When I first began spinning some three years ago, I had a habit of purchasing fibers based on cost as I didn’t want to spend too much on something that wasn’t going to be perfect. I was an economy wool shopper, and sometimes I was lucky and came across a good deal, other times I was not so lucky and would end up with something that was only suitable for mulch in the garden.

As my skill has improved, (and by no means am I even close to being an accomplished spinner) I began to purchase fibers based on experimentation, color, blends and other unique qualities. I still sometimes go back to the few suppliers who are inexpensive, as the rovings from there are wonderful for my dye-pot disaster experiments, and you just can’t beat the price, but sometimes I crave something unique, something completely wicked, something that spins up a dream.

There are several vendors out there that are talented and amazing with what they can do with rovings and other spinning fibers. Some months ago, I finally broke down and made a few purchases from Kary of The Knotty Sheep. But we’ll get to that in a minute…

Now, I became acquainted with Kary just a few short months after I began blogging, which is about the same time that I began spinning. Kary always sent”fun” emails, the type of emails that just make you smile with her child like enthusiasm. I’ve never known Kary to be anything but “up”, “happy”, “supportive”, “friendly” and “caring”. Many of us who have come to “know” her have decided she would just be a real kick in the pants type of person to hang around. The woman oozes fun!! (Don’t believe me? Go read her blog!)

Now Kary makes something that she has dubbed “The Kitchen Sink Batts”. Pretty much this means what you think it means… she combines assorted fibers to create some of the most beautiful batts that you could imagine. I’ve always been a roving or top spinner, with the occasional hand carded rolags for good measure. I would go to her site and admire her fibers, drool for a while, and not purchase anything because for some reason, I had convinced myself that I was not worthy of attempting to spin up these gorgeous creations..

And because Kary is such a good friend, I decided one day that I should try out just one of her batts. She’s a fiber artist and we should support each other, right? That was the beginning of my undoing…

I didn’t just get one batt, but two, and upon their arrival, they went straight into the stash with serious plans for them. A month passed, I grabbed a couple more from her, and those also found their way into the stash. Then the next month, I grabbed another two.. and yeah, you can see that there is an addiction in the making here.

Some of the batts are destined for a project that I am working on. Something that I will discuss at a later date as I am blending some of my own fibers that I picked up from Delia of The Fiber Denn to compliment the batts that I picked up from Kary. I’m rambling here, let’s get back to what I was originally building up to.

Last night, I was a little fidgety on the fiber front. I have my projects that I am supposed to be working on, and projects that I have plans to work on, but these just didn’t seem to be what I needed to do at the moment. Off to the fiber stash to find that something special to play with! I pulled out one of Kary’s Creations and began spinning.. and spinning.. and spinning..

Now I have been warned by Melanie that Kary’s batts have a tendency to really bloom when setting the twist in the spun yarn, so I made a conscious effort to really spin as finely and softly as I could. I didn’t want to over twist, but I didn’t want it falling apart either. I managed to get into that “zone” of spinning where everything seemed to be going just as I planned, just as I dreamed. The softness and colors of the fibers just flowed through my fingers. I became totally engrossed to the point that I didn’t even realize how the hours seemed to just fly past with the spinning of the wheel.

I managed to spin half of “Camilla”, a blend of a Finn cross breed, hand painted tussah silk and a dash of Angelina for good measure. Unfortunately, the Angelina didn’t photograph as well as I had hoped, but it is just a touch of sparkle in all the right places, trust me.

Fluffy and soft singles, and such pretty colors!!! Yes, I do have special plans for this!

This weekend, I will be spending time spinning up the rest of Camilla, plying and setting the twist.. and then it’s off to look at a couple of patterns that I have in mind! (See Melanie, I am the one who beat you to the pink batts!!)

Have a great weekend!