Twist & Shout

Spinning at Alexandria Arts Safari

2009-10-10T16:47:00.000-07:00

I had a very pleasant afternoon doing spinning demonstration at the Alexandria Arts Safari. The event is at the Torpedo Factory, a venue in Alexandria, Virginia for artisans. The Arts Safari is geared towards kids. The parents seem to really enjoy it too, though, as their kids learn about and even try different crafts including the textile arts.

The weather was somewhat chilly and drizzly but there was a good crowd, a pretty much constant stream to chat with. We provided explanations and demonstration. The was an opportunity to touch different fibers like silk, wool and alpaca, make felted necklaces, and make yarn to tie as bracelets.

An Ode to Low-Tech

2009-08-28T08:46:00.000-07:00

Of course I think about spinning A LOT, and today the thought I had is that I like it partly because it is low-tech. That's what flashed in my mind as I was pumping gas - yes, pumping gas. Gee (I was thinking), I'm enjoying this SO much more - or at least it's less annoying - than when I fill up at one of those places with the gas pumps that talk to me. Also - power toothbrushes. I have to confess I haven't tried one, but I'm simply against the idea. Oh, and I have a car with a lot of sensors and sometimes that gets annoying.

So - though I love my computer and gadgets, I like going low-tech. I like powering the spinning wheel myself - I don't foresee myself buying an electric wheel. I like the fact that a drop spindle has no moving parts. I like working with wool and thinking about the animal it came from. For me there's even some interest generated in having to deal with the bits and pieces of hay and everything in the fiber.

Please take my poll and let me know how you feel about power toothbrushes. I need to know if I have some backing on this extremely important issue.

Shades of Gray

2009-08-22T07:22:00.000-07:00

This yarn is spun from a fiber blend that includes some from the sheep at Star Gazing Farm. It is a perendale sheep breed, blended with mohair (which is from a goat). You can read some interesting information about the perendale breed at wikipedia: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perendale_(sheep). The fiber was so much fun to spin. The dark gray blended with the white to create a barber shop pole effect on some of it, but I also got plain white or plain gray on other parts. I decided to ply it as a three-ply.

Autumn Leaves

2009-08-22T07:11:00.000-07:00

This yarn I spun from fiber I dyed at a dyeing workshop at Misty Mountain Farm. We used chemical dyes - sorry, I don't remember what colors I used for this one and I'm not sure what type of sheep the wool is from. It was really interesting to work with the fiber because it wasn't combed when we dyed it - the locks had been clean but were not otherwise prepared. After the dyeing session, I let it dry thoroughly but then I wasn't quite sure how to deal with it since all the wool was sort of tangled together. I didn't want to put it through a carder because that could cause the colors to blend too much and appear muddy. With encouragement from my friend Sue, I just picked it up and started spinning. I fluffed it up and teased it out a bit before spinning then used the woolen method, letting it sort of draft itself. It was slow going - there was lots of bits and pieces of vegetable matter and quite a bit of dust in the fiber which fell out as I spun it. I decided to navajo ply it, to get gradiations in color. It's sort of thick and thin novelty yarn. I think it looks like autumn leaves.

Gruff Yarn

2009-08-22T06:57:00.001-07:00

This is yarn I spun from Gruff, a sheep from Star Gazing Farm. Gruff is a romney breed. Our sheep-to-shawl team was to use Gruff for our competition at Maryland Sheep and Wool in May 2009, so our team practiced spinning Gruff's raw locks (unwashed, hand combed). For this yarn, though, I spun from clean wool that had been carded - put through a drum carder 3 or 4 times. We spun it at a demonstration at Star Gazing Farm in July. It was nice to spin - I used a woolen technique and it came out soft and fluffy. To learn more about the romney breed, take a look at www.ansi.okstate.edu/breeds/sheep/romney/ or check out the American Romney Breeders Association http://www.americanromney.org/info.html.

Four-Ply Yarn

2009-07-25T15:50:00.000-07:00

At the homespun yarn party (Savage Mills, MD, March 2009), I purchased a wool and bamboo fiber. I decided to try it on my drop spindle. Once I had enough I wanted to test plying it, and decided to try a four-ply yarn. This means four different threads plied together. I swatched it, and you can see the result in the photo.

I think it's a great tweed. It turned out that it sort of self-striped.

