Greater Than the Sum of Two Parts

One skein = one cat's body length

Technically (I don't know what you mean by technically, Bob), I have met my Tour de Fleece goal.  I spun two sets of singles of this gorgeous overdyed Shetland and plied them, all on my spindle.

It resulted in about 132 yds of the most Shetland-y Shetland I have ever seen.  Can't you just smell the peat burning from here?

I do feel like my spindling skills improved and I learned that a girl's best friend in a traffic jam is her spindle.  But I am rather embarrassed to admit that I made a ridiculous mistake.  For some unfathomable reason, I did not divide the fleece evenly when I split it in half.  Yes, that's right...I managed to botch up the simple act of dividing it in half.  I will use as my excuse that I had probably driven for 10+ hours so everything was a bit fuzzy, if you know what I mean.  Oh no, now that I reflect a moment, I remember when I divided the fleece...ahem...mistakes were made, as Ronald Reagan once said.  Enough about that.

The results of my inability to divide one into two evenly was that I have a good ounce of fibre (maybe more - sheesh!) left over.  After studying my spindle spun yarn closely and considering the amount of time and effort that went into those 132 yds, I did what any sensible person would do...I brought out my wheel.  I am spinning the rest as a thin single and will chain-ply it into a lovely little skein...on my wheel.

I like my spindle.  I enjoy spindling.  I appreciate its transportability and its connection to pre-history.   But darlings,  I looooove my wheel.  You may have read one or two love letters to it here (cough, cough).  Does this make me a lesser spinner?  Am I less pure for putting my wheel over my spindle?  Why am I even asking myself these questions in the 21st Century?

The answer is: why don't you just be quiet and spin, for heaven's sake?

And, I think, that is just what I will do.  Cheers!