Wednesday, July 01, 2015

Tour de Fleece and Shallows Sale

If you spin, you probably know the Tour de Fleece starts Saturday. If you don't, well ... in a nutshell, it's a Ravelry event in which spinners spin every day during the Tour de France and challenge themselves in some way. You can spin on drop spindles or wheels (or both). There are big teams for rookies, sprinters, climbers, etc., and lots of "wildcard" teams hosted by various Ravelry groups. 

Today's Tour de Fleece training is done. Getting better! #bonniesennott #spinning #spindlespinning #tourdefleece #bfl

As a drop spindle newbie, I've joined Team Spindlers, where I'm challenging myself to spin at least 15 minutes every day, more on challenge days. I will work my way through the only two fibers in my stash, some Ashland Bay mixed BFL top, and some pin-drafted Cormo roving from Barbara Parry's Springdelle Farm here in western Massachusetts.

Spinning

Over the past couple of weeks, I've been training for the TDF by spinning, plying, and knitting swatches. I'm hoping to spin enough yarn to make myself a Shallows cowl or mitts—neither requires a lot of yardage and the lace pattern looks good even if the yarn is a little uneven. 

So here's where the sale comes in! Along with the daily spinning, I'm having a Tour de Fleece Shallows sale. Use the coupon code TDF2015 to get 25% off the cowl, the mitts, or the ebook set in my Ravelry pattern store, now through July 26.

Spinning

I don't have a lot of equipment, so I've been plying on a spindle using the flower pot method—a ball of each single ply under a flowerpot, with the yarn coming through the hole in the bottom. There are faster and more sophisticated ways to ply, but right now, I'm really enjoying this very "homespun" way of doing it. (The balls I'm winding the singles on are cat toy rejects—Snickers turned her nose up at them.)

Ready to ply #spinning #spindlespinning #bonniesennott #yarn

Plying done! #spinning #spindlespinning #yarn #dropspindles

It's been a good day, yarnwise. About 188 yards of 2-ply BFL and 70 yards of the single. #dropspindles #spinning #spindlespinning #handmade #yarn #bfl

 I love that the TDF is not a competition, but lets you challenge yourself in ways that are meaningful to you. If you're a spinner, are you participating in the Tour de Fleece? I'd love to know what you're spinning and what your goals are! 

Single and double. Still a lot to learn but I'm getting better! #spinning #spindlespinning #bfl #handmade #yarn #tourdefleece #bonniesennott

Spindles


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