Spin something yellow

At SAFF (Southeastern Animal Fiber Festival) in Asheville, NC, last fall I overheard a lady tell a friend, "I've never knit anything yellow."  I thought, hey, neither have I!

I immediately began searching for both yellow yarn and yellow fiber.  What I found was golden yellow wool for spinning and it's perfect for the cold, wintry weather we are having this week.  The fiber on my wheel right now is superwash merino and it looks so cheerful.  

I'm kind of looking forward to couple of snow days to play with my yellow wool.  

(Did I mention the mango colored sock yarn I bought last week?  Yummy.)

New year, new fiber

I can hardly believe it's nearly the middle of January already! Knitting has been high on my list of projects lately. Since finishing my first pair of socks last summer, I've gone on to knit six more pairs and am working on another. The sock currently on my knitting needles is hot pink, almost red. They will be, umm, noticeable.

After church yesterday, I headed to Augusta, GA, to the Tangled Threads guild meeting. It's a group of fiber enthusiasts who meet once a month and everyone brings a current project--knitting, tatting, spinning, crocheting. It's great fun to see what other people are making. Yesterday there was a cowl, a pair of socks, a sweater, a dress and a scarf, all being knitted.

There were also four spinners, including me. I started spinning a fiber blend of camel, merino wool and silk. It's very slippery, but drafts beautifully. I'm not sure yet what it's going to be when it grows up, but it's behaving nicely right now.

Hobbit-y Spinning Project

This is my current spinning project, a polwarth/silk blend in colors that remind me of The Hobbit.  It has forest and mossy greens, rust browns and a hint of turquoise blue.  

I'm trying to spin the singles fairly fine so my finished yarn won't be too bulky.  I haven't decided yet how I'm going to ply it, either a 2-ply or a chain ply.  

Because of the earthy colors, I think it would make great fingerless mitts or a scarf.  The final decision will probably be determined by how many yards of finished yarn I end up with. (I know, that's terrible grammar.  Never end a sentence with a preposition, kids!)

Most of my Christmas projects are done and I'm settling in for a long winter's spinning and knitting.  Thankfully my fiber stash is well stocked.

More Spinning

I finished my first attempt at spinning yarn for socks. I love the way the yarn looks. It's fairly consistent and the pink and grey/brown color runs are nicely preserved. I think it's still a bit too bulky for my taste, about 14-16 WPI (Wraps Per Inch). I have around 315 yards. A search on Ravelry should help me find a pattern that will work. I'm determined that this yarn will be socks!

The second photo is of the current spinning project. It's a Polworth/silk blend in a green and brown colorway, very hobbit-y. I'm not sure yet what it's going to be. We are currently planning a trip to New Zealand, where The Hobbit was filmed, but we're going during their summer. Wool mittens don't sound quite right. Suggestions for this yarn are welcome.

Happy Saturday! The hobbit yarn is calling me back to the wheel...

Spinning Corner

My Kromski spinning wheel sits in the corner of our family room. I can't see the television from here, by design. I like being in the same room as my family, but I need to keep my eyes focused on my fiber, so instead of television, I listen to my iPod. For some reason, Irish music seems to go nicely with spinning. The Hobbit soundtrack is a good choice too.

In addition to music, I also listen to podcasts. One of my new favorites is Yarnspinner's Tales. It's a podcast devoted to fiber and spinning, the perfect companion to my spinning time. Today, I listened to a podcast about spinning yarn for socks. There's so much to learn; I'm going to have to listen to that one again!

Finally, I like to imagine what women of past generations did while spinning wool to make socks, mittens and sweaters for their families. I suppose they usually had a fire going nearby, for both warmth and light. We have a wood stove, but it hasn't been cold enough here lately to have a fire. So tonight I remembered something I've heard many times--there's an app for that. Sure enough, there's a fireplace app. I now have a digital fire to watch as well as crackling fireplace sounds to keep me company as I spin. Until the chilly evenings of a southern winter get here, it will have to do.

Spinning Sock Yarn

One of my goals in spinning and knitting is to spin my own yarn for socks. At SAFF (the Southeast Animal Fiber Fair) in October, I bought some ready-to-spin superwash fiber. Superwash fiber has been specially treated so that it can be washed in a washing machine without felting. I've been working on spinning it for socks.

