Not just any swatch, but one I made from my first ever spindle spinning!

I was given a huge bag of raw fleece that is so dirty I'm washing it in small batches in the bath tub. Each time it takes 5 washes and 4 rinses to get the fleece reasonably clean.

Then it takes 4 or 5 or 6 days to dry thorougly. In the photo the fleece is in a pillow case hanging on the clothes line.

Then it must be carded. Since the staple is quite short, the carding takes hours. I card enough to spin about 20 meters at a time. It's a very long process!

For this swatch I transfered the spun yarn from the spindle to two cardboard tubes that once help toilet tissue. I then plied them together onto the spindle, then wound the plied yarn back onto another empty tube.

Finally I was ready to knit the swatch. After knitting I used some Easter egg dye to dye it in the microwave.

What a learning experience! In the coming years I hope to be a much better spinner because I've found that I really love doing it. :-)