Three Sheeps To The Wind

New Site!!!!!

2011-11-19T08:34:00.001-05:00

Hello Everyone! Great news! We've got an all new Website with the blog and the shop and everything all attached. it's beautiful and easy to use! Go see it here:

www.thespinningloft.com

Halloween

2011-10-31T18:44:00.001-04:00

Yep. It's here. The day of the year that I hate the most. Too scary. I don;t like it. But I sprayed the kid's hair black cause Harry Potter has black hair you know. I took the photos and went up to hide in my room while Lousmith takes the kids out to beg for candy and Chelsea hands out the treats.

Ryan is Harry Potter and Maggie is Luna Lovegood.

This is Maggie's pumpkin. Two faces and a bit of yarn hair.

It looks like Ryan had a bit of help carving his face.

Aren't they cute?

Now bring on November 1.

Weaving with Sara Lamb

2011-10-25T09:41:00.000-04:00

I've been taking weaving classes off and on for the last 5 years. I began because when I bought the Spinning Loft I became a seller of looms so I thought it would be a good idea to know how to use them.

My first project was warped in a twill with black Louet Gems Merino which is a lovely yarn. The weft was some recycled sari yarn that I beat too hard. So the two scarves I warped for were like boards.

Next was an overshot shawl which was beautiful but the yarn was 5/2 mercerized cotton so I thought it was too heavy and didn't have the drape I wanted it to have.

Next I did a little sampler of Huck Lace from 20/2 white cotton. I loved it but didn't pursue it any further. I really wanted to work with silk...

There were some towels and things through all of this that were gifts and were fine but I wasn't dancing with joy.

In May of 2010 Denny came and helped me wind a warp on the back beam of my Baby Wolf. it took 8 hours. The yarn was Alpaca and it was very sticky and difficult. You can look at it here. It took many months for me to get it threaded after that and then when I began to weave, the threads began to break. I didn't have enough experience or confidence to figure out what was going on. I asked a few people and seveeral of them said the yarn wasn't good for weaving. I tried lots of things to fix it but was never completely successful. The loom spent many months folded with stuff piled on top.

Then Sara Lamb came to town.

That's the sample I took off the loom. It's about a yard long. I had woven about a half yard before she came and it made me cry. It took me months to weave that 1/2 yard. On Saturday I wove another half yard in just a couple of hours. I hem stitched one end of it and cut it off to look at it and finish it. That fabric above is exactly what I wanted! Drapey and soft and warm and a bit fuzzy.

I retied the rest of the warp and fixed some mistakes, figured out that the reason threads were breaking was because of twisted threads and threading mistakes. I'm cruising along very nicely now.

My edges are pretty nice, my weaving is pretty even, the twill is lovely. I'm a happy weaver.

In the midst of all this I learned a lot about yarn and what kind of yarns I want to spin for weaving. I am most interested in fine fabrics which drape beautifully that I can use to make clothing. I have plans now.

So while all of this was going on there was actually a class that I wasn't participating in very well. It was about painted warps and weaving for clothing.

This is the table with the class materials. The colors!

And check out these looms!

That belongs to Wayne

Denny!

Lynmarie

Valerie

And Sara brought lots of samples for us to touch and look at and think about.

There are a ton of different materials and textures there.

Everybody made a ton of progress in the class.

Valerie ran into a lot of obstacles. You can read about her adventures here.

In the midst of all this I spun eight ounces of Lincoln singles for an upcoming project.

Denny and Sara entertained Maggie and Ryan at the hotel pool

Ryan slept late the next day.

Denny was cute as always....and bossy

And Sara...was Sara. Delightful and fun and full of information and knowledge that she shares freely with everyone who asks questions. If Sara Lamb comes to town, hurry and sign up for here class. No matter what the topic. You won't regret it.

SOAR 2011

2011-10-16T10:43:00.001-04:00

On October 1 I left for New Hampshire to go see friends I don't get to see very often and learn some new things and also meet new friends. This year was different because this year I was a mentor at SOAR.

I began to prepare for SOAR all the way back in January. That's when I got the email saying my proposal had been selected. After I took a moment trying to believe it was true then I began doing calculations about how much wool would be needed for the classes I had proposed. Then i talked to Carol about possibly working one day a week to help me wash the wool because it seemed an overwhelming thing...especially since I had been asked to also supply wool for Deb Robson's classes.

There is a three day class and we were going to cover 17 breeds. There are 16 students in the 3 day. that is more than 16 pounds clean right there (that would be about 24 pounds of unwashed fleece). There were also the retreat sessions. Each class had 18 students and there were 4 of those so 74 students and 4 breeds. That's another almost 20 pounds of clean fleece.

There was the washing and the packaging and the labeling oh my! And then it was time to leave and I was a bit nervous.

The great thing was that as soon as I got there and saw that the 4 boxes I had shipped had arrived safely and I could set up my classroom I felt a lot better.

I have no photos of my classes. I'm not good at that. When I begin to teach, that is my focus and I forget about the fact that I have a blog. I did get some pictures from the Workshop Review which is always fun. It's when we get the opportunity to see what all of the other classes were working on. So here are some photos of friends that were the least blurry since I was laughing and couldn't manage to keep the camera still.

Deb Menz, Jacey Boggs and Sarah Wroot who brought me some British Wensleydale!

Stephenie Gaustad who is coming to teach in June and Sara Lamb who is coming to teach this week!

Michelle Boyd who is one of the great instructors at the Olds College Master Spinners Program and Jacey again.

Amy King and Evil Michelle!

Evil again and my favorite Bug Girl and some nutty person.

Gord Lendrum, who I spent a lot of time sucking up to, and Barry Schacht who already loves me and that Jacey again. (She was my room mate by the way)

Richard Ashford with Michelle Boyd spinning on the 30" Elizabeth.

Dave Van Stralen from Louet

Jonathan Bosworth talking about his Chinese style reproduction wheel.

Kelly Rota spinning two threads at the same time on that wheel.

Barry Schacht checking out a Sidekick in the Spunky Eclectic booth.

Barry and Dave Paul from the Merlin Tree who is a fantastic wheel builder and the man I send all the people to when they need repairs or a new flyer or a reproduction Canadian Production wheel.

After all of these photos I was back to work singing lovely things about hand combing and longwools and so the picture taking stopped.

It was a fantastic time and though a little bit of nervous is a good thing I think, I was happy with how everything went and I hope that all of the people in my classes were happy and learned something new and maybe will begin to branch out in the types of wools they choose for projects.

Saturday night I missed the spin in because I accidentally fell asleep and didn't wake up until it was over. Also, Saturday afternoon a reptile show was moving into the hotel. There were plenty of aquariums with snakes and lizards and turtles. I couldn't check out fast enough on Sunday. I had a lot of terrible visions of snakes loose and lost in the hotel.

On Sunday I got in a car with Linda Ligon and Anita Osterhaug to take a drive to Connecticut for a meeting with the Andean Textile Arts Board. which happened all day Monday. We ate a lot of delicious food in Connecticut including some really really good pizza. Tuesday back to New Hampshire and flying home.

This church is in New Haven Connecticut on the edge of the Yale Campus. I dream of someday living in a beautiful church like this. Someday I'll tell you about it.

Anyway, on Wednesday I did nothing. On Thursday I went to the shop and did almost nothing. I feel like I'm still trying to recover! But it was a wonderful time and I would definitely do it again and again.

Many Photos

2011-09-27T11:59:00.000-04:00

I really wanted to tell you all what's going on around here before I run off to SOAR at the end of the week. Don't let that stop you from coming in though. Carol will be in the shop and she is much nicer than me.

School is progressing. Maggie has been working so hard this year and even choosing to do some of the optional projects in her curriculum. She did a study of bird beaks and how to tell what kind of food they eat by the shape of their beak. And there was a project she could choose which was to make a bird feeder. I thought she'd want to do something out of wood but one morning I came down to her cutting up 2 liter bottles. She came up with this design all on her own. The cap on the upper one is holding all of the strings in place and also serves to keep the squirrels out of the feeder. I thought it was pretty clever.

Two weeks ago we got in 3 wheels from the Bluebonnet Spinning Wheel Company located in Texas. I wanted to carry these wheels because they are very pretty and also they have a wide range of prices to suit any budget.

This first one is their most basic model called the Honey Bee. The treadles fold up and it gets pretty flat.

It's very sturdy and solid. Sells for $299.95. This is a great place to begin if you don;t have a bunch of money to invest but want a wood wheel. It's solid Oak or Maple. I wouldn't say this is a great travel option due to its weight but I would say it will go easily to guild meetings and classes that you will be driving to.

It's Scotch Tension and comes with ratio sizes with more available when you want them.

As you can see, it's pretty basic but it feels good to spin on.

Next up is the Shamrock wheel. See that cute little shamrock on top? It's just for pretty and it does its job.

This is another very affordable wheel with lovely wood. It's a great option if you have a limited budget but want something that looks beautiful.

And then the one I was dying to play with. This is the Thimble Wheel and more specifically the Fairy Thimble. There are many models of Thimble wheels but I loved the cut outs on this one.

This wheel does fold.

I think it's a tiny bit vibraty when spinning but I'm also pretty picky.

Another interesting thing about these wheels is that the bobbins have bearings in them. the spinning is smooth.

Next on my list of things to talk about is the class that just happened this weekend. Amy King of Spunky Eclectic and Spin Control Fame was here all weekend. Friday night we learned Nuno Felting. I was prepeared to be annoyed by it but I actually liked doing it. i made an orange scarf. Also, forgot to take photos. I was very busy.

Saturday was a class about how to analyze those mill spun yarns you've been wanting to make. We learned a huge amount about yarn construction, twist and how to reproduce it.

Sunday was weaving with handspun. We learned a lot about how to know if the yarns you have are appropriate for warps and how to make yarns - even singles - work in your weaving projects. We also learned about how different kinds of looms will make a difference in what yarns you can use.

Then Amy went back to Spunky land to prepare for SOAR... which brings me to my next topic.

I'm getting ready to go to SOAR too. This box had all of the little business card size labels I had printed. Each student in my 3 day class will get 3 cards for each breed.

Those three cards went into a page protector with a sheet of cardstock. The cardstock is color coded by the wool category. So each student will have 17 sheets, one for each breed, 5 colors for the 5 categories we will cover.

All of it is already on its way to New Hampshire. I shipped the wool and handouts yesterday.
My plans for this afternoon include packing my clothes and seeing what I need to wash. My hand tools and wool for day one are already in another suitcase that I will carry with me and my samples will be in my carry on.

I'm almost ready to go...I just need some snacks!

The Next Great Bag Search

2011-09-09T17:09:00.000-04:00

This first photo is for Jillian. Just because. Orange Crystals on Pink yarn would be lovely I think.

OK. On to the search. A little background. I finally bought myself a travel wheel this year. A Schacht Sidekick. I never found one that I loved enough to own before but this was the one. It folds compactly and is easy to throw over your shoulder and take to classes, spin ins and guild meetings. One drawback is that it's a bit too tall to take as a carry-on on an airplane. So now I need to figure out how to transport the thing when I am going to teach at places that aren't in driving distance. SOAR is coming in just 3 weeks. I'm running out of time to plan my packing.

More background. When we went to Peru in November I went to Marshalls and purchased a hard side suitcase with spinner wheels. Most hard side suitcases only come with spinner wheels these days. I filled it with fiber and a spinning wheel and a charkha. It weighed just under 50 pounds with all of the stuff in it. I checked it in Detroit and the next time I saw it was in Lima when I had to pick up my bags for customs. Did it come off in Detroit or at the flight change in Florida? I don't know but for the rest of the trip that suitcase was horrible to drag around.

I save the receipt and the tags that came with the bag. No warranty on the wheels coming off when flying. Bummer.

So now I need another bag because that one went to the garbage. I want something hard sided and light weight since the Sidekick is 13 pounds. I also want something with some kind of guarantee. So I decided to go to the actual luggage store.

The first bag we tried was a carry on size duffel with a zipper part in the bottom. It didn't work because the drive wheel is a tiny bit too wide and about an inch too high.

Not sure if this photo shows it very well...

Here's another carry on bag...not cuttin' it.

Camparison of size with another carry on. Thing is, the wheel might work on its own as a carryon but I would hate to risk it. I've been on flights where they made me put my carry on under the plane. That would be sad.

Another view. So we started to look at other options.

I like that one. There is a stretchy strap to keep it in place with a zippered bit that goes over top as well as room all around the wheel so I can wrap it in bubble wrap before packing it. I wish it were a bright color but I can't complain too much. It's also very sturdy and resists very well when I try to push the sides in. This one also comes in silver.

I like the look of that one (it's shiny) but it didn't have the extra protection of the stretchy band to go over the wheel. This one also comes in red.

That one was a bit too small. Very little room around the edges and I want to be able to put some buffering all around before I trust it to an airplane.

This is the from the same collection but bigger. I love the look of this one and the wheel fits very nicely and the interior is pretty lovely. No other colors are available.

So we've narrowed it down to these three. Pretty, sturdy, shiny..

Ok, I got rid of pretty because it wasn't as sturdy/strong as the other two. Then I had to make a final decision.

I went with very sturdy in silver.

Also, since I purchased this at the Samsonite store I get a 10 year warranty where the wheels are covered. The delightful person who was helping me (I forgot her name because I am a nit wit) was fantastic and yes, I could have gotten this cheaper on line. but I spent over an hour in the store and this woman was so helpful and smiley and put up with all of my pulling things down that I want their store to stay there. I will definitely shop there again.

Ashford Limited Edition 30" Elizabeth

2011-09-02T08:25:00.000-04:00

Before I start talking about the new wheels I got in this week I just wanted to show you a bit of spinning that isn't a natural . I've begun working again on the Mythos sweater I started last year. I am almost to the halfway point and realized I won't have enough yarn so I spun up another 350 yards. It's three ply.

I've done a bit of searching and it seems I never talked about this project here on the blog. Here is the link to the pattern. I've spun some Australian wool top dyed by Chelsea. If you are a member of Ravelry, the thread is in the Spinning Loft Group. I talked about making Mythos and also Tappan Zee. Tappan Zee is finished and I love it.

I wear this sweater a lot. It's practical and pretty. The pattern has no sleeves but I added 3/4 length sleeves to it. The top is made from merino batts blended by Abby and the light pink is Corriedale/Alpaca dyed by Amy King.

Time to finish Mythos.

A little background on the Ashford Elizabeth. I am a fan. When I heard in the spring there would be a limited edition of 30 Inch wheels available I immediately asked for 2 with the double treadle option. They are here now! This post could be considered a review of both the 24 inch Elizabeth as well as the limited edition 30" as they are basically the same except for the drive wheel size. (Also, the 30" has a split bench and the 24" wheel sits completely above the bench.....)

The grey plastic knob allows the spinner to adjust the position of the Mother of All to be in alignment with the drive wheel. It has the capability of Scotch Tension as well as Double Drive. I didn't try to set it up in Irish Tension. I should try it. Based on the position of the spring and brake band I'm not sure it will work very well though. I'll check.

The larger knob here is for adjusting the position of the Mother of All for loosening and tightening the drive band. The one on the right is the orifice hook which is stored there. Here are my two little picky things about this. If adjusting the MoA position I need to remove the hook as the handles are too close together for my hands. Also, I am right handed and the hook is on the left sid of the bench when I am spinning so it's inconvenient to grab.

Under the bench there is another grey plastic knob which is tightened when the spinner gets the drive band tension just right. Tightening this knob keeps the Mother of All from wiggling out of place.

