Handspun Stash is Growing

So here's my latest finished handspun -
216 yards of 2-ply Wensleydale sheepswool in Spunky Eclectic's "Headache" colorway - their July 2011 shipment. I'm catching up - I only have August, September, October, November, December of 2011, plus January of 2012 shipments to be current. At four ounces of fiber in each shipment, that's a mere 24 ounces of fiber to spin! Wait. That's 1 1/2 pounds of fiber. That's a lot (no, I can't say it's a TON) of spinning. Sigh.

Here are two photos of the finished (but not  yet washed and thwacked) Wensleydale. Neither pic is particularly good but I'm too wimpy to go outside. It's cold in them thar Connecticut hills on this February 21st.

Basking in the sun

Natural light but a bit blurry

Next up for spinning is Spunky Eclectic's August 2011 shipment - 3.92 ounces of Falkland in lovely, bright early autumn hues - their "Change" color. I hope for another easy spin but without the halo effect given by the long straight fibers in Wensleydale. Yes, I put links to information on the two sheep breeds, for those of you who have nothing better to do at this particular moment.

Spunky Eclectic Falkland fiber bumps - ready to spin!

Now for some knitting and exercise and checkbook updating. Lowest weight yet this morning!  Ahem - the lowest weight SINCE gaining all this weight. Now that's a weighty matter.

Instrument of Choice
Robert Phillips

She was a girl
no one ever chose
for teams or clubs,
dances or dates,

so she chose the instrument
no one else wanted:
the tuba. Big as herself,
heavy as her heart,

its golden tubes
and coils encircled her
like a lover's embrace.
Its body pressed on hers.

Into its mouthpiece she blew
life, its deep-throated
oompahs, oompahs sounding,
almost, like mating cries.