Winston

 It was the first day of umbrella season so I drug some of the dry Winston locks out on the deck for some fun. He is a Shetland, a fact I neglected to add yesterday. Looking at color charts, I also think he is a Mooskit but I don't know that for sure. That just means he has brownish gray fleece which he does.

Although Winston is a Shetland and not a Merino, I am treating his locks as if he were one. I learned to wash individual locks of Merino during last year's Tour de Fleece in order to preserve their delicate crimp but I decided I liked the method so much I would continue it this year. With just a few minutes of washing a day, I get plenty of really clean fiber to keep me busy with minimal mess in the kitchen.

 I had to really chop off the dried ends of the Merino last year but Winston rarely needs a haircut before carding.

Unlike Merino, Shetland fluffs up with little effort from the carder. These are some sturdy locks.

I don't even have to use a diz. I just pull those long locks into little nests for spinning.

 This is my second spindle full .

 I will be ready to ply a sample with this first bobbin as soon as the spindle is filled again.

It's looking pretty good so far but how it's going to look on the wheel is anyone's guess. I'll be using the Ladybug during the Tour. I wouldn't mind if it were a tad thicker. Knitting a rib warmer at this small gauge wouldn't be much fun.