Also under the bench is the signature which reads Richard and Elizabeth Ashford. The 24" Elizabeths are not signed. (yes, it's up side down.)

This phot shows the crank and where the crank shaft enters the uprights. You can see the sealed bearings sitting in the upright. There is one on each side of the drive wheel. This addition makes this wheel spin effortlessly. It makes such a huge difference in the spinning. Really.

The crank design is pretty good but for me makes for a treadle stroke that I wish was a bit longer. Again, that is a very picky complaint and not a HUGE problem.

Here she is from the audience side amidst all of the packing material I removed from the drive wheel.

And a view from the spinner's side. So pretty.

This wheel came with the Ashford Competition Kate. I love this lazy kate. It's in my top 5 kates. It's tensioned and very portable. I was excited to see this included with this wheel.

So here are my thoughts. I love this wheel. I think for anyone looking for a production size spinning wheel or a wheel to spin fast and fine, this is a real contender. As I said, treadling is effortless and spinning on this wheel for long lengths of time would be not tiring at all.

The flyer has 3 whorl sizes which give ratios of 10.5:1, 13.5:1 and 18:1. There is a high speed kit available which would speed things up significantly but I found the 18:1 to be pretty great. For longdraw spinning I'm sure I would want the faster ratios.

And one more very picky thing (and I say this about many Ashford products). I do not love the plastic/nylon knobs. Just throws me a bit. I'm glad the color has been changed in the last few years so they kind of blend into the background.

As you can see, I only had a few very picky things. I definitely would own this wheel.

This is very tempting...do I need another wheel?

Oh, What a Month!

2011-08-28T22:41:00.000-04:00

Deb Menz came over. It was really hot so I got her a hotel room. We had sleepovers.

She taught a bit from the floor because i don;t have an easel and she's a good sport.

All the people worked really hard.

Then there was the assembly which took almost a full day!

These are all of the dye books before they were books.

It was amazing. We did 380 samples in 2 days of dying. Well, not really we...mostly they.

I was so happy to finally get Deb to come and play with us. I think it was 2 years of begging to get her to agree to come. During the class she told us this would be the last time she would teach this class and there will only be two more opportunities to take a class with her before she moves on to other things. I can't believe how lucky we were to get such a fantastic teacher before she stops teaching!

In other news...5 days before Deb arrived, Chelsea had her baby.

This is the baby before we left the hospital. She is darling and so tiny.

I made her this little sweater that doesn't fit her yet...I should block it.

The day after Deb left I headed out to the western side of the state for 4 days of classes. I taught a total of 7 classes at the Michigan Fiber Festival. It was great fun. My problem is that I forget to take pictures when I am teaching. So I bring you these two:

snacks at the festival

and a really cute Tunis sheep

While I was at the festival I bought 2 sheep skins. One from a Romney sheep and one from a Wensleydale. I'll take a couple of photos and post them later this week for your enjoyment. I now have those plus a Coopworth, an Icelandic lamb and one from Ikea that I don't know the breed. I use them mostly for sitting on but I'm not sure that will be the fate of the Wensleydale.

And this is a photo of my single treadle Matchless. I get it signed by every teacher who comes to teach at my shop. There is still plenty of room.

So that was my month. How was yours?

I am in love...

2011-08-02T21:40:00.000-04:00

And her name is Jacey Boggs. I think she is smart and also pretty.

She came over, cause I invited her, and she taught us how to make really pretty yarns. Friday, we had six hours of corespinning in her class called Soft Core Spinning.

She's magical.

And entertaining.

Saturday was Boucle all day. Those yarns above are Jacey's.

These are her boucle swatches.

This is some discarded boucle from a disgruntled student...it got better.

Boucle in progress a la Jillian Moreno of Spinning Tuesdays on the Knitty Blog and Knittyspin editor extraodinaire. (if you didn't know about Knittyspin you aren't spending enough time with Knitty)

This is my boucle. the one on the right was my first yarn of the day. I got better and learned what it really takes to get those little circles.

Sunday was cables and crepes. I worked all day really hard and forgot to take photos. But here are some sample yarns I made in different thicknesses.

I made this one too. It was not right but I think it's pretty anyway. I needed more twist in my singles.

At the end we made some supercoils and plied them. It's kind of a crepe. I'm making a necklace and bracelet from these. I show ya when I'm done. I've already been to the beads store.

Also, sheep.

Border Cheviot

Clun Forest

and a peacock

some cutie patootie donkeys

and a little closer spotted donkey. So cute.

Tons going on right now. Deb Menz in a little over a week and then the Michigan Fiber Festival. there are a couple of my classes that still have room. You can still sign up!

Also, Amy King in September. Why didn't you sign up yet. It's gonna be great fun! Check out the class descriptions here.

Corriedale - You Know You Like It!

2011-07-18T21:07:00.000-04:00

I feel like I may not be as faithful as I should be. I have been referred to as the Longwools Avenger. It's because there were too many times where I heard Longwools being talked about as only good for carpet and I just had to jump in and defend its honor. I have also been on a campaign to have people stop talking about Down Type wools such as Dorset and Suffolk as meat sheep when their wool is wonderful and has great properties that are useful for many items because of its bounce and durability and resistance to felting.

Well, today I'm going to talk about a wool that I think may be taken for granted and when people are looking for a wool to use for a sweater or shawl or scarf, this wool is overlooked because it's not so sexy as something a little finer or exotic.

Today it's all about the Corriedale. Many people think of Corriedale as a medium wool. Medium wool gets overlooked a lot I think because medium makes us think of average or not special. I generally put Corriedale into the fine wools category because of the crimp pattern but it's micron count is usually on the edge of the medium wools.

I know it's impossible to know how great these yarns feel, how bouncy they are and how squooshy they are but see if you can see it.

All of these were flicked and spun in different ways from the lock. The washing method did not keep the locks arranged so there was a bit more waste than I like while getting them all lined up for flicking.

Those two were spun exactly the same but the top is 3 ply and the bottom is 2 ply.

This sample is spun woolen from the lock to make this very plump and soft yarn.

This one was spun from the fold after flicking. It is a bit smoother and doesn't have as much of a halo as the other so the cable pattern really shows nicely.

These yarns would be great next to skin and would also wear very well. The staple length is generally between 4 and 7 inches and the locks on this particular fleece were about 5 inches which is a nice length to get the ends tucked in enough to avoid pilling without so much twist to make the wool wirey.

Seriously, Corriedale is a very friendly wool. Try it.

Just for a moment

2011-07-09T21:14:00.000-04:00

I just want to talk for a moment. This has nothing to do with spinning or teaching or writing or my family. It's all about me.

I have a problem.
I choose to do things that aren't good for me.
Not a lot of things. The things I choose are always food things.
I'm not a skinny girl. I never have been. But it seems I can't stop growing.
Four years ago I lost 50 pounds in about 10 months by signing up for LA Weightloss. it was good for me. There were guidelines and I weighed in 3 times per week and met with a counselor. I also talked to my sister almost every day. sometimes I cried and sometimes I celebrated.

When I got to the point where I should have been learning how to stabilize LA Weightlosss closed their locations. Within a year I had gained 30 pounds and now I am up 60 pounds from my lowest weight.

Here's the thing. I know what I did to lose weight. It was a balanced diet with 2 protein bars a day and less than 50 carbs.

Here's the other thing. When I eat a high carb diet I feel bad. I feel sluggish and bloated and just gross. When I have high protein and vegetables and keep my net carbs under 80 max I feel good. There are other symptoms but I won't go into that here:-)

Also, we have diabetes in my family and I am worried about it. I was diabetic with both of my last pregnancies.

So why oh why oh why don't I STOP?

Go to the movies - Popcorn and soda
home - kids are having ice cream and so am I
Shop - I forgot to pack my lunch and so it's fast food.

All bad things for someone who wants to control her sugar and also other bodily issues.
When I was losing weight I was shopping on a regular basis. My lunch was packed for the shop every morning. Most carbs were eaten in the morning along with a protein.

Now, I have begun and stopped doing this a ton of times over the past months. Why don't I just stick with it? Why?
I'm really disappointing myself.
If one of my kids were in this predicament, I would be encouraging them but also giving them the talk about hard work and how worth while things take time and doing a little each day really adds up.

Temptation is a terrible thing.

Tomorrow I am beginning again.
8 glasses of water per day
Less than 80 carbs
More vegetables
High Protein.
Tomorrow is a new day...again.

Marriage

2011-07-04T18:20:00.000-04:00

The wedding finally came. I just wanted to share a few photos of the beautiful day. How could I not?

Ryan had his first shoe shine in honor of the occasion. There were hair dos and special outfits and lots of excitement.

Brittney and mark were married in the Salt Lake Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of latter Day Saints. It was a beautiful ceremony that I hope to remember forever.

And here they come out of the temple as a very newly married couple.

Then there were lots of photos in front of the temple.

This is Mark's Family.

The cake was so delicious. The top layer was gluten free chocolate as my mom has celiac disease and avoids gluten. The middle layer was red velvet and the bottom layer was chocolate/vanilla marble with a raspbery filling. Yes, I had a little of each. Why do you ask?

I was sparkly and Lousmith was adorable.

My parents came all the way from Pennsylvania.

All the girls looked gorgeous.

What can I say about my youngest child?

The new couple left the reception under an arch of sparklers. They left today for a honeymoon in Canada...Victoria I believe.

And this was a bike we saw parked outside of another reception we walked by in Salt Lake. I just thought it was cute.

We got home last night and I have spent today lazing around. Tomorrow it is back to work with new lists and lots of hard work to get ready for the next things Like Jacey Boggs, Michigan Fiber Festival, Amy King and so on!

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times

2011-06-20T22:23:00.000-04:00

The wedding is coming. We are leaving in a week. There was Maggie's dress and it was great. And she looks so pretty in it.

And I wanted to make myself a dress. I shopped for dresses and there were several problems in the stores. First, so many dresses are sleeveless now. Because of my religion I don't wear sleeveless anything and a shear covering is not enough and since the wedding is in July I didn't want to add a sweater. And second, I am far from a thin girl. As many of you know I have struggled with losing weight for a long time and it just wasn't going to happen before the wedding day. Beautiful, non-matronly dresses for anyone over size 14 are very hard to find.

So I decided to make a dress for myself. no big deal as I have made dresses professionally in the past. I found a pattern from Vintage Vogue that I thought would be great. Fitted at the top with a lot of fabric in the skirt. First problem: the fabric store didn't have the pattern in my size. So I bought the pattern one size smaller. I am not a pattern maker. I am a dress maker who uses ready to use patterns. I can do some alterations but not increases in size of 3 sizes. So Faina to the rescue.

Faina does know how to make patterns. She came with her tools and we made the pattern to fit my body.

Faina wanted me to make a muslin but I thought why not just make a cotton dress and then alter that. Then I'll have 2 flattering dresses in the end.

I cut the body of the cotton dress and fitted it and it was great except the arm holes were too tight and I knew that when I would sew the sleeves they would only get tighter. I got nervous. Fitted sleeves and arm holes are a complicated thing. I got very nervous. Off I went to the fabric store to see if they had my size in the pattern. They did. By now I feel like I am running out of time. I cut out the pattern pieces and laid them over the pattern Faina and I made. It looked good. I did no measurements. I started to cut.

So far so good, right? I was very sure of myself. I sewed it all together. It was too small in every spot. By at least 2 inches. There were some tears. I altered, I adjusted, I put the zipper in. I spent a week trying to make this dress fit.

Finally, Lousmith said just go buy something. I was skeptical. Maggie and Chelsea and I went off to Nordstrom. We went to the over size 16 section and looked at the 6 terrible, sleeveless, matronly dresses they had available. Nope. We did a sweep of the whole floor and I was getting discouraged. But Chelsea to the rescue! She found me a great sequined top just as I was looking at a lovely chiffon skirt. Still skeptical, I tried the outfit on and it fits. Yay! Way more than I wanted to spent but I look pretty good.

Had to get new shoes too. The ones for the other dress were too dark.

So on Saturday, my parents made a surprise visit. They're heading out west, driving to the wedding. They were packed and ready to go early so they left. Yay!

Sunday, I put my mom to work. She put the zipper in Maggie's dress and hemmed it too. I learned my sewing skills from my mom and her mom.

Then she said, put on that dress.

We tried some things. We all decided in the end it might be better as a skirt. Watch for that later this summer:-)

Sunday was also Father's Day. We got my dad a GPS. He was thrilled. My mom doesn't think it's necessary but it was Father's Day after all. He had it hooked up and Lousmith was teaching him how to use it in minutes.

Then he did his favorite thing while we worked on the dresses.

Moral of the story, measure, measure, measure. Also, my parents are great.

Weaving, Touring and Sewing Lavender

2011-06-05T21:43:00.000-04:00

Updates

I found something to entertain little Buster when he's at the shop with me. He love weaving on this little Cricket Loom. Wants one of his very own.

He's been working on this scarf made with the yarn that comes with the loom. He's doing very well. I think we're out of yarn...

Last Monday (Memorial Day) we took a trip to The Henry Ford. It's a combination of a indoor museum and an outdoor historic village known as Greenfield Village. I hadn't been there in years and it's less than an hour from Howell.

The indoor museum is over nine acres. We went because every Memorial day there is a civil war encampment and I really wanted to see it. But we never did. The indoor stuff took the entire day. They have a special exhibit right now of Civil War documents from the National Archives. It was very fascinating and even the kids liked it. There was an area to sign up to be part of the army and they did a swearing in ceremony and everything.

The picture above is the last of the Allegheny Engines that, when pulling a full load of cars, could be up to a mile long. The thing is ginormous.

You can even climb in and pretend you are in control.

Something else I loved seeing was a home that was round called a Dymaxion House. There was no wasted space and a family actually lived in the house. The linked article is very interesting.

There are plenty of airplanes and lots of information about early passenger planes. There is even a model comparing very early passenger planes with modern planes. Sometime in there they had padded wicker chairs which were bolted to the floor of the cabin!

The picture above is of the kids pretending to be wing walkers. Some great footage of 1940s wing walkers was being show there. It was harrowing.

There was the Oscar Meyer Wiener Mobile and a model of a hot dog where Ryan could be the hot dog with all the toppings.

I only saw one spinning wheel. I know there are more but there exhibit wasn't currently on display. Last time I was there there were at least 100 lined up in rows.

Every day when the museum opens this Model T is in pieces and anyone who is there at the opening can put the car together. The Museum Guides never put their hands on it, only direct from what I hear. We will definitely be there at the opening time next visit.

The Village is also on the schedule for next time. This coming year is 5th grade for Maggie which means US history. there are actual buildings belonging to Thomas Edison, Noah Webster, Abraham Lincoln, weavers and spinners and lots of other historically important things there.

So, this morning I woke up and instead of having my normal lay around Sunday mornings I hopped out of bed. By 8:30 I had my work station set up.

Brittney's wedding is only 3 weeks away and I need to get to work. I have 2 dresses to make and Ryan's suit needs hemming of the sleeves and cuffs.

Maggie is 10. It is almost impossible to find a dress for a girl her size that has sleeves and looks like a little girl should look instead of how a 25 year old might dress. So a couple of weeks ago we went to the fabric store and she picked out the fabric above.. The underdress is matte satin and the overlay is organza with sparklies.

I measured Maggie and had to make a few adjustments to the pattern so I cut out the lining first to use as a muslin. That way, if I was right, I would have the lining done. If I was wrong then lining is very inexpensive to replace.

