Yarn Along

This is my first time joining in with Ginny and the Yarn Along, although I’ve been following the links for a long time, and getting a few good ideas for both knitting and reading. I’m a few days late, but I jumping in just the same.

This week, I finished listening to “The Town That Food Saved” by Ben Hewitt. It’s the kind of book that if I had to READ it, I’d lose my focus and probably not enjoy it. I’m sure it has to do with all the statistics. Facts and numbers just don’t read well. But LISTENING to the audio version is another thing all together. I could work on a project, and tune in to the narrator and stay much more focused on the book.

Although I’m not sure the author completely proved his premise – that local agriculture can sustain an entire community on many levels, the basic concept is one that needs to be brought more to the forefront if we are going to survive. The book is worth a listen just for the shocking facts and figures about mass-produced agriculture. Food is really not something we should be messing with, and there are so many things done in the name of progress and profit that fly in the face of reason and are just not good common sense.

Aside from doing laundry, I spent most of my time listening to this book while I was spinning. I recently dusted off my spinning wheel after a long period of non-use, pulled out a bag of fiber, and gave it a whirl.

The fiber I tried was not the nicest for spinning. I’m not sure why I bought it – except that I’d purchased finished yarn from this vendor eons ago, and made my first pair of hand knit socks eons ago, and they were very soft and comfy. But this fiber was awful for spinning. Lots of neps, and lots of vegetable matter. I made one 50 gram skein, and then switched to some lovely hand painted Blue Faced Leicester roving, and had a much better go of it. I have one bobbin full, which is half the roving. Can’t wait to get going on the other half!