New Party Tricks with Spinning Wheels

2009-07-25T15:23:00.000-07:00

So, loyal readers will know I spin on a wheel (I own two), and on a drop spindle (I own several). But I've found that once I have fiber spun on a drop spindle, it's hard to get it prepared for plying. There is no device that makes it easy to hold a drop spindle and ply from it or from several.

One technique I've tried is winding the spun fiber onto a core (an empty toilet paper roll, if you must know). However, it's not that easy to ply from. Since I think it's sometimes easier to spin using a lazy kate (built to hold bobbins), I decided I'd try to wind from my spindle onto a bobbin. So I configured my Ashford Traditional double-drive to spin the bobbin but not the flyer.

To do this, the double-drive band must be placed around the bobbin only. For spinning one band is placed around the bobbin and one band around the whorl, so the bobbin and the flyer both spin. But, with the band only around the bobbin, the flyer doesn't move. See, in the photo the flyer is the wood with the hooks in it - like arms. You can see the drive band - it is the pink band horizontal in the picture. The whorl is the piece with the two grooves, in the center of the photo. It is slightly darker wood than the bobbin.

Here's the technique:
1. I put the empty bobbin in place.
2. I placed the band around the bobbin
3. I attached the thread I'd spun on the drop spindle, to the leader on the bobbin.
4. I started treadling, clockwise
5. Continued treadling and winding onto the bobbin until all the fiber was off the spindle.

Simple as that. The flyer never moved so it didn't get in the way as the thread wound onto the bobbin. I found it was somewhat difficult to hold the spindle in place and let it spin as the fiber wound off, but I managed it with a little finesse.

Clun Forest Hat

2009-07-25T15:10:00.001-07:00

I knit the clun forest hat from my handspun! It is a pattern from the Spring 2009 edition (I believe) of Spin-Off magazine. Clun Forest is a breed of sheep, but I used yarn that wasn't spun from Clun Forest fiber. Nevertheless I thought it turned out well. Alarmingly, it was tremendously oversized once I washed it. Not to be distressed - I realized it would probably make a good felting experiment. And so it did. If you are interested in Clun Forest sheep, check out this link: http://www.clunforestsheep.org/

Bamboo Follow-Up

2009-07-25T14:47:00.000-07:00

I got far enough along with the bamboo to attempt to ply it. I was NOT happy with the result. Way too loose a ply. In my frustration I totally trashed the singles. I do still have plenty of fiber left, and I think that it's just a matter of finding the right project for it.

PLYING TIP: Part of what gives me hope is that I've learned something about plying since the failure with the bamboo. My friend Liz saw yarn of mine underplied, and we simply ran it through the spinning wheel again in the direction of the original ply, to ply it tighter. The resulting yarn just after plying was coiling up on itself. Now, I had worked under the assumption that the coiling indicated the ply was too tight and it wouldn't result in a balanced yarn. NOT SO! Once I washed the yarn, the coiling and kinkiness were gone - I didn't even have to weight the yarn down when drying it. So, this makes me think that I can ply the bamboo much tighter than I thought I could, and end up with a wonderful yarn.

The other thing I'm considering with the bamboo is creating a kind of boucle style yarn. With a boucle, I can spin two singles with opposite twist (one Z twist and the other S). In plying, one will get tighter and the other will fluff out, yet stay held together by the other. The bamboo would be good for the one that gets tighter.

Here is an example of a sort of boucle which I spun with silk and wool Sue H. gave me. The thin is the silk, the blue is the wool.

Spinning Bamboo - Tips

2009-05-17T16:11:00.000-07:00

Spinning Bamboo is challenging, but I've been enjoying it. I've been spinning it on my lightweight Golding spindle, the tsunami. My best advice is to pull out and spin from very small tufts of the fiber. Otherwise it's difficult to handle because it is very fine and can tangle easily. Spinning in very small tufts, I can preserve the color variegation. You can see it in the first photo - in the fiber and on the spindle. The brownish colors are actually very similar but with careful spinning you can prevent them from blending too much and getting muddy.
To achieve this, I sort of stripped the hank of fiber so that it's in thin, very long strips. To spin, I pull out about five small tufts, three or four inches long as you see in the second photo. There's no strict rule - you can pull out about 10 tufts if you wish. It's simply for convenience to have them at hand when you are ready to join them to what you've already got on the spindle.

As you can see on the spindle, the result is a fine singles with a very nice sheen. It can be spun thin because it's very strong.

