What Querido got for his birthday.

It began with brushing Querido’s very fuzzy cat Fermi:

Fermi has been very nonchalant about his role in the Very Awesome Birthday Gift.

And collecting the kitty fuzzies. Then, because washing kitty fuzzies loose in the sink seemed like a good way to get myself a clogged drain, Melba and I got some window screening and used it as a support:

Melba is a very helpful dog.

Melba also ensured the fuzzies were properly washed.

After a thorough rinsing in hot water, the fuzzies were clean enough to pass inspection.

Then, I combed together the kitty fuzzies with some Cheviot wool for structure (and to make the kitty go further). This is the first place where this project was a little haphazard: I know nothing about the properties of Cheviot wool. I just know that I was able to buy it in a very loose batt that looked like it would be easy to card kitty fuzzies into, and, as an added bonus, it came from a ranch in Maricopa, Arizona. The second place where the project was haphazard was the blend. I eyeballed the ratio of kitty to sheepie, aiming for 1/3 to 2/3.

Melba, ready to card.

By the time we had approximately two ounces of fiber carded into rolags, Melba was exhausted.

It was a lot of work.

Then, I spun my two ounces of rolags into singles using my drop spindle. My default is a very tight fingering-weight single, so I tried really, really hard and came up with a soft, slightly thick-and-thin sport-weight single.

Sure, it’s uneven, but I’m rawther proud of it.

Then, in the early morning before work the day before Querido’s birthday, I plied my singles and got fifty yards of a lovely, fuzzy, über-local fiber worsted that immortalizes my Querido’s beloved kitty.

I’m calling it purrbaa.