Flax, Hemp, and a Fat Red Cat

There has been a certain interest in linen at our house lately. I've been wondering what it would be like to make a linen shell for summer wear...JoAnne has been wanting to make a linen washcloth as a way to learn stitches other than stockinette and garter....I have been fantasizing about swatching lace and lace borders in linen and calling them washcloths. So I went shopping for fiber, and, from fear of spinning twine (which is what happened last time I tried to spin flax) I carefully chose the very softest thing I could find, which was this pretty little dab of flax and hemp.

Wow. When I predrafted this stuff, I understood the term "flaxen hair". This is the vegan version of my hair, right here.

I began to spin. I was afraid it would be difficult, but it really wasn't. I used a pretty high whorl so my singles would have lots of twist. I wanted to ply, and I wanted my thread to hang together when I did. And I quickly learned that if I didn't want to be covered with this stuff, I needed a towel on my lap. Other than that, I just spun.
Who knew it would be fuzzy?
If you don't want it to be fuzzy, you can wet your fingers as your spin, but I liked the added yarny quality it got from fuzz. Maybe the tank top idea would be better with water though....but to tell you the truth, my hands were a little sore after spinning this stuff. I'm not so sure about the tank top idea.

This has been the season of new fiber experiements, and sometimes I like to have a little advice before jumping in. I posted about flax on Knitter's Review which is a terriffic place to find out about knitting things, but also has a spinners section. And that is how I encountered P. Kite, obviously a spinner way more experienced than I. Wow. Her blog reads like a fiber encyclopedia. Currently on the front page is a whole whopping lot of information about silk. Heaven only knows whats in the archives! She has answered my questions about yak, cotton, linen, flax, llama...I'm convinced she's spun it all. She debunked a few myths for me too. Thanks, Pam!
Hey, check out that groovy tensioned lazy kate! Just ignore the blue silk...does anybody see trouble coming in this picture?

Yep, that's Ben. My little helper. He particularly enjoys helping with the winding-to-the-niddy-noddy stage of spinning.


Job well done, says Ben, washing up after some hard work.

And for Robknits: yes I microwave dye in plastic disposable ziplock containers. I use them over and over. They say safe for microwave, and they don't melt.

And for Waliak: I don't know why I can't find your live journal. I would be happy to knit in Chicago with you; I only live in Madison, and I'm in Chicago pretty often.