Why in the next three weeks? I'm participating in the Ravelry Tour de Fleece (that's a link to Ravelry, so it won't work if you aren't signed in), which means I'll try to spin some yarn every day of the Tour de France. As the description on the group says, "The concept is simple: They spin, we spin — a real spinning-themed spin-along." The Tour runs July 4 through July 26, with days of rest on July 13 and July 20.
Tour de Fleece participants can join a variety of different teams. I'm in:
- Rookies — For first-year participants.
- Climbers — For spinners taking on big personal challenges.
- Breakaway — For spinners of art yarn.
- Peloton — The main group, which everyone is in.
- Stash Busters - For tamers of the stash.
- And, of course, Team Hopelessly Overcommitted — A "wild card" (participant-created) team for those of us who just can't help ourselves.
My personal goals for the Tour de Fleece:
- Spin at least a pound (16 ounces) of fiber during the Tour. (Overall/Climbers/Stash Busters)
- Spin at least one skein of recognizably arty yarn, not relying solely on thread-plying for its artsiness. (Breakaway)
- Spin at least three of my special stash fibers. This is a Climbers team challenge for me because I tend to hoard certain fiberbits. (Climbers)
- Coinciding with the Tour de France's toughest leg on July 22, spin something challenging.
- Prep and spin at least one bag of washed fleece. (Stash Busters/Climbers)
So the 2 ounces of Peace of Yarn (30% baby alpaca/50% Merino wool/20% Tussah silk) from Bahr Creek Studio will count toward the Climbers goal(s)....
The 8 oz "bleached Irish linen" white flax (from Little Barn) will probably get spun on Challenge Day...
...and the 5 oz hand-dyed wool locks ("Summer Garden" from Neauveau) is destined to turn into art yarn for the Breakaway team.
Also, the roster for David Daniels' Summer of Spinning now contains me and this blog, which means I'm going to spin something, anything, between now and Labor Day. The first event should make the second event a gimme, no?
