Days of yarn and roses.

Oh lord, I went out for a friend's birthday last night and had too much wine for a Wednesday.  I am tired and mildly bloodshot around the edges.  Going back to the gym after a week off probably hasn't helped, what with adding stiff and sore to dehydrated and unshowered.

One more Toronto post, I think, to cover the best bits, and then, sadly, I must move forward.  Sniff.

This is Rachel H, who was kind enough to procure the donut of their people as part of my cultural immersion program.

This is me.  Despite appearances I am not piggishly licking the inside of the donut box - I am performing an inhalation ritual - as instructed by my lunch mates -  not unlike a wine tasting - in order to fully absorb and savor the characteristic maple bouquet.  It was good.  And I shared.

After lunch we wandered down the street to this magical place:

Where I may have had one of those terrible, terrible accidents where you trip and fall and your credit card accidentally flies out of your wallet and the store manager start making solicitous remarks about how you can submit your receipts for tax reimbursement when you get back home.  Not only does this place have, as near as I can tell, all the yarn in North America, but if you go downstairs they have roving and coned yarns and rooms full of discontinued yarn.  (It is also crowded, somewhat organizationally challenged and erratically priced - one of our group had an unfortunate experience with a yarn that was marked one price and in the computer  at a higher one - and the store didn't honor the lower price.  Tacky.  But still worth a trip)

There was heavy, drapey Fleece Artist kid/silk in a fantastic shade of what they call rust and I call copper.  There was some periwinkle alpaca/merino yarn which I was going to put back as impractical but Danny said no, it made good socks....and they had a bin of Bergamo - the beloved, discontinued Salt Peanuts Bergamo - in the basement.  I made a noise, a gaspy, breathless one, and then loaded my basket with three colors.  It is about the only thing that could have distracted me from the bin of discontinued Fleece Artist.  I got enough red for an accessory of some kind, just enough lavender-purple for a sweater, and a bunch of black to flesh it out in case it isn't really enough.

This is Danny, and Leigh and Steph and Denny.  Rachel H isn't there because she had to go back to work, but her spirit was still present, for sure.  We all had lunch before the yarn shopping and coffee after and it was the best day.  It was so lovely to meet you all, such a pleasure, so much fun.  And I apologize to Steph and Danny if they were overcome when Leigh and I (Americans) started shifting tables around all casual-like to make our party comfortable...without asking the restaurant guy.  I know, I know...those Americans.

Steph and Denny are looking in a shop window at an Audrey Hepburn-influenced, wide-collared, pencil-skirted suit, made out of padded, insulated ski suit material.  Most peculiar, but good looking.  In a way.

This is the hat Denny bought at Romni - it is genius, the felted dreadlocks are amazing and she pulls it off beautifully.  I don't know if you can see that the sweater she has on is the Teva Durham Renaissance Tunic from IK - I was so happy to see one in the wild.   Denny is clearly a force to be reckoned with when it comes to the fiber arts. 

Actually, after seeing the sweater Leigh was wearing and the hats that Danny designed - I think that can be said for all of  my yarn shopping partners that day.  There was formidable talent  present. 

This hat Danny designed I loved so much I sort of maybe bought the yarn for it at Romni and now am waiting breathlessly for the pattern.  Isn't it gorgeous?  Lamb's Pride worsted and Silk Garden, but I bought black Cash Iroha and Silk Garden for my future one.  Go big or go home, right?

This is the front yard of a house we walked by on the way home from Romni, etc.  A little bit of magical ice sculpture to round out the day.

Later, as Steph and I were sitting on the floor digging through boxes of fibre (what, isn't that how everyone ends an exciting wool day?)  she handed me some yarn.  She'd been handing me yarn for some time, so at first I did not appreciate what I had in my hands.  Yarn - biggish hanks, very nice silky texture, three ply - lots of color depth.  Beautiful wool, really...no tags...and then I got it.  The yarn for Joe's gansey.  In my very own hands.

It'll be worth the wait, that's all I have to say.

As for our combing and carding adventures, I loved everything about them (except the diz.  I get the diz, but I do not find the diz easy to use).  Turns out you need a lot of upper body strength for the fiber arts.  Who knew?

But the end product transcends such considerations.  All I can say about my first home-made batt is ..... oh baby, yes.   I started spinning some of this first-batt Shetland last night and it went beautifully.  I was even almost using a long draw, which usually I mess up in a big way.  But what I want to know is was it a dream to spin because:

a) I was a little drunk and that state allows you to access your creativity without interference

b) I have been wrong about Shetland being coarse and itchy - that would be the cheap Shetland in sweaters I had when I was a child - and it is always this good

c) this is a particularly good bit of Shetland

d) preparing your own batts is magic and the airy, springing, crimpy end product is always that intensely satisfying to spin

I dunno which is which, but I may never buy fiber again.  OK, we know that's a lie, but emotionally it feels true.  I was going to show you a picture, but something is up with my camera - computer isn't reading it.  Later.

But I'm convinced that the carding at home is a big factor, so I've been sending away for propaganda information and I've already had one conversation with a vendor trying to convince me I can't card merino without spending 1200 bucks or more on an electric carder. 

Ah, salesmanship.  I wanted to tell her that  even if I end up buying the carder she had recommended (which I won't because, hello, $1200) she had made it unlikely I would buy it from her because when you tell someone what you are interested in and they don't even address your questions before trying to double or triple your budget...that's just tacky.

Is she right though?  Opinions about merino and hand cranked machines?  Anyone?

Comments

[Alison]

two things -
1) I *love* that hat!
2) re: spinning a little drunk, I totally believe that. Once I taught a couple coworkers to knit after a few margueritas, and I approached it with some trepidation. But it worked out very well, they were too relaxed to over-think it.

