More spinning and the Tour De Fleece

I had to take almost two week off from spinning to let my wrists rest from a couple of heavy typing/heavy spinning weeks. It was very difficult to sit in the evenings with nothing to occupy my hands, and it has left me resolved to wear my splints at night, stretch and rest throughout the day, and stop when things get tingly.

I have been able to spin again for about a week and I am working on a super secret project for publication. I am having fun, but am not going to post details or photos, since it is, after all, souper seekrit.

I am also planning on what I will do for the tour de fleece, which if you have not heard of it, is a spinning challenge that runs at the same time as the tour de france. This year I have two goals, to work with my Andean Pushkas on spinning Shetland for the Shetland Blanket caper, and to work with my attache charkha spinning cotton for weaving yarn. I have not used the charkha in several months and it is a shame as it is such a beautiful piece of both engineering and of woodworking.

The Shetland is from a free fleece friends and I were given at Shepherd's harvest 2013. It has some major cotting and second cuts, but I enjoy a challenge and am having fun saving it. I have a third of it spun up, but nothing plied yet. The cotton I will be spinning is some of Sally Fox's naturally colored cotton. I think I will start with the brown. I have a lb each of brown, green, and white. A friend has volunteered to weave the cotton I spin into fabric and I need to get spinning so she can torture herself have the fun of weaving with my handspun. In the end I hope to end up with a handspun, handwoven shirt.