Slowly, oh so very slowly, I am healing. (Oh so VERY slowly.) Spindle spinning was the last thing I lost to the sore arm, and seems to be the first thing I’ve gotten back. I have to be gentle, break it up into shorter sessions, but still. It means that the cotton candy mystery fleece has FINALLY gotten spun up, and I’ve gotten myself going on a glorious 120g of Lincoln, which should last me a while at the rate I spin.

Candy cotton singles

The cotton candy fleece was a gift in a dye exchange approximately forever ago, and got a bit felted somewhere along the way. It fought every step of being spun, and got used to show people how to spin, and in the dark, and when I was half asleep and perhaps had a couple too many now and then. Consistency is a bit of a not thing with this chunk of yarn, but that’s alright. Everyone’s life will go on just fine. Most string things are surprisingly forgiving, all things considered.

I decided I wanted it 2 ply, in theory to help even out some of those inconsistencies, and to use up every last bit of the ‘not much’ I have, I chose to Andean ply. In short, make a centre pull bracelet and grab each end and ply all the way through. Traditionally, one wrapped it around their hand to accomplish this, but it quickly ends in all the blood being cut off from a finger, and no ability to set anything down if the phone rings. So many clever people on the internet have ideas on how to improvise. Some cardboard and a freebie pen later, and I win!

Andean plying without losing fingers

Plying has begun! It will take me a while to get through it, but that’s alright, there’s nothing wrong with working with sunny coloured singles in grey grey February.