Nearly Quit Spinning Yesterday

Yesterday was a bad day for spinning. I kept loosing control and the yarn would break. Even lost the end for a while. It was getting to the point where I wondered why I was wasting my time spinning when I had do much knitting to do.

Today changed it all though. I decided to give spinning another go today and what do you know? I was spinning beautifully. For whatever reason yesterday was just a bad spinning day.

I hope I can still spin well tomorrow.

Spinning the Sky

I was so excited today, thought I had finished spinning all the fleece from my eBay purchase in december 2010. Only to realize I'd only finished the lighter fleece, I still have the black to spin.

But I had promised myself that when I finished what was in the bag I could spin some colored roving, and I wasn't going to deprive myself.

I'm using www.kathysfibres.com fine merino in the Colorway Sky. It is 100g and so soft. I have split the roving multiple times so I have a basket full of small balls of thin roving. I have decided that I want the three shades of blue to all combine for a Varigated yarn when finished. I was going to aim for a gradiated skein, but decided that the blending of three shades of the one color would bd beautiful.

I had a few problems as I began spinning, getting the tension right, my hands and treading speed. Because the merino is so fine I have had to slow down a lot otherwise it would spin too fine and break. But I'm in a rhythm now. I still haven't decided if I want 2 ply or Navajo ply, either way, I'm sure the sky is destined to be a shawl.

Reuniting with the wheel

Since working I have found my free time to just disappear before I have had the time to use it! I always sit in my car and knit while listening to podcasts during my lunch break, but when I get home, the hours fly by and I barely get the chance to do all I want to do.

I usually want to have a look on Ravelry and facebook, spend some time with the kids, unfortunately tidy up a bit, and then do some knitting on a home project - one that is too big or too complicated to take to work or do during the day at home with the kids. Sometimes I just want to really focus on getting through a project or starting something new.

But what I realised was lacking is my spinning. I realised that with a goal to spin and knit a sweater this year, I have to keep up the spinning, and really half an hour a night can be found reasonably easily, even if you need an extra cup of coffee to find it!

I was very pleased to realise that I hadn't lost the skills or knowledge I had gained in my almost 4 months experience (minus the month or so I neglect my spinning). In fact I found the rhythm again easily and in no time had spun up enough to feel I had accomplished something. My spinning is still not perfect, however I finally came to the conclusion that because I am spinning directly from the fleece, un carded, no matter how good I am, my spinning of this fleece will always be a bit more "rustic" than spinning from a roving would be. I am eager to purchase some roving soon, so I can truly compare the two methods and see how my spinning compares.

Until then, I'm going to go spin some more!

Handspun Mits and Beret

With the fleece provided to me by Spinaddict on Ravelry I was able to spin up and knit this Beret and Fingerless Mitts set for myself. The color is a really nice brown, rich and warm, although the photo does not do it justice. I was impressed to see how knitting my first ever handspun up, managed to hide most of the inconsistancies in my spinning, while providing the fabric with a very unique texture. I definately encourage people to knit up their handspun before dismissing it entirely.

I did not use any specific patterns for the mitts or beret, it was more just looking over numerous patterns until I was able to combine them to make a generic pattern. Both the patterns I have come up with are perfect for my sizing and I will certainly make again. They display the uniqueness of a handspun fibre beautifully because of their simplicity. And I love looking at them and knowing I made them entirely on my own.

Plying Update

Here are the three possibilities from spinning this fleece. From left to right: Dark and Light plied together, just the light and just the dark. Could not find any storage bobbins anywhere, mustn't be much demand around here. So, I will have to ply as I go. I think I will work through the dark, as there is more of it, until I have a sweaters worth. Then the light, until I have a sweaters worth. Then with whats left I will combine to make a quantity of the mixed. I just want minimum wastage and maximum product out of this fleece, I really love the colors.

Plying Dilemma

After washing all the fleece and spreading it all out on the table, I split the batch into 2, one half the lighter fleece, the other darker. Here you can see the differences.

Only problem is now I'm not sure what to do with them. I think I want a batch of dark, a batch of light and a mixed batch. But although I think I will have enough fleece, I'm not sure. The goal is to get at least 2, preferably 3 sweaters out of this fleece. With about 3kgs or 6.6 lbs or 105 oz. either way alot of spinning!