Cormo & Bamboo

2009-05-17T09:23:00.001-07:00

More bamboo - this time blended. I bought some 70 percent cormo wool/30 percent bamboo fiber at Maryland Sheep & Wool Festival and I finally got around to spinning up some of it. I used the Andean plying technique to see what a 2-ply would look like. I spun the fiber on my Golding medium-weight spindle. I love the brilliant colors, and the texture. It wasn't combed top, more like roving, so it comes out with a nice nubbly texture.

Plying Experiment

2009-05-10T11:15:00.000-07:00

My experiments plying a singles with plain sewing thread really didn't work well at all. However, I was inspired to try to spin directly with the thread, then ply the resulting yarn on itself. That created an interesting helical effect (because they were different colors). You can see it in the photo - it's the one on the left. Try and click on the photo and you will be able to see a very enlarged version so the effect will be really clear.

Then I wanted to try it with yarn I made, instead of sewing thread. So, follow the bouncing ball (of yarn!):

- I spun a singles Z twist

- I plied the singles S twist

So far, normal two ply yarn.

- Then I spun the yarn Z twist with some fiber.

- Then I plied the resulting yarn S twist on itself.

I got the same interesting helical effect as with the thread, of course. It wasn't terribly uniform, so it created a sort of interesting funky yarn. It's in the photo, on the right. I think it's overspun and overplied.

I want to see how it knits up - I fear it might not be very attractive.

Catch-up - MD Sheep & Wool, Recent Inspirations

2009-05-09T09:12:00.000-07:00

So, no postings since February...that is embarrassing. Put it down to doing, not writing about doing.

Over the last several months I've been part of a team learning to spin raw wool for a sheep-to-shawl competition. Summary - 5 team members, 3 hours to shear a sheep, spin its wool and weave it into a shawl. We were to compete at Maryland Sheep & Wool, but there were tremendous circumstances (really, forces of fate!) against us so we withdrew. We haven't disbanded though, and we will be giving demonstrations and I'm sure practicing in the coming months. I'm really glad I had a chance to get to know the members of my team, and I want to thank Anne at Star Gazing Farm, in Maryland. Anne participated as our shearer, and agreed to provide the sheep, Gruff. Check out her website - http://www.stargazingfarm.org/ It's a rescue farm, so if you're an animal lover you'll understand the work Anne does.

Recent product - this handspun. I don't have enough for a large project. Perhaps it will be good for a hat.

So Maryland Sheep & Wool Festival was the first weekend in May, and though our team didn't compete at the festival, it was inspiring. I wanted to try drop spindle again to see if I can actually gain some proficiency. So I bought two Golding spindles and I have been enjoying them tremendously. Over the last two weeks I have spent hours practicing and I have gotten much better. Yes, it still drops, but it's getting easier!!

I really like spinning merino wool, but at the sheep and wool festival there are more unusual fibers available so I like to try those. Bamboo is getting very popular, and straight bamboo and blends were available at the festival. I bought some 100 percent bamboo to try with the drop spindle. The colorway is Rainforest. I didn't realize it would be so tricky to spin - very fine, slippery. It doesn't have scales like on wool to make the fibers naturally grab each other.

Another one of my purchases was a nostepinne. It's a simple tool (a thick, tapered dowel, really) to wrap a center-pull ball of yarn. There is a good description and instructions at http://www.hatchtown.com/nostdir.html

After the festival, at Nature's Yarns I bought the book Fiber Gathering by Joanne Seiff. There was a good section on Andean plying, which motivated me to learn that skill. I recommend the book - it's got fun descriptions of the fiber festivals all around the US, focusing on the unique flavor of each. Makes me want to jump in an old VW microbus and go to each show! The book also has projects, and great pictures.

All in all, it's been a very rich fiber immersion week since Maryland Sheep & Wool!

Mohair

2009-02-23T17:25:00.000-08:00

This is the result of my first try spinning mohair. I consider it successful. I decided to ply this yarn with the Navajo ply method. That helped maintain the color variegation, and also gave me some practice, since I hadn't done Navajo ply in a little while. I like the colors, I like the sheen on the yarn, and it turned out to be a well-balanced yarn. This Web page has a very informative tutorial about what balanced yarn is, and good tips on obtaining a balanced yarn: http://www.hjsstudio.com/balance.html.

