Time for turtles — the fiber kind. Today I thought I’d share progress on my long-term project of spinning yarns for a Journey of Mind Cowl (Ravelry link to the design by Diana Niedobova).
The Amethyst Heathered BFL from Greenwood Fiberworks has turned out to be a real joy to spin. It flows onto the spindle quickly and easily. At this point, I’ve finished two spindles of it and plied them onto a Golding drop spindle. The result is just what I hoped for — a 2-ply light fingering weight yarn that should be perfect for knitting the cowl.
Now I’m spinning an equal amount of undyed mixed BFL onto the two Turkish spindles. At this point, I’m nearly done. Soon I’ll be ready to begin plying it. And then the knitting can begin! I’ll continue to spin more yarn after I get started knitting the cowl.
I love how portable these Turkish spindles are. it’s easy to keep one in my bag, so that anywhere, anytime, I can spin a little if there’s an opportunity.
We’ve had days of rain here, and more coming tomorrow. So when I saw the forecast of sunshine for today, I decided to hit the Mill River trails just a few minutes from home. There’s a special spot there next to the water where I like to stop and spin (see the “heart place” highlight in my Instagram Stories). And just a few minutes further on, there’s Puffer’s Pond, one of the prettiest spots in Amherst. An hour’s walk in the woods always puts me in a peaceful frame of mind — something that’s more important than ever now that I’m partially furloughed again.
When will the stress and uncertainty of the past year end? While I love having a morning free to spin and walk in the woods, I hope that soon I’ll once again have the stability of a full-time, permanent job. I have a lot of irons in the fire and am hoping for positive news soon. Fingers crossed!
Puffer’s Pond, Amherst, Massachusetts