This is my 2nd year of participating in the Tour De Fleece. Last year I got my feet wet, with some fun plying but didn’t do a spinning marathon. I’d intended to start on Day 1 this year, as I wanted to do more active spinning this year, but Mother Nature stepped up to the plate. We’re having a heat wave here in the PNW, and I spent yesterday preparing for it by cooking (and sweltering a bit), so that we’ll have cold foods on hand for the next 2 triple digit days.
Some history of the Tour: It was started by Star Athena, a knitwear designer and spinner, back in 2006. I first heard of her when I bought a copy of Vogue Knitting in 2010. She has a cabled stockings pattern published there, which I’m so glad I own, because it’s not on her Ravelry page. The only way to get it is to buy the pattern individually or the entire back issue. I remember how awed I was at those stockings (I didn’t know how to knit socks yet!) When I learned that she’s the founder of the Tour, I was surprised, but not too much because I was already familiar with her work. I remember thinking: “Oh, it’s her, I know her!”
I prepared for the Tour a few days back, by dyeing some of my Alpaca/Wool/Silk rolags that I have left. I chose a Turquoise/Sky Blue color:
The first thing I have to do though, is clear the current project that’s on my wheel. It’s a plying project that’s been sitting for awhile because I ran out of the second ply.
I have to source a new one, so I think I’ll just have to use some of the fingering yarns I’ve been saving for my mitered squares.
The Contenders:
I chose these:
And ended up using some of the dark purple ball too towards the end because the other two weren’t quite enough.
I did some experimental reverse corespinning. I went core over roving instead of roving over core, which made it more challenging. I just had fun with it, going with the flow and playing around with color. The second half of this ply is much different from the first but that’s ok because it’s yarn I’m keeping for myself. It’ll go towards my winter scarf knitting stash. It should make an interesting transition in knitting.
My camera’s flash died at the last minute (probably from the heat), but I got one good pic of the finished ply in:
As my first Tour De Fleece day, it was interesting and eventful, and showed me once again why I enjoy spinning.
My wheel is now free for those rolags pictured earlier, and I’m now off to navigate the world of online camera parts sales.
Take care and thanks for reading 🙂
Sewcoordinated 