Navajo-ho-ho

I've spun a third skein. In it I tried several new things. It was a BFL in the color "Elegy", again by KelpieFibers
I wanted to not muddle the colors by spinning through them, but rather trying for longer color runs. So I prestripped the top in several lengths and gently fluffed and predrafted slightly. Then I inchwormed, trying to get the color runs as long as I could get them without too much intermingling. Then after I had spun, I tried the Navajo-ply technique, this makes a 3 ply out of one single, as it rather preserves the color runs if they are long enough. For this technique, if you don't want to end up with a very thick yarn, you have to spin thinly, so that was the next challenge.
The spinnign went quickly and fairly smoothly. I did notice some strips went better than others, though. After thinking about it, I remembered having read in one of my spinning books: "top is directional" (maybe this isn't true but this is what I thought I remembered". So I had to find out all of a sudden which way the direction went! Well, all of a sudden I had a whole new thing to watch out for, having spun completely ignorant of this before...

The Navajo plying was another challenge. In itself the technique didn't at all strike me as being particularly difficult. I watched a youtube video and thought: "hey, nothing to it, I can do that!" Now my Little Gem unfortunately hadn't seen the video:-( It behaved exactly like a stubborn pony, hee-hawing my yarn off the hooks with a "bang" and a mighty heave. A little Navajo pony, I guess!?
Any how, it took some patience. I have the technique pat now, and with the second bobbin things went a little better, also I did it more slowly and paid more attention to the Gems' wishes. The yarn turned out lovely though with fairly longish color repeats, but also sudden color transitions on the "bumps" where the loop goes through. It's nice enough for now though it still leaves a lot more room for practising!



I had a sudden itch for internet buying, I guess again comfort buying, after a disappointment in the Love Department (in which I don't get to shop too often anyway).
So the easy solution is Etsy, Amazon with the ever so handy PayPal. You just click a button and without having lifted your butt out of your chair you know you will get loads of nice pressies delivered to your door (in my case always delivered by the same handsome Turkish TNT guy with the cutest smile I've ever seen, as an extra bonus!) and it doesn't cost a lot. Honest Mom, it's reaaly cheap stuff I'm buying here! And with the exchange rate for US dollars as it is, it practically free! You see, Mom, don't worry, there's enough left to buy food for the kids

So next week I will get some spinning and knitting books, a cute wooden thingy with sheep on it as a gauge, a Little Gem cup holder (yes! how American is that?), and some wonderfully painted top by a lady who dyes her own stuff from Ohio. Or something. And I get to look at the Turkish smile, ho-ho-ho!