#degenezijde

de engelenmaker by stefan brijs!! it does contain a fair amount of trigger warnings though, so if you are sensitive to any of the following topics, steer clear:

child abuse

anti-autism ableism

religious abuse

abortion

animal experimentation

dubious consent regarding IVF

child death

suicide

Question: why did you personally decide to get the lanolin out? I know some people prefer to keep it in so I'd like to hear your motivation.

​honestly, the biggest reason is that i tried spinning some of it with the lanolin in, and i didn't enjoy the experience. maybe it wasn't warm enough (the wool was in full sun, but it was probably about fifteen degrees out), maybe i did it wrong, maybe it's just me, but it just wasn't my jam. i tend to do very minimal fibre management when i spin, and the fibre with lanolin in didn't draft as evenly. i'm guessing it varied with a couple factors—how greasy that particular part of the fleece was, how warm that particular bit of wool was—but it meant that sometimes it wanted draft out very quickly, and sometimes it was a little more reluctant.

i have to reiterate that this might be specific to my personal spinning style—there's always twist in my drafting zone, and i'm not really interested in doing a bunch of pinch-pull-twist motions with the hand that isn't holding the fibre, so i want my prep to behave predictably.

the other reason is that i love playing with colour, so some of the fibre is likely to be dyed before we spin it, and you have to remove the lanolin before you can dye it. sorting it all out and guessing what i'd want to dye vs what i'd want to keep natural sounded like a nightmare, so i didn't do it.

i feel like it's sort of held up as like, Peak Spinning, sometimes, but it seems that plenty of esteemed spinners don't hold with spinning in the grease if it's avoidable, either. i'm sure there are some, but i think that they're a minority, or at least they certainly have been in my reading. alden amos's big book of handspinning has a section on this subject: 'grease wool, and why you want to wash before spinning'. it opens like this:

Several traditions surround the use of wool, and one is the concept of spinning in the grease, which means making yarn from unwashed wool. Aside from being a grand occasion to whomp on a sacred cow, a discussion of spinning in the grease serves to introduce more advanced aspects of fiber preparation. In honor of those who champion spinning in the grease, we list three reasons for doing so: (1) You do not know any better. (2) You do not have any water. (3) Your customer demands it. Here are reasons for not spinning in the grease: (1) Clean wool is easier to card. (2) Grease wool is impossible to comb. (3) Unwashed wool may be contaminated with all sorts of unpleasant things.

all of which i have to say i agree with. i produced some mediocre rolags and top with the unwashed wool, and spun a chunk of yarn that was well enough, but it was more work and less enjoyable for me than doing otherwise, so it's probably not an experiment i'll be repeating.

What are you looking forward to doing?

​Tommorow we're seeing Wim Claeys' Vuile Liedjes in the Minard, Sunday there's "Free The Folk" (large mash up of instruments for fun folk music), Monday I wanna see Eva De Roovere, Tuesday there's Go_A (!!! (Known from Shum from Ukraine in Eurovision)), ...

By someone who has not actually read the Hornblower books, but who’s just seen a lot of Hornblower/Bush quotes in their time, and know without a doubt that they are incredibly thirsty for each other.

10.

"Aye, aye, sir," said Bush, warned by the scowl on his captain's forehead not to enlarge on the subject. But his affection for his captain compelled him to open a fresh one. "If that's the case, sir, why not take a rest? You look mortally tired, sir, indeed you do. Let me send and have a berth screened off for you in the wardroom." Bush found his hand twitching - he had been about to commit the enormity of patting his captain's shoulder, and restrained himself just in time.

9.

Even though he was not in a smiling mood Hornblower could not help smiling at the misery of Bush's expression. "I'm glad to see you're only human, Mr Bush, after all. Sometimes I've doubted it. There couldn't be a more perfect First Lieutenant." Bush needed two or three seconds in which to digest this unexpected compliment. "That's very good of you, sir. Very kind indeed. But it's been all your doing." In a moment they would slide down the slippery slopes of sentiment, which would be unbearable.

8.

Hornblower was tired now, as a result of his sleepless night the night before, and his emotions had been jarred into a muddle by what he had had to do; it was easier to sleep tonight, waking only at intervals to listen to Bush's breathing, and to sleep again reassured by the steadiness and tranquillity of the sound.

7.

"Good old Hornblower!" he said. "Good old Hornblower!" To him it was really excellent news; he leaned over and patted Hornblower's shoulder. He knew his face was one big smile, and he put his head on one side and his shoulder on the table so that Hornblower should get the full benefit of it.

6.

There were two nights when it rained, and they all slept huddled together under the shelter of a blanket stretched between willow trees — there had been a ridiculous pleasure about waking up to find Bush snoring beside him with a protective arm across him.

5.

"Thank you. Very kind of you," said Bush. But it was utterly beyond possibility that he could give the least hint of the feeling that the gift evoked in him, that after lying lonely for these days in the hospital he should find that someone cared about him — that in any case someone should give him so much as a thought.

4.

"I thought I should never be warm again," said Bush, when his head came out through the collar of the nightshirt. "And you, sir? You shouldn't have troubled about me. Won't you change your clothes now, sir? I'm all right." "We'll see you comfortable first," said Hornblower. There was a fierce perverse pleasure in neglecting himself to attend to Bush.

3.

[Hornblower] ran the tip of his tongue over his lips; Bush could see that the lips were cracked and parched and that the tongue could do nothing to relieve them.

2.

"Bush! Bush!" That was Hornblower's voice, pleading and tender. "Bush, please, speak to me." Two gentle hands were holding his face between them. Bush could just separate his eyelids sufficiently to see Hornblower bending over him, but to speak called for more strength than he possessed. He could only shake his head a little, smiling because of the sense of comfort and security conveyed by Hornblower's hands.

1.