cries in Australian don’t think I’ll get any here…

STOP BULLYING MEEEEEE.

Jkjk, it’s meant to be a midweek treat for my workplace. Thursday is the middle of the week for us. But yes. I know fruity Friday works so much better, so I just act Extra Gay those days.

Fun fact, pineapple was originally on this one. But the pineapple I bought, when cut open, was genuinely the most disappointed I’ve ever been in a pineapple in my life. Poor thing was so pale I’d have thought it had seen a ghost (if it had the eyes or mind to be spooked by one that is).

But coconut! Ohh you’re right, if I manage to find one I aught to try it.

Oooh, I’m presuming New Zealand then? Honestly, learning about possum fibre was a shock, when my coworkers told me about their possum wool scarf. I still think it’s a bit weird to wear the screaming bastards haha.

I just realised… I can buy possum fibre…

Oh trust me, I’ll be spamming the instance with my pictures like a proud parent with a child. I was inspired by finding this website that documents the different dyes different eucalyptus trees can make. Gorgeous browns and greens galore. I absolutely want to post my adventures into spinning and yarn for each step.

Beware. Drum carders come PRICY. They last for life though. I’m going to get into it, but I’m looking into dying (and making my own plant based dyes from my own garden!!)

Please post your spins! I’d love to an get a proper community going (and I’d love to drool over pictures of yarn…)

I got this specific wool from here. I’m lucky to live in Australia where Merino are just about everywhere, so I get some wool from here too. But that one is quite local.

World of wool is by far the biggest and the cheapest option for finding wool though. Even with the shipping included. Plus, it’s the only place I could find Angora at a price that didn’t make me want to die.

Weirdly enough, there’s a LOT of fleece on the Facebook marketplace, just more unprocessed. That might be an option with a lot more work involved if you’re up to it.

Also, a good place to look is wool and sheep shows. Iirc, there was one in Maryland not too long ago. They generally pop up all around the place though.

God tell me about it. I’m still fresh myself, and tried making a skein without a niddy noddy. I lost 70g of plyed yarn 😭

My first wheel bobbin got completely over filled when I was plying. So THAT screwed up too. One skein was underspun and just fell apart. But!! Who cares when I’m having so much fun :) (apart from all the swearing and rage…)

Honestly, just keep at it. It clicked for me after a few on and off attempts over a few weeks.

Hey! Spindles are great! Once it clicked for me, and I moved on from the park and draft method I was having a blast haha. There’s a book called “Respect the spindle” all about this. I’ll write up my guide to be more general and welcoming to spindle users. There’s the saying that a wheel is more efficient by hour, but a spindle is more efficient by week. Alas, I’m not a knitter. I might jump in soon though, hehe.

A beanie for this one! I’ve been bullied (I don’t really mind) into 3 seperate projects for my coworkers. Two beanies and a scarf for the eternally freezing executive chef. And I’ll try making a write up!! The depth you can go into with just drafting ALONE is fantastically interesting. And I don’t feel as bad spending $20 on fibre when I know it’d cost twice as much as yarn, hehe.

But seriously, this week I’ll work on a write up before I go on an endless rant. See if I can’t bring some wooly madness with me, heh. Look forward to some more experimental yarns from me! 🤗

Ha! Tell me about it. I got into spinning and I can hardly stop myself. I’m looking down the barrel of dying my own wool now with local trees and 3d printing myself a rigid heddle loom. Fibre arts truly desire your entire soul once you get into it.

Oh I’m broke and got a needle, thread, and a complete unwillingness to throw out my pants. Good to know about new singer machines though, I’ve been thinking about learning how to sew.

Yeah, you do end up having to do this. I have the exact same problem as OP, in that my crotch desires to rip and tear any pants I wear. Stitching the tear up will only work for so long, get some extra material under there to hold it for a bit longer.