I’m having one of those weeks that is just racing right by me. Perhaps it’s because the Fiasco and I have been devouring Game of Thrones on DVD (being a season behind is always so painful) and I’ve simultaneously been devouring Outlander books at an alarming rate any free second I get. (What the heck am I going to do when those are over?! * cue panic *) Throughout all this voracious fiction consumption, I’ve been knitting a bit and spinning a bit, too.

MalMarch Sundry:

Malabrigo Dos, colorways Turquesa and Indigo. Click for project page.

I’ve been uncharacteristically monogamous with my one-and-only Malabrigo March knitting project, and if we’re being totally honest, it’s starting to get to me. The yarn is an unquestionable delight and the slipped garter stitch pattern is fun… but it’s still just garter stitch, and alternating colors every couple of rows is always a pain in the ass for me. Plus, those rows are getting long, and the length of time to the end of the month is growing short. I have little confidence that I will finish by the 31st, I’m probably about 50% right now.

MalMarch Nube Cable:

Malabrigo Nube (Merino wool), colorway Persia. Click for handspun page.

If I do say so myself, the single that I’m spinning longdraw from my hand-carded rolags is looking fine, isn’t it? It’s so fluffy! That’s just 1 oz of fiber but it nearly fills the bobbin. I’ve carded up the next ounce and think the spinning will go relatively quickly once I just sit down with it. I’m planning to ply this as a cabled yarn, where you make 2 sets of 2-ply yarns with extra twist, and then ply them together in the opposite direction. It should be fun. And I’m planning a ‘how to card wool’ photo tutorial, once I get the photos properly organized.

Spindle Experiment:

Subterranean Woodworks Medium (holly & purpleheart)

Subterranean Woodworks Small (dyed curly maple)

I needed a bit of a break from all that blue so I revisited the spindle experiment I’ve been casually working on with some merino/silk fiber from Louet North America. I’m having lots of fun seeing the different characteristics of the ‘default’ 2-ply yarns I produce on each tool. More details when I finish, I still have a few I want to do.

That about sums up all my making this week. In other news, I’ve had over 80 people respond to my Sweet Sheep Product Survey and am getting some great ideas and inspiration for future products! Here’s a plot of scent preferences from the data as it stood a few days ago:

Data!

I’m fascinated about people’s scent preferences. I really had no idea that ‘fresh’ scents were so popular, and I’ve frankly been a little surprised at how well things like Spearmint and Green Tea sell because I prefer sweet and spicy scents, myself. I’m also a little surprised that woodsy scents are showing up as least preferred, as Sandalwood Vanilla has been one of my most consistent sellers. In truth, though, I doubt there’s a statistical difference between most of the categories, but I haven’t done an analysis. What do you prefer?

Linking up for Yarnalong.