New toy!

I have been crazy busy this week breaking in my new wheel! WOOT! WHEEL! She's a Kromski Sonata in the Walnut finish. She is a folding wheel - though she is also rather larger than I was expecting (this is OK since really the point of having a folding wheel was more to make sure I could shove it into the trunk of my car than because I need it to be itty-bitty). She's more stable than I expected for a folding wheel also and very easy and intuitive to use.

I'm still getting used to drafting for the wheel since it is a bit different than what I've been doing with a drop spindle, but I am making yarn and its only a little lumpy. After a few minor disasters with some Corriedale (I loathe corriedale. Seriously. Why does everyone insist this is the god of all beginner spinning fibers? I hated it when I first learned to drop spindle and shockingly it has not gained any redeeming qualities in the interim. The rest of the universe seems to revere it though so perhaps I'm missing something.) and Bamboo I started in on one of two 4oz braids of Punta fiber that I dyed up last month.

Braids looks like:

Spun looks like:

Its interesting fiber - 64ct so around average merino fineness but a much longer staple and wider crimp. It took dye fantastically and resisted my admirable attempt to felt it (though it did come out more compacted than some roving I've dyed and has needed some liberal pre-drafting to fluff it back up). Pretty pleasant stuff to spin also. I'll have to experiment with more of it.

I also whipped out a Moebius Cowl last weekend in a fit of mad knitting:

Its hand-dyed Bamboo that I got in Canada. Nice stuff - very drapey. I was a little peeved at how many bad spots there were in the yarn though. If I'd been making something where it would have showed more I'd have had to cut out about 4 which is just ridiculous. As it was I was in a weird mood and just ignored them and thankfully they're not really visible in the finished cowl.