My personal Knit Red challenge

A few days ago, I mentioned to my husband that there was a class I would like to take in the bay area. He is my biggest supporter when it comes to doing whatever I want to do with my hobbies, so he encouraged me to sign up for it. I am so happy I did!!

 The class was held at A Verb for Keeping Warm, which is only about an hour and a half (if you don't get lost) from where I live. When I arrived yesterday, Michael had already begun, but was only a couple of minutes into his introduction. If there was anything that disappointed me, it was the parking. Not real abundant, but hey, it's the city after all, and I only had to walk about a block, which actually felt good after the drive. I had no idea that I was taking a class from THE WonderMike, host of the Fiber Beat podcast. If you ever get the chance to take a class from him, consider yourself very fortunate. He is knowledgeable, informative, very personable, enunciates well, and is just an all around warm and friendly guy. We discovered we know some of the same people, so that was fun too.

 His class was on drop spindling, which I had already learned to do from Jasmine of the Knitmore Girls, in Feb. 2010. While it was basically just an introduction and a very brief lesson, I was intrigued and wanted to learn more. Michael breaks each step down into a separate component and explains how and why. I had watched plenty of youtube videos, and practiced a lot, but I still wanted to learn how to spin for the weight of yarn I wanted for my projects. He said it takes practice on learning how much roving to hold and draft, but even better advice he gave me...." spin at your comfort level and then ply for the weight you want". I never even thought of that!!! For some reason I had it in my head that I needed to spin the weight. I tend to spin probably at a fingering weight, so I will do that until I gain the experience, and then just ply for the weight I want. I also want to learn balance and consistency. Thank you WonderMike!!! You truly are Wonderful!

The night I signed up for his class, I was very optimistic that I would be able to spin the yarn I wanted for a Knit Red project. I looked high and low scouring the internet for the perfect fiber, and in the right shade of red I wanted. I am so pleased with the Blue -Faced Leicester I ordered from Miss Babs! I love her yarn, so I was pretty sure I wouldn't be making a mistake purchasing fiber from her too. And talk about awesome customer service! I ordered my fiber on Thursday evening in the colorway Ladybug (ha! the kind of wheel I have too), and it arrived today. I'm so excited to be getting started! Oh, and the other nice thing Miss Babs does....you get a cute little stitch marker everytime you make a purchase from her. Very sweet!

A Verb for Keeping Warm...what more can I say about this wonderful little gem tucked into a street full of shops by the bay? For class, we were provided with an ounce of the softest Blue -Faced Leicester I had ever felt. That stuff is like butter, and what a dream to spin with!!! Michael and I were talking about the different fibers, and he suggested I also try some Targhee. I've never spun that, so I bought two ounces to try, in the colorway, Hyacinth. I've got plenty of spinning to do to keep me busy for a while. Anyway, back to the store....not only does Kristine have her own hand dyed yarns, but she also has fabric! I didn't get a chance to look much at the fabrics, since it was getting close to dinnertime and I wanted to try to beat the traffic back home. I will definitely be returning to this charming little shop soon!