Many, many blogs

Gasp! I took the time to count the number of knitting and spinning blogs in my favourites list - gasp - there are 167! All of them are fairly current as I delete any that haven't posted in a month. Most are just quick - yes, I've seen this post - next - but some are lengthy and worth reading - Yarn Harlot of course, Wendy Knits, Fibre Raven Soiree (off and on) and are entertaining and full of information and enthusiasm for knitting.

What a great phenomenon this blogging is - exchange of ideas and projects - like getting together with 167 of your closest knitting friends and having the greatest knitting, stitching and kvetching session on earth!

The weekend is for carding some more of my Romney Rambouillet lamb for my last spinning project for Level 1. We have to make a small item - 150 to 200g - from raw fleece to finished product. My fibre came from a shepherd in one of the barns at Maryland Sheep and Wool last May. I did a little, very unscientific washing experiment by taking 4 parts and washing them in 4 different detergents/soaps. I tried Mane and Tail, Purex liquid, Gain liquid and my usual Tide powder.

I washed the fleece in parts, first a cold water soak, then 2 detergent washes in hottest water (soaked for 30 minutes each) and then 2 hot water rinses (removing the fibre before doing anything to prevent agitation). The Tide is whitest (optical brighteners?), the Gain smelliest (highly perfumed - bleck) and I will card the other 2 this weekend and compare.

I hope to do some knitting on my Hanne Falkenberg Mermaid too and finish at least one pair of socks.

Here's Mermaid:

Isn't she a pretty lady!

Have a wonderful weekend