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national spinning day 2015

October 3rd it was the Dutch National Spinning Day again, also affectionately called LSD which is short for “Nationale Spin Dag”. Over 200 women and some men traveled to Conference center Mennorode with their spindles and spinning wheels to spend a day together. And yours truly was there as well for the very first time!

The national spinning day is organized annually by The Dutch National Spinning Group. The Spinning Group brings spinners in contact with one another since 1999 and also collects and provides information about spinning materials, techniques and the further processing of spun yarns.

Preparation

First, I had to think about which spinning wheel I would take with me. I first thought of my beautiful Saxony wheel Noortje. But Noortje does not quite fit in my car and is somewhat temperamental to spin on. So better to go for one of my trusty castle wheels “schippertje”.

Of course, a decision also had to be made on the spinning project to bring. After some deep digging into my stash, I found these gorgeous self-carded batts: A blend of gray and blue merino, blended with tussah silk.

It’s LSD time!

Because all the fun would start around 9.00 in the morning, the alarm was put on the usual weekday schedule. After a quick breakfast, I left my husband and children to dedicate my day to everything related to spinning. Of course my schippertje first had to be secured in my car. Then I went on my way to Mennorode in Elspeet!

After having installed myself in the main conference room, I took a good look around me: So many different spinning wheels! The hall was soon completely filled, with an amazing number of spinning people together, truly a sight to behold.

After the opening, there was first a market with all kinds of spinning supplies. I had not realized that it would only be possible to use cash there. That got me in somewhat of a pickle: so many things and no means to bring it home with me! Fortunately, the reception of Mennorode was able to help me out, so I could buy the things that made my spinners heart beat a little faster.

After lunch, which was very good indeed, there were workshops for those who had subscribed. I myself just decided to socialize and spin with the other ladies. I had loads of fun and managed to get quite a bit of spinning done.

All in all a very nice National Spinning Day, I’m going again next year for sure!

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tour de fleece 2015

Cycling enthusiast or not, many people will be aware of the Tour de France in the Summer months. Especially the festive start in Utrecht this year, the Grand Départ, has brought many Dutch people to active cheering. What is less known is that at the same time with the Tour de France another international event takes place: The Tour de Fleece, abbreviated TdF.

What is the Tour de Fleece?

The idea is simple, for the duration of the Tour de France spinners from all over the world get together both online and offline to spin wool and other fibers into yarn. Cyclists have their wheels spinning in the round and we let our spinning wheels and spindles spin. It is actually more of a “Spin-Along” then a competition in which experiences and results can be shared. There are no hard and fast rules, the main thing is to challenge yourself and have fun!

Just like the Tour de France participants of the Tour de Fleece are organized into teams. There are several “official” teams that stay connected through the Tour de Fleece group on Ravelry. There are also a lot of “wildcard” teams that share experiences and progress in other groups. I myself join Team Karma, from the Karma Swap the Dutch group on Ravelry.

Goals

For me, this was the first time to join the TdF, which of course makes it extra special. I have not set myself targets of the type of “spinning x meters” or trying out specific techniques. That’s largely because spinning is for me pure hobby. Knitting and crochet I usually do for my own designs and patterns. So if I want to do something different, which is also finished fairly quickly, then I go spin myself some yarn. Making yarn for me is much faster than knitting it!

During this TdF I have therefore only set the target to just spin than usual and enjoy the social element. Not just online but also offline. For Team Karma we got together for a kick-off spin-in in the backyard of one of the ladies. It was very relaxing and fun!

The photos show what I’ve made ​ during this Tour de Fleece. A lot less than other folks, but I sure had fun. Next year I’m certain to participate again!

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almost time: 2014 Indie Design Gift-A-Long

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Preparing for the holidays as only fiber folks can, with special deals from tons of indie designers in the Indie Design Gift-A-Long. And this year La Visch is one of the participating designers!

What is the Gift-A-Long? It’s a multi-designer promotion to help you kick your holiday gift-making into high gear.
The Indie Design Gift-A-Long is a 2-month long KAL/CAL (Knit-A-Long/Crochet-A-Long) of holiday gifts made from patterns designed by a rather extensive list of independent designers. From 13 to 21 November 2014 tons of indie designers will be discounting between 4 and 20 of their patterns 25% for this event. You can read all about the details in this post on Ravelry: click!

Not a member yet of Ravelry? Join! It’s free and totally awesome.

Once you’ve got your Gift-A-Long patterns, you can join a relevant KAL/CAL in the Indie Design Gift-A-Long group. For example, if you are making a shawl, join the shawl KAL/CAL to be eligible for prizes. To join, simply write a post in the KAL/CAL thread of your choice, including the pattern name you will be knitting and a link to your project page. KAL/CAL participants are eligible for lots of lovely prizes but you gotta post to win!

KAL/CALs will run from Thursday, November 13 at 8pm (US-EST) through our New Year’s Eve party, Wednesday, December 31 at midnight (US-EST). In other words: plenty of time to knock out all your holiday knitting and crocheting.
There will also be games, tons of prizes, great conversation, and a lot of fun, so pull up a chair and join!

Stay tuned, because I will also be posting interviews with some of my fellow Indie designers the upcoming weeks.

Other things to keep in mind:

  • Please use #giftalong2014 to tag your social media-ing!
  • Please only share your Giftalong projects with the Gift-A-Long group

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