, random colours, which overall means that they will go better together. If I didn’t swap them out, I would probably end up with three skeins that went ABC and three that went DEF, and that’s going to be two obviously different types of colourway. Mixing it up like this means that I’ll have six different skeins with six different colourways that are all basically related, and that seems like it will give me a more harmonious sweater overall.

Now, even if all of my bobbins were the same colour, I would still – if I were doing a big spinning job, mix up the bobbins like this. See… over the course of 40 hours of spinning, all done on different days, it’s really unlikely that my spinning is going to be really consistent. It’s more likely that there’s going to be a subtle shift from the beginning of the spinning to the end – a few weeks later. If I mix three bobbins, one from the start of the spinning, one from the middle and one from the end, then I’m probably going to end up with plied yarn that’s more consistent than if I plied as I went. In knitting terms, having several bobbins of yarn spun over the course of several weeks is a lot like having several examples of one colourway, dyed over several weeks. They are all likely going to be a little tiny bit different, because they weren’t made on one day.

If you had to knit one sweater out of several dye lots, you probably would notice the difference if you used one skein for the top half and another skein for the bottom half. There would likely be a discernible line halfway. (If we actually follow one of murphy’s laws about knitting, that line would probably be in the place you would least like it to be. Like right across your breasts or right across your belly, depending on which you would rather not draw attention to.) To avoid this, as a knitter, you would probably alternate your skeins as you went, one or two rows with one, then one or two rows with another. This blending would make the difference between the dye lots not at all obvious, and that’s what this spinning strategy is like. I’m acknowledging that I essentially have different “spinning lots” and that it might show up if I don’t blend randomly. Get it?

In any case, my big plan was to do all off the spinning, then all of the plying and mix the bobbins all the way down the line. Yeah, well. I’ve been thwarted by something.

Endlessrovingpolwarth51108

This bag of polwarth is apparently a gateway to the seventh dimension, where no matter how much I spin, the universe is shoving more into the bag through an equalizing dimensional gate. (I actually have this same problem with sock yarn.) I have spun five whole bobbins – which is totally a LOT, and I don’t appear to have less roving.

At all.

It is still a huge pile, and I’m almost out of bobbins, so I’m going to have to start plying whether I like it or not. I’ve already freed up more bobbins by deciding to ply on another wheel, which means that I can use all of the bobbins that fit on this wheel and not need to hold any back for plying.. but damn- I wish I could close that gateway and finish. The irony of course is that I started out the spinning for this sweater worried I wouldn’t have enough, am now concerned that I am going to have way, way, way too much…

and will eventually run out of yarn halfway through the second sleeve. Can’t you see it coming?

(The spinning fates like a good joke as much as the knitting ones do.)

All of this will have to wait until next week though. I’ve got to go pack for Alberta, since I’m leaving in the morning, I’m teaching “Knitting for Speed and Efficiency” (there’s another bit of irony for you) at the Make One Fall Knitting Retreat. I’m excited and nervous.

Also.. not packed. Gotta fly.

139 thoughts on “It is like a stargate

  1. I think that is brilliant. Can’t wait to see what your sweater looks like! ๐Ÿ™‚

  2. LOL. I’m convinced it’s not a dimentional, or time-space continuum issue, but an organic one. My roving delights in continuing to grow and the unspun end. Especially when I am not watching…..
    Good luck, safe journey to Alberta and put that roving in a securely fastened bag where it has no more room to grow!

  3. So in the interest of varying yarn you’re spinning monochromatic bobbins…no, no, I’m sure it’s just the way it look in the shot. And the previous two shots. Or it’s the light, yeah, it’s the light. Because I would never ridicule anyone wise enough to know “it’s really unlikely that my spinning is going to be really consistent. It’s more likely that there’s going to be a subtle shift…” As Queen of the Ever-Narrowing Scarves (look like men’s neckties, at least in shape) I will back away, kowtowing, and sit respectfully, absorbing wisdom.
    Separating the colors so the colors will vary…..

