I finally got my hands on a silk merino blend of fiber to spin with. So far I am loving every second of it even though I only have time to spin about 10 minutes every other day. I dyed the fiber myself with decent results, it isn't my favorite attempt at dyeing but it isn't bad either. It is a little too light because I dyed with egg dye tablets. I'm also a little suspicious of the brown...
I also quickly mastered the two main methods of braiding fiber. I'm on the go a lot and free fiber is often a recipe for disaster. Regular braiding is nice, but doesn't work if you want to keep most of it in the braid. The chain braiding method is way more practical for me and it still looks great.