[Risa]

I was going to recommend the Strauch Finest (Fricke) but Carole beat me to it :) Electric carder is nice, but definitely not necessary. The Fricke will handle everything you throw at it.

[Kellee]

Well, I don't (yet) know much about the Shetland, but #'s 1 and 4? Absolutely, positively true.

I have successfully carded Merino on my Louet Jr. and, aside from needing to be a little more careful, haven't had any problems. Washing it was definitely more harrowing than the Romney I had worked with up to that point, though. I can't wait to see which way you go on this.

That hat? Must.Have.Pattern. Make her hurry up. ;)

[Laurie]

I'd pay several dollars, more if it was donated to some relief (Knitter's without Borders, katrina, Pakistan, Africa), for the pattern for that hat. Seriously. I *need* it.

You wouldn't deny a fellow fiber junkie would you?

[Ellen]

You can home-wash and process anything if you are careful enough. I do mine in the plastic dish basins, and I don't even use netting. Just pull the fleece apart c-a-r-e-f-u-l-l-y into dishpan-sized portions, and lay it gently on top of the hot soapy water and press it into the water. After soaking, lift out and place into the clean water. If it is still greasy, repeat the hot soapy water. If you use enough detergent (I squirt Dawn 4 times around the pan) and hot enough water, once should do it. It is easier to manage if the pan is full of fleece--with a smaller amount it wants to slip through your fingers. You can hand or drum card it easier if you "fluff" the locks a bit before loading the cards. The trick is to not overload either the cards or drum carder. More is not better in these circumstances.

[Diane]

Now look what's happened, not only do I check Yarn Harlot on a daily basis, but also Juno's! Anywho, I have a Strauch Finest and am in love with it. Easy to operate and does a fabulous job of carding and/or blending. Also easy to clean afterwards. Shetland? I am fortunate to have friends who raise them so it is also one of my favs to spin.

[lanea]

I cannot speak of electric carder. I card with scary scary Viking combs. So stop tempting me with drum-carders already. I can't buy all the music I want and all the books I want and all of the fiber-arts tools if people keep tempting me with things I didn't know I wanted. Evil.

[Alison]

*delurking*

Oh - the Denny-designed hat is *stunning*. It has fired my 'covet' gland - can you tell me how to get the pattern? (=> expecting to pay, natch)

Electric carders I can understand (though not necessarily covet) - the thing that makes me shudder slightly is the electric 'spinning machine'. I really don't get that.

Alison

[Brianna]

Ack! I used to live right on Queen West (Strachan, specifically, and then Afton, a little further west), and walked past Romni Every Day.

And I was not yet a knitter. Or a spinner. I could weep. Did you go to the Lush a bit further east, though? I love Lush. Love it.

I home process Merino...it just takes more care. As in, the soaking in the washing machine thing? No. Just say no. I wash mine on the stove - boil a pot of water, put locks in netting, take pot off heat, put in soap and soak merino. The heat gets rid of all the grease first try, and yeah, its slower, but I havn't felted my locks yet!

[Rabbitch]

An electric carder is an Abomination Unto Nuggan. Hand-cranked all the way, baby.

And um, I think that apart from being tacky, that store was also in violation of Canadian law. I do believe that they are required to honour the posted price.

[mamacate]

You know my thoughts about home processing of merino. But I'm going to go with B) and D). I'm not sure what they did to shetland to make it so scratchy in sweaters, but it is SO not about that. But anything that comes right off the drum carder? Or better yet, the diz? It will spoil you for ever buying prepared roving again. My problem is that I don't even want to dye anything after processing because predrafting just seems WRONG now that I know the alternative.

[Katy]

Ah. It all sounds wonderful. I'm a bit envious (and craving some donuts).
And I really really want that hat pattern.

[claudia]

Um...you'd want to card merino at home why? Cause, first you have to WASH merino at home. Which, due to the extreme grease and high risk of felting, I'd never do nor recommend.

[Norma]

I personally think they sort of led you astray on the inhaling the donut box thing. It's a behavior that seems distinctly unCanadian to me. Not to burst your bubble or anything. ;)

[Vicki]

It's been so much fun, reading your posts and Stephanie's. Very enjoyable, both. Thanks.

[Rachel H]

oh, one more thing? I don't get the diz. I don't even know what a diz is.

[Laurie]

I can only donate heresay, so I won't. Lush experience, that Romni. And that Shetland.

[stephanie]

Don't get the electric carder. What will you do when the power is out?

[Carole]

I think I told you already but I did just order the Strauch Finest on the recommendation of both Cate and Risa. They claim it'll do most anything I want and it was only (yeah, only, can you believe I'd use that word about this much money?) $600. Anyway, it's supposed to arrive next week. Psych!
And you held the yarn for Joe's gansey? How cool is that!!!

[Kris]

I was in Toronto last year, and went to Romni - I had NO idea they had a downstairs! Dammit!

[Sarah]

The doughnut action looks scrumptious. I can definitely see how swirling and sniffing could add to the experience, just hope you didn't take it too far and spit doughnut as if it really were a wine tasting!

[Rachel H]

I'm not that dorky in real life, folks. Honest. Stephanie made me pose like that. What I'D really like to see is a group shot of all the yarns that came home from Toronto with you, both from Romni and Lettuce Knit.

[S.Kate]

e) All of the above. ;-)

Electric carder? Didn't know they had such a thing, but then, I'm still walking down the block. In additon to an Ashford drum carder, I have two sets of hand cards, coarse and fine. Coarse gets the most use. Fine mostly for blending my cats fur and cashmere (this kitty's fur is soft!) No experience here with scouring/carding merino though. $1200???