  4. LOL, indeed! They taught us in school that spontaneous generation doesn’t occur, but that obviously isn’t true in fiber! Have fun in Alberta.
    valerie in Albuquerque

  5. Ah the roving/stargate effect. Most certainly has happened to me while I was spinning the 8 lbs of shetland roving. What the sad thing about it is, that I now need to spin MORE shetland since I forgot I needed some spun for WARP yarn…

  6. The color’s are beautiful! Remember better too much than too little. You would be wild if you were short. Oh and I wish I your that problem with sock yarn . . .

  7. Sounds like a great idea, and if you do ever get there, it will be really gorgeous yarn.
    But yes, the gods do seem to have quite a sense of humor. Often a cruel one – My doctor has forbidden me to knit for the next two weeks because of an injury I got at work. It happened the day after I re-read “Be Carfeul What You Wish For” from Things I Learned From Knitting… Somewhere the gods are laughing, but I haven’t found the humor in it yet…

  8. Wow. The never-ending bag of fibre…I like it. I cannot quite believe you said you’re concerned about having too much of that gorgeous stuff! Feel free to ship it west. ๐Ÿ˜‰
    Mind you, I still haven’t tried spinning, despite the fact I have both a spindle (on loan) and a wheel (a free gift).
    Have fun in Alberta!

  9. Let me get this straight. You’re starting to freak because you’re afraid all the roving will eventually end up as TOO MUCH yarn? Have you met you?

  10. It all makes perfect sense to me.
    Except that you don’t have more bobbins.
    You can never have too much fiber or too many bobbins!
    Ask for bobbins for Christmas!
    You’re a professional. You write about knitting. They’re essential equipment!
    Have fun on your trip, I’ll be having fun on my trip to Stitches East this weekend!

  11. Definitely better to have too much yarn for the sweater than too little. And anyway, if you have extra I would be happy to give it a loving home and put it to good use. ๐Ÿ˜‰

  12. The answer is simple. BUY MORE BOBBINS.
    It really works for me. I can delay plying endlessly for years. Then buy a new wheel and start with buying more bobbins for that one.
    Thought #2: teach teenagers to ply? Ohmygod, was that out loud?
    ๐Ÿ™‚ Susan

  13. So I just bought 2 more bobbins so that Tigger and I could each have 2 and then there is a spare for plying, and not only did I not contemplate that 3-ply might be a real possibility but now I see that even to make a 3 ply, I might need 7 bobbins or more. Damn. that’s a lot of bobbins…
    Have a great time in Alberta.

  14. Gorgeous color! I can’t wait to see how it all turns out. (Probably, along with the amount of yarn you will get, the fates might decide to throw in a line in your color transitions no matter how much you alternate plying. Hope that doesn’t happen though!)

  15. Hey…I want to go to that class! Speed and Efficiency are two things I definitely don’t have in my knitting. Wish I could be a fly on the wall.

  16. Why not wind the bobbins off into center pull balls and stack them up somewhere for later? Then you could mix and match to your heart’s content…

  17. So…if the spinning gods smile on you and you have more than enough for the sweater, I think you should give the rest away in your Knitters Without Borders charity give away. I would think it so cool to have some fiber that you spun.

  18. I can totally sympathise. I’m spinning 21 oz. of alpaca for (probably) a sweater, too. (On a spindle, though.) I bought it from the internet, so it came squashed into a reasonably sized box.
    Effect: the more I take out, the more alpaca fiber seems to spring into existence from a black hole somewhere in the bottom of this box. I’ve already spun at least 6, probably more like 7, oz. and it seems like I have twice as much fiber as I started with left to spin.
    Right now this seems funny to me, rather than frustrating, so I’m trying to ride the wave and get as much spinning done as possible.

  19. I bet Radek or Carter would give you an explanation in plain English. Rodney, on the other hand. Well. Although he is Canadian and probably understands the awesomeness of handknitted gifts!