Homespun Fetching

2009-02-08T11:22:00.000-08:00

Fetching is a very popular pattern for fingerless gloves. It's available for free on knitty.com, http://knitty.com/ISSUEsummer06/PATTfetching.html
If you haven't checked out knitty.com, you must - it's inspiring, and a great source for free patterns.
I made these out of my handspun. I posted pics of the yarn on the blog October 25, 2008 (Banana Blue - http://twistandshout-spin.blogspot.com/2008/10/i-like-yarn-i-spun-from-some-bright.html). I'm really glad to finally make something out of it! I will probably have enough fiber to knit a matching hat.

Finished Fishtail Fingerless

2009-02-01T14:02:00.001-08:00

The fishtail fingerless gloves turned out well. I'm just pleased to have used some of my handspun. I took the picture just after completing them. I haven't blocked them, and after blocking the pattern will probably appear more distinctly. The handspun is very springy.

Another Project with Handspun - Fingerless Gloves

2009-01-31T10:41:00.000-08:00

I haven't knit much with my handspun because I am still learning and because it can be difficult to find appropriate patterns. It has to be the right gauge, of course, and something that looks great in the color of the handspun you've got. But, I don't have very big lots to work with, or different handspun that would work together combined in a garment. I checked out the Wraps Per Inch on my yarns that I wanted to use, checked out my patterns, and found a good match. I was happy to find a pattern for fingerless gloves that takes only about two ounces of worsted yarn. I must have started them at least 4 times, trying a couple of different cast-ons and couple of different needle sizes. I am happiest with the latest - the knit-on cast on, on size 6 US needles. Here you see the work in progess, knit on dpns from the wrist up. I will need to do another pattern repeat then knit flat in order to create the thumb hole. I'll likely post another pic once they are completed. It's a fun pattern, knits up pretty quickly and I think they'll be fun to wear.

Wheels Turning

2009-01-31T10:34:00.000-08:00

Spinning wheels and color wheels! I took a great class at Nature's Yarns with Martha Slover on color in spinning. I had never been introduced to the color wheel before, so I learned a lot. I had never practiced carding, but at the class I got plenty of practice carding in order to blend the colored fiber. We created new color blends out of the secondary and primary colors, including adding white, grey, brown and black. Then we spun yarn out of some of it. The beginning of my own color wheel!

Spinning Vocab

2009-01-06T13:48:00.000-08:00

I found some good Web sites with spinning terms. I think my favorites are noils, and strick, and kempy.
http://www.textilelinks.com/author/rb/blterms.html (this has general textile terms)
http://www.garrettranch.com/spinning_terms.cfm
http://worldknit.com/howto/howtospin/sterms/s_terms.html
Impress your friends with your spinning and fiber vocabulary, and use the word knowledge to your advantage playing Scrabble.

Two-Fisted Spinning?

2008-12-18T18:23:00.001-08:00

Laura's holding onto my singles while I'm helping Sue, so we get Sue straightened out and then I have to hold her singles... Then of course I feel stupid for having Laura continue to hold on to mine, so look what I end up with...
And it was much funnier when Sue ended up holding onto her own yarn and my yarn and they sort of self-spun together. But I broke them apart too quickly for someone to snap a pic.

I can hear you now - run, do not walk to therapy and get a life! Well, I'll tell you...spinning IS therapy. It's either the wool or me, baby...one of us is going to have tension. I'm twisted to begin with. And who are you to talk? You got nothin` better to do than read my blog. So...

Stash Buster

2008-12-18T17:59:00.000-08:00

As a new spinner, it's typical to be really enthusiastic about it and experiment a lot to build skill. What do you end up with? A great big yarn stash! What to do? Weaving is great stash buster - uses a lot of yarn, as I found out. Also, it's a versatile craft, and much faster than knitting.

My husband Dave and I had a great time weaving at Misty Mountain. Both newbies, we were surprised how long it takes to prepare the loom, getting the warp set. The equipment can be intimidating and the setup is not intuitive, but Linda and Leanna Witt, the owners and instructors for the class, were so encouraging that I felt extremely comfortable and I could just go for it and have fun.

Below are some pics - we are measuring out the warp and putting the warp on the loom. More pics to come in follow-on posts. Thank you to my friend Sue for the pictures - she's got a great new camera, and since I forgot to bring any camera at all we wouldn't have pics without Sue.

