And we're off, ladies and gentlemen!
I've opted to start stages 1 and 2 with my Team Corgi project - Russian spindle spun 4 ounce batt from Corgi Hill. Something old, something new, nothing borrowed, but something blue. Heh.
I sampled the fiber two nights before, and here's the specs. Estimated time of completion of project will be about 12 hours (spinning through to plying).
.2 ounce sample, spun up and plied in about 35 mins.
The start of the tour also coincided with baby Charlie's first birthday (friend Billy's grandson). And he invited us up north to some family property in Sedro-Woolley, WA for a BBQ. (Woolley! Woolley!)
Boys in the man-car, and girls rode in style in Joyce's convertible. Open top, so no spinning on the ride up. But while there, I was able to get a little done. The view and the company were fantastic.
This is Grandpa Billy (we call him Billy Bodacious) and his grandson Charlie.
Breathtakingly beautiful view from the property.
I brought with me one of the first spindles I ever turned (probably somewhere in the first 20). It's a Ziricote GY Russian, and the wood was a gift from a dear woodworking friend (Dave Morris). Kicked back with a grilled burger and this gorgeous view before spinning out about a quarter of an ounce on the project. We needed to make it back into town so Billy could teach guitar lessons, so we only were able to stay for about 2 hours.
Wind whipped and a little crispy, I opted to trade seats and invade the man-car for the ride back home. Very productive hour, and was able to spin the entire car ride back home.
TdF Day 1 spinning progress.
Jazzed by my good progress from yesterday, I approached today with optimism. I also had planned to stop by the Fremont open market. Heidi Kunkel http://www.heidispottery.com, a new friend and fellow Raveler, had expressed an interest in collaborating on some spinning bowls! We met in person a week ago, talked about dimensions. She also had a 2 hour spinning lesson with me (to give her some perspective), and I was really impressed with how quickly she took to it. One of the fastest learners I've yet to teach.
She called me about two days ago to report that her first two bowls were out of the kiln and invited me meet her at her booth in the market to have a look.
Here's Heidi with a table in her tent. She's selling handknit goodies, her incredible pottery (bowls, knitting bowls, cups, etc), and much more! She'll be at the Fremont Market (Seattle, WA) all season long (Sundays). So don't hesitate to stop by and flaunt your Ravelry street-cred. She's very friendly.
The spining bowls are gorgeous! I couldn't resist, and snapped one up for my very own.
Here you can see one of her knitting bowls in contrast with the new spinning bowls. I also lent her one of my Russian spindles to test the bowls, and it made a beautiful display. I hope it sparks conversation!
After picking up a few goodies (hubby got a new straw coyboy hat). We left Heidi, and motored on to our next adventure.
Yet another birthday to celebrate! My good friend Sherry (who incidentally bought me my first spindle) was having a not-such-surprise party at The Little Red Hen (a country/western bar) where she works.
Greg, Billy Bodacious, Trip and Kebron (Kevin, my hubby) covering "Billy The Kid" at the Little Red Hen. Being a Sunday, it was open mic. So my hubby was up on stage with the good-ol boys. While there, I helped decorate as well as spun up about half an ounce towards the project.
After about 2 hours of hang-time (plus the market), I had completely blown through my crowd exposure alotment (immunosupressed, limited ability to fight infections). So, I needed to head home and get off my bummed up foot (WARNING GRAPHIC - only click through if you have a strong disposition, PPP psoriasis). My foot is raw, angry, and doesn't seem to be responding to available therapies. I'll need to head back in to the doctor in a week or so.
So, I'm home now... and I'm still expecting to spin up another half an ounce to round out the day. This will put me at about 1/4th finished with my Team Corgi challenge.
Here's an inside shot of Heidi's spinning bowls. Notice the very useful indentation in the middle to help center the spindle in the bowl. The base is wide and heavy to create a secure footing while balanced in your lap, or on resting on supporting surface.
This is the view from the side. Very clean lines! My new favorite bowl...
And here's a progress shot of today's spinning.
Phew! Onward!
