I finally began to spin an enormous braid of hand-dyed merino that I bought from Barbara Gentry (of Stony Mountain Fibers) during the Knitter's Review retreat back in November. Only I forgot that it was merino, a fiber I still avoid on the assumption that I'll make a big lumpy mess out of it.
So I spun and spun and spun the most beautiful strands of color, and I didn't even let the yarn set before plying it all together.
(The results were the cover picture for this week's newsletter.)
Lo and behold, today I brought out the braid and pulled off another yard-long bundle to spin. A tag fluttered to the ground, I picked it up, and saw the words "100% merino" in big glorious letters.
Could it be that - without even realizing it - I've finally become worthy of merino? Or did Barbara do something special to this fiber that made it more manageable than the merinos of yesteryear? Who knows.
But for the moment, I feel like something in my internal odometer went "click" and I advanced to a new level of spinnerly practice.
And speaking of spinning, I owe a profound thanks to Linda Diak of Grafton Fibers. She sent me what is undoubtedly the coolest fiberly gift I have yet to receive: A Knitter's Review drop spindle!
It's the same form as her Mouton du Mois spindles, only instead of a sheep, goat, or rabbit on the top, she painted a lovely ball of yarn and wrote the words "Knitter's Review" around the bottom.
Her package also included a ball of glorious, purple-hued fiber, which I immediately pulled out and sniffed with delight. (Yes, that's my embarrassing fiber-admiring habit - I sniff it with abandon.) Twas a speechless moment that reminded me there are still good people in this world.
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