  20. You didn’t say anything about our election! I have to assume that you are happy since almost all of the countries around the world are thrilled.
    As for me, I feel very hopeful about our world now with Obama as President.
    It’s a great day!
    Tammy

  21. It will be fun to meet you at the retreat (I also have yet to pack). I’ll be the yoga teacher!
    I hope I get into one of your classes!

  22. Ahhh-coming to Alberta??!! Why didn’t we know sooner?!?! And why can’t it be closer to Edmonton, where I could possibly make it to see you?!?! I was just wondering the other day if you’d ever come to see us “out west” knitters!!
    if you can’t come to Edmonton this fall, maybe you could make it in the spring, when my #4 baby decides to appear…
    Good luck on the spinning-I’m trying really hard not to pay attention-I currently have enough addictions, thank you very much!

  23. I’m with Alison and Mary. I do this any time I have a really big spinning project. As you fill bobbins, wind them off with a ballwinder (so that they have nice flat bases and stack well). Keep track of what order you spun them in, and then mix it up in the plying. I generally ply first on last, and proceed toward the middle, if that makes any sense.

  24. I concur, go buy more bobbins! You are sure to use them again in the future and the overall creative effect will be worth it. Your vision for this project is fabulous don’t cut yourself short. The colors are amazing and will blend wonderfully when you can separate them all out.

  25. Wow. that’s a great idea for combining bobbins for even effect.
    I also love the neverending roving. Isn’t there a song based off that?
    “Neverending roooving! aaah aaah aaah”
    Something like that.

  26. There’s another option. Wind off the bobbins with the ballwinder and tuck a piece of paper in the center with the bobbin letter (A, B, C). This is what I do, especially with a big spin job on my Vermont Wheel as I only have 3 bobbins and don’t want to layout the BIG BUCKS for more. I wind off and tuck a “1” scrap in the center. Next. I can then ply cake 1 with cake 12. I tend to wind off in a batch though. I don’t run each bobbin as finished to the ballwinder, but wait for a couple ๐Ÿ™‚

  27. Well, if you’re really serious about the random thing…lack of bobbins isn’t really a problem.
    You could always wind your singles into fairly loose center-pull balls on the ball winder, then ply from the center of them.
    I do this fairly regular-like since I spin on an antique wheel and never have much in the way of bobbins(I’m too cheap to have them custom made). It’s kinda nice actually-just be wary of cats and dogs that like to play with balls of yarn (not a good thing for singles).

  28. Stick a child in the middle of photo two, and you’ve got next year’s Halloween costume. I can see it now…
    “And what are you dressed as, dearie?”
    “Polwarth roving.”
    “???”

  29. A never-ending pile of polwarth roving… you say that like it’s a bad thing.
    Some might say you’ve fallen into the Spinner’s Black Hole. The way I deal with the running-out-of-bobbins thing is to wind the singles off onto toilet-paper tubes. You can ply directly off of them if you pay attention.

  30. Gee. Did you notice that the polwarth roving bears a striking resemblance to TRIBBLES. (think Star Trek) I bet I know why there is always more……..

  31. (just before I posted this I realized that somebody already mentioned this, but oh well)
    oh, I just red about something like this in knitty…
    here!
    the author said to do the same thing you are planning. but she wound her full bobbins into cakes to free up space.
    is there any reason you can’t do that?
    that way you could keep spinning as much as you wanted, and still alternate “spin lots” when you ply!

  32. Good strategy for the spinning. Enjoy the retreat. I know your students will….too bad I’ll be at Stitches East and you won’t.

  33. Please stop blogging about spinning. I don’t want to learn to spin, I don’t want to learn to spin, I don’t want to learn to spin. Stop it. Please. There’s so much still to knit.
    Side note … you went right where I was thinking … running out of yarn on the second sleeve. Yeah.