I am going to try to locate some storage bobbins today, not sure if I'll have much luck, and try to get some organisation and planning done with all the singles. I like the idea of spinning all your singles before plying, so you can balance out changes in your spinning and get a yarn that is even and the weight you need. I don't have a bobbin winder either, but I'm sure I can figure out a way around that.

First Bobbin of Ebony

Here are a few pictures of my first bobbin of Ebony, the fleece I recently bought off ebay. Although she was named as a black sheep, only the skirted parts of the fleece were actually black. The rest is a combination of grey, brown and sun-bleached tips.

 This photo shows the most accurate color of the fleece, and as you can see it is spinning up nicely and evenly and I haven't even had to prepare it beyond washing the fleece. To wash it I have soaked small portions in a laundry bag, in a tub with Earth Choice dishwashing detergent. It is gentle and safe and has worked really well. I usually do 3 loads with the detergent and a final rinse soak. The fleece has come out clean and in excellent, ready to use condition.

I am very pleased with the results of this spinning as well as the color. I really hope that I will be able to use the finished product for a sweater or cardigan or other big project. I am loving the color!

Quality fibre equals quality spinning

Ok, so I was having a nightmare trying to spin up the white fleece I had washed and flicked for spinning. I am able to spin it, but with the staple length being quite short and there being lots of little lumps/pill type things, I kept having to rejoin the fleece and accidentally overspinning it and ending up with a very multi-textured yarn. So not happy. I was beginning to think that perhaps spinning is not for me, that I can't seem to create a yarn that has any consistancy in thickness or twist.

But before I gave up entirely, I decided to put up a new bobbin and try the grey fleece I have been washing that I bought off ebay for a steal, $20 and it's the whole fleece from a black/grey sheep. A lot got removed with the skirting, but I sill have a massive quantity of a gorgeous colour fleece. It is mostly a steel grey, with darker sections and lighter, where it was sun-bleached. So I pulled some out and realised that it didn't really need to be carded/flicked/combed, that the locks are already very open, and although I haven't measured, the staple seems very long. So I threaded it up and started and it was delightful! It was so smooth, spun up so easily, and the single I was creating looks lovely and uniform in twist and thickness.

As an added bonus, the color changes have all blended together nicely to create a stunning rustic grey combination that I am truly in love with. And my love for spinning has grown. I was truly feeling the satisfaction that I'm sure spinning provides others, and felt very proud of what was lying on the bobbin. Tonight I intend to spin more of this grey so I can ply it up soon and see what the final result looks like.

As for the white fleece, I'm not sure what to do with it. Whether I should continue on spinning as much as I can and use the rest as stuffing for a toy or cushion, or to just throw it away. But I don't like throwing anything away even if it is doing my head in, so I will think about it and decide later. But the idea of cushion filling may be the most logical and least painful option!

My First Completed Spinning Project

Here are photos of my first completed skeins of yarn, plied and washed.

 As you can see in this close up, the consstancy leaves a lot to be desired, but I did it! Still pleased, even if I'm not sure if I'll make anything out of it.

I began spinning a new bobbin last night and am very impressed with the consistancy and thinness I have acheived.....maybe there is hope for me yet!

Book: Ashford Book of Spinning

Considering the wheel I have is an Ashford Traditional, I thought it very lucky for me to find the book The Ashford Book of Spinning at my local library. It's step by step instructions and descriptions of the parts of the wheel have all helped me tremendously.

To start with the book describes the basic information, how to spin, what the parts do, and what fibre to use. It explains how to hold your hands, calculate the twist, prepare the fibre and care for your wheel. It also covers breeds of sheep, information about their fleeces, how to spin different staple lengths and crimps, how to blend fibres and how to ply the fibres.

Reading this book made a lot of what I was doing click.....and I felt a greater understanding of what I was doing and why. I realised I need to add a bit more twist to my singles and that my spinning style is worsted. My tension needed adjusting and that helped things to work better, and my yarn consistancy is improving already. Although I still have a long way to go I'm sure.

I have finished 2 bobbins and have begun plying, so far I think I am happy with the result, but I won't know the full results until after I have taken it off the bobbins and set the twist. I think that's right! Either way I am loving this experience and am enjoying the new challenge. Even though I never thought I'd be interested in spinning!

