Dianna - Day 2

If you are not a spinner or not interested in what a spinner does, then this entry is going to bore you stiff, but bear with me, I'll get some knitting done yet.

Before spinning lessons with Julie, I used to spin and stop, go to the kitchen, get something to drink, take a break, spin some more, watch TV and talk on the phone all while spinning. I was sure that I was spinning singles thin enough to get fingering weight after plying, but that was not the case.

After using the largest whorl (I'm told the correct term is "pulley") and spinning fast enough that the wind from the wheel was enough to blow my hair back, I'd end up with bulky weight yarn (size US 9 or 10 needle) instead of fingering weight yarn (size US 3 needle). It was frustrating.

Class is done, I learned what I needed to learn and now, just like when I first learned to knit, I can't watch TV or talk on the phone while I spin. I have to pay attention. Paying attention is the hardest thing I have had to do in a very long time.

I put the fast flyer on, but ended up not using it. The difference for me was like being used to driving an electric car and someone gives you a Maserati and puts you on the Audubon. Instead, I went one pulley down in size and pedalled like the wind.

End result:

I spun all day and got just one spool! All that paying attention nearly killed me! I'm taking comfort in the fact that I at least burned off enough calories to treat myself to a serious amount of M&Ms - if I had some.

It is pretty though. The solid color repeats are long and the tweedy parts short, so I can't wait to see what my Dianna looks like when it's done.

Anyway, I've got the spinning bug and I get the feeling that the next item to disappear from my stash is this:

Merino/bamboo, 4 ounces each, from Squoosh Fiberarts which I purchased last year. She almost always has items on sale, and I think this was one of them. I love these colors.

Hmm ... I wonder what it will turn out to be.