So this is what my morning (and part of my afternoon) was all about... Watching Kyle Sampson testify before the senate judiciary committee, while spinning 4oz of brown alpaca roving. It may bore some to tears, but for a c-span junkie like me, it was heaven. I'll omit my commentary on the entire situation, but I'm sure that anyone who knows me, knows where I stand on this issue.

So anyway.. whats up with the "spring cleaning" subject title? Its certainly not spring cleaning the house. Though I was full of steam earlier this week on that front, my energy level fizzled out. Actually yesterday was the day I really gave up and just had to let anything that wasn't a mandatory daily duty, go for the day. Perhaps I overdid it earlier this week, having just gotten over the germies.. who knows. I just know I couldn't sort one more piece of clothing, dust one more piece of furniture, nor tote yet one more box up to the attic.
Instead, I decided to spring clean my wheel, or rather my bobbins.

In wanting to start the Georgia O'Keeffe roving from Jessie's shop, I needed to finish up the columbia roving I started a while back (8oz of it!), and figure out what to do with the 4oz of brown alpaca that had been sitting on a bobbin since last fall. Not to mention the silk taking up a bobbin as well. I think this is why I practically gave up spinning for a while. Because every time I looked at my wheel, I just didn't know what to do with it all.
So last night, I set to work plying up the Columbia, and I have to say I'm really pleased with how it turned out. This stuff is soft. So soft that I'm left to wonder why it isn't more readily available (or why its so cheap). I've only ever found it at one vendor's shop on ebay, and bought it on a whim. I have to say, I'm happy I did, and I'll definitely go back to buy more! It spins incredibly easily.. think soft like merino but without all the problems merino sometimes gives. Really.. I'm in love with this stuff! Now I just need to decide what color to dye it.

So what else was left on the bobbins? The silk and the alpaca. I started the silk first, thinking I'd wind it into a center pull ball then ply from both ends. That decision turned out to be a mistake - unfortunately I ended up with a mini rat's nest of tangles. I put it in a ziplock bag in my spinning basket, and I'll at some future date, sit and mess with it. The alpaca? That had been taking up a bobbin since last fall, mostly because I couldn't decide what to do with it. Luckily, at the February spinning guild meeting, I was able to purchase a very similar brown alpaca from a fellow member, Anna (read, alpaca pusher since shes the one who sold me the 4oz already on the bobbin)

So instead of knitting while watching Kyle Sampson's testimony, I set about spinning up the second batch of alpaca, so that I could ply it with the other, finally cleaning off all bobbins.
I adore alpaca from Anna. It requires absolutely no drafting, so its literally a sit and spin experience. Not to mention I can easily, and nearly perfectly spin singles at about 40wpi, something I have yet to accomplish with other fibers.
I think I have another 45 minutes of plying to go, then I'll be able to wind this off the bobbin.. leaving.. voila.. all.of.my.bobbins.clear - and ready for some Georgia O'Keeffe!

Around a year ago on this day..

• Youtube for the weekend - 2008
• More Camera Experimentation - 2006
• Another spell of ADD - 2006
• Wow a whole week has - 2004