SAFF

SAFF was awesome!  Made a ton of new fiber friends, hugs'n'kisses with old friends and sold a little fluff.  What more can a gal ask for?  The threat of Sandy scared a few folks off, but all in all, it was fabulous week end.

Shot out the window along i-75

Another pretty view along 

I always knot SAFF is just a wee bit further down the road when I see this view.

My LunabudKnits booth

My booth neighbors Renee & Esther lugging loot in my new sheep bags:)

My little friend spun some yarn with me most of the week end.

Linda got to hold the giant angora bun-bun.

Some of my hand dyed wool on the 'Wool Girl'.

What kept me busy during SAFF... Dizing roving like a mad woman!

Renee tail spinning.

The sweet and lovely Tunis sheep.

Carved pumpkins at Grove Park overlooking Asheville.  We dined on the patio and had a delicious meal with great friends:)

Tour de Fleece Project #5 & #6

I have two Tour de Fleece projects to report for this post. I certainly hope it makes up for a few days of non-sharing;)

Project #5 was spun as a thicker single graduating through the rainbow's color scheme. I know, I originally planned to spin two bobbins of singles and ply them together, but you know me, I'm an instant gratification girl! After going through the first rainbow graduation, I decided to continue spinning on the same bobbin and reverse the colors. Then I wound the single off using a center pull ball winder and plied both the beginning and the end together. I have heard some folks say this method will leave you with skewed yarn, but I have never once had this happen to my finished yarns.

Oh, yeah, almost forgot.... I did something else a little different too..... I spun the single 's' or counter clockwise and plied 'z' or clockwise. Yeah, I know, big no-no in most books, but I am very happy w/ how the yarn turned out. The project it is slated for is a felting one, so I seriously doubt that will matter! Final yardage is 222 and weight is 186 grams or 6.5 ounces.

On to project #6 in the Tour de Fleece challenge. Remember those poppy petals I made the other day? Well, I put them to good use with this yarn! I started with one of my Demented Batts at my shop. This one is full of luscious hand dyed Tunis lamb, merino, mohair and silk noils. It was topped off with a healthy portion of glitz, hemp, sari silk, milk fiber and a smidgen of firestar. Each flower was put together using the yellow circled I made the other day and several other pre-made fabric rose petals. The flowers were spun in as I was core spinning the base yarn. Total yardage is 56. Weight is 88 grams or 3.1 ounces.

My Favorite Sheep.....

I just had to post it sooner or later. The all important thing to a spinner is her favorite breed of sheep wool to spin. And, My Favorite Sheep is the Tunis! As luck would have it, there is a flock Tunis sheep right down the road from me in Harrodsburg, KY. In the photo above, you can see an excellent view of a Tunis lamb. Note the beautiful red legs & head and the lighter body. This flock has both Tunis and Targhee sheep as well as crosses between the two. The Targhee are solid white, where the Tunis are noted for their red faces and legs and crosses of the two have a lighter shade of red visible on face and legs.

Here are some fun facts about the Tunis breed: 'The Tunis is one of the oldest breeds of sheep having descended from ancient fat-tailed sheep referred to in the Bible. As the name indicates, the Tunis originated in Tunisia on the Northern coast of Africa.' One of the most striking characteristics of this breed are the red appearance of the Tunis's face and legs. The fleece is light ivory to cream colored with 54 count or 28 micron softness factor. It is not as soft as merino, but when spun woolen, it has a lovely squish factor! Lambs are an almost solid coppery red when born and develop the creamy colored fleece as they mature. Want to know more about this wonderful breed of sheep, check out the National Tunis Sheep Registry

For Info about the Targhee Breed Please check them out here: Targhee Association

Tunis Lamb: Are you my Mom?

Tunis to Targhee Lamb: Maybe she is your Mom?

Targhee Lamb: Nope, she isn't my Mom!

Tunis Lamb: Oh, there's my Mom!!