The Champs d'Elysee

So the Tour de Fleece finished on Sunday. In that time, I spun up a whocking great (for me) 2225 yards! Here it is in all its glory...So how did I do on my challenges?
I managed 832 yards of Polwarth from Southern Cross Fibre which is going to make a soft and squooshy sweater. Tick.
I taught OH the basics of spindling, Andean Plying and Ply on the Fly. Tick. He also made himself a Plying tool during the Tour, and one evening, stopped Parking and Drafting, and said "isn't this what you do?" as he drafted with the spindle going. I've lost my Bossie Zebrawood Maxi for good, but what a star he is - and more than worth it!
I didn't spindle the full 100g (boo) but got 130 yards of 3 ply from 50g... I also span up another 100g on the wheel... It was the pretties, I tell you, the pretties!
I also spun silk hankies for the first time - 152 yards of singles from .5oz...
Now - when's the KAL for all of this yarn...

Tour de Fleece

I'm busy spinning, spinning, spinning. While the Tour de France is running, there is a spinning challenge going on. I'm participating over on Ravelry, and I have three challenges on the go.

1. Spin a sweater's worth of yarn - I'm using Polwarth from Southern Cross Fibre in the colourway Hay Sunrise, and in two sessions, I've spun up 8oz of singles. I'm going to spin 3 lots of 4oz, then ply it off as I go, so I can then start spinning my next load of singles on the ends of the "leftovers". This is for Team Monkey Farts
   
2. Spindle 100g of Spinning A Yarn Downland English Wool Tops. I've not spindled for yonks, and so am using this to get cracking again. This is for Team Spinning a Yarn
3. Teach my OH how to spindle. This isn't for a team per se, but he has joined Team Spinning a Yarn, and is progressing better than I would if taught by someone like me.

Before I got going on the Sweater Polwarth, I span some more SCF Polwarth as well. Anf yes... if there are no pictures, it didn't happen...In other news, we escaped the chaos surrounding yesterday's terrible news (one of the shootings was very very close to us) and went up to collect some more fleeces. OH has blogged about it here. What he doesn't say, is that he very kindly treated me to a delicious carvery Sunday lunch in return for my services as driver. But let's face it - fleeces as lovely as those are their own reward!

Woolfest 2010

Phew... catching up sloooooowwwwwwwwwwwwly....I have a major confession to make... I didn't take ANY photographs at Woolfest. So I am nicking one of OH's (tee hee hee) to show you the lovely Jacqui's stall
All in all, I had a great day. OH had bought 3 fleeces before I'd even got in through the door - and he loved the day - his blog (with more pictures - ahem) is here
I got cranky mid-afternoon, because I'd not managed to stop and look at stuff. A quick bit of sympathy and bum kicking from Jacqui, the Diva and Sarah, and I was off - this is the fibre I managed to acquire:In there is Merino/Nylon from Fyberspates, Merino/Viscose and Sparkly BFL from Felt Studio UK, Oatmeal BFL/Silk and BFL/Silk/Seacell from The Thylacine.And I bought some yarn:Pink silk from Artisan Threads, yummy 4 ply Teeswater in 3 purply shades for a Big Shawl, Natural Dye Studio Precious Silk Lace and Dazzle HT sock, and Fantasia Sock Yarn from Wild Fire Fibres.
Yeah - so I didn't really get much at all...
In addition, I bought a Starburst bag kit from Sheepfold (in Herdwick, so it was my holiday souvenir), some KnitPro tips from P2Tog, and a car sticker.
I bought OH some beer, and he bought me some delicious cake (sorry - they moved way too quickly to be photographed!)

A Week in Heaven

I love the Lake District. The hills, the lakes, the get-away-from-it-all feeling, and the grounded feeling I get from being back in the North West of England make it one of my favourite places in the world.
A few years ago, OH and I treated ourselves to a few days away to celebrate having been together ten years without either one of us killing the other. We went here, which is on the southern shores of Derwentwater, down the Borrowdale Road, and we vowed to go back. To cut a long story short, life ended up in the way, but when I was stuck for inspiration for OH's birthday this year, I remembered how much we'd enjoyed it, and booked us a blissful weekend.
And with the Ash Cloud, and the pound somewhere in the basement, and because I've been away a fair bit with work, we decided to holiday in the UK this year - and booked for 5 nights at the hotel.
Funny, isn't it, that we checked out just as Woolfest started? With it only being 20 minutes away?
It was a completely relaxing few days, during which we walked, drank good beer (bringing 23 bottles home with us!), ate wonderful food, and completely relaxed. We managed to pack it in, for all we relaxed, visiting Crummock Water, Buttermere, Loweswater, Grasmere, Hawkshead, Coniston, Keswick, the Ospreys at Bassenthwaite, and then a gentle 10 mile wander to Threlkeld (and a truly excellent pub) coming back via the stone circle at Castlerigg.
Pure Bliss. With sheep in the garden!
Woolfest tomorrow!