  34. Hey, that bobbin idea is genius!
    Shoot, now I’m going to want to buy another kilo to try that, and the current kilo is still . . . well, you know better than anyone how that’s going. ๐Ÿ™‚

  35. What weight do you suppose your 3-ply will be? Are you going for worsted weight or lighter??
    Proud to be in the “New Blue” state of Colorado!

  36. I’ve never had a problem with fighting colorways with the polwarth from Rovings – somehow her dye repeats always work out okay, and the color variations are always beautiful. Three-ply, they will even be subtle! Gloves, baby hats, sweaters — it’s great stuff. Enjoy!

  37. Speaking of seven dimensions, check out this comic on knitting: http://questionablecontent.net/ (today’s, number 1267, entitled “Large Hadron Crocheter,” presumably because the artist doesn’t do needlearts). Your Polwarth may be an infinitely recursive bag of fiber.

  38. It must have taken some real self-control to keep from mentioning the election. I have absolutely no problem with you addressing politics in your blog — but that might be because we always agree!! Now the knitter who got Obama to hold the sock is famous.

  39. Remember, the 3 ply will eat up yardage like nothing. If those are louet bobbins filled up and you are doing a 3 ply, you going to get maybe 300yds/ skein. I also recommend a hidden camera on the bag of roving, there may be some hanky panky.

  40. Holy Hannah! that’s a LOT of pinky purple stuff! i can see why you are thinking it never ends! enjoy alberta, get some good mountain pics!
    and congrats to our american-blog-reading-knitting friends on your new prez. ๐Ÿ™‚

  41. Storage bobbins.
    Or just give me the rest of the roving and stop pretending you had enough for a whole sweater.

  42. Well, I am certainly not going to suggest you need more roving, but clearly you do need more bobbins. I think the whole idea behind spinning it all and then plying it all is a great one, and you should try to do it that way. A trip to the bobbin store is in order. Obviously, we need to have the right tools if we are to do something right (an arguement that always works with whatever man happens to be within earshot – “Oh yeah, definately have to have the right tools” coupled with nodding sagely)

  43. I’ve run into that problem, too. I thought that a pound of cotton was never. going. to. end. Yet, the luscious merino/silk from Fleece Artist was spun in no time at all.

  44. Tuesday is my knitting guild day and the day that I am most often likely to actually to get any spinning done. Sometimes I take my knitting to work on if I’m on a roll or just too lazy to take my wheel out. That roving is so beautiful that I can almost feel it!
    Sara

  45. Singles wound on the ball winder onto toilet roll tubes keep the yarn ball from collapsing on itself in the centre, fit and unroll on the lazy kate while plying, can be written on for numbering and cost nothing extra in a household with 4 women!
    Enjoy Alberta, it is beautiful!

  46. It’s no wonder to me now that you don’t have to put your heat on till later than eveyone else. You must be insulating your home with fleece , roving and yarn !! Is this why you are going to the Royal to puchase more ? Have a great trip and lots of fun. Calgary and the surrounding area is one of my favourite places to visit.

  47. Thanks for the tip about not plying the minute you have two bobbins full. I have been doing that for years and as much as I try to make the yarn the same diameter, your mind can wander while you are spinning and pretty soon….. a different diameter of wool. (But that is why I spin…. so my mind can wander all over the place!) The polworth looks great – and it certainly looks like you have a sweater’s worth of wool there. Have fun in Alberta.

  48. Pretty! And ambitious!! Good luck with the stick-to-it-tiveness! This plying project might be more fun with a Woolee Winder – especially since your others are full of singles. I’m happy with one… Enjoy!

  49. So, like, you realllly need Carter.
    The other possibility is the fact that you are working with A, B, C, D, E and F. See, that’s six symbols – and, as everyone knows, Stargate addresses are seven symbols. You need a point of origin….[unless, of course, you are going extra-galactic and you need eight….]

