Monday, September 24, 2007

 

Collecting Souls


Yesterday or the day before, my lovely Jel discovered she had some sock yarn that she just didn't love so much.

She had tried to love it, but things just weren't working out. Being a woman of strong character and much intelligence, she didn't do what most of us would do and stick it back in the stash to marinate. She realized that the only thing for it was a clean break. And anyhow, it was commercial yarn, if she really really needed it again later, she could re-purchase it.

So she posted it on her blog and asked if anyone was interested.

Well being a yarn slut I piped up. She said she'd give it to me for nothing but hey, she's a student and I have more fibre than the average yarn store, so I insisted on a trade.

She asked if I had anything in warm colours -- yellows, reds, oranges. I had some superb sock yarn that I had dyed in mostly-solid orange with some minor variations for interest.

The deal was done.

She came by my work last night and dropped off the yarn, On Line superwash, nice stuff! And I gave her the skein of sock yarn.

Knowing that she was a new spinner and that the time to strike was when the iron was hot, I then said, "So how attached are you to your soul anyhow?" She looked at me and said "Not so much." So I handed her a bag of merino/tussah sliver in purples and blues.

She felt it and said "Oh this is just like baby hamsters it's so soft!" I told her that she could have it to spin, but it would mean that she'd traded her soul. She said she thought it was a pretty fair trade.

I didn't tell her that it was a lot easier to draft than a baby hamster. Those don't work out so well, all wet and sticky after the drafting. I'm hoping she never has to find out.

I do believe my work here is done.

Comments:
It's not just a nice thing to do; it's obligatory to lead a teetering waif from the brink of oblivion into the marvelous world of spinning. What I recommend is spacing the enabling so that there isn't a glut of souls on the market.
 
Oh, sure, just try guinea pigs. With all the squeaking and the big teeth, it's almost not worth doing it at all.

I spun merino last weekend and it wasn't hard steel wire when I was done! Must be time to quit, while I'm ahead.
 
Good work ma'am. Brought in gently - you have done your duty well. Next, she'll start collecting souls and so forth.
 
Oh, well enabled! I am planning to stay far away from you, since I have managed to avoid spinning so far, and have two innocent guinea pigs to protect. Or something.
 
You need to post a disclaimer: No Hamsters Were Harmed In the Making of This Blog Post.

Although knowing you, it's Hamster Paprikash for supper tonight.
 
Hm. It would seem that I was right. I notice a marked lack of pictures with this post.

(running, laughing, and yelling obscenities as I stumble away)
 
Soul Collector, "Drug" pusher, same diff. :) (The first one is free, the next will cost you...)

Maybe the subtitle should be Roving: Not as Noisy as Baby Hamsters, But Just as Soft!
 
I've cuddled with it.. Boyfriend is slightly alarmed. Going to go do dishes to hide the fact I've got ulterior plans.. he still hasn't found my acrylic stash yet either......
 
And I am laughing my head off not only over your post--baby hamsters, oh gawd! souls! merino/tussah sliver, purple and blue? damn, you're evil. brava!--but Duffy's comment...because I Was There at the fiber festival all Saturday, and I heard (and witnessed) what Duffy and other spinners were saying/doing in front of the non-spinners! (Um...I may have done a bit of it myself, come to think. Just a bit. I didn't actually spin. Just. You know. Twirled to show how nicely my new spindle kept going. And how pretty it was. Plus handed it around, ditto the Merino roving so people could feel how sof-- Uh-oh.)

I'm more debauched than I thought, aren't I?
 
Hmmm...I haven't "turned" anyone for a while. Your story has inspired me to find an innocent soul in need of corruption! I have some extra fiber lying around here, I'm sure of it...
 
You sound like my best friend from grade school: I came to visit and she HAPPENED to have her wheel set up in her living room with very large piles of alpaca roving sitting nearby (from her alpaca no less). The sun was streaming in the window...it was a gorgeous fall day...I sat and made my own yarn for the first time...and I had no chance. I've been on the dark side ever since.

Do you guys hold enabler meetings? You all seem so GOOD at it.
 
I just want to testify that Jel's already on her way to following in your footsteps and putting my soul at risk. In a moment of drunken weakness, I was forced to play with her drop spindle and pretty blue fibre. Between the two of you, I don't really stand a chance, do I. (That's not a question.)
 
Your work here is nowhere near done - hop to it, girl! There are millions of non-spinners out there - horrifying, isn't it?

Me? I'm doing my bit. I'm herding six knitters-but-not-yet-spinners to Rhinebeck this year. They don't stand a chance.
 
(scratching her head)So are you saying that I should get that combo to spin when I learn how to spin or that I should go to a pet store and accost poor innocent little baby hamsters?
 
In retaliation for your making me touch the baby hamsters, I have also nominated you for a "Rockin' Blog Girl" award. Rock on!
 
Yup ply'em both together by spinning them (using the spindle) in the opposite direction as you spun the balls o' string. This makes for somewhat of a tangled mess if you don't have a contraption-setup already worked out. I recommend sticking the ball each in a box to either side of where you're sitting while ya do it.

And drink lots. That helps too!
 
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