Building a rhythm

I finished a bobbin last night, still have no idea of the quality that I spun but I guess I'll find out soon enough. I am starting to build up a rhythm and getting longer stretches of consistant yarn, but those little bumps and super skinny bits still appear here and there. I also found myself getting some weird areas of over-twisting, and others that were under-twisted. But once again a learning experience.

After all, I need to just look at my earlier knitting projects to see the development of skill and knowledge as each item is finished. The seaming, cables, picked up stitches, button bands and holes......have all improved, and still have more improvement to go. And I doubt I will ever reach a stage of perfection, but that is the beauty of hand-crafts, the imperfections that make it yours and no body elses.

I have noticed time flies when I am spinning, especially when I am in rhythm. I found there were less instances of losing the thread, and equally trying to get it restarted again. I think I managed to spin a lot more in last nights session than in the previous sessions. I also noticed the importance of the tension when spinning, I was getting some very odd, loose yarn threading on the bobbin, not having the tight, efficient look it should. I remedied this by tightening the wheel a bit and going a bit faster. I have found that I work better when I am going a bit faster.

Still so much to learn it boggles the mind! But what a fun journey.

My First Spinning Wheel

On Wednesday I visited a member of my S'n'B group, (that I struggle to attend most of the time due to kids, life etc.) and was introduced to my first spinning wheel. It is an Ashford Traditional and came with 4 bobbins and a Lazy Kate and a bag of unwashed fleece and a bag of prepared fleece which you can see here. An absolutely stunning chocolate brown. I don't know the breed, but I love the color andd the feel of the roving. So, I got a lesson as a bonus and began spinning. I think I got the hang of it pretty quickly, and I have spent at least an hour each night spinning. I'm not sure of the quality I have spun, nor whether it will be usable, but for the most part I think I have maintained an even consistancy. There are certainly thinner and thicker parts, as well as occasional lumps, but over all I'm very pleased with my acheivements, which you can see here.

And finally, here is the wheel. I love it! I think it is gorgeous with the decorative spokes in the wheel, and the staining. The wheel is in excellent condition, works fabulously and all day I just want to spin on it. But I can't during the day because my kids are so fascinated with it that their little hands cannot resist trying to touch it everytime they pass it!

I also got given a bag of raw fleece that needs to be cleaned, carded and (probably) dyed. It is white so it should show colours fabulously. I haven't tried any of the above so I'm sure they will all be an adventure with many stories! A very exciting adventure that I'm loving already. Once I have finished this bobbin I intend to fill another and then ply them together to see if they balance each other out. I hope they do. I am having fun!

Almost Summer

Today is a gorgeous day, 28 degrees, sunny and not a cloud in the sky. It truly feels like summer, and reminds you that we are only 5 weeks away from school holidays, which is 6 weeks without school. A welcome blessing. This year has been long and stressful, and having a respite from it all is welcomed, even if it is just a staycation.

During the holidays I hope to attain a spinning wheel and learn to spin. It would be nice to have a back-up to knitting for the days when it is just too hot. And we get many of those days. Days when it is so hot we hibernate in the house with the air-con on, eagerly awaiting the cool change.

Summer for me meas new beginnings, new resolutions and goals, as well as family time, time to spend together without the pressures of school, homework and strict bedtimes. Things are always so much more relaxed, and I think we all need to relax a bit.

The week is meant to remain hot, and hotter, letting us know summer is definately on it's way. And if this week is anything to go by, it may be a scorcher. At least the drought has broken and our dams are 50% full. You can have an extra shower and not feel too bad!

Wish I had a spinning wheel

Today my thumb is sore, it really only hurts when I purl, but it's enough to really annoy me. It is times like these that I wish I had a spinning wheel so I could still play with wool, even if it is in a different form. I have watched a few spinners and I love it! It looks like so much fun and so satisfying.....I would absolutely love to wear a jumper or a cardigan made from wool I had spun myself. So divine!

Occasionally, and I can't believe I'm admitting this, I feel I need a break from knitting, so I tried crochet, and it just wasn't for me. But since seeing the spinning I really feel a draw to it. Being able to take the craft to another level is very enticing, and some of those natural fleece colors are beautiful.

So now, instead of buying more wool, I think I will save for a spinning wheel and some fibre. With Christmas around the corner I hope to be learning to spin next year! At least that will be my goal..........

Til next time.........Love Danielle xoxox