I hit another little speed bump on the Tour de Fleece. As I’ve been telling anybody who would listen, I’ve been sick all week. I’m not one to suffer silently; rather, I whine loudly to anyone who will listen. I was pretty sure I had some modern version of the plague since last Tuesday: cough, runny nose, runny eyes, itchy, sneezy, wheezy, drowsy (sounds a little like the seven dwarves, doesn’t it?). I’ve been taking every version of cold remedy on the market, with little or no relief. Even the whiskey didn’t help, it just made me Dopey.
Today it dawned on me. This is the fiber I’ve been spinning on my new Moosie spindle for the Tour.
Here it is again being wound off the spindle onto a tennis ball.
The fiber is from Corgi Hill Farm. It is just lovely stuff, and spins up like nobody’s business. It’s a merino-silk-camel-firestar blend.
Damn. It’s the camel. The only other camel stuff I have in my stash is two things; one is a very small amount of pure camel fiber. It made me sneeze when I stuck my nose in the bag. The other is a bit larger bag of tussah-camel. It also made me sneeze when I stuck my nose in the bag. Fortunately I didn’t go nuts and buy boxes of this stuff.
The camel fiber has all been quarantined. When I’m feeling better, I’ll do a semi-controlled study and play with it a bit and see if the same thing happens. It just won’t take me a week next time to figure it out. If I start sneezing again the next time that bag is opened, the camel fiber will all be on the auction block for sale.
Here’s what’s replacing that fiber for the rest of the Tour:
The color on that is just all wrong. This is also from Corgi Hill Farm, it’s a merino-silk-firestar blend (no stinking camel!), color name True Blood. I’ll work on getting a better photo if our sun ever shows its face. The photo on my monitor looks pink-red. In real life, this has no pink, just deep blood red with shots of darker red and sparkle.
I’m off to find the allergy pills.
Oh no! A Tour injury!! 🙁 Hopefully removing the camel from your environment will help.
Well, I supposed you can count your lucky starts that you don’t run into camels every day in the Pacific Northwest. Who would’ve thunk it??
So glad it’s an allergy rather than the plague. This way you know you can make the misery stop and you won’t have to feel better to die.
The new fiber looks really pretty, even with the color being wrong. (But then, I’m the pink fiend, so of course I would like it!!) Hope this stuff is the ticket to a win in your Tour.
That’s actual drama, such a lovely yarn in such a great natural colour. And you just can’t work with it. But I am sure there will be someone out here in the www once you’ll finish your study and set the fibers free to adopt them willingly! True blood is just the right colour way for a knitting doctor, isn’t it? lol
oh, your poor thing….I may still be under that rock, but I’ve never seen camel. (the fleece) Not sure about that color either, but you never know-tomorrow it may look different 😉 How are you enjoying wordPress (are you getting any spam?) I’m a bit annoyed with blogger at the moment…
I’m glad that you figured out what the issue was! I’m sure that after you conduct the actual scientific experiment you will find a suitable home if it is indeed the cause of the misery.
I love the replacement. I love the name and your description! I can’t wait to see it take form!
Color me amazed. But at least it is treatable and you can isolate the pathogen.
Hi, I just found you and love spinning blogs!
so so so sorry you’ve been feeling ill, and oh my gosh, how funny( but not) that the fiber is making you feel bad.
It would have never occurred to me.
be well, and that pink (but not pink) roving is beautiful!
(it’s nice to meet you)
🙂
Oh no! I hope it isn’t the camel because it is a dreamy fiber but if it is you will just have to switch to cashmere *g*
Alpaca does that to me. I can knit with the yarn but I can’t card it or spin it or I sneeze like crazy.
Good thing for you you’re not a Bedouin.
What an oddly specific allergy.
As I was reading that first part, I thought it sounded like allergies. Sounds like a more severe version of what all members of my extended family who reside in the Chicago area were experiencing last month (much lesser extent this month). I guess all the gray skies & unusually high rain amounts made the spring allergies worse this year. What a shame – that is lovely looking fiber & was making lovely looking yarn.
That’s too bad — I love knitting with camel, and I suspect it would amazing to spin! Personally, I currently have a no-fun summer cold….
Here’s hoping that by now, the seven dwarves of traumatic sneezes have run back to the hills. (and taken their dusty camels with them).
Camel lint. who wouldda thunk it.
gorgeous spinning.