Spinning 'Round and 'Round

I'm on a spinning kick lately. I just can't seem to get enough of it. It is soothing in a different way than knitting. Right now, I need the spinning kind of soothing.

Yesterday, I finished spinning the blue wool/magenta mohair fiber that I got at SAFF. The yarn turned out well, I think. It's soft and squishy which is what I was aiming for. Here's a sample of some of the skeins:

I tried to spin this on the thick side and did not ply it. I have 5 skeins. I'm planning to do a hat and scarf set with the yarn.

I pulled out some sari silk waste yesterday afternoon to play with and decided it was more trouble than I had energy. The fibers are knotted, and there are some chunks of fabric that need to be shredded. I'm going to save this for another time. If you have any tips and hints on processing and spinning this, let me know.

Instead of the silk, I opted for some silky mohair locks that we purchased at SAFF two years ago. I flicked them open and have been spinning about a fingering weight. I'm so impressed with myself. I've not done much playing around with the different ratios on my Lendrum until yesterday. Wow. What a difference it makes. My yarn is even, fairly smooth, and so fluffy! I'm in love with mohair. The locks are so soft. A lot of people complain about mohair being itchy. They obviously are not spinners, or they'd know better!

Husband arrived home last night loaded down with a new (to him) loom, pounds and pounds of weaving yarn, a boat load of shuttles, a few fleeces (one is a mohair fleece, and it is for me), and I don't know what else. The loom looks great (I don't know the specs on it; he'll have to tell you) but has some rust on the reed and a couple other places. It should be great for weaving small blankets and throws. I may even learn to weave since I'm a sucker for a pretty wrap.

Given my new obsession with spinning in general and thinner yarn in particular, I placed an order from The Woolery for some accessories for my Lendrum. I have coming a fast flyer, a very fast flyer, an extra bobbin for the very fast flyer, and a jumbo drive band so that I can use our plying head. Since the three of us have Lendrums, we can all share these toys. Husband ordered a new reed for his loom--stainless steel, I think, and rust proof.

I want to thank you all for the kind words about my mom in law. We are facing the end times with her now. There's not hope of remission or anything like that. In fact, we're wondering if she'll last through the week. It's that bad. I'm so sad about this, but anxious, too, for her suffering to end. Just a few minutes ago, I looked out my kitchen window and saw this:

Maybe it's a sign that everything will be OK? It just seems a bit out of place for daffodils to be blooming when the outside temperature this morning was hovering in the low 20s.