They're Mine! All Mine!

Really. For once, I Dyed up fibers just for me. I'll share them, and better yet, I'll probably even sell them after they are spun. (cause I love the spinning much more than the knitting, really) But for now, they are mine!


Excuse the not great pics, I promise I'll get better ones before I spin them up. These are the ones I dyed for the Yarn everyday.
Daydreams on Merino/Tencel:


And an unnamed Colorway on sock fiber... that is, a blend of superwash wool, very very soft, and nylon.


Just wanted to share.





Tweet Me

Yarn Everyday Challenge

On one of my message boards, I am participating in a "yarn everyday for 30 days" challenge. Every day, I am spinning, dyeing, or prepping fiber to spin, for a minimum of 20 minutes. Then posting pictures in the forum. Its a fun challenge, and has several hidden benefits, which can be reaped by both me and by my customers.

Benefit 1, more yarn and fiber available to be bought. That is always a good thing.

Benefit 2, My skill level increases with steady and regular practice. This is true of any fiber artists, at any level. The more you do, the better you do it.

Benefit 3, its super fun, and means I am taking more photos of my work.

With that in mind, some pics of the previous days' works?

April 1st- Merino Fiber, spun at about a 36 wpi

April 2nd- Lots of dyeing happened... about 22 ounces. Plus spun more of the merino

April 3rd- More merino

April 4th- Plying



April 5th- spun silk at 40wpi and plied to some 40 wpi alpaca -




I probably won't post a pic everyday here on the blog, but I'll update every few days anyway. Hope you enjoyed the pics!

Tweet Me

The Bug made it home!

That's right, ladies and gentlefolk, My new wheel is here.

The UPS man came to my door yesterday afternoon and brought with him a great big box of loveliness. And I can surely tell you, this will now and always be the only bug ever allowed in my home.

The Box itself is stated as being the best and safest way to ship or pack the wheel, and it is highly recommended that you do not lose or dispose of it. Schacht sells replacement boxes for $25 each. Definitely not the cheapest Box I've ever seen.

When I opened it, I was not surprised at the small amount of padding in the box... but only because of reviews I have read prior to buying. The wheel is in pristine condition, though.

And The cute little mascot is in a very cool spot. It is visible when I am spinning, right between the treadles on the back leg of the wheel.



I started spinning on it right away. well, as soon as Beeba 2 let me. I decided to start off in Scotch tension, since the wheel came set up that way, and its easiest to just leave it that way for now.

I have some lovely batts from The Good Sheep to spin, but I was afraid that the first time spinning with a new wheel I might mess it up, and I really want to do these justice, so I ent stash diving for something small to play with.

Despite knowing that Alpaca can be tricky (especially when it is the first time spinning alpaca) I found some small alpaca batts (lovely soft stuff, but less than an ounce) in my stash and chose that for my practice fiber.



I have to say, the singles aren't perfect, but they are really pretty... and the wheel spins like butter. I haven't measured WPI, but they are pretty fine.


Interestingly enough, with the same effort of treadling, I am spinning as swiftly and finely on the 9:1 ration of the medium whorl as I did on the 13:1 ration on my old wheel. That gives me a lot more space to grow, with 2 whorls faster (4 higher ratios) and 1 whorl lower (3 lower ratios).


I think eventually, I will want additional accessories. I can see myself wanting the new Bulky Flyer and bobbins when they are released, if only for plying. I think I might only buy 1 or 2 of those bobbins, though. I do see myself wanting more regular high speed bobbins down the line, especially if, as I anticipate, I wind up preferring Double drive. I also think that despite mixed reviews, I will be wanting the built in lazy kate eventually. it would be great for storing bobbins and traveling with them, whether it is great for plying from or not.


For those with young kids, I also find this is a breeze to spin on even with some "help" treadling. I have much more control, even if I relinquish control of one treadle to my almost 3 year old big boy.


