Okay that might be just for horse racing but Tour de France/Fleece starts this Saturday!
Hello! It’s been a bit since my last post. Consistency is still not my strong point and I’ve been battling tech issues and general ennui. But I am still crafting. I’ll have some nice knitting projects to show off soon but this post…is for spinning! Tour de Fleece, or as the rest of the world knows, Tour de France begins this Saturday, June 26th. I am really excited for this one. Last year, it would have been my first tour with my spinning wheel. But. The Tour de France was cancelled due to the pandemic and while the spinning world attempted to still observe Tour de Fleece, it wasn’t the same. Also, it was just after the Ravelry website redesign which caused many accessibility issues for many users, including myself. So last year. Cancellation, pandemic, isolation from my crafting community due to a website’s horrific redesign and I just was not feeling it, even with the excitement of my new wheel.
But this year is a new year. And I am excited now. I have ambitious plans. Currently, I am finishing up some SIPs (Spins In Progress) to clear off my bobbins and spindles. Yes, that’s right. Just because I have a wheel does not mean I have forsaken my first love, spindles. I have one spindle project I wish to finish before TdF and one project on my bobbins that I need to ply.
The fiber on my bobbins is Sweet Georgia Yarns Bluefaced Leicester/ nylon base in the colorway Tea Party. I bought this way back in 2015? Maybe? On a vacation to Atlanta, we went to Eat, Sleep, Knit and I picked this up there. I know Sweet Georgia is actually a Canadian company but, with the name, I knew it would always remind me of my vacation. I spun this to be a fractal! I am fresh out of Heavenly Bresser’s Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival class on fractal spinning and thought it was a good idea to break out this fiber that has been in stash almost as long as I have been spinning.
The orange on my spindles is a SIP from the days of Ravelry in the goddess spindle group. It was supposed to be a long term look through all the Chakras. Not only did I want to use this setting as an opportunity to do inner reflection as guided by the Chakras, I wanted to pair it with pushing my fiber arts skills a little bit. So for each color associated with the Chakras, I dug through all the bits and pieces of my fiber stash and carded together a cohesive color. So far I have done red for Muludhara, orange for Svadhishthana, and purple for Sahasrara but I will finish the rest soon. *Note: I am not from a religion that follows teachings involving Chakras. I am using this as an opportunity to learn about other religions. Just a reminder to be respectful while doing so.*
And now I’m off to start winding singles off my spindles for plying and to ply my bobbins. I hope to see you at the starting line on Saturday!