  50. I have a great solution: Since the roving continues to keep entering this gate, send me a bunch. Makes sense to me.

  51. I am thinking of how to knit something for Barack Obama or in honor of Obama. Maybe something with a big O. I am so happpyyyyy.

  52. I think you should buy more bobbins! ๐Ÿ™‚ (Really, I’m probably no help at all.)
    So, do you think Obama won because he HELD A SOCK?!?!?!!! Somehow I think that had something to do with it…
    Safe and easy travels!
    Karen P. in Ohio (which is now blue, thankyouverymuch)

  53. You can actually wind the yarn off of the bobbins with a ball winder, and ply from the center-pull balls. I do that when I’m spinning a whole bunch over time. Tag each ball with the date you spun it, and save up all the singles. It works best if you let the yarn “rest” on the bobbins for a couple of days before winding it off, so the twist temporarily sets itself. I did that with a fleece that took me years to completely finish spinning. Then I took all the balls and plied them, and I got quite a uniform yarn. Miraculous!

  54. Forget the fact that I love reading your knitting adventures in your blog, or that your posts make me laugh and think and enjoy a few minutes of every day before I go on robot mode at work. The title was big enough of a hook for me to ignore. And the fact that spinning has my interest piqued now after reading about it from all over the place. I just don’t have the time, or the energy for that matter, to dive into another potential obsession.
    I do like your reasoning on how to even out the potential inconsistency of your spinning and would be looking forward to the sweater that will come out of all that gorgeous pink and purple handspun.
    Safe trip!

  55. On the bright side, if you had to have logic-defying roving, at least that appears to be really NICE logic defying roving. I mean, I keep trying to pet my monitor…

  56. I keep thinking I want to learn to spin. I did some spindle spinning, but I didn’t keep practicing and now I can’t seem to get it going. Maybe I should ply the (small) amount I have and just start again.
    See you tomorrow!
    *goes back to her own packing*

  57. I wish I had spinning problems. I am really good at spinning not so at knitting. Thus this is why I have pointy socks and alot of handspun yarn.

  58. I was in a yarn shop in Solvang, CA this weekend, and I was eying the roving and spinning wheels. I think I’m on a slippery slope, and you’re not helping!
    Neither is my husband, he wants me to get a swift, or to make me a swift, because they look old fashioned and cool. Imagine how cool a spinning wheel would look…

  59. Did I miss something in a previous post? Where did the Polworth come from? Where do the rest of us get ours?

  60. How can that be a problem… sounds like you’ve struck the pot of gold at the end of a very nice rainbow! Hope it never runs out รœ

  61. If you’re plying the yarn in all different colors and knitting with them one skein at a time, wouldn’t you then be getting really really large stripes? Yes, you are blending colors that are generally similar and such, but because they are different bobbins, you might end up with clearly different colors. What then?
    That and I wouldn’t say anything about the amount of roving you have… When you go to knit whatever it is you’re knitting, you will run out of yarn AND roving. Just because you said that.

  62. If you could make centre pull balls of that Kauni then you’ve a big enough ball winder to run them into balls and ply from them. Buying new bobbins is not the answer – don’t listen to them. What that means is that you can leave more stuff unfinished whereas fewer bobbins means you have to ply it up and move it out.

  63. Put just a tad in your next book about spinning and you could write off the bobbins as a business expense!

  64. Spinning sounds like so much fun, do you think my hubbie would mind if I chopped up his armchair for fire wood, to make room for a wheel in the living room. And then ‘rearranged’ his storage space for fibre and bobbins and things like that? I sure he wouldn’t mind. Now where did put that axe. Dawn.

  65. me want spinning wheel. NOW! Such pretty things to be made! That will be one lovely sweater when it’s all knit up.

