Plying , dyeing and sighing!

Seem to have done a huge amount of plying lately. I must, obviously, have done a double huge amount of spinning in order to ply it all but it's the plying I've noticed. Probably as I'm less happy with it. Today tried plying on my new wheel - wow, wow, double wow! Took a bit of getting used to on the spinning side but plying? A dream. When it came it had a whole full bobbin (on a Louet this is a lot of yarn) spun, I presume by the lady who sold it. Plus a bit on a second bobbin and a bag of roving in a pleasant moorit colour (a muggle(:-)) will ask - a dull, reddish brown. Sheep come this colour.) So today I decided It Was Time. (To try the new wheel.) I was pretty terrified at first as I am used to Ladylike Elizabeth gently hinting that you may like to feed in some yarm "but only if you're ready, I'm happy to wait." as she's a sweet thing and not at all pushy. The new wheel - Lou-Lou (well what the hell else did you expect??!) is a bit of a bint by comparison. Possibly a girl of negotiable affection. The yarn is hauled unceremoniously out of your protesting hands. She takes no prisoners. Sooo after a bit of breath holding and a lot of swearing it's OK. Lou-Lou and I have fought out a truce and a bit of mutual respect.
Back to plying, she's a star, all my plying will be done on her from now on. I've a HUGE hank of yarn to show off once it's set and dried. HUGE Those bobbins, gotta love 'em. All this hanging to dry is the result of this frantic plying I've been banging on about. Impressed? I am! Sevenish skeins of the blue stuff I bought back from Winghams to be my first 'spin and knit a garment' project. The light brown is a crappy beginner's skein that I dyed this morning with Walnut husks. Bri likes the colour so it must be OK. Better than it looks here anyway. It won't photograph but it's golden rich brown. The darker brown is wet, mentioned before. Close up of the blue, of which I am very proud. Can't see here but there are red bits, orange bits, green..... you get the idea, I'm proud. Also dyed some fleece with Logwood chips. This greyish stuff is the result. Was hoping for purplish, bluish. Grey. Weird stuff. The soaking liquid went brown in the pan and it said to add soda ash till it went purple, which it did. (It was ace - like Alchemy, just woosh - purple. Wonderful:-)) Dyed the fleece in purple liquid and got grey. Mordanted with alum if anyone reading this knows more than I do, which wouldn't be at all hard.... It is a very lovely grey actually which I'll use. Finished all the farting around - soak overnight, boil for one hour etc etc then saw "logwood is an extremely fugitive dye" oh big, hairy bum! As an eco-zealot I really want to get to grips with natural dyeing but I've a way to go :-( (In case anyone is concentrating this is the "sighing" in the title. See, I'm trying to tie it all in.....:-))
This oddity is my new sock! I think it looks like a giant clam :-) It's a pattern from "Socks, socks, socks" and is a slouch sock. I never pull up my socks so it'll suit me well but isn't it weird the way it folds up? Hmmn, I can forsee a folded "Giant clam" bag on the horizon!!!