The Motor Cortex Challenge, Continued

Since I have so many knitting projects currently underway, and none of them are crazy or at a crazy point in their pattern, rather than start a new knitting project I thought I'd try something completely different and see if my motor cortex was up to the challenge.

As you can tell from this blog, I don't do a whole lot of spinning.  It's not that I don't really enjoy it - I actually find it to be very relaxing - but it's just a different mindset (and probably one I need to spend more time in!).  Today I sat down to attempt the following: 1) dust the wheel and oil its metal parts; 2) find my notebook to remember which direction I spin (versus plying - I've gotten this messed up in the past and got some unintended crazy kinky yarn); and 3) see if I could remember how to spin!

The wheel is a tough cookie.  It was given to me about 15-20 years ago, and it was used then (but very well cared for).  In our former house it moved back and forth between our bedroom and my study, so I saw it every day but I don't think I've spun a single thing in maybe 3-4 years!  After some TLC (and I still need to tighten one of the screws and maybe give it some wood polish), it did great!

I also remember how to spin!  I had started working on some of the North Ronaldsay fleece that I'd obtained (also quite some time ago), so I continued on with that.  The intent is to see how this stuff spins up and then knits up.  I'm not wild about processing fleeces, but I had to have this one.  The North Ronaldsay sheep live on an island north of Scotland, and eat seaweed!!  It is hysterical to see pictures of them, wading in the surf.  I actually learned about these sheep from a fellow student when I took a toxicology class - they have some kind of metabolic anomaly where they're unable to process copper, so grass is poison to them!  I found a local shepherd who sold me a fleece, and guess what - it's the cleanest fleece you've ever seen - no grass, veggie bits, seeds, burrs, or anything except the occasional small strand of seaweed.  I had washed and hand carded a few bits, so I have enough to give me a pretty good sample, I think.  If I can manage a bit more in the coming days, I'll have something photo-worthy to include!

In other news - last evening Oogyhubby was walking the property (at least the non-muddy parts) picking up random bits of flotsam and jetsam that the wind carries along, and happened to meet the goatie farmer!  It turns out they both went to the same high school (well, it's local, so not a complete shock), but not at the same time.  Hopefully I'll get to meet the goats sometime, rather than peering at them through binoculars!