Let's get this Thing going!

This thing being my blog about my latest obsession, the one that might stick.  I've been obsessed with a lot of things in my lifetime--yoga, NIA, writing, sewing, dog training, travel, shoes, folk art.  And I've spent an obscene amount of money pursuing these obsessions, all the while looking for "the one."  You know, the one that keeps me awake at night.  The one I never want to stop doing.  The one where I buy the books and actually read them all because I just want to know more, more, more.  The one I want to do the moment I get up in the morning, before coffee, before breakfast, before washing the sleep out of my eyes.   I believe they call that one's "passion."

I think I've found my passion.  At least that's what spinning yarn feels like to me.  I am a woman obsessed and I love everything about it, from plunging my hands into a freshly shorn fleece to watching colors blend as I hand paint the fiber to to the excitement of seeing the yarn take shape on the bobbin and knit up into a luscious fabric or garment.  This is it and I can't stop myself.  Not even to eat.

So, first things first, my little room upstairs that has been so many things is now my little spinning nook.

                 
The sun streams in from across the mountains in the morning, my favorite time to work.

Here are some of my first yarns:

1.  Truly, the first yarn I spun in the class I took with BJ at Earth Guild.  After class was over, I tried my hand at dyeing, and was quite pleased with the results.  Why didn't I write down the recipe?  Must get better at taking notes.

 2.  My first "art yarn" where I carded (on hand carders, no less) merino, alpaca, sari silk, scraps of a silk hippie skirt I bought in Hawaii and never wore, and sparkle.  I loves me some sparkle.

Isn't it pretty?

3.  Merino plied with bamboo, with which I am knitting a SKIF sweater, so stay tuned for that.  I can't stop looking at the fabric...it is soooooo beautiful.

4.  This one I started on vacation.  I taught myself how to spin on a drop spindle so I could spin on camping trips.  I mostly didn't spin while camping, but I did knit a hat on a backpacking trip.  No pictures, though...I gave it to my friend Kristi.

There it is...a beginning.  I can't wait to see where it leads.  I have a feeling this will be one of my favorite trips ever.