  66. LOL! This is why I have a bobbin fetish LOL! One of the many reasons I love my Majacraft Little Gem wheel is that compared to many wheels, it has really big bobbins. Majacraft bobbins will hold 2 to 3 1/2 oz of fiber depending on how you are spinning the singles. I haven’t started spinning my Polwarth yet, but my 1050 gr bag of roving definitely looks like it will take a bit of time. I’m planning to start in January, after the Christmas knitting is done (well, hopefully!) What sweater pattern have you picked out? I’m still looking the perfect pattern that will really show off the colors of the Polwarth, is with in my knitting abilities, and has a chance to look good on me. Sounds daunting doesn’t it LOL! I’m really looking forward to seeing what you knit up!

  67. I have the same problem when spinning vast amounts, and have Majacraft bobbins which hold much more.
    The answer is to wind all the bobbins into centre pull balls, store them with a roll of card or paper inside so they don’t collapse, and when all the spinning’s done you can ply from them as well as straight from the bobbins.

  68. Oh goody, a sci fi geek reference. That is indeed a mighty pile o’ fleece. You might need hiking boots as well as more bobbins.

  69. I’m definitely in the “Buy More Bobbins” camp. Combos of six bobbins just don’t seem enough when you’ve got all that fibre.
    – Pam (You have a really good excuse to buy more bobbins. Honest.)

  70. The Bag of Never-ending Roving. I think I read that fairy-story as a child. Didn’t it start with a poor peasant girl who was granted three wishes? Her first was for a bag of unspun fibre that would never be emptied. Her second was for an automated spinning wheel that would work while she slept. And her third wish, spoken rather muffled through a suffocating cloud of roving and spun yarn, was that the Wish Fairy would take away the first two wishes…
    ๐Ÿ™‚
    But it’s so beautiful! Can’t wait to watch the transformation through plying and knitting to sweater. You could put any excess up for MSF? *hopeful*

  71. I don’t know what you’re talking about, but whatever it is makes me want to learn more about spinning. Should you have extra yarn at the end of it all, you could send it to me. (I just misspelled yarn as “yearn.” Seems right either way, doesn’t it?)

  72. Michelle (at November 5, 2008 5:12 PM), you are purely evil. Why did you have to mention songs…wait, evil, never mind.
    I’m going to be going around all day humming, thanks to you, “A-roving, a-roving, for roving’s been my ru-i-in, I’ll spin no more a-roving with you, fair maid.”
    Stephanie, the yarn is gorgeous! I really don’t see how it would be possible to have too much of it.

  73. Remember when I posted that I was **COMPLETELY OUT** of spinning fiber? Okay, maybe not, you’re a busy woman.
    Now I have fiber exceeding storage capacity. I’m spinning like crazy just to make space. Gods, woman! I only have four bobbins! I got a package of llama and alpaca that I’d sent off to a mill from last year’s Cannonsburgh fiber festival. I nearly stayed home to spread it out on the bed and roll in it naked (I might still), but I went to class like a good girl instead.
    The polworth is lovely, even if it is frikkin’ hyoooooge.

  74. Don’t forger this is FUN! This is your hobby! Ok, well, in your case it’s work, but still… you’re spinning because you WANT TO – so enjoy it! ๐Ÿ™‚

  75. Erm…it’s very lovely, your spinning skills are way beyond my terribly overspun spindled singles, and never-ending fibre is good I guess…but *ahem* Joe’s gansey?
    runs away>>>

  76. this week monday, tuesday and wednesday were for spinning, and I understand the star gate effect.
    I can’t wait to see your finished sweater, ‘well spun is half done!’

  77. >
    laughing hysterically over here… Have you READ your archives lately??
    Here’s your nightmare – Rachel H, Rams and I sitting in the back of that class, giggling away as you try to teach…

  78. That is a serious amount of roving. I learned the same thing about the variations in spinning as I’ve been spinning some dark brown for a sweater. I’ve also learned that it’s best to use the same style of pre-drafting (or not) all the way through. This was totally a learning experience for me but having actually spun enough for about 3/4 of a sweater is all the victory necessary for the moment!