So here she is trying on the lining. (This was done by 9:30) It was a bit tight over the hip and so I made some new adjustments to the pattern and just let out the side seam a bit on the lining.

I felt confident enough to go ahead and cut and sew the rest.

Something I learned years ago was the importance of pressing seams as you sew. It makes a much nicer end result. Don't you forget it.

Here's the dress, no lining yet and no sleeves. Just doing a bit of a check. I think she likes it.

So then I just sewed the lining into the neck line. Clipped a few seams, added sleeves and it's magic. This week, after we find some shoes, I will hem the thing and add a zipper. I have special plans for a hand picked zipper with beads. She will be delighted!

Tomorrow I will take my own measurements and figure out how I should adjust the pattern for my own dress.

It's Romney.

2011-05-28T21:53:00.000-04:00

Romney makes me happy. It has lovely crimp, it is shiny and shiny and also shiny, It can be fluffy if you want it to and smooth if you want it to. I like it mostly for outerwear but, with the right fleece, it can be good for next to skin wear. There is a big range in fleeces from sheep to sheep. Romney is often recommended as a good fleece to begin with in processing your own wool and also recommended as a good place to start when learning to spin from prepared fibers. It is happy to be processed by flicking, combing or carding. The results will be as varied as the fleeces and often can be surprising in the outcomes in wonderful ways.

Romney has a longwool background but the crimp structure is different enough to make it seem like it belongs in a different category. Check out the luster and you know it belongs right with all of those other shiny wools with good length.

All of the samples I am going to talk about have been combed using my 2 pitch Valkyrie Mini combs. I've talked about these combs before but I use them for almost everything I want to comb. If I were going to do pounds and pounds I would probably clamp them to a table using the options clampy thing you can get for them but for samples I usually just comb right at my wheel.

From left to right:

2 ply lace - pulled from the comb using a diz, spun worsted - 20 wpi

2 ply - spun from the comb, spun worsted - 11 wpi

2 ply - pulled from the comb using a diz, additional ply twist - 16 wpi

3 ply - pulled from the comb using a diz, spun from the comb - 13 wpi

3 ply - pulled from the comb no diz, spun from the fold - 8 wpi

These are in the same order just opened up to see the strands a little better.

And some close ups:

This one was spun right from the comb with a worsted draft. When I talk about a drafting method being woolen or worsted I am referring to whether the twist was in front of my drafting hand or allowed into the fiber supply. Worsted spinning has the twist pinched off and is not allowed into the fiber supply. This makes a smoother and more lustrous yarn that is a bit more dense and is good for cables and other techniues where stitch definition is important. It is also a cooler yarn as there is less trapped air and so is less of an insulator.

This is the lace one that was spun exactly the same way but was removed from the comb using a diz which is basically a little tool with a hole in it so that while the top is being made, if it is done skillfully (which is no easy feat) the top is all the same thickness from one end to the other.

This 3 ply yarn was also taken from the comb using a diz. Also spun worsted.

This fiber was pulled from the comb without a diz and then spun from the fold with a woolen draft. Look how fluffy it is and how there is so little luster there. This is all from the same fleece!

This yarn is lovely and I want to use it now! It was spun right from the comb. It is a two ply and I added extra twist in the ply to make it a bit stronger to be used as a weaving warp. It's perfect.

Like I said earlier, these samples were all combed samples but this wool loves to be carded and can also be flicked and spun from the lock. Doing those things will give even more varied results. You should try it.

Three more things. Anne Hanson touched my butt. Yep it's true. We were at the retreat and she thought I had a bit of wool on my pants. Turned out it was just a hole in my pants. I thought it was hilarious and we did this whole reenactment thing so she could take a picture of her finger touching my butt. the photos were not very complimentary to my butt so I am refusing to post them. Just thought I'd tell you all cause not everyone can say that Anne Hanson touched their butt!

Also, Brittney is getting married on July 1. So the shop will be closed the week of June 27th. We'll be back in the shop on July 5th packing and shipping orders and smiling wide at you all.

And finally, my fiber from the Spunky Eclectic Fiber Club arrived this week. Every month I am so excited when my little package comes. The colors are always fabulous and varied and the fibers are so surprising. This month's was Norwegian Longwool. It feels like somewhere between Romney and Wensleydale processed top. The luster is fantastic. The colors were inspired by Angkor Wat which is an ancient temple in Cambodia pictured above. I don;t know if that is the actual photo that inspired the colors but it is a pretty fantastic sight. (that photo is from here) If you aren't a member of the Spunky Club, you might want to check it out.

Two Weeks

2011-05-16T21:45:00.000-04:00

This year has been a whirlwind so far and the last two weeks just continued the crazy busy. I'm writing this post from my comfortable bed and that's were several of the photos were taken just moments ago. But I can't wait any longer to tell you what's been going on.

The first week in May we flew off to Salt Lake City for the oldest daughter's graduation.

Brittney left home at the tender age of 18 and started her college career at Southern Virginia University. About a year and a half later she transferred to Brigham Young University in Provo Utah. She graduated with a Bachelor's degree in English with a Philosophy minor.

She immediately began to pursue her Master's Degree at the University of Utah. On May 6th she walked in her graduation ceremony and after one more class this summer will have her Master's degree in Secondary Education. There is some more beautiful title for what she has but I can't ever remember it. All I can say is that she's worked hard and I am very proud of her.

The last week of June we will again be flying to Salt Lake City to see her married to a fantastic guy who we already love. Here are a couple of their engagement photos.

They look very happy and are so cute together. Something else that is an interesting tidbit is that Brittney is wearing 5 inch heals in these photos. Mark is very tall. VERY TALL! We like him anyway.

So, we flew back home on Sunday the 8th. I repacked and packed up the car and off I went on Monday morning for the Spinning Loft Spring Retreat at Pheasant Field Bed and Breakfast in Carlisle Pennsylvania.
Here's a bit of a blog post from the owner of the inn.

Here are all of the spinners except the two I couldn't fit. We were studying the spinning of laceweight yarns each morning.

Each afternoon we were instructed by the fabulous Anne Hanson of Knitspot fame. We were doing an advanced lace class with her. She did a couple of really nice blog posts about the retreat. She's a fabulous blogger.

Here's what I have to say about class with her. Anne is a really great teacher. Enough instruction, enough practice time, lots of samples and demonstrations. I loved her class and I think everybody else felt the same. I came home with no knitting done as I was having trouble focusing and had to rip it out but I learned a lot.

One running theme in the spinning and the knitting parts of the day was the importance of sampling and swatching to make good decisions. Anne brought a portion of her swatch library. the library brought home even further the importance of swatching. She had swatches that were the same needle size, the same gauge, same size yarn but they looked so different from one to the other. Swatching not only can help us get gauge but can give us other information about the fabric we will be making. I have, in the past, done just the size swatch that I felt I needed to get a measurement of gauge but will from now on be making the full 5x5 inch swatch so I can feel the drape of the fabric and see how the yarn acts and how it spreads or contracts or has dimension or lays flat.

On to the next topic!

I got a sidekick to play with. There have been some delays as one of the pulleys needs to be changed so the drive band doesn't pop out when using the large whorl. This wheel that I have in my hands has the original pulley that may cause trouble and so I will need to change that out eventually. In the mean time there has been spinning.

This is 4 ounces of Corriedale naturally dyed by Pico Accuardi. It will be a light worsted weight yarn when I ply it. The spinning on the Sidekick was lovely. The treadling feels very much like my Matchless and the wheel is very stable on most surfaces. I love it very much and will be dragging it everywhere with me from now on. It folds pretty easily with a few practice tries. It sets up even easier. I love it. LOVE IT!

Also while in Pennsylvania we visited a little yarn shop in downtown Carlisle called the Yarn Garden. I haven't bought any yarn in a very long time but there was some yarn that screamed at me in this little shop.

It's 100% silk singles. I got a pattern recommendation from Anne and ran with it. It's the Neckdown Summer Cardigan from Knitting Pure and Simple. It's a perfect pattern because this year will not get any less busy and so I will need some simple mindless knitting with some very lovely yarn.

And finally:

I have a very lovely and thoughtful friend. It helps to know people. I don't know why she loves me but it is mutual. First I got a paper/plastic cover advance copy of the book I have been so excited about for more than a year. Then today a hard cover copy. I am just as in love with this book as I thought I would be. It's big. 438 pages including the index. It's hard cover. It's affordable (just $35). It's full of color pictures and swatches and all of the info you ever wanted about different animal fibers. Mostly sheep but there are also goats and camelids and bison and bunnies and more. This is a book that EVERY spinner should own. I don't say that about every book. But this one!

preorders and have some sampler packages that go with it if you want to play. Until then, if you want to come in and paw mine I will allow it:-)

And now for a bit of bragging:

That's me. Beth Pink Smith in the donors and supporters list. Listed with the likes of Cat Bordhi and Nancy Bush and Abby Franquemont.

And then, when you look at the Acknowledgements, there I am again! I am honored to be included here. As I have written before on this blog, I love Deb Robson and admire her greatly and to have a bit of a mention in her book makes me squeal a little bit.

Now I will sleep a bit before I tackle a huge list of things to do tomorrow.

Babies

2011-04-28T21:05:00.000-04:00

Anne Field was here and she was delightful and full of things to teach us. But I didn't bring the camera home and so I am distracting you with photos of sheep.

I went to pick up some Southdown fleeces and while I was there I went to look at the new babies.

This little Jacob girl is gorgeous. A lot of white but nice black on her eyes and nose. She's got a very fine fleece and will be so pretty as an adult.

Jacob sheep are a very old breed. Their origins are not known but it is thought that they came from the area of Syria over 3000 years ago. They were moved over time across North Africa and Sicily and Spain to England and to the US in the early 1900s.

They are different than other primitive breeds as they do not have multiple coats.

American Jacobs have not undergone "improvement" to make them more commercially suitable and so they still have that small boned, primitive body type.

Also, they are adorable. This little lilac ram isn't as fine fleeced but he's going to have 4 horns and look at those nice black toes. He's got a good amount of colored fleece with his black so I think he may stay at the farm for a while.

These boys are gorgeous! An adult Jacob ram and an adult Tunis Ram. I love Tunis because of their gorgeous red faces.

American Tunis is one of the oldest US sheep breeds. The first importation was from the ruler of Tunisia to Pennsylvania in 1799. After that there were more importations of fat tailed sheep to the US which were crossed with the original sheep. The breed was quite popular as in 1892, Ezra Carmen in a chapter of A Report of the Sheep Industry of the U.S. wrote, " But for the introduction of the fine-wooled Merino, these Tunisian sheep would probably have become disseminated throughout the U.S., and in some of them have become the prevailing flocks."

Here he is close up. I hope they get a couple of ewes so I can have a flock of Tunis nearby and pretend they are mine. They are the pinkiest reddest sheep breed I know.

OK Back to the Jacobs. These are almost all of the Ewes who had babies this spring. They get a bell around their necks when they lamb because along with the dogs they scare away the coyotes.

Maggie finally got her wish to hold a lamb!

These are the Wensleydale boys. No way to show in a photo how big these rams are. They are just gorgeous and never afraid of me. They come up to sniff me but rarely let me touch them.

This little ram lamb was born out in the rain yesterday morning. He's a fantastic jet black with huge ears and legs. i think he's going to be some ram when he grows up. It's undecided yet whether he's going to Wisconsin or staying in Michigan. His mom is 25% BFL and 75% Wensleydale. You can see the BFL in her nose. Her fleece has a gorgeous purl to it as well as high luster.

We never did get over to see those Scottish Balckface today. Bummer! Guess I'll just have to make another trip.
In the mean time, if any of you want to try either of these breeds you can check them out right here.

Black Welsh Mountain

2011-04-18T18:17:00.003-04:00

So over the weekend I worked on some samples spun from Black Welsh Mountain wool. First I will just say that every time I spin samples, no matter how many I spin I always have questions and want to try something else.

All of the samples have been carded and then the carded prep was treated or spun in different ways: either from the card, rolled into rolags, rolled into a cigar or pulled into roving.

A rolag (on left in the photo) is made from a hand carded sample being rolled from the front of the card toward the handle so the fibers form a spiral. This is what I consider a pure woolen prep as no fibers are lined up and when spun with a woolen draft the final yarn is technically purely woolen.

A cigar (on right in the photo) is carded then rolled from side to side so that the fibers are somewhat aligned. The cigar is short and fat as opposed to long and thinnish like the rolag.

The woolen spun samples were spun using a supported long draw and the worsted spun samples were spun using a short forward draw with all twist in front of my forward hand.

(Click on the photo for even bigger)

From left to right in both photos:

1. Carded, rolled into a cigar, spun worsted 2 ply 13 wpi

2. Carded, spun off the card 2 ply 15 wpi

This sample was spun right off the end of the card. This particular fleece had a range of fiber diameters

in it and when spun in this way, most of the coarsest/strongest fibers stayed on the card with the finer

fibers going into the yarn.

3. Carded, Stacked, pulled into roving, supported longdraw, 2 ply 9 wpi

After carding each carded bit was peeled from the card and kept flat. Five carded samples were layered

and then pulled into a roving.

4. Rolags Spun Woolen - supported longdraw 3 ply 8 wpi

5. Rolags Worsted spun 3 ply 12 wpi

I will confess, to no one's surprise, that I love combed and worsted spun yarn. Woolen spinning has a bit less control and makes a very consistent yarn very difficult to achieve. Add to that the difficulties of this particular breed and it makes me crabby. It was almost impossible to spin this fiber to a consistent thickness. But knitted or woven into a sample the inconsistencies disappear.

None of the yarns from this fleece are soft but they do have bounce and strength to them. I think they would be good for a work coat or cardigan to be worn outdoors. Though one of the samples was spun as a lace yarn I know I wouldn't choose this yarn for lace. It would be good as a rug yarn as it is strong and springy. I have had softer Black Welsh fleeces and the lamb fleeces can be very nice. Never as soft as Merino but definitely useful for next to skin items. The natural, true black color, difficult to find in most sheep breeds, makes this wool very attractive to hand spinners

What I'd like to do next is comb this fiber and see what a difference it would make. In my experience combing can soften things up a lot by removing the shorter/coarser fibers.

Stay tuned. I finally finished the Corriedale and have plenty of lovely things to say about Romney.

The Great Tool Bag Search

2011-04-09T18:44:00.000-04:00

Deb Robson's video has had a huge effect on me and when I grow up I want to be just like her.

At the beginning of the video she shows us her tool kit and it was genius. I began right away to search for a container that would work for me and my spinning tools.

This was the first one I bought. It came from Home Depot and was right about $20. It is 18 inches long and about 8 inches wide inside. It kinda fit all the stuff but the handle was rigid and didn't swivel so it felt like it was in the way when I was trying to get the cards and combs out. It also required that alot of the items were stacked on top of each other and so harder to get at when needed.

Another thing that wasn't great was there was no shoulder strap and I carry lots of things and the shoulder strap would have been really handy.

I had it for about a week and moved things around and rearranged them a few times but it wasn't quite right for me.

So I stopped at Lowe's today and there were two bags that I thought would work so I brought them both home.

The one above I thought would be great because of no handle in the way and there was a shoulder strap. And it was only $24. Those wide pockets on the front are also on the other side and I thought I could put my hand cards in there and the combs on the inside. It's about 18 inches long and the inside is about 4 inches wide.

It was not to be. The hand cards kind of fit but I could place them in a way that I felt comfortable that the teeth wouldn't be ruined and the width of the center portion was not wide enough for my widest set of hand combs.

