March in with spring yarns

Well for most of the US spring is here. In Boise its raining but I'm not surprised as long as I have had kids going to school we have had a rainy spring break,which is this week. One good thing about it being rainy outside I have more time to spin and knit. I have been working on socks , socks and more socks of late. I am also working on basic fingerless mitts. The reason, I'm getting great for our annual Civil war reenactment, that is coming at the end of April. Each year we set up a camp in a state park just out side Boise and invite 5th grade classes from the area to come and see what life was like during the Civil war. My husband is the Blacksmith and I am the resident spinner and knitter. Last year we had 2700 5th graders come and visit us on the last Thursday and Friday of April. This year I think there will be something like 3500 5th graders. We also encamp on Saturday where we invite the public to come and see what it was like to live during the war. This year I plan to sell socks, mitts and shawls that might have been used during the war. So I am knitting like crazy to get some stock ready.

I have been taking a bit of a break here and there from knitting to do some spinning and this is some of the fruits of my labor. The roving is this month's fiber from Crown Mountain Fibers. Its Shetland and I love the colorway, Bannockburn. I can't tell you how wonderful the fibers have been from Crown Mountain and I highly recommend all their fibers.

Again my plan for each month's fiber is to spin a light weight 3 ply so that I can knit socks with each hank. I want to see which breed of sheep will wear better for socks. I'm tyring to spin about the same yarn for each. They are all chained plied and this month I got 288 yards. So far I have been able to keep up with the spinning but I have yet to knit any into socks. I'm hoping I can get started in a month or so, but we will see.

I have also signed up for a couple of classes at the Black Sheep Gathering in Eugine Oregon in June. I am really looking forward to learning some new things. I am taking a class on dyeing with mushrooms and spinning angora. There are 4 of us going together this year. One is a teacher and has been to a few herself. Us other three have never been and we can't wait. So now you know why I'm knitting a ton of basic socks so that I can hopefully save some pennies and add to the stash at Black sheep.