Fear, Tragedy and Fresh Fleece

Fiber artists have strange fears. My Mom got a good laugh the other day when I told her I had finally concurred my fear of cotton. Last night I told her I recently overcame my fear of lace. Cotton and lace. I guess that is pretty funny.

But I know you fiber types aren't laughing. I know you are thinking of the first time you tried spinning cotton, or knitting lace, or dying in an indigo vat. I know you are thinking about that one thing that you still don't do, that one thing that will make you skip a project that is otherwise drool worthy.

My mom sews. I told her "Its like sewing a really slippery silk." She stopped laughing. She told me a terrible story of a beautiful fabric that was almost frayed into nonexistence.

I wondered if she still had those loose fibers somewhere.

So, here is my first skein of cotton that doesn't look like a bowl of fussilli.

Last week I was finishing a pile of skeins and got a little impatient toward the end. One very pretty skein of logwood dyed Shetland yarn ended up more than a little worse for the wear. It took me a half hour to peel each strand from the next and rewind it into a proper skein. I held it in my hands like a dead pet. So sad.

Then a couple days later it occurred to me that I could still use it as practice yarn. I could swatch out a stitch pattern that I hadn't tried before. So, I pulled my stitchinairy off the shelf and started thumbing through. As I turned the page to the lace section I took a big gulp. "Well, this is as good a time as any." I thought "I couldn't possibly do anymore damage to this yarn" I don't know why but nothing scares my like lace. Not Kitchener, not cables, not anything.

Here is the lace scarf, in progress:

I actually like it, which not only surprises me under the circumstances but it makes me really glad I didn't demote the yarn to garden twine.

I don't know what has gotten into me lately, but I've been digging out all the projects from the back of my closet that I've never had the heart to toss or the stamina to try to fix. Today I was sitting out in my yard spinning some really beautiful roving that was also involved in a felting accident. My thumbs ache from the tug of war drafting. But, after the happy endings I've been having lately, I'm optimistic and determined.

Oh, I just remembered. Not all is doom and gloom here. Setting out to dry at this very minute is a gorgeous silver Romney fleece I bought from the always fabulous Homestead Wool and Gift Farm. I will definitely be having a carding party tomorrow night.

Peace.