The Drafting Zone
This just in: He’s been found! Thanks to Chris for this link to the news article! Thanks to all of you for your thoughts and prayers. Keep them coming for his recovery.
ETA: I just got an email from my good friend, Kim. Her daughter’s fiance went hiking this weekend in Franconia Notch and he is missing. She is asking for our prayers that he be found safe and sound. I know you’ll all do what you can to honor her request. Thanks.
My love for spinning is constant but my actual spinning time comes in spurts. I’ll go for weeks and hardly spin at all and then I’ll spin like a mad woman for days and days. The longer I go without spinning, though, the more I yearn for it. So, Saturday afternoon when I found myself with some free time, I sat down to spin. However, I quickly ran out of pre-drafted fiber. Damn. I find drafting to be rather boring and I don’t like having to stop and draft while I’m spinning because I feel like it interrupts my rhythm. What I like to do is pre-draft my fiber so that it’s all ready to go when I have the desire and time to spin.
So, I parked myself on the couch and proceeded to draft a whole bunch of this alpaca/wool/silk blend from Indigo Moon Farm. I started by pulling off lengths of roving about 12-15 inches long. I piled these up in my lap and boy did they warm me up!
Then I took each piece of roving and pulled it apart so that it would be ready to spin. Once it was drafted evenly I wound it up into a nice little ball of fluff. These were piled in my basket, one by one.
The time passed quickly as I had my feet up and was watching a women’s college basketball game at the same time.
Before I knew it, my fiber was drafted and my basket was full and I still had time to spin for a while. Even better, though, is that next time I want to spin, my fiber is ready.
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That’s a great idea. Plus, you can count your fluff balls and split them between bobbins depending on what you are doing (2 ply/3ply).
Your fiber is very pretty. It looks so fluffy and soft.
I am at my daughters house and couldn’t find your private email. My daughter’s fiance is the hiker that is missing in Franconia Notch…………please put the word out to pray that they find him today and that he will be ok.
That looks like a basket full of Tribbles.
Thoughts and prayers to Kim and her family for a safe return. OMG-I’ll check back (of course!) for your wolly progress. It’s a great color.
Thanks for the news on Kim. I actually love pre-drafting, and do it all in one sitting as you describe, as its good mindless work that I don’t care if I’m interrupted at it, which is usally the case.
After reading your ETA from Kim it’s hard to read more…I’ll be praying and thinking of him all day. I bought some of the IM blend in a bright blue/turquoise and can’t wait to spin it. I want to be a little more consistant first. That basket sure looks lovely full of fluffy fiber! I’ll call this week!!
Lovely! Looks like it will be wonderful to spin too. What a great way to spend part of your weekend.
I really hate having to draft too much while I’m spinning, and so I’ve really grown to appreciate a good pre-drafting session.
And isn’t Indigo Moon a joy to pre-draft?
I can’t wait to see how that roving spins up!
OOOOOH what pretty fiber…has it spoken to you yet as to what it wants to become?
Your friend and her family are in my prayers…
My thoughts and wishes are in New Hampshire.
Oh, major good karma going out to Kim’s future SIL…that is so scary.
Love the picture of the comfy-socked feet, happy dog, and tv. That’s about as cozy a way to spend an afternoon or evening as I can imagine!
Lovely drafted fiber. I love that gray color. I tend to only draft as I go as my puppy has a nack of getting into my roving when the baby gate is accidentally left open. Jack loves all thing fiber- fortunately he has only grabbed a few mouthfuls and I have managed to pry it out in time.
My thoughts and prayers go out to Kim and her family. Wishing for a safe return today.
Oh my gosh, I hate to think what I have missed. And now the news about Kim’s daughter’s fiance?? Oh NO! He’s in our thoughts and prayers. I know they must be frantic with worry.
The gray looks so cozy Carole! It makes me want to spin something gray now. heh And oh the fire! I was thinking of you and your wood stove as ours crackled over the weekend too. And I had no idea you had posted that photo. I hope you’re all doing well. 🙂
I am the same way! If I don’t have fiber pre-drafted I won’t think of spinning. I like to get it all pre-drafted, rolled into balls so I can just grab and spin. Wonder if we could invent something that would pre-draft for us???
I need me a basket 🙂 This go round I’ve been predrafting a section at a time that is roughly 1/4 of a bobbin full. It has been working pretty good for me because it is usually more than one sit downs worth of spinning. But I love the look of the basket all filled to the brim with fluff! 🙂
That little basket of fluff is so cute. I want to stick my hands in it!
Oh, I’m going to be on edge all day until we hear word from Kim.
Your day of drafting and relaxing looks like it was divine.
I’ll be thinking of Kim and her family. *crosses fingers*
I’m the same way, I won’t spin for awhile and then I spin constantly like a mad woman. The drafting thing is interesting. I predrafted everything when I first started spinning because that’s what all the instructions I read said to do. But recently I discovered that with some fibers I’ve spun, they spin easier and more consistently when I don’t predraft them at all. So now I try without drafting first just in case.
I would rather get right to the spinning too. I think I might need an intervention with my wheel. The knitting progress here is very slow these days.
I too am thinking about Kim’s daughter’s fiance.
That is exactly how I handle my drafting. It’s so boring, but so much fun to have a big basket of drafted roving to spin from.
Good thoughts and prayers for Kim and her family.
I won’t show C the picture of you sitting in front of the BIG screen tv while drafting. I need more room, he wants one of those.
My thoughts are with Kim and her family. I hope all turns out well.
My kitties want to know if you need anyone to lie in that basket of fiber. They are eager to help.
oh man..i hope kim’s daughter’s fiance is found soon.
Oh no…..I will keep them in my thoughts.
I will keep Kim and her family (and soon to be family) in my thoughts.
My thoughts and prayers are with your friend and her family. I hope they find him safe and sound and SOON!
Thanks for the heads up on Kim, sending good thoughts her way.
I am the opposite when it comes to pre-drafting. I don’t like to spend a batch of time pre-drafting because I feel like I didn’t get anything accomplished at the end of it. So, I pre-draft a good length and spin it. I suppose I also hop between spinning projects as much as I do my knitting projects (if not more), so it makes more sense to me to pre-draft what I’m going to spin in that sitting, rather than have a lot of pre-drafted fiber sitting around waiting.
What a great idea. I’m going to do that with the rest of the coopworth I have so I can spin more efficiently.
What a good idea and a pretty thing for the coffee table.
I try to pre-draft everything. Recently I tried spinning without pre-drafting and I felt like it slowed me down quite a bit.
That’s a pretty painless way to go about it, isn’t it? Though I’d put on some British comedy instead of sports, I think.
You really like those Opal socks, don’t you? 🙂 Me too.
I am so happy he was found, what great news!
Thank Heaven for the good news about Brian!! Whew!
What wonderful news!
I see you’re drafting in your new Orange socks! If I ever start spinning, I’ll definitely have to remember to pre-draft so things are all ready for me!
I do the same thing. I like to be able to spin with out interruption! Happy spinning!
I love the pictures of the fiber and stuff and am very happy to see the update on Kim’s family.
However, can you please let me know the name of the beautiful pup in the picture with your feet? What breed? Holli needs to know as she is reading over my shoulder at present. Thanks.
Oh, I’m so glad he was found! Frostbite is no fun (the pain at first is intense), but it’s a small price to pay.
I don’t have the patience to pre-draft; I just spin. My dd does perfect pre-drafting into pencil roving, but I haven’t been able to hire her to do mine.