And I found out today that on this wheel, I can spin with a sleeping baby in lap. I could ot do that with the old wheel. It was too loud and distracting, and the treadle is not at a great angle for me to have her on my lap... she would slide off. The Ladybug treadles are a little higher, making for a more comfortable spinning position overall. I even spun reclined in a chair!

Tweet Me

There is a bug comimg to my house...

... a Schacht LadyBug, that is. It was ordered a little while ago, and as I type, it is on its way here. The last update was a departure scan from UPS in New Stanton, PA.

At risk of sounding Unprofessional here, WOOT!

Ok. So why should that be so exciting, you ask? I mean, after all, I do have a spinning wheel i love already... it does make yarn...

But The Ladybug has several features that appeal to my ever questing self. First and formost, Speed! My current beloved wheel has a high Ratio of 13:1. That is, for every 1 time the big wheel turns, the bobbin turns 13 times. (for my irish tensioned, bobbin led wheel) The Ladybug, with the High Speed whorl that is packed inside the box (an add on, not a standard item) has a high ratio of 22:1. What does that mean? It means that I can spin almost twice as fast at the high ratio in long draw, or create much much finer yarns in general.

Another reason I am excited, well, its the Learning, of course. My current wheel is an Irish Tensioned wheel, or Bobbin led. I love it. but there are 2 other types of tensioning (that I know of). The Ladybug has both, Scotch tension, and Double Drive. After reading on various forums and ravelry groups all about both types of tensioning, I have been dying to try them for myself. From what I read, I have a feeling I may enjoy double drive best... but I will hold off on judging till after I try it.

I am also looking forward to the larger treadles, and the fact that this is a double treadle (the foot peddles, yo). My current wheel is a single treadle wheel, and sometimes I feel like I need to hold down the wheel as I treadle like mad to reach speed. with a double treadle wheel, I should have a better balance, less effort required to keep the wheel turning, and more speed. and treadle size? well... I have size 10 feet. I didn't think so at first, but if I spin for a few hours on my wheel, my heel starts to feel bruised. the Ladybug, I am told by another Large-footed friend, resolves that issue completely.

And then there is the noise. My current wheel, though I love it dearly, makes a fair amount of noise. I don't usually mind it (though my poor husband does), but when I want to spin, and my poor Beeba 2 wants to sleep, we have a sore conflict of interests. As the responsible mom, I have relegated my spinning time to when she is not sleeping... which leaves only when her daddy will hold her for me to spin... not much time.

The Ladybug, as I understand it, is nearly silent. I can spin with a sleeping baby on my lap if I choose. Ah, the novelty!

So, it will be here sometime Monday, and you can be sure there will be assembly pics, and spinning pics, promptly on Tuesday. Becasue as we all know, I am just a little bit addicted to blogging. And I can't bear to miss a phot opportunity... maybe, if the wheel comes during naptime, I'll assemble out on the porch... then I'd get some really nice pictures.

For now, a Stock photo will have to do:

Th-Th-That's all Folks!

Too many Crafties!

So really, I should be finishing things up here, right? I should definitely NOT be starting new projects.

But What do I do... I go ahead and start new projects.

Today, I cast on for the Blue Jeans Lace Leaf Shawl. I have not finished my basket, and I have lots of yarn to spin. I need to dye more fiber in the next few weeks, I'd like to have a whole bunch of nice variety done up to stock in my next stocking on the Indie Dyers Coop.

And, I just got my Batts that I bought from Berritt of The Good Sheep, who is another member of the Coop. (I really have to say, they look just Yum! She called them Pink Chocolate and they look good enough to eat!)

Oh, and did I mention, that my new LADYBUG spinning wheel is en route? well, it is en route to my dealer, and from there it will come to me, but really... yay!!!

Plus then there is a little matter of a spinning swap I am participating in. My partner (the sender) will send fiber to me (the spinner) to spin up. half the fiber goes back to her as yarn, the rest is for me to keep. My impression is that most people will be doing 4-8 ounce batches. My partner and I agreed to do 12-16 ounces for each of us (because really, what spinner can turn down more Fiber??) its more craftiness for me to do, but fun fun...

