IT IS COMPLETE (big yellow stripe was the start and small one is the end. I just finished the whole ball, it was a big one) Finished length is nearly 6' XD Second yellow stripe is about where I started actually...doing things correctly...which is why it looks much looser and more natural for the rest of it i think.
Fantastic funky colours @Enzel Also on Tuesday i went to a knit and chat thing and finally started knitting this hat for my mom, years after i finished the accompanying cowl. I started on the i-cord for the tie around the brim, checked with her, she doesnt want the tie so now i know how to i cord And i dont actually have to do it Also, ran this yarn by her so now i have 2 skeins to make her this other hat
My newest fiber order (for handspinning) came today! I could gush about how excited I am. FOR AGES! about the wool top I got but I don't know if anyone else here is at all interested in excited mildly intoxicated infodumps about rare sheep breeds in islands-adjacent-to-England. I have pictures though :D
So, I remembered yesterday that the cruise I'm going on - which starts on March 9th - has theme days. Specifically, I forgot about the Science and Cosplay days and then asked in the Facebook chat what I should go ask, specifying that I need something that can be acquired or made within the time remaining. Someone suggested Ms Frizzle. Now, the hair may be difficult but I have a dress pattern that can work. And I ordered fabric and notions last night, I just...need them to arrive. And they're being shipped from the US, so I couldn't get expedited shipping on it, so it'll arrive in 4 to 7 days, which means I need to prepare for having only five days to work on this dress. I'm considering getting some more fabric from a local shop, so that best case, I end up with two Ms Frizzle dresses and worst case, I at least have one dress.
Updates: the fabric I ordered from online is looking like it'll arrive by the end of business tomorrow (technically today, now). This is the good news! The bad news is that when I was re-reading the pattern requirements so that I can make sure to get what I need from the local shop, I realized that I forgot to order interfacing. And I already looked online, and the answer to "can you just skip the interfacing" is "yes, but it's going to make the garment look homemade, the interfacing is supposed to be there for a reason".
SO! Sheep! First off: different sheep breeds have different quality wool, and it's not just a binary scale of "good quality - bad quality" but more like a sundae bar of different properties, all of which can be useful, interesting, or just fun to work with. Historically, one of the biggest producers/innovators/exporters of wool was England - and they developed some AMAZING breeds don't get me wrong - but in true imperial fashion they'd import their "improved" sheep into anywhere they colonized, and either cross with or deliberately destroy local breeds. Ireland in particular suffered this heavily, and the only extant sheep breed with any original Irish breed genetics left at all is the Galway, and even that was heavily crossed with English breeds, and I have had exactly zero luck finding any breed-specific fiber or yarn online for them. But! The Manx Loaghtan still exist! They're native to the Isle of Man (Island btw Ireland and England). They used to be mostly grey & black, but a rare brown color got popular and they were bred heavily for that trait. They almost died out at one point - in the 1950s there were only 43 left - but they've rebounded through conservation efforts & now there's around 1500 registered breeding females. Plus, they're cute & funky looking! Spoiler: Possibly lorg img
NICE. fellow spinning nerd here, currently slightly obsessed with buffalo and alpaca, so i am absolutely on your page. what's that wool like? looks like short staple and very crimpy, from the photo?
man I am so stoked to hear more about that I've been kinda considering spinning with samoyed or golden retriever brushies?
I have turned into such a spinning nerd, like, I thought knitting was the special interest craft of my adulthood but holy cow am I going a bit nuts about spinning. The fiber is fairly short and crimpy! It has a softer hand than I expected (listing said 29-31 microns) and is very airy in its top. I've worked with Icelandic and Finn wool before and loved them both which is part of what started me on my "primitive" sheep kick, but this is definitely different from either of these (which are also very different from each other.) I want to play with it so bad, but I really do have three other spinning projects active and my drafting is going to get so confused if I try to add anything new.
Totally doable! Very slippery, though - some people recommend getting it blended with wool to make it easier to spin. I'm currently trying to collect enough Maine Coon fluffs to work with, but my boy only grows so much fluff at a time.
i have spun hermes's fluffs and they're quite nice to work with. you want to spin them very fine and tight because otherwise they don't grip very well, cat fluff is not crimpy. makes excellent laceweight. feels like rabbit fluff but longer staple. honestly, maine coons should be kept as wool animals. people would be lining up to brush them. :3 an sheeps
partner and I have been talking about getting maine coons and also a golden (or samoyed), so I am super hype to try :D
Samoyeds are the best and I can assure you there will be more than enough fluff, year round even (Winter coat is the best tho)