This is the one that I have decided to keep. It's about 18 inches wide, has two separate zippered inside sections and 6 great pockets on the outside front which can hold oil, hand cream and other tidbits. Also a shoulder strap!

It came with 3 zippered pouches that I can use for smaller items. The largest one is already filled with the extra whorls for my Matchless. The other two will have extra drive bands and small bits I might need for quick wheel repairs.

Here is one pocket with 3 sets of hand combs and 2 sample niddies with room to spare.

This side has 2 sets of hand cards, my flick and some smaller dog grooming tools for tiny samples.

(Blurry Photo)This side with 6 more pockets has scissors, a knitting needle gauge and a pair of pliers so I could see if I could fit a few general tools I might need to fix any problems with my wheel or, if I'm teaching, students' wheels.
Of course this bag was the most expensive one. $45. But I'm very happy with it and know it will serve me well for years. I don't expect to change these as often as I change my project bags and sometimes I have paid way too much for those! so I can't feel too bad about the price, right?

New Bags and New Majacraft Design

2011-04-06T17:09:00.000-04:00

Today we got the bags! Theses bags are made of a good canvas with the cute sheep. I love them. All the people who will be attending the Spring Retreat get one of these to hold all the fiber I will be flinging at them. the others will be available for sale in the shop and online for a mere $18! True story. I'll post them later today if you want to order one.

Even more exciting! Majacraft did a bit of a redesign of their wheels. I LOVE it. Let's just first talk about things that may not be obvious.

The bolts that hold the body to the base have changed to JCB Bolts and make the wheel so much easier to assemble for those people who may be buying this wheel unassembled.

The spinning head is also now held in place with a JCB Bolt so no bolts are protruding. This gives a smoother look and again, easier in assembly.

The way the bearing is being seated in the wheel has been improved and this improvement makes the wheel feel like it spins more freely.

The hinges on the treadles are now specifically made for Majacraft and they seem to move even more freely.

This is the new Rose imprint on the Rose wheel. I am in love with it. I think it is just gorgeous.

The spinning head has been reshaped to give a softer look.

The treadles have been reshaped to give a softer look and also the size of the treadles is slightly different to give a better action (if that is even possible).

This is the back of the Suzi. This wheel used to have a cutout of the same shape attached to the wheel. The leaf design is now being etched into the wheel.

I have been in love with Majacraft wheels ever since I tried my first one more than 8 years ago. These changes have made me love these wheels even more. Before trying them out with the improvements I never would have believed that it was possible to make them even better as a spinning tool and the cosmetic improvements are just icing on the Majacraft cake.

We have more on order and more on their way shortly. These wheels seem to move through quickly since it seems that they are easy to fall in love with.

Keep watching. I have some things to say about Corriedale and Romney is in the works!

So a few weeks ago....

2011-04-01T16:58:00.000-04:00

...I was on the Twitter (yes, I call it THE Twitter, makes Chelsea crazy) and someone posted that Sara Lamb had set up an Etsy Shop. I was right there to check it out and I found this bag.

Handspun Silk. Painted Warps. Hand Woven. All of those fringes Hand Twisted.

A beaded band and (I think) a card woven strap

It was there, in living color. I had to have it.

Then there was an email from my friend Sara which said she had a bag that was pink and did I want to choose that one instead. She sent me photos.

Handspun silk, painted warps, hand woven, hand beaded with flowery beads, a card woven strap, hand twisted fringe.

The back has just as much attention to detail.

I chose both.

Really, when will I have this opportunity again?

And one more thing to talk about. DVDs

I've been getting the quickly lately. The new Interweave ones. I've been borrowing a copy and watching it at home so I can make good recommendations when people ask.

This week i worked on spinning Corriedale Samples and a couple of Romney Samples so I watched videos while I was working.

Three of them really stood out for me and I want to tell you about them.

The first is Know Your Wheel

It's a 2 disc set. The first disc is Linda Ligon speaking with Alden Amos and the second is Linda speaking with my secret girlfriend Cindy Lair who is one of the Genius's at Schacht and also the production manager there.
The talk about drive bands and brake bands and oiling and adjustments and what noises are important and what you can ignore if you want. I feel like I know a lot about wheels and can make almost any wheel with all its parts work but I learn even more while watching this video.
If you've read the Big Book of Handspinning, all of that personality comes out in the first disc. And Cindy Lair is extra informative and delightful. It's worth every penny...unless you want to just come and see me:-)

The next video is by Margaret Stove. I had a blog post not long ago talking about her and how I admire her talents and her books. Well, now there is a video. Since she lives very far away and teaches here rarely, now is your chance to learn from her.

Spinnign for Lace is full of very important information about her process of washing, sorting and spinning and plying Merino which you can then translate to other wool fibers. It is a joy to watch and asks to be watched again to understand just what her hands are doing.

And finally, the video that is my favorite of all Interweave videos, Handspinning Rare Wools:

Deb Robson is passionate about these sheep breeds. In this video she shows her passion and her emotion when telling us why we should care. In the midst of it all she convinces us that we should try spinning them all by showing how easy it is to spin them, and how wonderful and useful each and every wool type can be.

I would never say that a video is just as good as taking an in person class but for those refreshers, those times when you need a bit more instruction, those times when you want to hear from the expert who may not be next door, these videos will do in a pinch.

Stephanie Was Here

2011-03-23T10:15:00.000-04:00

I know you all call her the Harlot or the Yarn Harlot but I am not comfortable with that. I call her Stephanie.

As you all may know, I usually bring teachers to my shop because I want their class. And I was, again, not disappointed. I learned a ton. You know how I know, very few photos. I was so involved in the classes that I kept forgetting about the camera.

On Friday evening we learned about silk hankies. More than I expected to learn. We saw the samples too.

Seriously, we learned about silk, different kinds of silk, where it comes from, the life cycle, and how to get beyond being grossed out about the little guy inside of the cocoon.

The photo above is one layer of a silk hankie which is one cocoon being stretched by class members.

We learned how to make the hankies, aka Mawata. There was a bit of a delay since I never plugged in the crock pot and so the softening of the cocoons was not going as planned. It all worked out in the end and each of us had the opportunity to stretch a cocoon onto the frame. Look closely and you can see the hankie on there and ready to dry.

One thing I knew but rarely think about is that there are people touching every process of silk. It's very labor intensive.

I did begin to knit a bit of fabric from my attenuated silk hankie. It makes something that is very luscious and I may need my very own mittens.

And here's where the photos kind of go away. It was Knitting for Speed and Efficiency on Saturday and Sunday. Saturday we talked about how we got to the place we are now. So few people know how to truly do production knitting. We talked about different knitting styles and we all learned how to knit in a different way, picking or throwing. We talked about ways to speed up our current knitting style.

We used the Wall O'Fleece and a tablecloth as a screen.

On Sunday we worked on Lever Knitting. It's a different way of holding the needles and a different way of working them. I have NO photos. It took all of my brain power.

Here is a video that someone took and posted on Youtube. She holds the right needle in her arm pit and now I do too.

We did learn to do it on short double pointed needles. I use the term learn loosely. I am focusing on the longer needles first and then I will try the shorter needles.

I was having a ton of hand pain while knitting which was making me avoid knitting. I think this technique is going to save my knitting. I will practice. I am already seeing improvement. I just need to loosen up my left hand and all will be well.

Cormo - My Favorite Fine Wool

2011-03-01T21:59:00.001-05:00

So here are my Cormo samples. All of these samples have been washed using the tulle sausage method that I learned from my spinning teacher eons ago and she learned from Margaret Stove's Spinning Fine Wools book.

I like this method of washing wools I want to flick because it keeps all of the locks aligned and organized and though it is more work at the beginning the spinning prep can go really fast.

Cormo is my favorite of the fine wools for a few reasons. First, I love the crimp on this wool. Similar to Merino but even more...hard to describe.

Second, the length of lock is fantastic. Lots of these fleeces come in at 4-5 inches. I like to call it the Longwool of the fine wools:-)

And third, this wool is not readily available as a processed fiber. If you really want it you either have to pay a ton of money for it or process it yourself. It also need a lot of care in the processing because it can get neppy really easily so I am forced to take my time with it.

so now you want to know about the samples?
From bottom of the photo to the top:
3 Ply Sample was spun worsted (short forward draw) - 15 wpi
2 Ply Sample was spun worsted (short forward draw) - 15 wpi
2 Ply Sample was spun worsted to a fine laceweight - 24 wpi (32 wpi before washing)
3 Ply Sample was spun woollen long draw - 9 wpi
3 Ply Sample was spun from the fold -10 wpi
(Click to biggy the photo)

Every single sample was flicked and spun from the cut end of the lock (except the one that was spun from the fold). Again I am thrilled with the samples. Every one of them has a wonderful natural elasticity to it which would make any knit or woven garment comfortable.
The lace weight sample I could imagine as an undershirt or other close to the skin item that should also be warm.

Currently in the works is Corriedale.

Making Wedding Plans

2011-02-19T23:37:00.000-05:00

Coming home from Salt Lake City tomorrow. It's been a fun trip. Here's the happy couple. It had snowed and Brittney had tiny flats on so Mark carried her to the house.

They are darling.

Faina's Knitting

2011-02-07T20:06:00.000-05:00

YouTube - Vereteno's Channel

this is what I've been watching in my spare time.

It's Always Wensleydale

2011-02-01T16:55:00.004-05:00

Maggie spent some time knitting today. This is what she finished. Her plan is to sew a bunch of squares together into a blanket. She ran out of yarn and is currently winding some Ultra Alpaca from my stash so she can continue. Funny how in June she told Maggie Casey that she doesn't knit!

In other news, there is spinning going on. I am working on a sampling project because I am a bad spinner. I know what happens when you spin different fibers in different ways but I never ever kept the samples I made during demonstrations. Silly me. I am now working on a project in which I will spin samples meant for different purposes so I will have them on hand from now on.

Firs there was Wensleydale because, well, you know, I love it.
That is a photo of 4 of the samples. I have one more to spin to complete the set. Click for biggy if you want.

From left to right:

2 Ply lace, about 40 wraps per inch. The fiber for this sample was combed, pulled into a top through a diz and spun worsted with a short forward draw.

3 Ply spun for a smooth yarn. This fiber was combed and dized and also spun short forward draw. It has a wpi of 20 and has only about 6 twist per inch in the ply to avoid crispness in the yarn. This yarn is very soft and would surprise anyone that it is Wensleydale.

3 Ply Spun for Warmth. This sample was prepared the same way as the other two but then spun from the fold. 12 wraps per inch and 12 twists per inch . There is a bit more of a halo with this sample but the luster still shines through. This one was also spun with a bit more twist in the ply to increase durability.

And another 3 Ply for warmth spun right from the comb with twist between my front hand and the comb tines. 14 wraps per inch on this sample with about 8 twists per inch but the angle of the twist is a lot lower than the above sample. I did knot a swatch with this sample and I love it. It has a gauge of about 6 stitches per inch and was knit on a 3.5mm needle (US size 4)

Though I have done these exercises plenty of times I am still so excited about how just changing a tiny thing like drafting techniques can change the look and feel of the yarn.

The missing sample is one that will be spun specifically with weaving in mind. So it will be a 2 ply with a bit more twist than that of the lace sample and also spun worsted to keep the halo down and avoid too much abrasion on the loom and also help to make the warping easy.

Currently in the works is Cormo.

All of these fleeces are available in the shop and online. I wouldn't sell anything in the shop that I am not convinced is the best I can get at the time - but I keep searching. If there is a fleece type you are searching for and you don't see it in the shop please email or call. But I do have plans for photographing and listing the 40 fleeces that are missing right now.

Fleece of Sadness

2011-01-23T21:23:00.008-05:00

I buy a lot of fleeces. A LOT!

I need them for classes and samplers and for my own sniffing pleasure. I do get some people who report back about how they are happy with the fleece quality they get from me and how they trust me when they are buying their unwashed fleece without seeing it first. This makes me very happy.

This blog post is about the fleeces you don't see. The ones where I got it wrong and am very disappointed. It doesn't happen often but it does happen.

I wanted to share this most recent experience with all of you who read here so that it will give and idea of one type of fleece to avoid.

This fleece walked in when the shop had some people in. The person knew I needed Blue Faced Leicester fleeces - I am ALWAYS low on them - and brought a couple to sell.

I was busy. Did a quick cursory look and paid the money. I am going to tell you all something here. When I buy fleeces, I buy them at the same price as everyone else. I get no discount and don't ask for one since I want the shepherds to be able to afford to keep their flocks.

So, all that aside, I am choosy about which fleeces I do bring in. Except for some times when I am in a hurry.

This is the outside of the fleece. Not the cleanest but not horrible looking.
This is the cut side of the fleece. In my really quick glance I thought that this had a huge amount of yolk but since I was very low on BFL I just went ahead. That was around November I think and I just put the fleece away. This week I decided to wash it as I couldn't sell it as it was and thought it would wash up beautifully and I could just use the washed locks. Sad part is, when I got it out of the bag and was submerging it into the very hot water with Unicorn Power Scour, I noticed that it wasn't just Yolk. The locks were very very hard and stuck together at the bottom. Another bad sign. And so then a closer look...

Click on the photo above so you can get a closer look. SCURF!

Scurf is caused by a mite that is on the animal and presents on the sheared fleece as white flakes that look like skin or dandruff. It doesn't come out with washing, combing or carding. You can wash the fleece with boiling water and the scurf will remain. I wanted to cry.

This fleece was not inexpensive and I didn't ask for a discount because of the yolk.

This is a lock taken from the dirty fleece. Lots of dirt at the tips. The yellow butts aren't showing well here.
One wash in Power Scour
Two washes in Power Scour
2 Washes and 2 rinses. Look at the luster and the curl. It could have been a beautiful thing. Instead it is headed for the bin. The scurf is all still there and makes this an unusable fleece. I am so very sad.

Here's my lesson. Don't buy fleeces on busy shop days unless I can take a moment and really look. There are shepherds that I trust and buy fro all of the time. But! Those ones who just walk in uninvited wanting to sell fleece, well, that's an opportunity for me to educate them about how to get the most from their fiber sheep.

Favorites

2010-12-30T10:00:00.003-05:00

All of my kids are home right now.

Brittney is visiting from Utah where she is finishing up her Master's in Education. She'll be a high school English teacher.

Chelsea came back home after her relationship ended. She's planning on being here for about 2 months so she can save up for an apartment deposit.

Maggie and Ryan are here for at least another 8 years, because, you know, they aren't old enough to be on their own.

Having everyone home has given me some opportunity to pause and reflect on the last almost 25 years. Brittney will be 25 in April.

My kids are so different from each other. Different in their physical build, different in their tempraments, different in how they view the world and how they approach problems.

Over the years, even up to as recently as last night, I have heard murmurings among them about whether I treat them all the same. Do I have favorites. Is it fair.

Now that I have 2 adult children and two who will be home for a long time I can analyze these things in a way that I couldn't even when Brittney and Chelsea were teenagers. And here's what I want to say about the whole thing. It isn't fair but it is just.

How can you treat them all the same? How can everyone have the same consequences? Some consequence that might be horrific for one kid may have no effect on another one. Each one has different interests. So how can a treat for one be the same as a treat for another?

It's funny but that "it's not fair" has caught me off guard and introduced some guilt many times in the past. Not anymore.