Oh, and My monkey socks... they have progress, but they are still not done. that will take time. And sadly for them, they are not the highest priority right now. Then again, neither is my lace shawl, and I was silly enough to cast that on...

Oh well... the nice part about the shawl (aside from how pretty it is) is that the cast on is 3 stitches. I only have about 7 rows in, with 11 or so stitches at this point. yeah, I know, not much of a cast on. but, I only got a few minutes to spend on it. And, it took almost an hour just to wind the yarn into a ball!

Ok, I have my crafty projects lined up... now lets see how I do.

Preveiws Up for the next Stocking...

... and I really hope that everyone likes them. I like them, and my 2 year old likes them, lol, but you know, I am never really sure.

So here they are:

Earthy Princess
2 - 4oz+ braids of Wool/Mohair Top


and

Salt Water Taffy
1 - 4oz+ braid of Wool/Mohair Top


I have been fighting with timing and the weather to get good pics, so today while it had stopped raining for a bit, I rushed out to the porch, the Beeba 2 strapped to my chest, camera and fibers in hand. I'm glad I did, too, since now the wind has picked up a bit, enough that I think they would have blown away on me.

The Indie Dyers Cooperative is a success!

We had a great Grand Opening Day yesterday, with over 70 people in our shop at one point!

Lots of Items were sold by our members, but don't worry, there is still more to grab. Don't wait too long though, because you never know when that perfect yarn or gorgeous fiber will sell out to someone else.

There are still a few FFS (that's Free for Shipping, so a great deal) Lotteries up, so don't miss your chance at those either.

Also, I am taking suggestions for colors you'd like to see in Rovings, Rolags, and Yarns. No purchase necessary to just give an opinion. My plan is to spend some time this weekend dyeing, so feel free to share your ideas! If I use your color choice, I'll credit you in the listing!

Oh, and on a side note, though we all wound up feeling ill (we caught what the baby had), we are also all feeling much better now, so I'd like to thank everyone for their thoughts.

Indie Dyers Coop Opens Today!

That's right! Our grand Opening is today at 3, so don't miss it! Check out our stuff Today, before its all gone!

There is lots of great stuff stocked, from fibers to yarns to accessories, and even a few sample boxes too! Don't miss your chance to snag some fibery goodness!

The Art of the Rolag

As a newcomer to the fiber world, I have done my share of research. I read about worsted spinning and woolen, semi-worsted and semi-woolen. I taught myself longdraw/from the fold with top (not by any means the best way to learn long draw, by the way).

I saw the term rolag more than once. I even saw pictures of them in books and websites. But nowhere did I see them for sale. I knew I had to try them, to satisfy my need for knowledge.

My first rolags were a mess. they looked nothing like the pretty handfuls of fiber I'd seen in pictures. But they spun. and they spun well. So I tried again. They were better.

Rolags are the number 1 BEST way to spin a true woolen yarn. I hear some people say that they can only spin thread in woolen way. I'm not sure why that is, but for me, I don't find it true at all. On the contrary, I find myself able to spin much thicker singles when I spin woolen from rolags, and much faster, too.

so, for those who are now saying, "I wanna spin from a rolag, but how?" First you need your rolags to do it with. You can either buy them, if you can find them to buy (hint, I will have some stocked at the Grand Opening of the Indie Dyers Coop) or you can make them.

To make a rolag, step one:

Charge your hand carder. I used some washed but unprocessed perendale wool. you could also use that commercial top you can get everywhere. just draw the top across the carder gently, leaving fibers caught in the teeth. My Perendale was in lock formation, and I just laid the locks out on the carders side by side. they were so nice and clean I didn't even have to pick them. (Thank you Beth of WhorlingTides for this beautiful fiber.)

