Mediocre Spinner

 I got a new sticker. I love it.

 

Mushroom Blend

I am thinking of spinning the Inglenook Fibers Sticklebatts with Supported Spindles.

It has been quite awhile since I've spun supported. Starting small with an IF Mushroom Blend Sampler, just 3 oz ~ 1/2 oz per color.

 

Death Cap

Spindle Art Unboxed

Mingo and Asho Glasspin Spindle

 

 

 

 

  

 

  

 

MingoAsho Etsy: BUDDING SPRING is an unusual Glasspin. Her shaft is beautiful cherry, with multiple colored hardwood accents. She weighs 1.85 ounces and is about 11 inches long and she spins smooth as silk. Mingo has burned a tiny fern with flowers and vines on her shaft. Her focal is transparent turquoise with silvery opal turquoise dichroic specks with colorful floating buds. A tiny glass bowl is included . Enjoy. 

 

More Bobbins

The 5 & 6-inch weaving bobbins I use for "storage" bobbins are full of spun singles.

I need to find more so that I can wind off the spindles.

 

 

 

I try not to use the 4-inch bobbins they don't hold enough and I need to save them for weaving.

 

 

Only one thing to do: Ply some yarn.

 

 

Spin Supported

 Nice day to sit and spin with the animals.

 

Naked Display

This morning I reorganized the spindle display again.

 

 

 It's a good thing I did because I found this:

 

 

A full spindle of Merino wool with two pinprick holes. Something - a critter - bit and burrowed it's way down into the spun singles chewing and destroying the handspun as it went. I know!

I quickly removed and bagged the wool and spindle and cleaned the area. Fortunately, I did not see or find any live critters or casings.

This evening I wound off the remaining three Supported Spindles and placed the storage bobbins filled with the Merino wool in the freezer. The singles I wound off were strong and intact, no thinning areas, no holes.

 

I am going to have to be more careful and not "display" my spindles clothed in handspun; naked is best.

 

 

Spinning Fine (2)

 With the newly prepped fiber the Supported Spindle spin continues with Merino sheep wool "Delphae". 

First A Twig

It was a beautiful day to be outside and play with cotton.

First a small twig,

 

 

then a bit of naturally-colored cotton lint (ginned).

The twig is used to toss the cotton "willow". This fluffs the fibers from it's compressed state and also removes seed parts and other debris which falls through the wire mesh.

 

Then the lint is applied to the cotton hand carders, this is called "charging",

then Card - Joan Ruane says, "Pet it like a kitten . . .  head to tail . . .  nice kitty."

The fibers are rolled into a small thin roll called a puni.

 

Fiber prep completed- spinning on a tahkli.

Spinning Fine

 

Ember's Fine Fleece

(This post is three years in the making, you might want to get a beverage and make yourself comfortable.)

California Mid-State Fair 2022

Paso Robles, CA

 

7/30/22

 

 

My Sheep to Shawl journey came to an end June 17, 2022. That was the day I dropped off the completed shawl at the Mid-State Fair.

Remember when I first wrote about the project? Way back in April 2019 I had purchased one pound of Romeldale/CVM raw wool fiber fleece from CedarRidgePond Etsy store.

 

I knew from the beginning the project was going to take time - as I taught myself, as I practiced, as I learned - a slow process. It was also a labor of love.

A labor of love to scour (wash) the raw locks of wool,

 

4/25/19

a labor of love to comb the washed locks by hand,

8/11/19

8/11/19

 

a labor of love to spin on beautifully-made Spanish Peacock supported spindles,

 

9/23/19

a labor of love to transfer the spun singles to storage bobbins,

 

10/14/19

 

 

3/15/22

 

a labor of love to ply the spun singles on an EEW e-spinner to make a 2-ply yarn. The singles on storage bobbins were plied together to create a gradient yarn - from light to dark,

3/20/22

 

3/26/22

 

a labor of love to skein the yarn on the Niddy Noddy and to marvel at the movement and energy of Ember's crimp when the skein is released from tension,

 

4/10/22

 

 

4/10/22

 

a labor of love to - Yeehaw - finish three skeins of gradient yarn,

 

4/14/22

 

a labor of love to find the perfect shawl pattern to knit,

Time Trades by designer Caitlin Hunter

"Time Trades was inspired by a favorite song
of mine by songwriter Jeffrey Lewis- the
lyrics are about using your time to build on
a skill that you can get better and wiser at- "

 

 

a labor of love to knit several swatches with different-sized needles, wash, and block the swatches then start knitting using the darkest skein first,

 

4/24/22

5/8/22

5/12/22

 a labor of love to wet block the shawl,

 

6/12/22

6/12/22

 

a labor of love to finish-finish-finish (blocked, ends woven in, pics taken) the Time Trades shawl.

6/17/22

6/17/22

6/17/22

 

 

6/17/22

 

Ember's Fine Fleece

April 11, 2019 to June 17, 2022

 

~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~

Time Trades

Time is gonna take so much away
But there's a way that time can offer you a trade
Time is gonna take so much away
But there's a way that time can offer you a trade
You gotta do something that you can get nicer at
You gotta do something that you can get wiser at
You better do something that you can get better at
Cause that's the only thing that time will leave you with
Cause time is gonna take so much away
But there's a way that time can offer you a trade
It might be cabaret
It could be poetry
It might be trying to make a new happy family
It could be violin repair or chemistry
But if it's something that takes lots of time that's good
Cause time is gonna take so much away
But there's a way that time can offer you a trade
Because your looks are gonna leave you
And your city's gonna change too
And your shoes are gonna wear through
Yeah, time is gonna take so much away
But there's a way that you can offer time a trade
You gotta do something that you can get smarter at
You gotta do something you might just be a starter at
You better do something that you can get better at
Cause that's the thing that time will leave you with

And maybe that's why they call a trade a trade
Like when they say that you should go and learn a trade
The thing you do don't have to be to learn a trade
Just get something back from time for all it takes away
It could be many things
It could be anything
It could be expertise in Middle-Eastern traveling
Something to slowly sew to balance life's unraveling
You have no choice you have to pay times price
But you can use the price to buy you something nice
Something you can only buy with lots of time
So when you're old you'll blow some whippersnappers mind
It might be researching a book that takes you seven years
A book that helps to make the path we take to freedom clear
And when you're done you see it started with a good idea
One good idea could cost you thousands of your days
But it's just time that you'd be spending anyway
You have no choice, you have to pay times price
But you can use the price to buy you something nice
So I've decided recently
To try to trade more decently

 

 Time Trades

Jeffrey Lewis

October 10, 2011