Tour de Fleece

In spinning, there is an annual event called Tour de Fleece. It takes place the same time as the Tour de France cycling event. The goal is basically to spin a little every day if possible, and there is a challenge day when the cyclists face their toughest uphill section, so spinners are encouraged to do something difficult that day as well.

Last year was the first year I had access to a spinning wheel during the Tour, so it was also the first time I participated. I had some fiber that I acquired at MDSW along with my wheel, so I set out to spin that. Two identical braids, one purchased by me, the other a gift from my friend Holly.

I didn't get very far with it, though. Of course, I did travel for a large amount of the Tour, driving from Tennessee to Rhode Island for Handweavers Guild of America's biennial Convergence conference and taking a workshop there. I also spun up some angora given to me by a lovely man named David, so my spinning attentions were divided. (Also: HOW WONDERFUL IS ANGORA?!) The point is that I only got about halfway through the first braid of fiber during the tour.

I took time off from spinning for pleasure to finish my BFA, since that involved a lot of purposeful spinning, and finished up that braid from Tour de Fleece in May. This year, I decided to spin the matching braid so that I could ply them together and have a finished yarn. I finished the second braid in a week, thanks largely to the fact that I acquired a fast flyer for my wheel while spinning for my thesis show.

After that, I started working on the spinning project I had put away just before Tour de Fleece, not expecting to finish the first project so quickly.

If (or, being realistic, when) I finish the rainbow, I'll have to make a decision on what to spin next, but I'll still have some plying to do, so I'll probably do that first. For my challenge day I'm going to break out my drop spindle and see if I can wrangle some yarn out of that, since I've never gotten the hang of it. As for today, though, it's a rest day, so I'm going to go rewatch some more X-Files episodes and do some knitting.

It's Over!

Hopefully you're as nerdy as I am and read that post title in the voice of Strong Bad. If not, I highly suggest you go watch some Teen Girl Squad and Strong Bad emails.

My senior thesis show went off with barely a hitch, just a minor photography snafu. The reception was great. It was small but still overwhelming. And I got my diploma in the mail a couple weeks ago, which means I need to finish writing my thank you cards. (I sent half of them already, so I'm not completely slacking!)

Here's a photo of me working on the interactive piece, thanks to Carol Ventura. The yarn for this was contributed by friends and strangers alike, and each section tagged with the donor's initials and city of residence. I had a sign underneath the title inviting others to sit and knit, and several people took me up on it once I pointed it out. I'd love to know if anyone knit on it while I wasn't there, but I have a feeling the answer is 'no' since most people don't interact with the art in a gallery.

Now, I'm ready to set up my studio, but I'll have to rent a place or build it from the ground up. I've heard that there's studio space for artists in town but I sure can't find any information online. Instead, I'm searching for a silly capitalist job to put money toward A: living, and B: building a studio on my property. Wish me luck! In the meantime, here are a couple more photos from my show.

Each piece represents a place or series of places that's important to me. Some are more obvious than others.

Almost There

As usual, my intent to keep up with the blog has failed and I've neglected it for far too long. But there's good news! I installed my thesis exhibition this weekend and as soon as the lighting is adjusted I'll be done. It's such a relief and such a good feeling. It's been too long, but the knowledge that I've gained and the experience that I've had at school will stay with me, and it's a unique sense of accomplishment to have earned a degree, even if it's not one that's highly sought after. My reception is on Sunday, and I'll try to remember to post pictures.