you get what you need

ok, so i am a firm believer in the phrase *you get what you need*. but i am wondering exactly what i needed when i decided to take on the cotton yarn. it's true, i haven't really challenged myself lately in my spinning. i did try out the bamboo for the first time, but it wasn't really a challenge *i thought it would be, but if you've spun silk top, then you have an idea of what it will be like* the only challenge there was the unexpected outcome after washing it. which, by the way, i finally got a good tip on: tie the skein and throw in the dryer on low for a couple of minutes, i really think that might work! back to the cotton...i finally finished the first single!!! yay, i'm so happy, it only took forever! so i've started on the second one, it's still going slow, but we are moving forward!

i finished another yarn last night that i haven't yet mentioned here; the ballerina yarn. i started it a long time ago, but ran out of plying thread, so i cut it in half, and after looking for AGES for the same thread, i was forced to go with a slightly different one. but this yarn is beautiful!!! i started out with a washed finn fleece. this was the most beautiful wool i have ever seen! the crimp was so fine, and it's amazingly soft! this is now one of my favorite breeds. anyways, then i tossed in some satin and organza ribbon snippets and spun a thick and thin yarn, plied with sparkly thread. it's amazing.

left: cotton single, red-brown and cream

right: ballerina yarn

close up of ballerina yarn

today i got one of my internet order items in: my cotton punis!! i'm so excited, but have no idea what i will do with them. these are the punis that every store carries on the net, they come wrapped in the indian newsprint. it is rather interesting, though, and better than a plastic bag! this is about 3.5 ounces, but i thought it looked rather small, and upon opening it, found them to be very squooshed in there and tied extremely tight! and the wpi kit i ordered from nancy's knit knacks barely got shipped out today, after almost a week! *argh, i get so frustrated, i thought ordering it directly from the manufacturer would make it faster. *

cotton punis

i got some AMAZING news from my stepmother! i totally forgot that she works for a man who owns 8 alpacas, and every year when they shear them *prepare yourself* they THROW IT AWAY!!! i know totally devastating...but not anymore! so wednesday is shearing day, and i will be going out there to watch and skirt, and bag up the fleece! i'm going to ask the shearer lots of question though, because these animals are not kept for their fleece, they are purely for show, and last year the bag i got had bugs in it and was directly thrown out. i was devastated. but the unknown bugs could've come from the fleece just being laid out on the grass for probably a day before being picked up. so i'm going to ask him if they have any parasites while he's shearing them *surely they would refuse to shear them if they had lice or fleas, and they do get treated, they're not neglected* i'm super excited!!! the only down-side is, we are potty training our son...so i don't know how this is going to work with a 45 minute drive, and then being out there for god knows how long, because i do want to skirt SOME while i'm out there! but i'll be sure to take loads of pictures!!!! can anybody say: *HooRay for shearing season!!!*?

so, i was reading through the new issue of spin-off, and i came across this awesome pattern and a small article with some background on it. the article is called "traditional danish tie-shawls". these shawls are amazing! they tie *obviously* but this is one of the main things i don't like about all of the shawl patterns i have seen, is that they look a little old *no offense* but i'm 22, and while i would love to knit one, i wouldn't love to wear one! but the way these are worn, it really looks good at any age! and they're knit with handspun singles *ok, seriously, at this point, can this project get any better?!?! now i just have to figure out how to make a relatively balanced singles yarn, although it won't really matter, since the entire pattern is knit in garter stitch* but considering you have to spin 18 ounces of yarn *at 6-8 wraps i think* it's a good thing that it's just singles, although 18 ounces at any wpi is still alot! after i read the article, i looked on the lady's website, and they have more amazing shawls, same styles with slight differences and patterns that can be purchased in english. but the gallery alone is worth a visit!i'm so stoked, i can't wait to start this project! i MIGHT be purchasing a raw fleece to use on this project *hehehe* it would be my first one, but wouldn't it be incredible to take a SUCH a big project from total start to finish?!?! i think it would be... but i'm a hippie!