This is a pair of socks

Or it will be someday soon...This is 6 ounces of Romney lambswool and alpaca. Kinda makes you want to pet the monitor doesn't it? The best part of it is that I met the ram whose lambswool this is. His name is Eugene. I got the roving through a local farmer who was at the Leesburg farmer's market last fall. She didn't have the roving there, but had samples so I ordered it from her. When Caleb (my four year old) and I went to pick it up we got to meet Eugene and some very friendly goats. It was a big day for me and the little city boy! I'm spinning it into one ounce skeins of singles which I will then dye teal, blue, and violet. Then, with one single of each color, I'll end up with two balls, 3 ounces each of 3 ply. That's the plan anyway. I have a little over an ounce left to spin, then the dying begins. I've never done 3 ply before so that should be an adventure. Just in case you're wondering, the spindle I'm using is my Emily from Mielke's Farm. It's about 1.1 ounces with a rosewood whorl and its definitely one of my favorite spindles. I actually started spinning last June after going to the Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival for the first time. One look at all of those wonderful rovings and yummy soft colors, I just had to have an excuse to buy some, but I kept telling myself that I had too many other things going on. Well, obviously I gave in. I learned how to spin on the drop spindle and I'm so glad I did. I like that it goes a little slower than a wheel, gives you plenty of time to figure out how to draft and you can really take your time to learn how to get a consistent, well spun yarn since the "equipment" is so easy to use. I also have to say, I love the history the spindle has and it just amazes me when I think of how many millions of yards of yarn and thread have been spun on the simple drop spindle. Don't get me wrong, I love my wheel, and for a person with a short attention span like myself, the wheel can't be beat for spinning up large quantities of fiber. There's just something I love in the simplicity of spinning with a drop spindle. (As a side note, anyone who's interested in spindles should join Spindlers. Its a Yahoo group and there is a button on my sidebar that you can use to join. Its a very active group of people who chat about all things fibery with an emphasis on spindles.) In yesterday's comments, someone asked how I knew how many yards I had on my niddy noddy: most niddy noddies are made in increments of a yard (or a meter). Mine is 1.5 yards, so I just count how many times I go around it and multiply that by 1.5. Yes, I did count all the wraps of the pink yarn in yesterday's post, but each time I reached 100 I marked it on a piece of paper and started over. I figured that was the best way not to mess up. Finally, today is the Chinese New Year...this is the Year of the Rooster. Happy New Year everyone!