`Tis the Season

2008-12-04T18:28:00.001-08:00

A great version of `Twas the Night Before Christmas, from the fiber-holic point of view.

Knitter's Night Before Christmas:
http://knit-a-bit4u.blogspot.com/2006/12/knitters-night-before-christmas.html

I'm about the zillionth person to post it or a link to it, and amazingly nobody really knows the original author.

But Can You Dance to It?

2008-12-03T18:14:00.000-08:00

The ambience is important when I'm spinning. It's great to have company and chat, and it can also be nice to spin in solitude. I enjoy listening to audio books and music. Spinning over the last several days has been a soothing experience because I have been accompanied by the music from La Belle Dame Sans Merci - Peg Loughran and static & silence and reading writing and arithmetic - both from The Sundays.

I'd like to know what you enjoy listening to when you're trying to get that spinning rhythm going. Is it your usual favorite genre of music? Is it the same music you listen to while driving? Does it depend on your mood? Can it help you spin better (or worse, if the music is wrong)?

Results

2008-12-03T18:00:00.000-08:00

Dear readers, a follow up from an earlier blog .... ("Slippery Purple Slope", October 23, 2008). I had much better results than I anticipated. Here are two full bobbins.

I decided to simply ply the singles together, for a two-ply yarn instead of Navajo ply. I think it's a very pretty yarn, and very soft. I believe I will get more than three bobbins full of plied yarn.

2008-11-30T10:09:00.000-08:00

These are pictures of the yarn and some of the fiber I dyed at the class at Misty Mountain. The brightly colored (red and blue) yarn is sock weight. The fuzzy looking blue and green is mohair yarn. The third picture is fiber, dyed in red, blue, and gray.

Dying for More Dyeing

2008-11-23T14:27:00.000-08:00

I took a wonderful class on Saturday at Misty Mountain Farm on dyeing techniques. Leanna and Linda Witt led the class. I had never tried dyeing anything before (except, maybe, food like frosting). The class was great for a novice like me because of all the information the Witts packed in. In only four hours, we learned two techniques for dyeing yarn and two techniques for dyeing fiber. I got to keep the yarn and fiber that I dyed, I had great fun, and the knowledge will be very useful. Kudos to Leanna and Linda! Check out their Web site for more fiber arts classes: http://www.mistymountainfarm.com/

Glass Spinning Wheel

2008-11-22T15:25:00.000-08:00

I saw a post on the Ravelry group Beginner Spinners about a glass spinning wheel and I just had to check it out. A video about the artist Andy Paiko and his work is on the Web site of the Oregon Public Broadcasting station. Very interesting - he is incredible. http://www.opb.org/programs/artbeat/videos/view/216-Andy-Paiko
Certainly not a portable wheel, but I wouldn't turn it down ...

Hiatus

2008-11-20T15:37:00.001-08:00

Shame on me for not keeping up with my blog. Excuses: travel, life, yadaah. I am gratified to see that since I last caught up, I have a couple of new responses to blog entries. One from my brother - he is apparently enjoying the toque! I'm happy for that - it's all about the user experience. I'll be interested to hear if strangers comment on it. Another entry is from a friend, Glaucia, whom I met through Ravelry. Glaucia lives in Lisbon, Portugal. I'm really glad to hear from her, and I certainly wouldn't want to disappoint by producing an inferior blog.

Meanwhile - about spinning, I posted in October about a fiber that I was having trouble spinning on my Ashford Traditional. The fiber is very slippery. I tried it on my Louet Victoria and I'm having greater success. I have spun nearly a bobbin full as of Wed. 19 November. I think the big difference is that the Louet Victoria has the Scotch tension. That is allowing more control over spin and the rate at which the fiber is drawn onto the bobbin.

Banana Blue

2008-10-25T20:00:00.000-07:00

I like the yarn I spun from some bright blue/purple corriedale cross fiber I got at Webs in Northampton, Massachusetts. The shade of blue is a lot like bananas under UV light - wow! Check out http://www.newscientist.com/blogs/shortsharpscience/2008/10/why-do-bananas-glow-blue.html?DCMP=ILC-arttsrhcol&nsref=specrt11_pic
The yarn was spun on my Louet Victoria wheel, and plied on my Ashford traditional double drive. I plied it using the Navajo ply technique and it resulted in about 12 plied twists per inch in the yarn.

