Spinning Roving Swap Questionnaire

1) How long have you been spinning?

I've been spinning almost an entire year now. I took a class in September of 2005 on using the handspindle at knit1 to learn how to use some little one ounce balls of merino roving I had bought from a co-worker of my roommate because otherwise she was going to return them. I bought my Lendrum ST wheel at The Fold on Halloween weekend last year.

2) Are you a beginner, novice, or experienced spinner?

I consider myself to be an intermediate spinner. I am definitely not experienced or expert, but I know what I'm doing and can spin some nice yarn that isn't 3 wpi. In fact, I'm even teaching a drop spindle class at Arcadia Knitting in October. I probably should buy that mediocre kit so that I can practice with what the students will be using.

3) Do you spin on a drop spindle or wheel, or both?

I am capable of using a drop spindle, and I can teach newbies how to use it, but I greatly prefer my wheel for its speed and sitting-down-ness. And it is way more magical for spectators.

4) What types and weights of drop spindles (or what type of spinning wheel(s) ) do you currently own?

I currently own a CD spindle, and two Ashford spindles, a large and a small. I also have a Lendrum ST wheel with only the regular flyer head. I am borrowing a Bosworth Attache Charkha from my friend Joy, who was the teacher at the first spinning class I ever took.

5) What type of fibers have you spun with before?

I have spun wool of various types/breeds (merino, BFL, targhee, corriedale, finn, jacob, superwash, regular, combed top, batts, roving, fake rolags), alpaca raw and as combed top, mystery breed Lorna's Lace's Wool Top, cotton, recycled denim, decor snow blanket blended with tinsel from Winter WonderFest

6) What fibers do you prefer to spin with?

I prefer to spin with fibers that are VM (vegetable matter) free, in a combed preparation. Wool is the most forgiving, and is my favorite thing to knit with. Alpaca is a close second.

7) What fibers do you dislike?

I dislike fiber that is from "naturally colored" sheep (aka BROWN). I clearly am not into this spinning stuff to do it "all natural" or any of that. I am doing it because I like yarn in all of its forms, included pre-yarn. It wasn't very much fun to spin the decor stuff, except as an exercise in souvenir making.

8) Do you prefer natural colored fibers, or handpainted/dyed fiber?

I prefer to spin fiber that is a dyed color, but it doesn't have to be handpainted. Its mostly just that white gets boring, and I'm not a big fan of dyeing.

9) Would you prefer all one type of roving or smaller amounts of different types to sample?

I would prefer all one type of roving, or different colors of similar fibers, so that I could use them together in a project.

10) What are you favorite colors?

My favorite colors are blue, red and purple. Recently, I've also been into the green-brown-blue portion of the clothing spectrum.

11) What colors do you dislike?

Naturally colored sheep=brown, gray and other icky, boring colors.

12) What would you like to do with your handspun yarn, or what do you plan to do with it? (pattern clarification here)

so far I have knit potholders, a ridiculous ill-fitting hat, a hat and mitten set for my sister, a hat for my aunt Steph, and some swatches. I aspire to knit a hat that a person with a regular size head (i.e. not my sister) can wear and not look ridiculous in. I suspect that swatching would help.

I generally knit hats from the center out, thinking that I'll be able to measure the gauge and figure out how many stitches I need, but it never seems to work out that way and the hats are gigantic. I'm trying to avoid swatching, but really, I shouldn't.

I have all those little balls of merino wool spun up into hanks of 2-ply in bright jewel tones, with some coordinating cream colored yarn. I'm planning to design, knit, steek and finish a throw pillow with a fair isle design on it using all that early handspun.

13) What spinning projects are you currently working on?

I'm trying to get back on the spinning horse, as it were. I'm not spinning
for anything in particular.

14) Do you have a wishlist?

Nope.

15) What are your other favorite hobbies?

I read and knit and read blogs and knit and read The Economist and knit and
read books and knit.

16) Do you have any allergies (pet, smoke, food, fiber,etc...)?

No allergies, per se, but I would appreciate if the package didn't come smelling
of smoke or filled with the brushings from your lovely pet Fluffy embedded in
everything.

17) What is your preferred shipping method (USPS, UPS, FedEx)?

My home mailing address prefers USPS, but I can get any of them at work.