Step two:

Draw your second carder across the first, straightening the fibers, and blending them together. Be sure you don't mash the teeth together, you'll damage your carders. You just want to move the fiber from one card to the other. I do this till all my fiber is on my second card, (it helps to have a bit of an upward draw as you pull the card across) and then I switch cards. My Perendale is now all nice and fluffy on one side, but still somewhat in lock formation on the other.

So, to get the other side, you'll switch hands now. start brushing your now empty card across the full one. When you have emptied that, then you need to make a decision. Are your fibers neatly aligned? do they look nice and fluffy, top and bottom? Mine did, and I chose to say they were carded plenty, and move on to rolling them. If you think you need to go over them again, go ahead. I don't usually card more than 3 passes, though... more than that can start to cause broken fibers and tangles.


Step three, Rolling your rolag:

The final step in making your rolag is to roll it. there are lots of ways to do it. For me, I take my empty card, and using the flat back of it, I fold over all the fibers hanging off the edge of the full card onto themselves. then I start gently rolling them back, keeping them as even as possible. When they are all rolled, roll them right off the card. I even like to roll them across again, if I think they aren't staying neat enough.

Then, you will have these:

Yummy, aren't they?

Now, spinning rolags, another fun and rewarding activity, will have to come another day. I hope you enjoyed this journey of rolags, I know I did.

Fiber Fest Fun; PVC Niddy Noddy

As you may have known, This Past weekend I got to go to the Fingerlake Fiber Festival, something I now plan to attend without fail every year hereafter. Can we say pure FIBER BLISS?

Tons of pretty things, fiber, yarns, WHEELS, spindles, all sorts of stuff! I got to meet and chat with Jonathan and Sheila Bosworth (think Journey Wheel and Bosworth Spindles) and even got to try out a Bosworth book Charka. (it wasn't my taste, but so beautifully made)

I got to touch and feel so many things, and got to hold both Bosworth spindles as well as Goldings, and I tell you what, I was afraid to break them, as much as they cost. But SOO well made!

I tried to stick to a budget (I chose a budget of a bit less than I will have excess after buying my wheel next month) and did really well. I got some BFL, and some corriedale-finn which was just so soft, and some natural brown fiber that was $1 an ounce, and I should have gotten more, because I know it will go fast. I don't anticipate using much myself, but I have nieces who were mesmerized by my spinning Friday night, and it will be perfect to give them a handful and say, here, try it. (with toy wheel spindles, of course)

I also got a Turkish spindle, cause I wanted to try a bit of a heavier spindle, (specially for plying) and I really thought the idea was cool... plus, it spins FOREVER.

I came home only wising I had had more money to spend, because everything a person could want for spinning was there, and in great supply. or maybe if I could just live at fiber fest... yeah, that'd be cool.


Also this weekend, I made my very own PVC Niddy Noddy. But, with the cheapness of PVC, and the length it comes in (too long to stand on end in my house of the tall ceilings) I was not content to make just one simple Niddy. I made a 3-in-one Niddy. By measuring out different lengths of Piping, I was able to make a niddy that can convert from making 24" skeins, to 1 yard skeins, to 2 yard skeins.

Sometimes Life gives you Lemons...

and I love lemons, lol. I never did understand that saying... as if Lemons were a bad thing.

So, good things instead.

1. I am getting a wheel. Yes, the very simple one I blogged about earlier. and no, not today... Next month.

2. I will actually have money left over to buy extra Bobbins for said wheel (which only comes with 2) and to buy FIBER!

I want: BFL... suposed to be awesome for spinning and wear great
Merino... Love the softness
Some superwash... cause I have family that will refuse to work with anything that felts.

3. Fiber Fest is tommorrow... perfect timing.

and 4. more directly related to business at this time, I will be a sponsor in The Great Cloth Diaper Hunt this november! Don't forget to sign up to search. (the sign ups are not quite open yet, but will be in too too super long.)

oh, and 5, back to spinning... I figured out how to make my spindles heavier.... (a good thing to be abel to do, especially for plying, I hear) I just add another wheel whorl! and voila, instead of .7 ounce spindle, 1.2 ounce spindle!