I do have a favorite. The favorite is the one who is making me smile at the time. The favorite is the one who is not currently causing me to worry. The favorite is the one who is working hard and trying hard and being responsible. The favorite is the one I am currently worried about. The favorite is the one who needs a bit of a speech to help him/her see the error of his ways or why we don;t behave that way in our family. The favorite is the one who is reading quietly and the one who needs a bit of encouragement to practice reading.

The favorite is Chelsea because she has made so much progress and come such a long way in the last 2 years and has become a talented dyer and has learned about how much her family truly loves her.

The favorite is Brittney because of all that she has accomplished in the last 6 years. For her earnest interest in the world around her and a desire to help and work to help students attain their goals.

The favorite is Maggie because of her interest ins textiles and arts and her desire to learn everything she can. For her clever wit and easy going nature.

And the favorite is Ryan for the way he is a friend to everyone. How he can meet a person and suck them into his light saber dueling and story telling. For his happy and loving way of looking at life.

How could I choose just one child? How could I?

Sentimental a bit? Why yes, please.

Merino Lace...and Margaret Stove

2010-12-17T20:50:00.007-05:00

Margaret Stove has long been one of my heroes. My spinning career began at about the same time as my discovery of my love of lace knitting. It's no secret that I am not a fan of Merino. I should clarify. I am not a fan of spinning mill processed Merino. I love washing it myself and spinning from the lock. The yarn is so much better. I am not a huge fan of Merino yarn that was spun at the mill but! I do love a well spun handspun Merino yarn. And it all began with Margaret Stove.

This book, Merino; Handspinning, Dyeing & Working with Merino and Superfine Wools was one of my very first spinning books. Margaret's methods for washing fine wools have made a huge impression on me and my washing techniques across the board.

The book begins with an overview of Merino types and possible history of the breed. Margaret goes on to tell in detail her washing techniques and how she holds the fiber to get a lively, springy yarn that works great for fine lace knitting.

Next she talks about spinning wheel setups including drive band materials and brake band materials. She also discusses, when spinning from the lock, which end she likes to spin from and why she thinks her method works. Then comes a chapter on how much twist and how to decide in the singles and the plied yarn. The twist chapter alone is worth the price of the book.

Finally there is a chapter on dyeing Merino as well as discussion about how this wool plays with other fibers. Lots of dyeing information about dyeing the locks in the grease and then washing the locks before spinning is covered...I, not being a fan of dyeing, have not spent very much time in this chapter.

There are then 40 pages of appendices covering everything from easy outlines of processes covered earlier in the book as well as a discussion about how different yarn thicknesses affect knitted lace and 5 patterns for Merino garments for baby and adult.

This book has been out of print for several years. I have found it for as little as $75 on Alibris which is my favorite spot for buying out of print books. I think this is a fantastic book and wish Interweave would put it back out in circulation. It doesn't look good though.

The next book in my Margaret Stove collection is Creating Original Hand-Knitted Lace. This book was published by Lacis and was out of print for a time but is available again (and you can get it at the Spinning Loft)

This book has no spinning but is a great lace tutorial. it begins with a very in depth chapter about the history of Hand Knit lace in many parts of the world. Margaret goes on to talk about the importance of understanding the structure of lace as well as when lace is appropriate in knitting.

Chapter 4 is where we really get to the designing and begin to learn how lace stitches, and decreases affect the overall fabric based on where they are placed in relation to each other. Lots of great charts are given so you can swatch and do your own studies.

Then we get into planning projects and methods for doing this. A really fantastic part of this chapter is that Margaret Stove encourages us to make a notebook of samples we have made so far so that they will be available while we are planning. So that we can avoid mistakes and take advantage of things that worked. And then we begin. This book can be used as a textbook. Step by step you can follow along with the author and come up with your own lace designs led by a master.

She then helps us to begin to learn how to make the stitches bend to our will. Of course physics plays a big part but just by moving the position of a decrease in relation to the yarn over we can make the shapes we want.

Then to the part which has always scared me and the place I always stop...Translating sketches into stitches. How can we take a drawing of something that inspires us and change it to a lace design. This could be my year!

After these wonderful instructions we are led step by step through a Margaret Stove Design. how she went from a sketch to a finished shawl. I've seen this shawl in person. It was knit with white Merino and then painted. Each lace motif is a different color. The shawl is stunning in person.

The book also includes several patterns for finished objects.

This book is worth every penny of the new $29 cover price - plus it's in hard cover!

And now for the latest offering from Margaret Stove. It's called Wrapped in Lace; Knitted Heirloom Designs from Around the World.

This new book is published by Interweave Press and also available - surprise - at the Spinning Loft!

This book, at first glance, appears to be a book of patterns. It is so much more. I hope that you will take a moment to really look at this book. Like the other two books, it is an invitation to design and experiment and come up with your own lace. We follow Margaret through her journey over the years. She brings us along on her travels and invites us into her design process.

If you are a new lace knitter there are projects in this book that will help you be the lace knitter you are deep down. If you are experienced then this book will also be fantastic for you. There are many advanced patterns as well as the help to advance even further.

The photography is beautiful and the instructions and charts are clear. The New Zealand Tribute to Orenburg shawl is not included in the book but is available as a free download from interweave. This is already a pretty big book and the pattern for the Orenburg style shawl is an additional 18 pages which is why I expect we have the download.

If you have any interest in lace knitting and fine wool spinning I would encourage you to check out all of these books. I dream of someday visiting New Zealand and having lunch with Margaret Stove and showing her my yarns and knitting. In my dream, she is impressed:-)

2010-12-14T21:38:00.001-05:00

So much going on and lots to post about...in a couple of days.

The thing is, I was in Peru for less than 2 weeks and I miss it. How could I get so attached to a place in such a short time?

Peru - The First Time

2010-11-17T07:29:00.036-05:00

I say the First Time because I can't imagine this being the last time.

Before I left for Peru I had my usual travel jitters. My usual nuttiness. I was nervous and scared and worried about a million things. I had no idea what was in store or really even what to expect. Abby had described the place and the people but it was hard for me to have a clear picture.

Well, now I have a very clear picture. And I took lots of pictures too. I'm including a few here but I have all of them in my Photobucket Folder called Peru 2010 Not all of them are labelled but you can check them out.

Let's start at the beginning:

It takes a long time to get to Peru. Mostly because of layovers and wait times. We waited in Miami for more than 12 hours for our flight to Lima.

It felt like forever since our flight was about midnight and we got there about 10AM.
But once we got there it was an overwhelming feeling of disbelief and wonder and happiness. We rested on the first day but on the second day the running began and didn't stop. We were on our way to the first of a few sites of ruins but our patient driver stopped to show us Cochineal. The white is surrounding grey bugs on the cactus.
He squashed one in his hand and the amount of red that is used for the dye that came out was unbelievable. Cochineal was everywhere on every cactus.
This is the Inca ruins at Urubamba. Amazing and slightly scary for those of us afraid of heights. Each terrace was for cultivation of food as well as fortressing the place. There were terraces on almost every mountain in the area.
After Urubamba we went to Pisac and I though I might die. There were true tears and crying (from me) and encouragement and a little tough love from Abby and Michelle. If it weren't for that I may still be there because I felt like I couldn't go on at a few spots.
But there was some retail therapy at the end and some darling girls with a lamb for tourists like me to photograph. One Sol was the price for a picture and I'm glad I have it. They are delightful.

This is the market where I got the carved gourds for my mo and me. They are so beautiful and carved with many symbols and scenes from daily life including weaving and spinning and dancing which are all important parts of life here.The next day was the beginning of the Tinkuy. Two full days of interesting presentations from people all over the Americas. This is a photo of Nilda Callanaupa who is a magical woman who can make miracles happen and who can command all those around her who then serve happily.

The Tinkuy was opened with a beautiful ceremony of offering coca leaves to the earth. Each attendee had an envelope with 3 coca leaves which were put in baskets with a wish for the Tinkuy to be successful. Out wishes were granted. The weather was lovely and the instruction was fantastic.
This was one of my favorite things about lunch. The lines of people with their fantastic clothing. I loved the clothing. LOVED IT!
This woman is from Guatamala and the weaving she is doing is so very complex. Everyone of thoise sticks has string heddles for a different part of her weaving.
This woman is from Equador and is demonstrating a driven spindle. It was beautiful and fluid to watch. Notice all of the prepared fiber.
Maggie was a big hit with all of the weavers. here she tries a spindle belonging to a woman from the Chumbivilcas community in the Cuzco region of Peru. Notice that this wool is only washed. There is no further prep. That is what I saw all over with the spinners. Take note that no expensive tools are necessary to make fantastic yarn that then goes into textiles that last for many, many years.
Abby was beautiful in her Chinchero clothing and she wasted no time to show me that she can ply from a skein. Something that makes me very nervous. I need to practice more.
D.Y. Begay was there from Arizona with her marvelous Navajo spinning and weaving. She did a lovely presentation about Navajo methods of weaving.
This is a teenage weaver from Chinchero...I may get to that width of weaving in a few more years!
The knitting....the knitting...the knitting...so complesx and fine. I took a knitting class and it is very difficult and I have3 lots of practicing to do there too. At some points I was trying to manage 5 colors of yarn at one time.
This man was working on tapestry on his backstrap loom. It was beautiful to watch him work.
At the end of the two days of presentations there was a wonderfully touching closing ceremony where the older weavers in each community passed on their weaving knowledge and tools to the younger generation.
Each night there was a party with contests and dancing and lots of sharing. This was a spinning contest which included all fo the children and Abby's son and Maggie.

And we all danced.

The Chinchero market was colorful and fun but there was class to get to so i didn't get to spend as much time as I wanted to.

There was a natural dye class that looked beautiful when it was over. I was in the knitting class that was so engaging I took no photos.
The next day was a weaving class about circular edgings. While we were warping my second edging there was a hail storm. I wished I was wrapped in all of the wool that my instructor was.
And then there was Machu Picchu.
It wasn't AS scary as Pisac.
A lovely breeakfast that included Chocolate Caliente and fresh Manzanilla (Chamomile) tea
The square in Cuzco city from our breakfast balcony.
And Maggie was able to get some traditional skirts. She looked so cute that the ladies who were weaving at the center wanted to complete her look.
It was a lot of traveling and learning and work. Maggie fell asleep at dinner.
This man is a fantastic knitter. I have a bit of video of him that I will be adding to Youtube shortly.
Maggie got some weaving instruction from many experts - as did I.

And Ryan...We brought him a hat and a Pan Pipe. He was out by the road yesterday with his pipe and hat hoping that if he played people would put money in his hat. I think he gets it from my Mother's side of the family. He was quite disappointed since we live on a not so busy street.

So, while I was in Peru I fell in love. I fell in love with the people. I fell in love with the weavers. I fell in love with the CTTC. I will be in their lives.

I also brought home a massive amount of textiles for the shop as well as a nice selection of Peruvian low whorl spindles. All of these things will be on the webstore as fast as I can list them. We need to preserve this fantastic and complicated and beautiful and useful art by helping and supporting these weavers.

The reality was brought home during this trip that we were within just a few years of all of this being lost. I am not exagerating. We can't lose the knowledge of this. We need to support these people as well as textiles all over the world. Machines cannot do these things. Only talented people who work for years to develop the knowledge.

Peru is beautiful but in the end it was the people who got to me. They are happy and friendly and most loving. Though many are very poor, they are hard working and they share and, not to sound silly, I wish to be more like them.

There is so much more to say but work is calling me from the shop...

New weaving and Old Spinning Wheel

2010-09-22T21:29:00.004-04:00

Remember when Denny came in May and helped me put that warp on the back beam of my loom? (Warp was wound here) I was a bit overwhelmed by the amount of threading and also was VERY nervous about threads breaking because they seemed to break so easily while we were winding on. There is a very light twist in the yarn and it is also very hairy.

Well, I had threaded about 300 ends and then Evil Michelle and Suzanne warped another hundred or so. Then the light bulb came on and I asked Chelsea if she would do it. She had it done in about 6 hours. Then I showed her how to thread the reed...that was only a couple of hours and all 850 ends were ready to tie on!. Chelsea is the hero of the week!
And so the weaving of the two shawls begins. This is the fabric I have been wanting to weave since I learned to weave a few years ago. Also, I love twill.
Also, today, Jennifer came in with a wheel that she got at a second hand store...or an antiques store...or something like that. That always makes me nervous. She was lucky!

some string and a coat hanger and the thing was spinning along.
No marks. So we don;t know who made it but I'm sure it is over 100 years old.

And it's Irish tension!. It spins beautifully. If anybody has any ideas of the history of this type of wheel we would love to hear.

And finally! The Spinning Loft was voted the Best Fiber Arts Shop in the Detroit Area!!!!!! I am so proud and thankful. Thank you so much to all of you who voted for us!

Knit a Dozen Slippers!

2010-09-19T19:45:00.003-04:00

I have a friend and she is the cutest thing. her name is Amy. I met her a couple of years ago because of spinning. It was near the beginning of her current career which has just exploded for her and I am so glad.

She is a terrific designer who has had knitwear designs in every knitting magazine. She is a talented tech editor and so has her name alongside many other gifted designers. Along whith that work she is also a talented spinner and has taught her young daughter to spin too!

And now, along with all of this, she has a new book out and it is all about slippers!

When I saw there would be a blog tour for the book I jumped in. I loved having the opportunity to review the book and ask Amy some questions about the book and also one pattern in particular.

So here goes:

Threesheeps: I know you are a spinner as well as knit designer and lots of other knitting related things and so I wanted to really focus my questions toward the spinners I know. I hope you don't mind. But first! A slippers book is such a great idea. What made you decide to do a whole bunch of slippers?
[Amy Polcyn] Small projects are awesome, that's why! It's really hard sometimes to have enough time to take on a larger project, and sometimes we just don't want to. Slippers are a nice alternative to socks, and as a bonus they take much less time to complete.

Threesheeps: I'm a little spoiled and have had the opportunity to see you working on many designs over the years. Can you tell me a little about how you get inspiration for your designs? How about specifically slipper designs?
[Amy Polcyn] Generally, my inspiration comes from things I see or "spontaneous brainstorms" that often wake me up at night. I keep a sketchbook filled with little scribbles, pictures from magazines, and even some scraps of fabric. Often I'll see a collar, or a print, or a texture that I decide to save for possible future inspiration, while other times I'll see, say, a blouse in a catalog, even a skirt or a pair of pants and instantly envision a sweater inspired by some element of it, maybe it had cool pockets, or an interesting shape to the sleeves. For the slippers, I thought more in terms of covering as many sizes, ages, and genders as possible in only a dozen or so styles, and also of covering as many techniques as possible (lace, cables, colorwork, different toe/heel treatments, etc). Lastly, I thought about as many types of slippers as possible-- scuffs, pull-on styles, little dainty ballet slippers, slipper socks and boots, clogs... once I had all this in mind I put the pieces together, thinking about styles I or people I know might actually wear. For me personally, it's all about the Mary Janes, but I think you would have guessed that!

I love the Mitered Square Scuffs and think it is a great project for spinners to try. Do you have any advice about the overall knitting of the pattern?
[Amy Polcyn] I agree-- not much yarn is needed, so it would be a great project for those fibers you only have 4 ounces of! The knitting is very simple-- basically you knit a garter stitch mitered square for each toe (which has sts picked up on 2 sides and worked to create a pentagon shape) and 2 shaped garter stitch sole pieces for each slipper, which are then sandwiched around a piece of heavy interfacing. Super-basic crocheting skills are needed to finish the slippers, as a row of single crochet is worked to close the outside of the sole and to trim the front opening, though I suppose you could sew them closed instead if you prefer.