Sock yarn needs to be firm, so it holds up well. I also want it to be fairly fine, as in not bulky yarn. All that meant it took FOREVER to spin the four ounces of fiber I bought.

I finally finished spinning the singles. Then I was faced with the decision of how to ply it-- 2-ply? 4x4 cable? Chain/Navajo ply? As usual, I had not managed to fill two bobbins evenly, and since I didn't want to waste any of the fiber, a 2-ply was out. A 4x4 cable had pretty much the same issue, even if I plied from center pull balls. Also, I like the idea of preserving the color runs (chain plying does this beautifully!), so chain plying was the winner.

Here's the result--a picture of the singles still on the bobbin, and the chain-plied yarn on the wheel:

Spinner's Lap Cloth

At SAFF (Southeast Animal Fiber Fair) this year, I noticed lots of spinners, me included, with fiber stuck to their laps. This is clearly not a new problem, but it was more obvious to me this time, maybe because there were so many spinners in one place. I also saw a couple of people with fabric cloths, a bit like napkins, across their laps while spinning. Brilliant!

When I got home, I looked around online and found a few "spinner's lap cloth" type things. Several had a dark side and a light side, kind of like the Force. The purpose is to make it easier to see the fiber you are spinning--light fiber on dark cloth, dark fiber on light cloth. I decided to make my own version, with a pocket for each side. I like how it turned out.

Spinning Cotton

A little over a year ago I took a spinning class. (Not the kind with stationary bicycles--silly reader!). It was a beginner class on using a spinning wheel to turn fiber into string. I loved it and a spinner was born.

In one year, I went from no wheel to two wheels and I have my eye on a third. There is an astonishing amount to learn, like types of wheels, breeds of sheep and their wool, and loads of spinning and plying techniques.

Next on my list of things to learn is spinning cotton. There are other plant fibers to spin, including something called tencel which is a tree fiber. But cotton is my current challenge. I found a pretty good deal on some used cotton cards- those brush things you use to line up fiber for spinning.

So, with new-to-me carders in hand, I pulled out a couple of cotton bolls that friends had given me, probably as a joke. I brushed them into punis (a word I just learned for a type of cotton preparation for spinning) and tried spinning it. I made string! It's a little lumpy bumpy, but it's holding together.

Next, I'm going to try carding wool into rolags.

Fluffy Balls of Fall

I was separating my gorgeous, hand-dyed roving a few nights ago, getting it ready to spin when my college daughter walked by. She looked at the basket of wool and said, "It looks like little fluffy balls of fall!" I think she captured the color and texture perfectly. I've started spinning the wool on my drop spindle. I'm still very much a beginner, as you can see by the wide range of thick to thin places in my yarn. My more experienced fiber friends graciously call that "novelty yarn".
Most of the fiber arts people I've met are online friends. They are some of the most giving, helpful and encouraging people anywhere. They never make fun of beginners (at least not to my face) and they are quick to offer advice and instruction.

Even though I'm a complete novice, I'm made to feel like a part of the "in crowd" with fiber people. They jump at the chance to talk sheep, wool, hand spindles and spinning wheels, and don't get them started on roving vs. top! Actually, I love to get fiber people started. Uh-oh, I'm becoming one of "them".

Fibery Yummy-ness, Waiting to be Spun

My Boys Know Me So Well

My husband and son went to a Revolutionary War Reenactment in Camden, SC, on Saturday. They both know that I've been wanting to learn to spin, as in spin fiber into yarn (nothing to do with bicycles or exercising, silly reader). So what do you think they brought back for me? A top whorl drop spindle!

It's a really simple device that uses a shaft and a weight to spin and draw the fibers into yarn. I can't believe how much there is to know about spinning: types of spindles, length of fibers, thick vs. thin yarns and how to create each, how to make 2-ply yarn.

Okay, well, the device itself is simple, but getting it to create the yarn you want takes practice. My spindle came from a lady at the reenactment, along with her video and roving (the fiber prepared to spin). Her name is Renee Gillespie and her video makes it look easy and I think I can do it!

The picture above shows my drop spindle and the rather bumpy yarn I've spun so far. Oh, and if you're on my Christmas list, expect something "primitive" this year.