Slippery Purple Slope

2008-10-23T16:53:00.000-07:00

I am currently spinning this fiber, which I got from Webs in Northampton, Massachusetts in September. Wow, it's slippery stuff - a bit more challenging than spinning corriedale. Unfortunately I am not sure of the fiber blend. The color combination is pretty. It isn't making a variegated yarn, so I don't intend to Navajo ply it. I think this will be one where I ply two singles together. Webs, um, well, Web page is http://yarn.com/. Lots of goodies on the site. Before you are tempted, be sure you have reaffirmed that you DO NOT NEED ANOTHER SPINNING WHEEL...

Debut!

2008-10-17T14:47:00.001-07:00

A milestone - I completed my first garment (okay, accessory really) out of my own handspun. It's brown and white fiber, spun rather unevenly. I forgive myself for that since it was one of my initial attempts at spinning. The benefit was that it had a rustic tweedy look when I knit it up. I didn't have much of it so I decided to make a simple hat. Being very textured yarn it looked best in stockinette stitch. Here is the picture - the hat modeled on its new owner, my very own brother Ed. He was very gracious about accepting it as a gift (thanks, bro!). He recognized it as a toque. Below is the picture of the yarn I knit it from.

Spinning at Great Falls

2008-10-13T16:48:00.001-07:00

Once again great weather on Monday, and we celebrated the holiday spinning al fresco at Great Falls National Park, Virginia. Laura and I fielded questions from lots of curious folks. We can only hope that we are sparking a spinning revolution (get it? hah!). We were both spinning wool blend with some Corriedale. And (surprise), neither of us is quite sure what we will make out of the yarn we are spinning.

Spinning at Arts Safari

2008-10-12T07:38:00.000-07:00

The wonderful weather Saturday made it a great day to volunteer at the Arts Safari at the Torpedo Factory in Alexandria, VA. The description of the event is at:
http://www.torpedofactory.org/arts_safari.htm
Members of Fluff `n Nonsense demonstrated spinning and gave kids an opportunity to try it out for themselves.

One-Handed Technique

2008-10-09T14:33:00.000-07:00

At the show in Montpelier, I saw an interesting book, Spinning for Softness and Speed, by Paula Simmons. Interesting concepts, basically focusing on avoiding using fingers to pinch the yarn and control the twist. Instead, allow the fiber to twist with the wheel and use only one hand to draft the yarn back, ahead of the twist so the twist doesn't go into the source. You can read more in the book itself about the advantages of this approach. Basically, the author states that it allows faster spinning, and automatically avoids overtwist, making the yarn softer.

I tried the technique - during the presidential "town hall" debate, no less! I found it difficult, and still hadn't gotten it after a couple of hours. The yarn frequently just separated so it was pulled into the bobbin and I was left holding the fiber. The main problem may have been with my tension - I was using my Ashford Traditional double drive, which makes it a little difficult to fine-tune the speed at which the wheel is taking up the fiber. I tried using different amounts of fiber to draft/spin. My end product was uneven, unfortunately. I think I'll be persistent, and try it out on my Louet Victoria, which has Scotch tension. Here is a photo of my initial attempt:

Use the Force!!

2008-10-07T15:18:00.000-07:00

Flash of insight - you can use your wheel (probably) as a tensioned lazy kate!! I found it a big help while practicing more Navajo plying. Using the wheel, I took off the drive band and put on my bobbin with the singles, with the Scotch tension on the bobbin. I set up my other wheel to ply on. It worked great, holding at bay the twisty curlicues that were so bothersome when I was doing the Navajo plying previously. The flyer on the wheel I was using as a kate didn't move as I pulled the yarn during plying.

Fluff `n Nonsense at Barnes and Noble

2008-10-07T15:11:00.000-07:00

The Fluff `n Nonsense group met at Barnes and Noble on Monday October 6. The alcove we were allocated was great, and had a nice big table. About 10 people showed up and there was time for round-robin introductions. It looks so serious, but really, NOT.

Montpelier Fiber Festival

2008-10-07T15:04:00.000-07:00

We had a great time at the Montpelier Fiber Festival Sunday October 5th. There were plenty of vendors, but the crowds were not overwhelming. The weather was great. I really want to thank Misty Mountain Farms for letting us set up for some spinning in their tent. The photos: Sue (in the dark sweater), Justin and me, practicing spinning, and an alpaca.