The Next Phase

In my newest obsession... Spinning.

Its coming. well, not yet. but as soon as I can get together enough money.

I want a spinning wheel. like, really really want. Of course, that just goes along with my personality. If you have been following here, you will know that I bounce around a lot. I get what needs to be done done, and I don't quit anything... but I love trying new things.

But,m I am also the victim of a very small craft and hobby budget. and since I am so new to spinning, I can call it nothing but a hobby, even to my husband, who would happily fund anything he thinks will bring us money.

But, spinning, he thinks, can only take time away from my business. and so cannot be worth doing in his mind.

I explained to him, Spinning is a hobby yes, but everyone needs a hobby, even when their business is something they love too. I love sewing. I love sewing diapers and things. But often, I feel a bit of pressure when doing those now, that things have to be perfect, or be done on a certain deadline, or something like that. nothing wrong with the pressure, it is normal, and I think everyone feels it. but, its nice sometimes to have something you can do JUST FOR FUN.

Of course, when I started the business, part of it was so I would have an excuse to spend time and money on these things I love. and who knows, if I ever get really good at spinning, it may wind up incorporated into the business in some way. But that would not be for quite some time, being as I am so new to spinning.

But that takes me back to my new wants. I love my spindles, and I can't wait to go to the fiber festival here this weekend. But I am also very anxious to get a wheel, just because it feels like a door in front of me, begging to be opened.

I have done some research. and here is the wheel I am going to try and get:

It is a really simple wheel. The Otium from Heavenly Handspinning, it only runs about $150 plus shipping. but, it has 3 different ratios, and I am told that the wheels from this seller run super smoothly.

I plan that If/when I get it, I will probably paint it, just like I painted my spindle. I could see the wheel in a bright red, or maybe a cool blue... ooohhh... or an emerald green!

The bobbins on this wheel hold up to 6 ounces of yarn, and it comes with 2... you can get more in single packs or in 3 packs from their website, www.heavenlyhandspinning.com. They have a lazy kate accessory as well, and a skein winder.

I want it all.

Hey, heavenly handspinner... wanna give it all to me for free? I'll review it for you! heh. I am only half kidding here, folks. and the kid is that... they don't read my blog. but, I am dying for a wheel, and will do mostly anything to get one. This one I think I can afford eventually.

Wheels are expensive. I also love the fidelis from the same seller... and have heard only good reviews about it. but, it does cost a little more, and I really don't have extra money to spend, so, since the biggest differences here seem to be cost, and look, and the fact that the Otium comes as a kit to put together... well, I like putting things together. and as I said, I'll paint it, decorate it, personalize it.

By the way, in the few weeks I have been spinning, I have three people asking me for spindles now. THey will eacj get one, too. But I will have to think about what kind of fiber to give them with it... especially since I can barely afford fiber myself.

Oh, speaking of which, take a look at what is on its way to me:

Its Esby by Bohemia yarn Co. on BFL. isn't it yummy!
You can find Bohemia Yarn Co. on Hyena Cart.... and I can't wait to see this in person! its so pretty!

Gotta go... time to walk the kids to the library for baby bookworm.

Spinning...

... Is really quite fun. I did get some actual work done today, but I spent an awful lot of time thinking about spinning.

I am not fast. I am not good. But I am having fun. I started with a top whorl spindle made from a 2 inch wooden car wheel, a 1/2 inch cup hook, and a 12 inch long 1/4 inch dowel. It worked. That was when I was impatient about getting the spindle I ordered, which I assumed would be much better than mine.



I had ordered some wool to spin, and it was (is) so soft, and pretty natural color... super nice to feel, but I had a hard time getting it to spin even... It is put aside now till I get just a little better.









