Preparing for the Tour de Fleece

Yes, you read that correctly. I don't even own a bicycle and I won't be following the Tour de France except perhaps with the most casual of inquiries as to who wins. But the Tour de Fleece? I'm all over it. It's a spin-along that corresponds to the famous bike race ( you know, spinning like cycling = spinning like yarn, very clever). Participants try to spin every day the cyclists ride and try to meet the challenges they (or their teams) have set. I'm spinning on the Rookies team and Team Frickin' Wicked with the other Fricke wheel spinners.

My goal for the Tour is to really get to know my wheel. I love it so far, but I'm very much a beginner. By the end of the tour I want to have a good feel for my wheel and see some real improvements in my techniques and production speed. I'm also challenging myself to learn to use some new (to me) fibres. I'm going to dye myself some alpaca, silk, and several wools to play with. I also got this little bit of fuzzy adorable:

Which I am really looking forward to unwinding and playing with. It has sparkles!

I'll keep you in the loop as the Tour gets closer! If you're not into spinning, or yarn, or anything fun, you may find me a little boring between July 2nd and 24th, because I'll have to devote my entire brain to achieving my Tour goals.