Threesheeps: The yarn for this is Aslan Trends Kettle Dyed Bariloche. Would you describe it as a medium or heavy worsted weight yarn? Are there any yarns you can think of that would make good substitute yarns?
[Amy Polcyn] I would call it a heavy worsted, since it gets a gauge of about 4 1/2 stitches to the inch. Good substitues would be yarns such as Mission Falls 1824 wool, Manos Wool Clasica, Classic Elite Montera, Nashua Handknits Champlain or Creative Focus Chunky, Stitch Nation Full o' Sheep, or Plymouth Galway Chunky. Personally, when I'm working mitered squares I like the look achieved by self-striping yarns, so that is why I chose the Bariloche. Of course, you could easily use 2-3 solid colors and stripe them, which would be a great way to use up leftovers. I would avoid using a super soft singles yarn, as it might not hold up very well on the bottom of the sole.

Threesheeps: There is a felt or interfacing lining inside the sole of the mitered scuffs. What is the purpose of this? If it is for more cushioning do you think more would be better or is the thin amount called for a better choice?
[Amy Polcyn] Not for cushioning, but more to give the soles some structure. If they are too floppy the soles would flip under your foot, and that would not be nice. I used Timtex, which is a REALLY stiff and thick interfacing, for the scuffs. If you wanted to add some cushioning, a thin layer of quilt batting on top of the interfacing would be a nice touch, but it's not necessary.

Threesheeps: I think everybody is getting slippers for Christmas...probably not handspun (well, maybe a pair for me in handspun)...and these Mitered ones look like just the ticket. Any advice on making slippers as a surprise gift when you can have a shoe size but no good foot measurements?
[Amy Polcyn] Glad you like the mitered ones. I agree that slippers make great gifts, which is why I included conversions for shoe sizes right in the book! Check out page 3, under Sizing, and you will find the shoe sizes that match each of the slipper sizes in the book. The sizing covers a toddler size 8- child size 3 for the children's lippers, women's sizes 5-13, and men's sizes 7-13+, so that should cover pretty much everyone on your gift list.

And now for the review. Yes, I gushed over Amy. Yes, I love her. But this is a book I would have bought anyway. There is a pair of slippers for everyone in here. With 12 different designs I know you all will be knitting slippers for everyone for Christmas too. Short Sweet and to the Point! And don't worry, I will be ordering plenty of these for the shop...and maybe we should do some together. Who's up for a class?

This blog tour is going on for the next 10 days and the next blogger on the list is Kate Oates. Check her out. She's got some really cute ideas for little kids over there.

Michael Cook and the Silk

2010-09-15T19:27:00.021-04:00

These photos are a little out of order but you'll get the gist. the gist is, if you have an opportunity to take a class with Michael Cook on how to tie your shoes, SIGN UP!
The classroom was ready on time. Each student got 8 ounces of silk cocoons. Enough to play with for 2 days an even more to take home.
There was a lot of twisting and twisting and twisting. It's actually known as throwing.
There was also a lot of winding and transferring and winding. All to get the moisture out before the twisting (throwing)
But before all of that twisting and transferring and winding there was reeling. This is Michael showing the Lao technique that needs VERY little equipment.
This is my degummed wet skein. It has over 300 yards...my estimate was around 100:-)
This is how the silk looks after throwing but before degumming.
The degumming process is a simmering process with a couple of chemicals in the simmering water. But not hard.
After the silk simmers and is rinsed it has a bath in a citric acid solution and another little rinse and then it dries.
This is a medieval reeling machine. I took the photo after the cocoons were reeled but look at the amount of silk on that reel!
My twisting took all day.
From these bobbins. There are about 12-16 cocoons reeled together and then 2 or 3 or 4 or as many as you like of those are all thrown together to make a singles yarn or filament. it has to do with the thickness you want your final filament to be.
This is the setup for the Japanese technique.
And a tiny bit better photo. if you look closely you can see the silk on the aparatus.

Some students brought show and tell....this is a silk worm in the process of spinning.
And we got to keep some of the worms that Michael brought. The kids are thrilled and we have a mulberry tree just over the neighbor's fence. Who knew?!

It was a fantastic class. I learned a ton. Take this class!

Catching Up.

2010-08-29T19:19:00.008-04:00

Maggie and Ryan have started Tae Kwon Do. The above photo is Ryan getting a bit of yellow tape on his belt. He's quite into this. Maggie is liking it too though not as excited as Ryan. It's good for them and since we homeschool, this will be their Physical Education this year.
Galina was here. I love her. It was 2 weeks ago and I took like 2 pictures. Whenever she is here I work hard. My Russian Support spindle spinning had improved dramatically. it only took me 5 years and 2 days to get to the point I am right now.

We also had 2 days of working on Orenburg Warm Shawl construction. The construction of these shawls is very different than the Orenburg Gossamer shawls and I have been wanting this class for years. Finally!

I belong to a lace knitting group, as many of you know. The members include Faina Letoutchaia and Sharon Winsauer. So there is plenty of help available. A few of us will be working on designing our own warm shawl. If there are any people in the Lansing area who would like to join the group and work on this project please contact me and I will tell you all about when and where we meet.
In the mean time we have some new things in the shop. Black Bunny Fibers is owned by Carol Sulcoski. I originally came upon her work when I was gifted some Wensleydale dyed by her. I spun it up and knitted the Indian Summer Shrug from it.

I almost immediately began bugging her to let me put some in my shop. Finally she got sick of hearing about it and gave in. The colors are gorgeous and she does plenty of not the usual fibers. So if you are looking to try something new and you are tired of white then Black Bunny might be for you.
Also, this week we got fibers from Australia. Pear Tree is the company. I picked this up at TNNA. Just walked by and stuck my hand out and blammo! This is merino wool that is so fine it feels like cashmere. I'm not lying. And the colors....the colors....I really want to keep some of this.

This week i will be working more on spinning for the Spin Along / Knit along. The progress is slow. I will also be combing and spinning some Wensleydale and continuing to warp that loom that has been feeling neglected in the corner.

The beginning rigid heddle weaving class went very well. Almost everyone went home with a finished scarf that they liked and they are ready to tackle their next projects. Weaving is growing right now. Is it because all the spinners can't knit their yarn fast enough?
Hmmmm.

Also, here's the list of upcoming teachers:
For most I have a sketchy idea of what will be taught and pricing will be coming. But here’s the list.
If you’d like to sign up for any future classes we need a $50 nonrefundable deposit to hold it and then we will come back at an appropriate time to either collect the rest or another deposit. So here goes.

September 11&12 Michael Cook, Silk Reeling
Still 2 spots available - See classes page for details

November 19-21 Deb Robson, Breeds Study
Still 6 spots available - see classes page for details.

December 4 Shelly Lampshire, Needle Felted Sculptures
see classes page for details

January 28-30 Abby Franquemont, Andean Backstrap Weaving

February 25-27 Velma Root of Colorbomb Creations, Spinning colorful yarns…check out her website.

March 19-20 Stephanie Pearl Mcphee, Knitting with Speed and Efficiency

April 15, 16 Shannon Okey

May 11-14 Spring retreat in PA with me and Anne Hanson

May 27-29 Lisa Klakulak of Strong Felt, Felted Clutch

June 24-26 Miriam Felton

August 12-14 Deb Menz, Dyer’s Notebook - 3 full days of hard work.

September 16-18 (tentative) Amy King, Something spinny

October 21-23 Sara Lamb, Weaving Painted Warps for Clothing

That’s all I have at this time but the year is full!

If you want to reserve a spot, email or call the shop.

Just Like a Real Shop

2010-08-20T16:18:00.011-04:00

Shelly Lampshire is here all weekend doing Henna and body paint out in front of the shop. Stop by and meet her. She'll be teaching Needle Felt Sculpting on the first Saturday of December and she's fantastic and fun.

And also, We got our new signs today. There are still a couple more to come but these are the focal points:-)

Mmmm Hmmmmm
I love them! Almost like a real grown up I am!

Washing the Wool

2010-08-04T21:47:00.012-04:00

So the spin along/knit along has begun and Chelsea dyed my fiber on Saturday. It is Australian Wool top which is just a mix of domestic Australian wool. It's pretty soft and has a lovely crimp.
Today I did some sample spinning and chain plyed the sample so I could knit a swatch. It is done but it is also too dark to take photos. Tomorrow, I promise.

If you want to join us, we are spinning and knitting for a project. Conversations will happen in the Spinning Loft group on Ravelry and on Facebook if you click the Discussions tab on the Spinning Loft page. Everybody who finishes by December 31 will get a 10% coupon for their next sweater quantity fiber purchase (a pound or more).
This past Monday was my monthly Lace Knitting Group meeting. We meet at Rae's Yarn Boutique in Lansing. The above throw is the latest design by Sharon Winsauer. If you are not familiar with Sharon's Lace designs you will want to check them out. Everything she does is pretty spectacular.
Next thing is....I've been washing some wool and thought maybe somebody might want to see. The fleece above is Wensleydale and the fleece below is Blue Faced Leicester. Both beautiful specimens but neither one is clean.

For fleeces which I am not worried about preserving lock structure I have a very simple washing method. Generally, I wash 8 to 16 ounces at a time in this lovely dish pan.

Fill the dish pan with HOT water. For fleeces that aren't as high in grease as Merino boiling isn't necessary. When the pan is half full I put a squirt of Unicorn Power Scour and then let the pan fill the rest of the way. This just keeps the sudsing down.

When the pan is full of water I add the fleece. You can let it sink down but I am generally impatient and so I push it under the water with the bottom of the wool wash bottle. I don't use my hands cause the water is too hot:-)

I let it soak for at least 15 minutes...up to 30. I don't want the water to cool too much because the grease and dirt starts to migrate back to the fiber as the water cools and the grease starts to solidify again.

I go back and dump the water and fleece into the sink (I have a little strainer over the drain so the fiber doesn't go down). I squeeze the fleece and try to get out as much water as I can with my hands without wringing and agitating. Then fill the dish pan again with a tad less Scour and soak the fiber again.
It is important to remember that there should be no swishing and not fooling around with the fleece too much while it's wet.

After at least 2 washes I generally do 2 rinses which is exactly the same steps but with no scour.
If the water isn't looking somewhat clean after 2 washes I'll do another but remember that 2 rinses will follow so completely clear is not necessary.

Then squeeze as much water out in the sink with my hands and then roll it in a towel and stand on it to remove even more water.

Then all of the fiber gets spread out on a sweater dryer or a screen to dry. Takes at least a full day and sometimes up to a week if it's damp outside.
The above fleece is the washed Wensleydale and Below is the washed BFL. Both of these will be combed in the very near future.

It's All About Color

2010-08-01T19:13:00.013-04:00

The fabulous Amy King came to town. She is Hot and loads of fun. She brought me a present which I love. The lovely Chelsea is modeling it. It is handspun Merino / Tencel that she crocheted into a beautiful scarf.

Beauty shot.

Then we got to work with the dyeing. She didn't make me fall in love with dyeing but she does do some very different things that I haven't seen other dyers do. I was quite impressed.
+There was some shopping during breaks and at other times:-)
At the end of the room there are the tops we dyed. On Friday evening we dyed Organic Merino which was so beautiful. On Saturday we dyed Finn. We also did some spinning which I will talk about in a sec.
Those are the three that I dyed. The top two are the exact same colors. The more purple one was soaked in cold water and then cold dye was poured on and then it was heated. The middle one, same colors, soaked in hot water and hot dye was poured on and then it was put in the steamer for a bit. You can see the dye struck much faster and almost no blending happened.
The bottom one was an experiment I did. I didn't soak the fiber at all. Hot dye was poured on dry fiber and then put in the steamer. I like it a lot.
On Saturday we also did some spinning experiments. All of the above yarns were made with the same dyed top. The top one was stripped into 8 pieces and then spun and plyed to a two ply. The center one was not stripped at all. It was just spun back and forth accross the top of the fiber and the bottom one was just spun thick and thin and left as a single.

There were some other things I was supposed to do i think but I am a pretty bad student.
Chelsea has been over taken with the dyeing. Last year she took a handpaints class with CJKoho who's fibers we also carry. She had a great time. And now that she's had another taste she is off and running. She's is developing repeatable colors.
Keep an eye on the webstore in the next week or so when these fibers will be introduced for sale to the public. I'm very impressed with her color talent and also that so far, no felting at all!

And before I go I just want to mention that there is still room in the upcoming classes with Galina Khmeleva. Friday evening will be spindle spinning and Saturday/Sunday an Orenburg Warm Shawl Construction class I've been wanting to take for years and is rarely offered.
Check out the classes page for all the info.

Oh, and also, we've added a page called Workshops to the website. It lists the classes I am currently teaching and am available to teach to your group. I'm happy to travel or have you come to me.

2010-07-11T20:28:00.003-04:00

First week in the new shop has come to an end and it was great. We already feel very at home in our new place. There are still a few bits to gather at the old location and we'll work on that over the next few weeks. Lots of you were already able to come and visit and I hope that lots more of you will come and see us in the next couple of weeks. It's really great.

In the midst of all this I spun some yarn. I like this skein the best. It was my Spunky Eclectic February club color. I had two 4 ounce bundles. I split one of them down the middle and spun two bobbins and plied. I still have the other 4 ounce twist in the shop next to the skein so you can see the difference in the spinning.

There were some new rigid heddle weavers born this week and some new spinners are coming right along. Then on Saturday I went to Spinner's Flock - my spinning guild and came home with a new present for myself.
Well, not home. It's at the shop. The wheel is 42" in diameter. it needs a couple of somethings to help it work a little better but all of the parts are there and it's lovely.
This wheel was originally made in Michigan and I just love it. So much to do this week but I do expect to get sidetracked by working with this girl:-)

The Move!

2010-07-03T19:18:00.031-04:00

It's been a big weekend and it's only Saturday night! But it's moving weekend and so we had to get to work on Wednesday night.
There were a few leftovers from the last shop that was in the space that we wanted to get rid of. Mama's Milk doesn't really fit our shop but luckily there were some cans of leftover paint so all of the touch up work could be done.
There was also a little scene glued to one of the window shelves that needed to be scraped off the best we could.
And a nice papier mache tree in the back that needed disposing of. The boxes on the floor are tile samples from Lousmith's company. It's fantastic stuff but as they were sample boxes we had boxes and boxes of tiles that don't match.
So Lou did the bast he could to cover the pretty hideous tile that was already there.
Much better, don't you think? I think it looks pretty fantastic. If you like it you can get it at Home Depot. Just sayin'.

On Thursday Chelsea and I did some more moving and touch ups and then it was time to get ready for the concert I had been looking forward to since March!
Cyndi Lauper did not disappoint. Abby and her family came up for the show and I conveniently scheduled the move to coincide with their visit so I could get some extra help!
The last time I saw Cyndi Lauper in concert was over 15 years ago when I wasn't yet married to my darling. He got us tickets to the Chestnut Cabaret in Philly and we were right up next to the stage. Best show I ever saw.
This show was just as good but it was almost all songs from her new CD which is all blues. Fantastic. her voice is just perfect for the Blues. The show was at the Motor City Casino which has a nice little concert hall. I don't think there was a bad seat in the house though I was VERY happy with our up close seats.