  79. *snort* It’s like a stargate! Love it! I just watched an episode on Space last night (although I had the DVD for the SAME EPISODE sitting next to me)

  80. as for your bananas… i too have experienced banana bread burnout.. happens after holidays usually..try this dessert, melt a bit of butter (or a healthy clone) in a skillet..slice the required quantity of bananas in half lengthwise, saute’ until they begin to get lightly browned and ‘cooked’ looking.. just takes a minute or two, and then serve alone or on cake or ice cream or even pancakes, excellent sprinkled with a bit of powdered sugar! enjoy

  81. But you were planning on alternating skeins in the knitting anyway…
    Happy (belated) birthday to Joe! Hope you have a good time in Alberta.

  82. Hey Steph: Please tell me about the pattern you are using for the scarf you pictured in yesterday’s entry? I love the reversible effect. Cute.

  83. I like the idea of teaching the teens to ply. Of course, that might require bribing.
    Maybe Hank?
    Your spinning looks great to me (my spindle spun bits look like overtwisted twine… sadly overtwisted merino ply at that).

  84. How do you find the hours to do all you do?? I would be hospitalized just with the travel schedule !! Do you wear Superwoman undies?
    Anyway, love the vest! You are wonderful at finding solutions to pattern problems that don’t involve throwing the piece on the floor and stomping on it before you let the cat eat it!
    And to all Canadians–we Americans voted in record numbers!! That is how sick we are of Republican policies. Hope we made the right descision. President elect Obama is inheriting quite a mess-I bet he has started aging already.
    I’ll let you know how my daughter feels about him-she flew ,as a member of the Marine Helicopter Security Force,with “W” and now will continue with Obama for the next 4 years.
    P.S. She said that “W” was a sweetie-as a person even though …

  85. That is really something, isn’t it? I had a bag of mystery roving that I got to learn to spin on that never died. It just kept growing until I finally had to get rid of it. The roving was awful, the yarn was scratchy, and it was never going to get used up! At least you have yummy yummy polwarth.

  86. So beautiful!
    I’m curious about how you’re preparing the roving. It looks like you’re getting long color repeats…are you splitting the roving lengthwise and then drafting just a bit? Or are you using the whole thickness of roving and drafting quite a lot?
    Thanks for sharing your spinning techniques!

  87. Wow. and here I have been spinning as I go for my brother’s sweater… I am going to use the excuse that it is my first spun sweater, and I didn’t know until half way through (upon reading your post). Thank you for the tips!
    By the way… could you, would you, please please please make an instructional youtube video on how you knit? I’ve found one… but its a little impromptu and too hard to see, and I would really like to speed up my knitting. (Christmas is so close!)

  88. That is a lot of pink, pink fleece. It makes me want to learn to spin an unhealthy amount.
    (Also, your RSS feed is not talking to my Bloglines, and I have no idea whose end that is happening on, but it is patently tragic.)

  89. Hmm, Stargate roving. I am so tired that right now, I’m sitting here debating which Goauld is shoving the extra into the bag. As consolation — if there really is a bottomless bag of roving here, you’ll get a sweater, socks, scarf, hat, mittens and possibly a coat, all in matching shades. Won’t that increase your wardrobe nicely?

  90. That is a heckuva lot of roving. When you tame it you will have the yarn for a splendid sweater, with all those blues and purples and roses. I picture it as something like the strata of the Grand Canyon.
    Your vest is also stunning. Love the scarf, too. I have something rather similar in mind for one of my red scarves.

  91. That looks like tons and tons of roving. You will have enough for a sweater, matching hat and possibly a pair of mittens. (or fingerless gloves, anyway.) I love the colours. They’re my favourites. Can’t wait to see the sweater. I wish I knew something about spinning. I could understand most of what you were talking about, but what is a “kate”?

  92. That is so totally weird… I have that exact SAME dimensional gate in MY sockyarn bins! How weird is that… do you think if I reached far enough into mine, I’d pull out some of your STR? Oooh! Time to bin-surf!

