Tour de Fleece 2011

I've joined the Tour de Fleece and as of today (Day 2) I'm still right on track with my goal. The Tour de Fleece is a fun fiber game to play along during the Tour  de France. They spin, we spin! The purpose of the tour is a challenge, so I've challenged myself to spin 20 minutes a day throughout the tour. I think it's an achievable amount, and I'm pretty sure that I will end up spinning longer than that once I've sat down. I've joined a wildcard team called Team Sasquatch. I heard about it on the Knitmore girls and when I checked them out on Ravelry they looked really organized. It's a team full of podcasters and I do love my podcasts!

I'm starting with a batt from Crosspatch Creations that I got at Torrance Fiber Festival in 2009.



I had spun about half of it, bulky-like, onto one bobbin, and started another bobbin with a much thinner spun single. I like the thinner a little bit better so I'm going to finish spinning the batt that way.



I'm not quite sure how I'm going to ply it or what I'm going to do with it, but it's more about the journey than the destination. I've made a few hats recently and have discovered I really like them. They're quick and easy and perfect for some quicker gratification knitting. And this yarn would make a hat just like I like them, funky!

Guidelines (NOT RULES):

1. Spin every day the Tour rides, if possible. Saturday July 2nd through Sunday July 24th. Days of rest: Monday July 11th, Monday July 18st. (Just like the actual tour)

2. Spin something challenging Friday July 22nd. (The Tour’s toughest mountain stage over the Col du Galibier for the second time, and finishing up on Alpe d’Huez.)

3. Take a button if you want one. Then we can use the button on our blogs in show of solidarity. Take it from here or grab a clean one from the flickr pool.

4. Wear yellow on Sunday July 24th to announce victory. Why not wear yellow on any day you feel particularly successful? (Yellow is the color of the race leader in the Tour - but here we are all ‘race leaders’)

5. Other colors if desired: Green (sprinter - think FAST), Polka-dot (climber - as in uphill), and white (rookie)

Teams: Join one, or many, or none. Sign up in the Ravelry group. The teams are inspired by the actual Tour de France.
- Peloton (The main group. Everyone is in the peloton at some point)
- Rookies (first years)
- Sprinters (fast and/or high mileage like lace)
- Climbers (conquer mountains, big personal challenges)
- Breakaway (Art yarns)
- Lantern rouge (You will participate as much as possible but you may skip days here and there. Cheerleaders welcome.)
- Wildcards (This is for people who want to form their own team. This includes sponsored teams, like those affiliated with a specific fiber shop or people who live in the same town, etc.)


If you are a spinner (or a hand-spun yarn lover) you should definitely check out the Ravelry group online, the pictures of what everybody is spinning are absolutely beautiful. So inspiring!