Fiber fun for everyone next weekend on the Washington County Fiber Tour!

Good morning and happy Saturday! It is gray and wet and dreary this morning and it looks like it will be that way for the rest of the day. Perfect knitting weather. I have irises and day lilies that I want to dig up and move, roses I want to dig up and move, and a small vegetable garden that will be moving too. The ground where that is going needs to be prepared first, and I need to either borrow a roto-tiller or rent one for a day from wherever I can. None of that is likely to get done today though. Other than a couple of vehicular wellness appointments and a dog groomer appointment, my day will be spent mostly at home and I have plenty of fun fiber projects to occupy my time here.

The gradient targhee project is still in the singles spinning phase, and I am nearing completion of that. Just one batt to go after the one I am currently spinning. Once the last bobbin of singles has rested sufficiently I will transfer it and its mate to storage bobbins and then begin the plying process.

I am already re-thinking trying to ply the bobbins consecutively into one skein. It isn’t that I don’t think it will all fit onto the jumbo bobbin. I should. I am concerned about the practicality and manageability of an 8 ounce skein of laceweight yarn. That is not an skein size you often see and when you do, it is usually a heavier weight yarn, and even those skeins can be a bit unwieldy. Many ball winders have difficulty accommodating that much yarn. I know my cheap plain plastic one does.

So the reality is that this gradient project is likely going to be two skeins instead of one.

Next weekend is an annual event that you don’t want to miss if you can help it. The 27th Annual Washington County Fiber Tour takes place on Saturday and Sunday, April 27th and 28th. It’s like a weekend long pub crawl, but with farms, fluffy critters big and small, fleeces, fiber, and yarn. There are a couple of farms on the list that I would like to visit this year, and I am hoping I can get enough of my outside work done during the week to clear up next Saturday for me.

Battenkill Fibers will be open both days during the tour with specials on processing orders, and more local yarn and fiber for sale. The mill will also have tours of their facility, and if you have never been on a tour of the mill, I highly recommend it. The journey from raw wool to finished yarn is fascinating and no matter how many times I have done it before, I will always take the tour when the opportunity comes up.

That’s all for now. I am off to spin for a bit and then get an oil change. Have a great weekend!