We stayed over at the hotel there and headed back to pick up the UHaul so the serious moving could begin.
I think half the truck was taken up with bags of fleece. Abby took some photos of moving the wheels in the back of their truck but they are too tiny to put up here. If you are interested and are on Facebook, they are in her Mobile Uploads folder.
After we got almost everything moved, the fiber in the front went onto the shelves pretty quickly. Abby and her Fam headed off back to Southern Ohio and we kept working until about 7:30 PM when we couldn't take it anymore..
This morning we were back at it. Lousmith had one more bit of flooring to lay and various other jobs that I didn't trust myself with. Jillian and Carla with their two delightful daughters came to help with the unpacking progress. I got no photos of them because I forgot!
Amanda came right at lunch time and stayed the rest of the afternoon until the final bits were arranged and organized.
But the real hero of the week was Chelsea. She knew exactly what to do and where things were to go. When I got sidetracked she shoved me back on the tracks.
And finally it is all put back together. This is the classroom which holds a few wheels and most of the weaving stuff.
As well as the new wall O'Fleece.
The front room is gorgeous.
Fiber and Fiber and Fiber.
And Fiber
Little Buster was very worn out by the whole experience.
The CTTC (Center for Traditional Textiles Of Cusco) have their own prominent display.
And there are still spindles galore.
And Chelsea is quite proud.
The shop will reopen with the same hours on Tuesday July 6th.
Amy King will Christen the new place with a Spin/Dye Class on the weekend of July 23 (which still has a few spots available, by the way)
August brings Galina Khmeleva for Russian Spindle Spinning and Orneburg lace knitting.
Micheal Cook is coming with Silk Reeling and...
We will have our Grand Re-Opening party on September 18 which is World Wide Spin in Public Day.

I am thrilled with the new space and hope that you will all come in and check it out soon. Bring your wheel and spin with me and Chelsea for a while if you can.

Hooray for Maggie!

2010-06-28T20:04:00.016-04:00

Two of my favorite things about my spinning store. I love teaching spinning. I do. And I love being able to have top quality teachers come to my store. This past weekend was Maggie Casey. She is the author of Start Spinning and the star of the DVD by the same name. She also is one of the owners of Shuttles, Spindles and Skeins in Boulder, Colorado.

I've taken some classes with her at SOAR and knew in advance that she is a wonderful teacher. Patient, and kind and she knows how to say things in a way that just make sense and put the student at ease.

Friday night was long draw. There were lots of break throughs and lots of fun.
On Saturday we learned about spinning colored fibers. How to take already dyed rovings and tops and make them into whatever you like. How to blend colors, how to line them up, how to move them around and make them behave so that they are what you want in your project.
No dyeing was necessary to get the outcome we wanted.
Chelsea checked her Facebook and played with her Nintendo DS. hhmmmm.

Sunday morning began with a bit of naughtiness and ended up on a raucous not. We were learning how to spin Big and Lofty Yarns. Chelsea was not at the shop and I did a poor job of getting lunch to the shop in timely manner.
We thought of a few uses for these fat yarns while we were spinning them.
Some of us struggled to give up control of every inch of yarn.
Maggie showed us how to beat up our yarns to make them more stable.
And in between the laughing we listened and learned a lot. If you have an opportunity to take a class with Maggie, any class, do it.
In the midst of all this I did a little spinning. This yarn is four Abby Batts in the New Black colorway. It is a three ply. About 412 yards and about 34 wpi. I need a project for it.
This is 4 ounces of Romney dyed by Amy King in the Threesheeps colorway. I have 12 more ounces of it. It is a 2 ply, about 112 yards and 8 wpi. I like this yarn a lot. I should probably spin the rest.

Right now I'm working on spinning the February club shipment from Amy and working on my shawl...plus there's the moving that is happening this upcoming weekend. Not worried at all. Nope.

A Month!

2010-06-18T14:15:00.008-04:00

It's been too long between blog posts. Time just gets away and then another day goes by. So we'll just talk about many of the reasons I have been sidetracked from the blogging.

The photo above is from the Howell Memorial Day Parade. The band is the Howell High School Band. I love this band. The mascot is the Highlander and the band actually has bag pipes. I do like the sound of bag pipes. I really do.

After Memorial Day I was busy getting ready for my classes at TNNA. TNNA is the big yarn convention that takes place in Columbus Ohio every June. Yarn and needlework shop owners from all over go there to check out what's new and what's up as far as yarn and needlearts goes. I taught a class about how to teach beginning spinning and how to add and market fibers to your yarn shop.

I taught on Thursday and Friday and the market opened on Saturday. I was only looking for a cotton sliver supplier. I found one. A great one. I bought 7 shades of organically grown cotton which should come to the shop around September. I also found several other fantastic items that will be coming over the next few months. Some naturally dyed fibers, some Merino that feels like cashmere, some Lantern Moon goodies and interchangeable needle sets that I was quite impressed with. I also brought home all of the fiber in the Abstract booth. ALL of IT! I posted it in the webstore if you wanna see.

Also, when I got home there were Wildcraft Spindles and Blue Moon Fiber Arts Fibers! All on the webstore
While I was at TNNA I was busy. Meeting with great people and shopping and eating ice cream and talking some more. Miriam Felton's new book will be out soon and I ordered some. Shannon Okey's new book is out and I ordered some. Dinner with Teva Durham and Miriam. Dinner with Jillian Moreno and some people from Storey Publishing. Breakfast with Kimberly Reynolds and XRX. I think I sat on Carol Sulcoski's lap (or I dreamed it). I went to the Ravelry party which was crazy! Hugs with Amy Singer. Sleeping with Abby. Harassing Dave from Louet. There are people I am forgetting. There were so many people! So much fun and so much exhaustion and so much hurty feet.
At the end of the weekend I met this lovely lady. I don't know her name but look at that tattoo! She knitted the doily and took it to the place and they put a picture of it on her arm. Amazing.

In between all of this I have been working on a somewhat secret project.
The Spinning Loft is moving. 102 South Michigan Avenue, Howell will be our new address. It's bigger. With a separate classroom. Amy King will be our first out of town teacher in the building.
I love the space and so does Chelsea. So we will be closed from July 2nd to July 5th while we move and arrange and get ready for business in our new spot. Not far from the old one but much better. Plus, the coffee shop is just across the street, more parking, and restaurants all very close.
WE CAN'T WAIT!!!!!!!!

Also, this:

Projects and more Projects

2010-05-24T20:12:00.010-04:00

So Denny made her way from Toronto this past weekend to talk about warping. I think the topic scared people because the class was very small but 2/3 of weaving is in the warping and knowing the tips and tricks of the process can make weaving so much more enjoyable. And Denny does know the tips and tricks. It was a fantastic class and I think those who came went home ready to tackle their looms again with a happy attitude.

I missed most of the class because the shop was very busy on Saturday. I got to talk about Navajo weaving, bast fibers, spinning wheels, raw wool and all the stuff I love.

On Sunday I did something I rarely do...I skipped church.

We went to the shop and started the warping of the Alpaca I had wound a few weeks ago.

7 yards. Of lace weight Alpaca. 32 wpi. It is pretty hairy and sticky. A job that should have been 15 minutes...

took 5 hours. The lease sticks wouldn't glide through because the yarn would stick and tangle and we had to undo each 3-4 inches by hand. 1000 ends of warp.
We stuck with it. I wanted to quit so many times but Denny reminded me of where the yarn cam from and how she suffered with cancer for so long and that I could manage this for a short time.

In the end we did it.

Now I will thread the heddles and sley the reed this week. Just a simple twill but in the end it will be worth it.
I've also been working on my first shawl design and it is coming right along. Looks better in person. When the triangle is finished I will choose some kind of lovely edging for it I think.
And finally, in November Maggie and I will be travelling to Peru for Tinkuy which will be a conference of North and South American textile artists. The above is Maggie's fortune she got from the Chinese take out the other day. We all got a kick out of it.

Dieting

2010-05-13T20:17:00.001-04:00

really. I started trying to lose weight in January....I'm up 6 pounds. I suck at this.

That. Is. All

Kromski Fantasia

2010-05-07T08:35:00.006-04:00

On the same day that I got the Aura into the shop tow wheels arrived from Kromski. The new Kromski Fantasia. The one in the photo is the walnut one. There is also a version which is all clear finish with a walnut accent and you can also get it unfinished and make it a DIY project.
This wheel is a great wheel for new spinners because of the price point. Unfinished for $363! and finished for $478. Really great prices for a great looking wheel.

This wheel treadles smoothly, is Scotch Tension and has the Kromski price point without all of the turned bits that some people find too fancy.
Nice handle on the back for easy carrying and it weighs just 12.5 pounds.
The flyer has sliding hooks and also attaches magnetically which makes changing bobbins quick and easy.

The wheel comes with 3 bobbins and 1 whorl with ratios of 5 and 8:1. Two additional whorls are available with ratios of 10 and 14:1, and 18 and 20:1. Those ratios will take any spinner very far in their spinning life so this is not a wheel that will be outgrown quickly.

I like this wheel because of the smooth treadling and ease of use. The bobbins are the standard Kromski bobbins and so can be used with any of their wheels. It's got a small footprint and will fit with many decors because of the finish options.

There are only two little picky points I have about this wheel. I wish there was a way for the back to be more attractive - I told you it was picky. Also, the leather that holds the sliding hooks is great now but will it wear and become loose and not work? Also, kind of picky because if they get loose they can be easily and inexpensively replaced.

Two thumbs up for this wheel.

The New Majacraft Aura

2010-05-04T19:44:00.016-04:00

Last week I came home from the Spring Retreat and came to work on Tuesday and found two new wheels waiting for me to assemble and play with. I'm starting with an overview of the new Majacraft Aura. I say overview because this wheel is so interesting that I think I will be playing with it and experimenting for a long time.

The assembly was pretty straight forward and since I've assembled many Majacraft wheels I caught on quick.
My first impression was that it's really pretty with clean lines and before I even took it for a spin I was telling Chelsea that this was going to be the shop's wheel and wasn't going anywhere. (Behind it is the new Kromski Fantasia which I will talk about in the next couple of days.)
The first thing I noticed was the unusual flyer and the huge bobbin which is the same size as the bulky flyer bobbins. It also has a double drive setup that is really smart. Some people have been doing a version of this on their traditional DD wheels but to adjust correctly.
This setup allows each band to be adjusted separately to give a way to the spinner to affect both the strength of pull and speed of pull onto the bobbin by adjusting the height of the head and also the tension on the bobbin drive string.
The knob on the right is the adjustment for the bobbin drive string and you can see the bolt in the center so that adjusting the head height is pretty easy.
Here's a closer view of the head and the two separate whorls. The green stretchy band drives the flyer.
This flyer and orifice are great. Thread as above for thicker yarns and yarns that have add ins or are lumpy such as core spun or thick coils.
Threaded this way takes away any thumping that may happen so the spinner can spin the finest of yarns without issue.
The bobbin has two holes drilled so it doesn't spin freely on the bobbin shaft.
This is a view of how the bobbin is seated on the shaft. You can see the sealed bearing that make the spinning very smooth.
Another new thing that I like, even though it is a tiny addition, is this bumper so when the wheel is folded for carrying it stops and the flyer doesn't touch the treadle.
This is a view of the head with the Suzie Whorl...the experimenting has begun.
The ratios available standard with the Aura are 4.1:1, 5.4:1 and 7.3:1. Not fast at all and definitely meant for thicker yarns.

I changed the standard whorl with the Suzie whorl. Since the wheel diameters are the same between the two wheels I can say that the new ratios where 4.4, 6.9, 10, 13.1, and 16:1
I tried the fasted whorl size and was not thrilled. The difference in size between the flyer whorl and bobbin whorl was too much and the take up could not be adjusted low enough to spin the gossamer yarn I wanted to spin. At the 13.1:1 ratio things got better and 10:1 was very easy.

I did 4 sample yarns and was able to do the whole spectrum. Of course the drafting was slower than my usual speed with the finest yarn but it was very easy.

This wheel treadles like you would expect from a Majacraft. The look is fantastic. The new tensioning system is genius and works like a dream for sock weight and higher yarns (though with more experimenting I could change my mind here to the finer yarns). I mostly did my experiments on the fine end of the yarn spectrum. Why, you say? Well, because I knew it was designed with the help of Lexi Boeger and so I was confident in its ability to do bumpy, thick, irregular and interesting yarns. I wanted to see if it could work for the yarns I love to spin.

To get little or no takeup, which I want with fine yarns, the whorl sizes have to be more similar in size but this slows the spinning due to the low ratios. The wheel comes with only 3 bobbins and no kate of any kind.

The price of the wheel in the US is $963 which is about $80 higher than the price of Rose. I definitely think it is worth the money and as time goes by and accessories are available to make lace spinning easier it will become even more attractive.

I like this wheel. It is interesting and easy to spin on. For fine yarns I will stick with my 30" Schacht-Reeves. But this new Aura will be in my collection right along side that wheel.

Spring Retreat 2010

2010-04-29T09:21:00.026-04:00

I miss Pennsylvania. I love it. It is my home and so when I go there in the spring I am always a little teary.

Azaleas in bloom...I've never seen them in Michigan.

And my favorite tree ever. The Dogwood. My parents' property is full of Azeleas and Dogwoods. Just beautiful.

Chelsea and I filled the car with all the shop that would fit and we drove on Tuesday. I wanted to get there early enough to set up the mobile Spinning Loft and have a little time with the folks before the retreat goers descended on Shearer Elegance. There was a little shopping and a couple movies and lots of talking....

Then the people began to arrive on Thursday afternoon. I was not so good at taking photos because I was busy talking and being bossy.

Friday night some of us went to the movies while the others either were smart and went to bed or stayed up and did some spinning.
This was a favorite of many of the attendees...and me. It is a serve yourself milkshake machine at the Wawa that is only 2 miles away. Wawa, for those who aren't lucky enough to live near one, is the best convenience store anywhere. If there was an emergency you could live there for weeks! I love it. And the shakes are F'Real.
In addition to the shenanigans we brought all the spindles. More came while we were there so this isn't even all the ones that were available.
We brought 12 fleeces. It was really hard to choose which 12 but the car was really, really full.
There were lots of small tools and sparkly stuff and fiber wash and pygora and silk!
There were piles everywhere. People started making piles almost immediately and they changed a little here and there and many continued to grow throughout the weekend.
This was how the shelf of handpaints looked on Friday. It didn't look like this on Sunday.
Chelsea was there telling us all what to do and playing favorites.
And there was lots of spinning.
Lots of spinning.
And even more spinning.

And also, spinning.
spinning
And there was a mess when it was all over. We covered the major wool categories and spun samples of two or three breeds which were representative of the category spectrum. In addition to that we learned flicking and spinning from the lock, combing methods and hand carding methods.

As usual I was nervous about if it was too much or too little or whatever. I think it might be good and make me a better teacher though.
Naomi.....she did spin and ply this.

And on Sunday most people packed up after lunch and were on their way home but there were those who we couldn't get rid of.
Everyone was cleaned up except me.
And this is the room where it all happened.

The participants were fantastic and naughty and fun. They all worked hard and have lots of samples to show for it. What should we do next time?