  93. If you have too much polwarth, I am sure we could find a new home for it ๐Ÿ˜‰
    As for uneven yarn, well isn’t that the handspun part? If I want even yarn I can buy it. Handspun has quirks.
    Enjoy Alberta – oh, you are in the Rockies! They were beautiful… I bet they still are!

  94. The colors in the yarn are beautiful.
    I was so glad to see the last few posts! I thought it strange that you hadn’t posted in a week and decided to come check – it was just Bloglines not updating. ๐Ÿ™

  95. Would it work for you to wind the singles off the bobbin into a center pull ball and ply from both ends. That way you could free up some more bobbins.
    Enjoyed meeting you in Kansas City month.
    Safe journey.
    Duckie

  96. Hmmm. Is that the same stargate through which more wire hangers enter your closet when you’ve just recycled a bunch of them?
    That roving is gorgeous. But I’d rather have you blog about knitting rather than spinning.

  97. I was taught (many years ago-40) that you never ply from the bobbin, always wind off first, then ply from the balls — my teacher could always feel the difference. This makes your bobbin shortage go away–just remember to label your balls as you go! Happy Spinning from the west coast*

  98. Five bobbins should have totally taken that bag down…. My goodness. Did she give you a whole fleece? ๐Ÿ™‚
    The colors are gorgeous. Can’t wait to see your project start.
    Have fun on your trip. Hopefully it won’t be too cold.

  99. Freeze the bananas, then use them to make smoothies. My Dad does this by blending frozen bananas, some frozen Orange Juice mix, and ice cubes. Very simple smoothies and a good way to use up those bananas.

  100. Oh. My.
    I feel slightly dizzy just looking at that pile of wool. It’s like a picture from “Rumpelstiltskin”–the one with the huge room full of straw that needs to be spun into gold.
    I hope you didn’t wager your firstborn on getting it done. Although, from what you’ve written about her, she’d probably kick Rumpelstiltskin’s butt.

  101. Wind the bobbins off with a ball winder and you can spin everything before plying. The flat topped balls store in a cupboard nicely and then you can ply as randomly as you please when all the roving is spun. I waded through 9 pounds of roving this way, there is a wonderul glow of satisfaction that comes from admiring 200+ balls of spun singles.
    My antique wheel has only 1 bobbin and there’s no easy way to get a 2nd one.

  102. Believe it or not, I have longed to visit Jasper, Alberta since I was in fifth grade, and had to do a geography report. The teacher blindfolded each student and had us randomly point at a map of North America, and we had to write a report about the city our finger landed on. My smart-alecky self thought that if I jumped up high, where all that polar emptiness was, that I would land on nothing … and perhaps have no report to write.
    I landed on Jasper.

  103. Traveled through Banff on our honeymoon. I bought a gorgeous sage green cabled cotton sweater that I have on at this very moment. Such a beautiful place. Thanks for posting those pix!

  104. So much yarn, so little time. How about teaching that next time you’re down here in Kentucky? I’ll NEVER catch up on the stash at my iph (tee-hee, inches per hour)!!!!!

  105. option A: buy more bobbins
    option B: borrow bobbins from another spinner
    option C: wind off singles into center-pull ball to free bobbins.
    option D: buy more polworth dyed roving. I know this one doesn’t solve the immediate problem, but it sure does SOUND good – it’s beautiful!

  106. How did you carry that roving? Was it vacuum packed because it just looks like it would have been a HUGE bagful!

  107. You know, I asked about production spinning just yesterday on Ravlery and was pointed to an article in Knittyspin (Spring 2007, I think) about doing exactly that– plying different batches together so you don’t end up with all the yarn being equally different.
    The author of the article recommends winding off into balls so you can keep spinning until you have everything in singles, then ply away, so perhaps that will work for you. If winding into cakes or balls seems dangerous with little fragile singles, maybe you can wind off onto toilet paper tubes.

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