The biggest news is my handspun Mango Pomegranate Smoothie yarn took first place in the beginner class (spinning less than a year) at Wisconsin Sheep and Wool a couple weeks ago! I entered it on a whim so I could get feedback on my spinning. I knew I was going to lose points for some variation between thick and thin, but I felt like it was a pretty good skein otherwise. The judge agreed! When they put the ribbon on my skein, I was shaking so much I almost fell over. My friend asked me if I had to sit down. I've never entered anything in a fair and definitely never won first place before. If I enter next year, I think I have to enter the Advanced category because of the blue ribbon. It really made me feel better about my spinning and my decision to try to sell handspun. It was judged on presentation, skill, technique, use of wool and suitability for intended use. Because of the long color runs and short yardage, I said I wanted to use it for a self-striping scarf. It would have scored differently if I said I wanted to use it for something like socks because it wasn't spun tightly enough to stand up to that kind of abuse. (Click any photos to see them larger)
I also came home with a really good haul of fiber and yarn. I tried to behave and follow a budget, but the wool fumes got to me. I studiously avoided the fleece barn and kept to the regular vendors since I am still washing alpaca fleeces and I'm getting a few more breed samples for my fleece study soon. I can argue I need more wool to use with my drum carder, but I do need to behave. (Also, I had already planned to get at least one more Wensleydale cross fleece this fall!)
The judging for the Unity Bead Challenge in my last entry was on the 17th. I asked my mom to go check it out since I live a couple hours away. She's the one who picked out the beads for me and I mailed her my finished necklace to turn in. They scheduled a night of trolley tours to different galleries around town with refreshments and a silent auction. It sounds like she had a lot of fun with her friend. She called me, all excited, because my knitted handspun silk necklace took first place in the Necklace category. Again, I couldn't believe it! This was less than a week after WI Sheep and Wool and I had been looking at pictures of the other entries online. My mom said one of the judges was really enthusiastic about it because she knew about the extra work it took to spin and knit the silk. I admit, it was a lot more work than stringing beads on a cord, but some of the other entries were extensively wire wrapped and really gorgeous.
The September Phat Fiber box just came out. I made it in to this one, since I was so excited about the "Legends and Myths" theme. My two yarns look very similar, although one is mostly alpaca and the other is wool and mohair. They are both very sparkly, but subtle. I spun them from Dragonhair batts, which seems oddly appropriate. I called these two "Knight in Shining Armor" and "the Goblin King". It's really hard to show the sparkle in these photos, but the yard is loaded with angelina.
My box arrived in the mail yesterday and I love everything in it! I haven't had time to go through and make a list, but it's a gorgeous mix. It makes my little grey yarn seem so plain in comparison! I'm already beginning to think of options for the "Masquerade" theme for October.
