Okay, now I've done it! I signed up for the Tour de Fleece 2010 and joined up with The Team of Wonder. Right now I have this sense of, "Oh my gosh, what have I gotten myself into?" *giggle*
The truth is, this will feel like a challenge to me because I don't spin everyday. On the other hand, I think disciplining myself for this event will be a good exercise. I'll probably become a better spinner and hopefully, I'll have some pretty yarn to show for my efforts.
Maybe I should backtrack a little. Perhaps you are wondering what on earth I'm talking about. The Tour de Fleece is an online spin-along that coincides with the Tour de France. When the bikers ride, we spinners spin. Basically, you try to spin everyday of the Tour de France. You can also have your spinning reflect the event by spinning more difficult styles of yarn on days when the riders are facing steep climbs. That sort of thing.
Every year I miss the beginning of this event and I hate to join in late. When I saw WonderWhyGal tweet about it today, I thought I had missed it again. I guess you can tell that I don't follow the sporting world too closely. Anyway, I was informed that the Tour de Fleece begins on July 3rd. Finally, I'm not late to the party!
So I jumped over to Ravelry and found the Tour de Fleece group. Then, to make it more interesting I joined WonderWhyGal's team, The Team of Wonder. In honor of her Alpaca farm, I bought some fleece (pretty) from her Etsy Shop to spin during the tour. I guess now I'm all set!
Can I do it? Can I spin everyday from July 3rd to July 25th? I guess I should mention that we also take the same rest days as the Tour de France riders, the 12th and the 21st. I already know the days that are going to be a challenge for me. I'll be traveling to the International Folk Art Market in Santa Fe the second weekend of July. How will I spin after spending all day on my feet overloading my senses with art? I think I'm going to need some encouragement that weekend.
It's never hard for me to decide what to spin. I'm planning on spinning different kinds of natural roving and then painting them afterward. I may keep a few of them plain too. I've been working toward the goal of never buying any more commercial yarn, but then I get excited about a project and I'm not patient enough to spin the yarn before I can get started. It would be really nice to have a variety of weights and plies on hand for these occasions.
So that's where I find myself at the end of this Friday. I'm looking forward to the challenge of the Tour de Fleece!
Hooray! Thanks for joining the team! I love these events because they do let you challenge yourself while having fun and getting projects accomplished.
ReplyDeleteI purchased my first wheel during last year's Tour and now I have four plus I am selling my handspun. It excites me to now encourage others to spin. My wheel is my happy place.
Thank you for joining the team and for purchasing some of my roving.
Andrea