#the100DayProject Prep and Week 1

I’ve joined up with #the100DayProject this year with the goal of spinning every day. Writing down a daily log of my progress is an easy way for me to stay accountable, follow though, and plan what I want to do with my next spinning projects during this time.

Last week of March: Decided to do #the100DayProject and committed to daily spinning around the kiddo. Set a few rules for myself to make things easier too.

April 3: Got my spindles off the shelf and picked the Jenkins Turkish Swan to spin on. Also sorted through my more recent fiber purchases and picked out 2 bumps to start with.

April 4: The first half of the fiber is in the bag with the spindle and the other is waiting on the shelf. Ready to go!

I prepped 5 oz of hand dyed Polworth to spin. I couldn’t find any discernible repeat to the colors so I split the roving in half lengthwise. Then I pulled those bumps in half at the midpoint.

The colors are even more varied now that I can see more of the individual fibers. Staple length is around 3” which leaves lots of room for color variation even in that space. So the plan for this fiber is simple: Leave the roving as it is and spin 2 singles for a 2-ply yarn. I’m curious to see if the colors will turn muddy or transcendent.

April 5: I know I’ve picked the right project because I am so excited to start. Waiting eagerly for April 7th over here.

April 6: Put my eager energy into baby gift knitting. So much closer to being finished with that baby sweater.

April 7 (Day 1): Day 1! I was actually somewhat eager to get out of bed because I knew today was the day! I pulled out my spindle and fiber after getting breakfast for kiddo. She was really interested in what I was doing. When I asked her if she like watching me spin, she gave me an enthusiastic “yes!”. That was awesome.

It is very obvious to me that it has been a long time since I’ve spun on a wheel or a spindle. The first hiccup was that I forgot to prep a leader to get started. That sorted, the good news is that my hands still know what to do, but it took me a few yards to find my grove. The spindle kept dropping because I wasn’t letting the spindle spin enough to add the right amount of twist to the single. Might by over twisting now, but we’ll see soon enough. Oh, and kiddo made sure to point out the discarded bits I pulled out to save my sanity. Not helping kid.

I did make one split second decision about this project which was to try to keep the cops pretty as I wind them. Makes the wrapping slow going, but I’m in no rush nor have I really attempted this before. Good thing it’s photogenic.

April 8 (Day 2): Ugh. I’ve hit my first real obstacle in spinning reasonably consistent yarn and enjoying the process: sweaty hands. It’s not even hot outside and my hands are already damp. This makes the fiber gets damp which prevents the roving from drafting smoothly. They get caught on one another and bunch up or pull from farther back in the roving instead of the tips. It’s not enough to felt, but it makes the single lumpy and fuzzy. This problem was easier to deal with when spinning on the wheel because I had a little more leeway to dry my hands. Not sure what the fix is going to be now.

On the upside, kiddo was interested in the spinning again today. She watched me working during her snack (but was was more interested in her cereal). Later, when she wasn’t in her high chair, she came up and gently touched the single as it hung and twisted. So cute!

April 9 (Day 3): Still spinning along. Kiddo’s been way more interested in the spinning today. She made a grab for the fiber so I pulled out a piece from the end for her. It held her attention for all of 3 seconds because the big chunk mom was working with was way more interesting. Later, after I’d finished winding the cop, she wanted to take a closer look. Seemed like she enjoyed it because she laughed and smiled all while poking the yarn and spindle. I had to keep her from scratching at it though. Now if only I could keep her from walking straight into the spindle while I’m spinning.

April 10 (Day 4): Not as much spinning time today, because I had to figure out a comfortable face mask and go grocery shopping. The few minutes I did have sitting in the sun later with my spindle were pretty nice though.

April 11 (Day 5): Finished the first piece of fiber! Now I’m halfway through the first single for this yarn.

April 12 (Day 6): I’ve been giving the kiddo the random bits of pulled out fiber. She’s way more interested in what mom’s doing than what mom’s making.

April 13 (Day 7): One week finished! With 93 days left to go (about 13 weeks), I’m really happy I picked spindle spinning. It’s versatile enough to let me spin when I can in bits and pieces throughout the day, and the kiddo likes watching me spin too. It’s a win for everyone!

Here’s what one week of spinning looks like. It might not look like much now, but it’s going to keep growing.