Fibery Goodness

Whenever I think the words "fibery goodness" I still imagine them in reference to some sort of breakfast cereal. However, that's not the kind of fibery goodness I am referring to, this is:

Yum, yum, yum.

On the left and in the middle are fiber from Schafenfreude Fibers and they are absolutely scrumptious. The blue on on the left is a braid of 100% Polwarth wool, which I haven't tried yet. In the middle is an 80/20 Merino wool and Tussah silk top, which is basically heaven in my hands. Seriously. It's amazing. I think I'm in love with silk. Even the Fiasco touched it and went "ooOoOoOOOoOoOOoooh" so you know it's good. On the right is a full batt of the sample from Inglenook Fibers that came with my learn-to-spin kit that I already started playing with. My plan is to spin up the Imperial Orchid batt into a single and the Merino/Silk into a single and then ply them together. It is going to be amazing!!! Simmer down, Alicia, simmer down.

While I was waiting for that fiber to arrive, I got to work on the 100% Coopworth wool from Hidden Valley Farm &Woolen Mill that came with my learn-to-spin kit:

Much less thick-and-thin, yay!

My singles are much more consistent than they had been before, which is encouraging. I'm still just parking and drafting, not spinning freely, but the Coopworth is drafting much more smoothly and is all around more pleasant to use than the Knitpicks stuff I started with. I'm going to split this batch in half and practice plying with it before I attempt it on the pretty pink-and-silk skein I want to make. Yay spinning!

In knitting news, my Making Mischief socks (aptly named, right?) are taking a break because they were naughty, and I've been making some progress on my mawata mittnes. The goal is to finish those things before winter is over! Yes, it's come down to that. As for sock goals, I think I'll be using February as a catch-up-on-SIPs month entirely, no new socks for me at the moment.

February Sock Goals:

• finish Making Mischief socks (85% done)
• finish Cotty socks (30% done)
• finish not-so-secret-and-not-for-Valentine's-day-because-I-ran-out-of-time socks (10% done)
• finish a very very old SIP, my Froot Loops socks (65% done)

I'd say that's probably enough for now...