Pre Spinzilla 2017

 So, Spinzilla starts tomorrow.  It's a good thing I have a metric butt ton of wool, right?  I'm going to start with the batts, then onto the Corriedale tops (not all pictured) and then there's some (~6 pounds) Polwarth that isn't in these pictures.  And of course, so much more kicking around....... 

Do you think I'll have enough?

           

             The batts are either Corriedale or Polwarth!

All Corriedale!

                                   

Oh! And lets not forget this silk... there's that too...  

If I'm a little bit silent for the next little while, that's why.... I'm going to try to spin as much as humanly possible between regular life stuff and the extra Thanksgiving thing happening over the weekend....

October 2-8! Here I go! 

Oh! And P.S. I'm spinning on Team Recreated Textiles Red White and Woolies!  

Happily Spinning, 

~Kara

When your Genius says so.

I'm not sure where I read it.  Or, I may have heard it while watching a documentary, as the images in my head are so vivid as to make me believe I saw it as well.   Long ago, the word genius did not mean someone who was incredibly intelligent, it meant that the ideas that came to you, and especially to artists, inventors, scientists, were given to you from an outer force.  This force was called The Genius.  One recounting of a genius story was that an author (who is well known, but heaven forbid I remember those details!) could feel her genius coming at her.  She would be out in a field picking berries, and she would have to run to the house for her pencil and paper before her genius flew past, leaving her alone, without capturing that story.  If at any time, I find that essay/post/documentary, I will share it. It was great.

My own genius spoke to me last week while we were camping.  I had brought along the most gorgeous Shetland fleece that had actually rood. (Roo'ing is the shedding ability some primitive sheep maintain) and a set of hand carders.  I was carding up fine, tiny, little rolags,  when my fingers began to itch for a spinning wheel.  The words wedding ring shawl whispered though my mind.  And I knew my genius was speaking to me. The moment we got home (and unpacked, and slightly settled) I got my husband to rig up a little platform for my lace flyer so that it could sit on my Ashford Traditional spinning wheel in just the right way to work. And then I spun.

And then I plied.  This little sample is only 3 grams, and 48 yards long.  Now if I mathed right, then this 2 ply yarn will measure up at 7168 yards per pound, and a Bradford count of 48.4s (Which means I'd get 48.4 skeins, that measured 300 yards- because I spun woollen- out of 1 pound of wool, which then if you math, that only makes sense when you know that it's the singles that the bradford count measures)

A friend of mine has 3 books on shetland lace shawls she's willing to lend me.  So, I'm going to swatch this up before I spin on.  I want to be sure this is fine enough, and that I have enough fibre... 

Happily spinning,

~Kara

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Fine spinning tip

I've been spinning cotton like a mad woman, trying to get good at it. I found that even if I have my tension set to nothing (and by nothing I mean the cord is just hanging over the bobbin, completely relaxed) my wheel pulls to hard for me to control the intake and in turn the fibre slips out of my hands before it gets enough twist into it. What is the solution to this problem? Pipe insulation. 

Putting pipe insulation over the core of the bobbin somehow makes the wheel pull less.  I'm sure there's a good solid scientific reason behind this, but at this point, I'm just happy it works!  Makes spinning cotton ( and other fine yarns) much easier.

You can find pipe insulation at most hardware stores.

~Kara