Yarn

2010-04-12T21:19:00.005-04:00

I talk about a lot of things here but rarely show you finished yarns so here are a few that I've spun over the last couple of weeks. The orange is Cormo that Janel Laidman gave me. I love Cormo. I got 4 ounces and spun it all up on one bobbin of my Louet S45. After the spinnign was finished I wondered what to do. Ply it with something else? Try to separate it into 2? The lazy took over and I chain plyed it all onto one bobbin of my Jensen TinaII.
I love this yarn and now need to figure out what to make with it. It is about a fingering weight yarn which will probably be something lace.
I have a stockpile of Abby Batts and when Abby was here after the reorganizing and she saw how many batts I have she scolded me for not spinning them. So I've spun one. Big plans for more spinning of Abby Batts in the near future. This yarn was spun on my Schacht Matchless and plyed on a spindle from a center pull ball. It is about a DK weight.
And when I was in Wisconsin I visited Susan's Fiber shop and bought this fiber which is a Merino/Mohair blend. I've lost the tag and so have no idea who did the dyeing. it was very felted and not a joy to spin. This 4 ounce bit was also spun onto all the same bobbin and so the final yarn is chain plyed. I do like the finished yarn a lot...but neglected to take a photo of it.

So there you have it. I really do spin.

Busy, Busy, Busy

2010-04-02T20:29:00.009-04:00

So my knotted pile project is now dry and trimmed and looking beautiful. I love it. I did mine in tussah silk that was dyed by Sara Lamb. This is the project I started at SOAR in 2008 and then it sat and languished in the corner of the shop for a long, long time. Now it is finished and the loom has been rewarped with wool and my next project with be with English Leicester locks. They are the wool that the project is sitting on.
In addition I have been working on a lace shawl design. I cast on on Tuesday night and have been knitting more rows than I am ripping so that is good. The wool is something I bought at Rhinebeck a few years ago from a small farm that has all their wool spun and dyed. It still has some lanolin in it and I like that feeling. Not sure what the wool type is but it feels like Romney to me.
There was plenty of wool washing going on because the Retreat is coming up fast and I need washed samples for 18 students of 12 types of wool. I am washing 16-24 ounces at a time and it takes about 3 days to dry outside on a screen. The photo above is Wensleydale (top) and Leicester Longwool (bottom).
This photo is Dorset Horn (bottom) and Lincoln (top)
Chelsea is putting together some Super Fiber Samplers. it is her favorite thing to do:-)
Here is some of the English Leicester locks that I am combing for my next knotted pile project.
And in the midst of all that I am beginning a weaving project. The yarn is 2 ply Alpaca laceweight (about 32 wpi). The sett will be 40 ends per inch in a 10 dent reed. The yarn was dyed with natural materials by my friend Kathy Rowe. Kathy died from cancer a little over a year ago. I used to sell her yarns in the shop and the day i heard she died I took it all home. I have been saving it until I felt like I could do something with it and the right project presented itself.
I am warping with these greenish shades and I will be weaving with 3 shades of blue. It will be an all over twill pattern on my Schacht Baby Wolf.
I have two warp chains wound. There will be 1040 ends all together and I estimate that I have about 650 ends wound at the moment. This will be the finest weaving project I have ever done and I am a little nervous but it will all be fine and lovely and drapy in the end.
In the midst of all this productivity, little Maggie thought she might go outside and rollerblade a little bit. Well, the rollerblades wanted to go faster than she did and they got out from under her. At least that's how Maggie tells the story. She fell backward and put out her hand to catch herself...

Now she has a fractured wrist and this delightfully artistic cast for the next 3 weeks. Three weeks in a cast and then hopefully 3 weeks in a splint if everything is going well.

Tomorrow, there is a spindle class in the morning and then more warp winding!

Piles of Fun

2010-03-29T20:04:00.026-04:00

So....I am exhausted and I can't even imagine how our instructor feels. And she is still on the flight home. It was Sara Lamb. I met Sara a few years ago at SOAR and then 2 years ago I took her Knotted Pile intensive 3 day workshop. It was fun and somewhat easy to learn. The results are also spectacular.

So I invited Sara to come and teach the technique at my shop. When I asked her I wasn't even aware that her book would be out by the time she would be teaching. I just invited her because my SOAR project wasn't finished and I lost my instructions and needed a refresher.

So her book came out and it has all of the information I needed! This is a book for everybody. I think that some people may discount it as "just" a weaving book. It is not. It also is not just knotted pile. All fiber people would be interested in these techniques. The loom used is a rigid heddle as a frame. It is easy to warp and easy to do. Really, get the book and then try it.

Sara got in late on Thursday night and then we had all day Friday to get ready for the class which started at 6PM on Friday. To fill time Sara taught me some wire wrapping techniques.
So I made this lovely Tiara. I think I need to add something in the center and I still have some beads and wire left so I can. We went to dinner and came back and got to work warping.
Saturday morning the warping was done and we got down to business. See how intent they all are? Let's go around the room and see who was lucky enough to be there!
Pat and Carol worked hard and were delightful. They were two local girls.
Debbie and Ayse worked hard the whole time. Debbie is from Michigan and Ayse drove all the way from California. (So I don't want to hear anyone else complain it's too far or Ayse will hunt you down:-)
Mary Lee came from Ohio. She is a weaver and has taken lots of weaving workshops. Also she's very cute and said I am feminine. I like that.
Abby and Denny did nothing but argue the whole time. I wanted to split them up. Abby made good progress despite the frequent breaks and periodic icing of her aching hand.
Sandi Wiseheart came from Ontario, Canada in her green Volkswagen Bug and made great progress.
And Rachel and Stephanie chauffered Denny from Toronto but for some reason spent the whole class in the naughty room.
Sara is a fun teacher with lots of knowledge and she would like you to buy her book.
Isn't she cute? I finished my project and we began warping my loom again for the next project. Most of the students in the class were using Schacht Cricket looms. I was using a copper pipe loom. It's more complicated to warp and you have to make string heddles.
On Sunday Sara also showed us how to make the handle for a bag using card weaving which was so much easier than we all imagined!
I didn't manage to get photos of everyone's projects but here are a few. First they did a sample to figure out how many treads they wanted to hold together for each knot and see what would happen, then they began their projects and most were making bags. I didn't even take a picture of my own project!

I don't know how to run the shop anymore without Chelsea. And to her right, Sandi is trying out her new Matchless.
There was spindle shopping by many.
And I happened to have a bag of silk that matched Stephanie's outfit perfectly. I got it at SOAR in the silent auction and it was dyed by Sara Lamb herself. I hope she will spin it and use it in her next pile project.
Sunday night many of us went to dinner at the Blue Fin which is a Hibachi restaurant.
We talked a lot and I ate too much.
And little Maggie was so happy to have some one on one time with her favorite person.

This class was delightful and fun and I will have the lovely Sara Lamb back in a moment. If you have a chance, take her class.

Rearrange

2010-03-24T09:26:00.009-04:00

I think I am finished except for some floor cleaning and that kind of stuff. Ryan's room was moved to where my fiber room was. The fiber room was moved downstairs and the room that Ryan was in is now a guest room for when my kids come home or I have visiting teachers.

We will start with the new fiber room. Ikea is my friend and all the fiber is in the Ikea cubes.
Most of my spindles are on top of the cubes in front of the window. I am one of those people who can't remember what I have. So if I don;t see it I don;t have it. This is a good system for me because it is all out there now. not to say i won't buy more but I won't duplicate as much.
The kids can still eat breakfast at the counter and we are all happy.
The closet holds all of my yarn in those sweater holders that hang in the closet. There are 4 of them. I also have 4 kitchen garbage bags full of fiber and yarn and bits of stuff to give to Denny when she gets here.
This is the new guest room. I like it but think something is missing to make it more comfortable. This is the room that has all of my craft books and my fabric is almost all in those closets and the cedar chest. The dress in the corner is part of my wedding dress.
The mural on the wall was painted by my mom. She is very talented.
Just a shot of the window wall.
And a picture of a wedding picture if you want to see what the whole getup looked like. Brittney was a bridesmaid and Chelsea was my flower girl. In April they will be 24 and 23. And Lousmith is still just as handsome.
My mom made all the dresses and my hat and the flowers. Some of you will meet the crazy woman next month at the retreat. (Which, by the way, has 2 spots still open)

Sheep Shearing.

2010-03-20T20:46:00.014-04:00

First a photo of Maggie in a scarf made by Abby and a hat made by Abby and a tiny purse that Abby gave her. She's cute. Just had to put her in there.
But today was the sheep shearing at my favorite shepherd's farm. We got there a little before the shearer and so had time to visit with everyone. Last year they added some Scottish Blackface to their flocks. It's the first time I've seen these sheep up close and personal. They are smaller than I expected but when i think about it now I don't know why I was surprised. They are along the lines of the primitive breeds with their little horns and dual coat.

They are about the same size as an Icelandic. Stocky bodies and short legs. Their outer coat can be wiry but this flock is more on the medium side. the undercoat is nice but not as silky as Shetland. So cute.
And there were plenty of babies. Four of the ewes had twins but one baby died so there are 7 lambs and they are adorable. 5 ewes and 2 rams. One ram will stay at the farm and the other will be sold when he's old enough.

I have a fleece from the fall shearing of one of these moms in the webstore if you are interested in trying it out.
Then there's Sarah the Clydesdale. I love her. She has to bend down to sniff my head.
A mama Wensleydale with her 2 three day old lambs. Whenever I got closer than this she stomped her feet at me and looked very menacing. I think she could have hurt me so I kept my distance.
The shearer arrived with 1500 pounds of wool he had sheared that day. I wanted to climb into those bags. I didn't but I did pull out a lock. The crimp was lovely and I found out it was from a Shropshire Wensleydale cross....I wanted that fleece but it was not to be.

Everyone looks expectant.

The Jacobs are a little nervous.

The shearer gets right to work.

First most of the white Wensleydales are sheared. Then the blacks. Then the Jacobs. Blacks first then the lilacs. 22 sheep in all were sheared today at this farm.
Cy was the shearer and as far as speed of shearing he is ranked 3rd in the US. And he didn't disappoint today.
I was skirting along with Char who went with me to see all the excitement. This came home with me as well as a few others.
Naked Wensleys mix with the ones still dressed. they will stay dressed until after the Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival.
Naked Jacobs are so cute.

It was a fab day and I can't believe that over 20 sheep were sheared, fleeces were skirted and everyone was going home in about 2 hours. Amazing. That even includes sheep jumping fences and sharpening blades!

There will be another shearing in mid March and we are thinking of having a party and inviting a few of you to play. Keep watching for details.

All Natural

2010-02-24T19:22:00.003-05:00

A new book showed up at the shop last week and I've spent a few days with it. I don't do a lot of dyeing. I don't love doing it and I have plenty of lovely friends who dye beautiful fiber for the shop and so i can get out of doing it pretty easily. But then this book showed up.

The Complete Guide to Natural Dyeing: Techniques and Recipes for Dyeing Fabrics, Yarns, and Fibers at Home written by Eva Lambert and Tracy Kendall.

At first flip through I thought "This is a pretty book." I'm always skeptical when a title says it's the complete guide, though. But I've been converted. This is a book that even a non-dyer like me could use and, I think, be successful with.

As the title says, this is about using natural dyestuffs to add color to fiber and yarn and fabric. It covers everything from the basic equipment needed to collecting your own plant matter to dye with and keeping notes so that colors can be sort of repeated.

Indigo is covered as well as Ikat, Batik and Resist dyeing. There is so much packed in this book it's amazing.

I think if you are looking to try Natural Dyeing this is a great place to start. I think if you already do some natural dyeing this could be a nice addition to your library because the women who put this all together for us have decades of experience and I'm sure there are some little nuggets in there.

If you want to check this book out you can find it in the Spinning Loft online store or in the shop.

First Birthday Present

2010-02-16T20:13:00.004-05:00

Unlike Denny, I only celebrate my birthday for a week (she celebrates for a month).

My first birthday present arrived today. And it was a joyous occasion.

Some hand combed Mohair in my favorite colors. A couple of hand made pompoms with some green locks thrown in like cute pig tails.

And my favorite of all....a bacon bracelet with an egg button for secure wearing.

Stephanie Flynn-Sokolov is my HERO! Just sayin'

You can see a photo of here fabulousness here posing with Her Abbyness and Spinning Instructor Extraodinaire, Maggie Casey

Here's What's Been Going On

2010-02-10T10:51:00.011-05:00

Little Buster has been having a hard week. Last Tuesday night (11PM-ish) his dad took him to the emergency room because he was having a croup attack and it just kept getting worse until he could hardly breath. So off they went and spent 5 hours there.

He seemed to be getting better. The cough was a lot better and he was running and jumping like usual.

Monday he went to the pediatrician for his 6 year old check up. He needed 4 immunizations and it wasn't fun. They really do hurt when they shoot that medicine into your muscle.
So I took him for ice cream and said he could get whatever he wanted. Two scoops in a waffle cone was the verdict. It was as big as his head.

Then yesterday things started gettign worse again and there was lots of vomiting. Over 6 hours there were at least 12 episodes. So off I took him again to the ER. We were there for about 3 hours while he had a very much protested I.V. and some anti nausea stuff.

Today he is on the couch and there will be no playing in the snow...no matter how much he wants to tramp through the lovely smooth 8 inches of snow that happened yesterday and last night.

So before the sick yesterday I worked on moving more stuff to my new fiber room. In that plastic storage thingy will be lace and sock yarns. It is full now and I have more to add. Not sure what to do but...
This is just another view of the chaos. There is plenty of work to do. I think that wall unit will jsut be spinnign fiber. This all needs to be finished before the Sara Lamb weekend because Ryan's new room will be my old fiber room and Ryan's current room is going to be a guest room for teachers and family and friends.
After the fiber organizing there was bread making and I thought it might be fun to share my process. I'm a big preparedness girl and so have hundreds of pounds of dry goods including lots of wheat. So when making bread I usually grind my own wheat. I love my grinder. It will grind coars and fine and anything in between. For bread I like a finer ground wheat.
Here's the ground wheat. Isn't it pretty? That's about 3.5 cups in there.
I also buy my yeast in those 1 pound blocks that are vacuum sealed. One pound of yeast lasts me for about a year. When I open the package the first time I just put it all in a zip lock bag and store it in the fridge. So I proof the yeast every time before I bake. I just add the warm/hot water (3 cups) and some sugar or honey (1/4 cup) and one tablespoon of yeast to the mixing bowl and watch for bubbles and signs of life.

When i am convinced the little darlings are willing to work I add a tablespoon of salt, and 1/4 cup of oil or melted butter. Sometimes I add an egg or two, sometimes I use milk instead of water - but then I have to warm the milk. You can proof the yeast in 1 cup of warm water and then use 2 cups of milk but adding cold milk slows the rising A LOT!

Then I start to add the flour. I rarely use only whole wheat flour anymore. Generally I use 2/3 wheat I grind and 1/3 white flour (also stored in big cans in the basement). The thing is my family will eat the wheat bread if I add enough white flour to make it lighter. Using whole wheat flour only makes a much heavier bread and it needs to be kneaded a lot longer in my experience.
So I mix the dough in the mixer until it starts to climb up the bread hook and won't stay in the bowl. Then I turn it out onto the well floured counter an.d knead for about 10 minutes adding more flour as needed. When the dough no longer looks smooth and starts to have breaking places during the kneading I know I am done. I don't over add flour because I think that makes a really dry bread
I put the dough into a greased bowl - I use Pam - and grease the top and bottom sides and cover with a cloth. Rising times are variable but I wait until I think it's doubled. I have a hard time judging this but the bread's almost always good so....

So this dough was risen until it was even with the top of the bowl then I punched it down and kneaded it again for about 5 minutes. It then rests for a short time while I turn on the oven and grease the bread pans. I split the dough into 3 evenish pieces and shape them into loafs.
This dough needs one more rise and you can see why I say evenISH. I let it sit until it's about double again and bake it in a 375 oven for about 35-40 minutes.
This bread is really good and the family who won't eat store bought wheat bread will eat this.