A few days after I made my own spindle, I got 2 packages in the mail. one of them contained the spindle I bought. would you guess, there were only 3 small differences between it and the one I made. 1, they used a 1.5 inch wood car wheel, lol. 2, they used a bigger cup hook, go figure. and 3, they tapered the end to a point. The only difference I actually think I liked was the tapered end, and that only asthetically... its a drop spindle... the end doesn't REALLY matter.




The other package was a very thoughtful and highly apreciated gift from one of the members of my favorite Diaper Sewing Board, Diaper Sewing Divas. She sent me a bottom whorl drop spindle, handmade, with a painted whorl and both ends tapered, no hook at all. And, she sent a nice big ball of fiber to spin. Shetland, which I have now found is a much better starting fiber, though I am not sure exactly what I will make with the finished yarn, as shetland isn't the softest. But, I am now spinning that fiber, and really enjoying it. It is much easier to spin, and I have spun most of the spindle full.



The spindle I bought also came with "a handful of random fiber floof" I spun that, and it too was easier than the super soft wool I bought. I made a mini-mini-mini skein, lol... it might be a few yards long... (I navajo plied it... I could not figure out any way to do regular plying... with only one single... besides, the navajo plying seemed easier, somehow.)



One day I'll get my hubby to drill some holes in a peice of wood to make me a lazy kate for spindles.

heck, one day, I'll probably find a way to get a spinning wheel, too. cause I am having tons of fun.



Oh, and two year old Beeba 1 saw me "playing" with my spindles. he had to have one. so, for the whole under a dollar it took, I put a spindle together just for him.

Then I was at the craft store and saw this little wooden Disc. A little over the 2 inch circumference of my big wheel, but it weighs the same as the 1.5 inch wheel on the spindle I bought. I figured, hey, it costs all of 12 cents, why not grab it?

So I did. I had my hubby drill me a hole in the center, big enough for the dowel I already had, and there was a spindle whorl. But I already had 3 spindles. and I only started spinning last week... so there had to be an excuse to make another one, right? well, the excuse was that I have seen so many super cute decorated ones online, (and really want them all, lol... ) that I should have a more decorated one too. Plus, I wanted to try every kind of spindle I can... see what is best for me.



So this one is .5 ounces, made with more evenly distributed weight whorl rather than center distributed, with a spindle length of 9 inches total, and 8 below the whorl.








It spins really well, too. so, I have 4 spindles now. and what do you think, I have favorites. 2 favorites, actually. They are tied. The spindle given to me, and the most recent decorated one. Different reasons.

For the spindle I was given, part of the reason I like it is because it was given. Something about the fact that it was handmade for me, the the good feelings thus infused in it. Also, my first mostly even yarn was spun on it. (I have now, by the way, plied that single as well... but it is still on the bigger spindle, waiting for more yarn to be added, or waiting to be taken off and skeined. I still have about an ounce of that wool to spin...)

The new decorated spindle I like a lot too. I like that is it is light, and spins really easy, and that it is super pretty, and makes me smile. I like to see the gold paint glinting off it as it spins, and I like that I actually have been doing pretty good spinning on it, too. I also like its shorter length... it makes me feel like it would be easier to travel with. and I like that it has a hook, because I can spin faster without doing a half-hitch... though I am sure I will use the turkish style spindle I was given quite often too.

third favorite is the spindle I made first, believe it or not. I like that I did not spend a bunch of money on it. I like that it does spin well. It is slightly heavier... at a whole .7 oz, lol... and it is bigger than the other spindles I like best by a few inches. I like it for plying. I am sure there are better spindles... but I like it ok.

and my least favorite is the one I bought. Of course, there are reasons for that, too. 1, I paid $5 plus shipping for something that as I look at it, I could have made for a dollar. 2, it seems out of proportion somehow, with a 12 inch length and a tiny little wheel whorl. and 3, I think for something that was bought, it would have been nice if it didn't look like the whole thing was bought and thrown together from craft store supplies in 5 minutes.