Means, Motive and Opportunity

2008-10-03T18:52:00.001-07:00

If you know cats, you'll understand. I thought it was safe, I was just going to step out for a minute. Sure, I was in the middle of plying but they won't bother it, WILL they? Only to return to it - wrapped around my chair ... inspiring this warped version of a song by the Bobs, "There's a nose ring in my soup":

I’ve never touched a more fabulous fiber
Compliments on the yarn
The softness is better than yak from the Khyber
The twist is just right, so balanced and nice

I’m not used to Navajo plying
What way to loop the yarn next?
Counter clockwise, my wheel really flying
But one thing is strange that I wish I could change

Chorus:
There is cat spit in this yarn
There is cat spit in this yarn
And the slime of it is giving me pause
Was the singles gnawed by some tiny jaws?
There is cat spit in this yarn

You must listen to the original (abridged): http://www.themadmusicarchive.com/song_details.aspx?SongID=20493
(click on the speaker picture)
The official Bobs site is http://www.bobs.com/index.html - the lyrics to Nose Ring are there, direct link is http://www.bobs.com/lyrics/Nose_Ring.lyrics.txt

Color

2008-10-02T14:30:00.000-07:00

Color is important to me when I choose fiber. It's the first thing that catches my eye. But what color yarn will I get? The colors turn out somewhat muted, because they blend as they're spun together. The fiber in the first picture is very bright, but once it's spun it's not quite as bright, as you can see in the second picture. If you ply the yarn, the method of plying the yarn makes a difference too. With variegated color as shown in the photos, the Navajo plying method preserves the color gradation - a transition from one color to the next. Navajo plying creates a three-ply yarn, as in the third picture. Variegated fiber plied as a two-ply yarn creates an effect with a blend of contrasting complementary colors. Washing changes the color of the yarn too, because quite a bit of dye can come out.

Though it's not obvious, perhaps you can see in the photos the subtle change in color from the original fiber to the spun yarn and then the Navajo-plied yarn (the final product).

For more on the Navajo plying method, check out the video on http://www.joyofhandspinning.com/spin-navajo-ply.shtml

A Poem (or Song)

2008-09-30T08:42:00.000-07:00

Here is a link to a spinning poem/song I found on the Web site of the Hampshire (England) guild of Weavers, Spinners & Dyers:
http://www.hantsguildwsd.hampshire.org.uk/spoem..html

Grease Monkey

2008-09-29T17:59:00.000-07:00

Spinning is social activity - don't let those embarrassing squeaks from your wheel spoil your evening. Different wheels have different points where you should lube them. Some wheels have manuals and other references to help. I found a guide for my Ashford Traditional wheel at http://www.ashford.co.nz/spinning/spinning-frameset.htm - specifically a guide on where to oil it! It was a bit trickier for my Louet Victoria - it came with instructions but no mention of oiling it. I couldn't find any information on the Louet Web site, http://www.louet.com/. A good retailer can be an important source of advice, and I had been told that it had sealed bearings and wouldn't need oiling. Since it was squeaking a bit, though, I wanted find out if oiling might help. I found this page http://www.bountifulspinweave.com/louetwheels.htm which corroborated the no lube instruction. That goes to show - LISTEN to experts, such as Linda at Misty Mountain Farms (thank you, Linda!). It seemed to me the treadles were squeaking and I think it's safe to oil parts except the sealed bearings, so I oiled the joints of the treadle axles. You can see a treadle below in the first picture. I oiled where the black metal part is joined to the treadle. I also oiled the joint where the right treadle is connected to the con rod, which you can see in the second picture below. My last piece of advice on this - don't go overboard with the oil. Listen to the wheel and determine what's making the squeak before dousing it.

End Result - The Sequel

2008-09-28T08:21:00.000-07:00

I did more research to determine whether it's important to spin from a specific end of the fiber. I split a sliver of fiber into two parts, then deliberately spun from one end of the first part and the opposite end of the second part. In other words, part one was <======<, and part two was, >=====>. I did not detect a significant difference in how they spun up. What did make a different was pre-drafting the fiber. Pre-drafting seemed to me to make it easier to spin quickly. I think it also made it easier to avoid slubs. I know, Sue told me - and she was right!

