The Tour de Fleece was started in 2006 by spinner Star Athena. It has since grown to a world wide event. It was even mentioned by an announcer of the Tour de France. TheTour de Fleece parallels the Tour de France, an annual bicycle race across France during the month of July. When the riders race, (thus spinning their wheels) the spinners spin. (Also spinning their wheels)
As one who was familiar with bicycles and racing because my brothers and I rode and they raced, I was familiar with the Tour de France and tried to watch at least some of the race every year. As a spinner for over 35 years, I had vaguely heard of the Tour de Fleece although I had never given it any thought. Having upped my spinning game over the past few years and meeting several staff members of, and contributors to, Ply magazine, I became aware of the event again in 2024, and decided to join a team that a friend had suggested. I wasn’t really prepared and I had given no thought to what I would be spinning. I was working and busy with life and I had just purchased my first house. But I joined and I spun at least 15 minutes a day for the duration.
Fast forward to 2025. I had been in my house for a year. I was not working. I had (still have) an adorable and supportive dog who keeps me from doom scrolling, and I was fully aware of the Tour de Fleece and what was really involved. I planned on fully participating. I’d been planning and prepping for the Tour de Fleece for weeks if not months and I was READY.
I used my drum carder more in the weeks before the Tour de Fleece than I had used it the entire time I’d owned it. I love it! My father build a storage/transport box for it and the box is wonderful.
For the tour, I decided to use up leftover wool and fibers I’d gotten from classes I’d taken. I pulled out my “scraps” which in some cases were fairly substantial. I had a ball of a light, dusty, blue, grayish that I decided would be my base color. All blending would start with this wool and I would add other colors to it. That worked fine…until I used up all the base. So, I pulled out a ball of gold/rust/orange. It was a great color and so that became my new base. WOW! I’m not very skilled in color or mixing or complementing colors but the new base with some dark purple looked amazing. I continued blending and mixing colors and using up wool. When it was all said and done I had what looked like a lot of wool to spin. A table full of beautiful, blended batts ready for the wheel.
I had picked out a beautiful sweater pattern that I was going to knit with all the yarn I was spinning. Once I really looked at the pattern, I decided that I would change it up a bit. I took some features out and eventually decided not to knit the sleeves either. So, a vest it was. Still over the month I had to go back to my scraps and drum carder and make up more wool to spin. Twenty eight days of spinning is a lot! Even though I got excited about the sweater and was doing more knitting than spinning by the end of the month. I ended up with a beautiful vest hand knit with yarn that I had spun.
Participating in the Tour de Fleece is a huge endeavor and completing it is a huge accomplishment. I’m proud of what I did in 2025 and plan to spin again in 2026. My parents were shepherds and I have a very large amount of natural white wool. I’m planning on spinning just the white I have and then someday in the future, I’ll dye it.
Peace, Love, Spinning, and Knitting
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