I think I got it!

Deb and I took at class at Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival in May on Longdraw spinning from Maggie Casey.

I could not get it. I struggled. I just could not seem to get the hang of it.

I'd give it a go every once in a while, but the singles would be too fragile or uneven or just full of lumps. I was sad.

Today, however, while alone at the Tavern, I was spinning the final four ounces of the purple and green fiber from the Barefoot Spinner that I purchased two years ago at the MS&W. I had started with 2 pounds of the stuff. I've been spinning it fairly bulky. I've been working on it for months! I was bored.

Instead of pulling off a piece and spinning from that, I started spinning from the end of the ball itself. Suddenly, it started to flow and I spun the last three ounces completely as long draw. No breaking, no weirdness, just smooth sailing. And it went fast and it was fun.

Now I have to finish plying it and I'm done with the spinning!

The next job is to find the right pattern and knit a sweater!

Since it is 103 degrees today (heat index somewhere around 107), I'm not really trying to start knitting a sweater today. I am working on a baby bonnet, a knitted doll, a hand-spun scarf for my dad, Tom's sock (one is finished), and a lace shawl.

Alice and Jerry appear to be adapting pretty well to the heat. How, I do not know. They move VERY slowly during the day and lay in the shade a lot, but I'm not seeing them pant or even breathe very hard. They have about 2 or 3 inches of insulation on their bodies... but still!

Ken knows about OhNo now. He's not happy that I'm getting yet another sheep, but Ohno is a black lamb with little white rear socks and a white head. He's really cute. If the heat ever lets up, his current owner will deliver him from Pennsylvania.