Tuesday, November 3, 2009

Giants, angora & secret knitting

Wow. November already. And my beloved Giants have dropped their last 3 games. To whomever kidnapped the real Giants, please let them go. We want them back. NOW!

One of the generous ladies that I work with asked me if I wanted some angora rabbit fur. It's raw, needs to be carded and spun. I don't have hand carders, but I said sure, why not. It'll be a good learning experience, you have to use a different methon spinning this than other yarns. She and her husband raised angoras years ago, and he had stored some of the fur they had not sold. One of their sheds needed to be removed, and while cleaning out another shed, he discovered this treasure trove. I thought they probably had a little, no more than 6 oz. I was WAYYYY wrong. I receieved a 5 gallon bucket full of black/white, and about 12 other buckets (the kind used to hold hamburg; probably between a half gallon and a gallon sized ice-cream tub). Holy angora! I have all kinds of colors, fawn, chocolate, pure white, black, you name it. All needs to be carded (there are some matts in some), and spun. Now, I am a beginning spinner and a quick learner. But instead of receiving ounces, I got pounds. The generosity of folks amazes me. I also bought an antique yarn skeiner from a co-worker at a steal.

I'm still doing my secret knitting for SWTC, can't wait to be able to reveal them to you. If you like bulky superwash yarn, try out their Saphira. For cotton/bamboo blends-Terra. Sock yarn-Jezebel for those pure wool lovers, Tofutsies for those who like to walk on the wild side. Infinity for those cobweb heirloom lace pieces. Or you could double it to make up a lace scarf (pattern to be developed as soon as I'm done knitting & spinning, maybe sooner!) Therapi is just that, yarnie goodness. Soon I'll be trying out Karaoke. Check them all out here.

Off to knit again!!