Kay Anderson, Spinning in Scotland

2008-09-25T16:00:00.000-07:00

Check out this great 9 minute video on uTube, of a woman demonstrating spinning. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gOM7YvzGl3Y&feature=related

It's rich with information - it shows her choosing a fleece, carding, and demonstrating a couple of different methods of using a spinning wheel, like the long draw. She even uses the word "rolag" - go ahead, look it up, you know you want to!

Note: I had problems with the video sound volume, so I had to turn up my speakers. You may too.

YARN!

2008-09-25T15:47:00.001-07:00

So this is finished product - the brown and white I spun and plied myself. It's mostly wool with some silk. The brown was wool, and the white fiber was a blend of wool and silk. I am thinking about using it for a hat or a scarf. The other photo is also yarn I spun myself. It's not plied, so it's referred to as singles.

End Result...

2008-09-24T14:32:00.000-07:00

I tried two of the fibers I have, to figure out whether there was a right end and wrong end to draft from. That is, whether one end would be easier, therefore the correct end to draft from. My humble opinion, um, not really any difference. This is likely to be highly dependent on how the fiber was prepared. So I plan to keep the principle in mind. When I am working with a new fiber, I think it's a good idea to pre-draft a bit from each end, and if one proves easier, draft and spin from that end.

Right End and Wrong End

2008-09-22T18:42:00.001-07:00

I read in a book that there was a right end and a wrong end to fiber - an end you should draft from and the, well, the other end. I haven't found the book reference (perhaps I will find and post the title later), but I did find a reference on the Web. Check out http://www.rollinghillsalpacas.com/fiberspinning.html
Some great information on alpacas, and the site references The Joy of Handspinning. With drum carded or commercially processed fiber, you should draft from the end that pulls out more easily - that simple! At least it seems to be...I've got fiber to practice with, and I'll post my experience trying to detect a difference.

The Slippery Slope

2008-09-21T17:38:00.000-07:00

I first experienced spinning only about a year ago. At a small fiber festival I saw spinning supplies and I was interested in trying to spin. I wasn't convinced it was for me, and I didn't want to invest a lot. I bought a book, a drop spindle, and some fiber to practice with. That was a basic recipe for disaster, since I just couldn't catch on to the principles of spinning and controlling the drop spindle. It can be rough going. But, judge for yourself - here are links to some good videos on using a drop spindle:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=drXid5cT0y8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7gXTWgMeMgI&feature=related

Since my initial experience with the drop spindle, I started hanging out with knitters at Nature's Yarns in Fairfax, Virginia. A spinning group meets there too, and as with knitters, all are extremely generous with their knowledge, resources, and supplies. I was coaxed into trying a spinning wheel. I was intimidated, and uptight about spinning in front of the entire group, and the result was not good. But I am tenacious (some would call it bull-headed, but not to my face...), and I eventually tried the spinning wheel again. Somewhere along the line I got hooked - and became the proud owner of a second-hand wheel, an Ashford Traditional double-drive.

There is no doubt - on this journey, it is the influence of other enthusiasts that has made the difference. Everyone in the spinning group has done something to bring me into the fold and share their passion - they have lent me wheels, sold me equipment, given me fiber to spin, laughed with me, and explained and demonstrated techniques. I really want to thank all my mentors in the group! If you're a new spinner or want to learn, find mentors! If you are already a spinner and a mentor, you deserve huge thanks.

NOTE: I'm still horrible using a drop spindle.

Why Spin?

2008-09-21T17:08:00.000-07:00

Your mileage may vary, but I sure love spinning. Why?

Socializing I love an opportunity to chat and joke while I have something to occupy my hands.
Creativity I can create decorative yarns with unique colors and textures for my knitting.
Economy I have found that you can save some money spinning your own yarn for your fiber projects. And, for the same money, you get to enjoy the fiber while spinning, and again while knitting it up or whatever.
Equipment Right now I'd better admit to being somewhat into the technology. I have had quite a bit of fun comparing the way different spinning wheels work and the comparative advantages. What I really appreciate, though, are the simplicity of the mechanisms and the ingenuity of the designs.
Challenge For me spinning presents an enjoyable challenge as I learn about different fiber blends and spinning techniques.

Welcome

2008-09-21T16:56:00.000-07:00

Welcome to Twist & Shout, the journey of a new spinner. I was introduced to spinning through knitting, and I hope I can inspire you by sharing some of my experiences and insights. I'm dedicating this blog to Sue H., who inspired me to spin!