Dramatic Dénouments

This month I participated in the Ravelry Spindlers monthly challenge, which was to spin in the theme of "Teaching and Learning".  Normally I don't participate because I've tried a few times and failed to complete anything in the allotted month.  However, I more recently realized that many participants don't actually spin a full 4 or more ounces of fibre.  Apparently, enough people were spinning very small amounts that the group made a 1oz minimum rule. I decided I could manage an ounce and I had three lofty 1 oz batts to spin up.
I had picked up the batts this fall at the First Annual (or so the organizers hope) Manitoba Fibre Fest. They are hand-dyed batts of brilliant BFL (74%), silk (25%) and angelina (1%). Of course my camera fails to capture the beauty of the red and the sparkle.

 Batts by The Dyeing Arts

 Following my students' final exam, I started spinning and took a few class room photos - my first "teaching" element in the challenge.

 A little started...

 Spinning in progress at the university.

Such a delightful batt to spin.  I spun from the fold of chunks pulled off the batt.

Having spun the first ounce (one of 3 batts) I could ply it. One thing I love about my Turkish spindles is that I can ply straight from the 'turtle'.  In this case, I plied from both ends. In addition to being delightfully simpler (than rewinding), it guarantees no leftovers!

Making it look festive.

 It's not koolaid in the water...

To give some context to the name of the project - Dramatic Dénouments - I photographed the (damp) skein with some relevant books from my course.  The one that stands alone on the far right was the required textbook. The term refers to what can happen, in rare cases, when new religions enter into a downward spiral that results is some kind of dramatic ending (like murders, siege, or suicide).

Yes, the drying skein is currently adorning my tree - which is conveniently near a vent.

Here's my video attempt to show the sparkle of the angelina: It looked much better before uploading...

To continue with the teaching and learning theme of the challenge, this is only part 1. I won't finish (or start) any more ounces this month, but my intention is to spin the other two batts using different tools and see how that works out.  For one I'll use my top whorl and for the other I'll decide between my rakestraw and my supported spindle. Or maybe a new spindle...