I have two bobbins full of merino/sheltie undercoat ready for plying. I'm very pleased with it! It is much nicer with merino added than just spun sheltie fur. The natural colors are lovely and I see no good reason to dye it. Dog hair is notoriously warm to wear so blending it with wool should increase its wearability. I'm not sure what I will make with it but I'm thinking mittens, hats, etc. I have collected a lot of sheltie fur from grooming the dogs and will continue to do so.
Once I get the chiengora (very chic term for dog hair, no?) plied I'm going to tackle some bamboo top that I bought at Golden Willow, my LYS. I haven't spun bamboo before so it should be interesting.
Speaking of Golden Willow, I stopped in there and spun on a saxony style wheel (an Ashford Traditional) for the first time. I love my Ashford Joy but I can see that spinning on a full size wheel has some advantages. I was able to spin using a long draw on the saxony and I can't do it on my Joy. After much research on the internet (and with my wonderful husband's blessing) I have decided to get an Ashford Elizabeth 2 and placed my order today. I looked at other beautiful wheels but I think that sticking with an Ashford is the way to go. The Traditional is a good basic wheel but I decided to get the Elizabeth because it has ball bearings and I think that it will be smoother to treadle. My knees are not getting any younger and I plan to use this wheel for a long time. I can get it at Golden Willow and Ashford wheels and parts are readily available if I need them. It is my dream wheel and I am so excited! I'm keeping the Joy too as love it and it is so great for taking along when I go somewhere. Life is good.
2 comments:
That's going to make such nice yarn! You spin very fine singles. That's very helpful to me about why you ordered the Elizabeth 2, I can't wait to see pictures of fiber spun on it.
chiengora! I had no idea! What other kinds of dogs can you spin from? I have two big lugs who just walk around shedding.
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