It's Melting!

Yesterday was a beautiful day here in the Peg.  The sun was bright and warm, and some melting began in earnest on the huge snow piles everywhere.  Some streets have melted down to pavement (the main ones) the side streets and lanes are just plain pathetic!  If we don't get stuck on one or the other, it will be a miracle!

I did manage to get some projects wrapped up and mailed yesterday - yeah, yeah, and thought a lot about new ones to start - but decided that it would be more important to give some time to my neighbour who's husband in back in hospital - so after supper I headed next door for the evening for some "Girl" talk.

"Girl" talk with my neighbour consists of much talk about sheep, cats, fleece, plants, gardening, spinning, a little about husbands and kids and families, and back to plants and gardening again.

When I walked into her living room I had a moment when I thought her house had tipped over.  She is a spinner and has fleece from all over the world which she is processing to spin.  The whole living room floor was covered with Shetland fleece from Scotland - drying from it's wash.  It looked like clouds on the floor - and it was so beautifully white and soft, I couldn't help but reach down and pick up a hand full every once in awhile - just to feel the softness of it.

I did not know that sheep had so many natural colors.  I tend to think of sheep fleece as off-white.  But she has totes filled with several colors of white, browns and blacks.    She has a carder that she has been using to make carded rolls for spinning, and totes upon totes full of these rolls already done and waiting to be spun.

She has been teaching me ( or trying to) to spin - and I admit I'm not great at it.  My efforts more resemble wire than yarn - too much twist, I'm told.  It is not as easy as it looks, and is definitely one of those activities that you have to learn by practicing.  You have to get your hands and feet in a rhythm, and maintain it though out the spin.  I'll bet Gary would make an awesome spinner - or any organist for that matter - they are co-ordinated with hands and feet with no thought to it at all.

Anyway, the potential is there for some spinning time, when I want it - so I need to make room to learn to be a better spinner.

I'll let you know how that goes...

In the meantime - it is on to some new crocheted projects... still working on my stash  - cotton this time around!

Enjoy your day!