Tencel spice

Tencel spice
Originally uploaded by darklordspet

Tencel is a band name for lyocell, a cellulose-based fiber that's made by extruding wood pulp. It shines like silk, but is far cheaper. This is a sample of some skeins purchased on eBay. I'm playing with a few meters before I get into my project - I plan to make a circular shawl, maybe while in the UK, but I need to figure out how to make a small diameter (9-stitch) circular beginning. I can do socks (24+ stitches around), but with so few stitches, I'm not sure how to get going. And no, I don't own the right sized DPNs.

We still have lots of planning to do for our trip, so I figured I should start with the important things: what to knit, fiber events to attend, museums to visit, and ... football. Yep, our vacations seem to be sports-related or we see a volcano. Kinda odd, but that's us.

Blue batt
Originally uploaded by darklordspet

I also used my drum carder to make a batt of the superwash mill-ends purchased on eBay. (What was life like before eBay?) This is their B grade fiber: clean, pretty, but not roving. Now that I've proved to myself that this is the way to prepare the fiber for spinning, I think I'll drum card some blends using the various colors begging for attention. Then I'll give one of those "custom batts" a go and see if I can spin up something I can use for lace or socks.

I completed the second bobbin of Romney and can begin plying. I'm almost afraid to start plying because then I'll find out if I really spun enough to get started on the Shetland Tea Shawl or if I have to spin more singles. I'm feeling anxiety about this project - it's the first time I've attempted to spin for a project, and now I'm itching to start the knitting. (What am I worried about - spinning is a good thing!)

This weekend I've done very little fiber fun - I tweaked my back on the trip to PA, and re-tweaked it picking up the dog earlier this week. Yesterday and most of today it was so unpleasant, I couldn't focus. I have work I need to do, so even with good drugs, sitting in front of a desk is a challenge! I'm typing while sitting in the family room with my feet up, but I have only one monitor going. For the work I need to do, I need lots of territory to develop content. I have a couple outstanding projects to complete before the end of the week - I'm out for vacation for a week, then in San Jose for an eLearning conference. I can do work after hours while in San Jose, but I really don't want to work while on vacation. Work has taken over so much of my time, I really think it's killing me.