Special Episode: Spinning

A little 3 minute movie of spinning on my Ashford Traveller.

Videocast Episode 76: Pokerface!

Re-learning to Spin

I decided that my next spinning project would be going back to basics and re-learning how to spin.  I was wondering why I was continually doing certain things that I did not like.  As we all know there's no wrong way to spin (unless you're not making yarn) - just like there's no wrong way to knit (as long as you are making stitches that form into fabric).  However, if you don't like it - then its not right for you.

What I didn't like:

1) It takes me months to spin up 4 ounces of roving.  Why can other spinner's spin skeins and skeins in a month??  I spend hours and hours spinning, get discouraged at the lack of progress and then let it sit untouched for weeks at a time.  I often just get plain sick of looking at the same fiber for this extended period of time.

2) Its uncomfortable and frustrating - I am constantly fighting with fiber, treadling way too fast and racing against my feet to draft.  My legs get tired, my back hurts and I feel frustrated and annoyed when I am spinning.

What I realized:

1) I spin way too thin - that's fine if that's what I wanted.  But with an overwhelming stash I am looking for quantity here and I am also looking to expand my skills to spin different weights of yarn.

2) I really do a half-a*%$^ job pre-drafting.  Pre-drafting is not an absolute necessity, but it is if you are trying to learn and want to make things easier on yourself.  It makes it easier to draft when spinning, especially if you are like me and something has been in your stash for 2 years.  It also allows you to get to know the fiber before spinning it.

3) I over spin everything.  Sometimes the finished yarn feels like twine, there are coils in the singles that I either go past or spend too much time undoing while plying.  The singles get all tangled up on each other when plying because they are crazy energized.

4) I treadle way too fast.  Everyone has their own comfortable speed - this is not comfortable.  And its not necessarily just too fast, I increase over time, its not consistent.

I took this beautiful fiber out of my stash to work with.  Its English Shetland Combed Top from Into the Whirled.  It has a long staple length and a beautiful preparation.  I split it in half and pre-drafted one half entirely about four times the thickness of the final singles I wanted.  I spent about 2 hours on the first bobbin.  Unbelievable!  I am spinning it thicker than I usually spin - on purpose - but I am also being conscious to not over spin it.

What I learned:

1) Slow down your feet!!  This is not Speed, the wheel is not attached to a bomb that will blow if you decrease below your typical maniacal treadling speed.

2) Take breaks or just stop for the day.  Its better to spin more frequently, but for small periods of time.  Just like any muscle memory task.  For now I am finding that 1/2 hour sessions are working well.

3) Stop and review - check the singles frequently to make sure that they are consistent and not getting too thin.  Also check that its not getting over-spun - this can easily be fixed by stopping and drafting out more fiber to take up the twist built up in little coils.

4) Check your feet - pay attention and count off frequently to make sure the feet aren't going faster and faster and faster.  By the third session I could actually stop paying attention and I was maintaining a consistent treadling.

5) Take your time and pre-draft!!!

There's still one tiny bit that has the over spun coils in it in the middle there - when I stopped focusing and was watching something on the computer.  But all in all pretty consistent and spun well.

I solved all of my problems.  At this current rate I could easily finish a skein in a week.  I am not frustrated or causing back pain.  Its nice and calm and fun - what spinning is supposed to be!  They are all things that I know and have heard time and time again, but I just wasn't applying them for some reason.  Now I just have to remember and apply all of these things when I spin.

Fun with paints

Took a canvas painting class at the shop where my mom and I have taken pottery painting classes.  I am very happy with my finished painting.  It was fairly easy, the trees were a little difficult.  The colors in the photo are slightly more yellow than in real life (the moon is actually more white than yellow).  

Now I'll have to find a frame and somewhere to hang it!

They do classes quite frequently - so I'm sure you'll see more in the future.  There is a freestyle one in February I am thinking of taking, where you can bring in a picture and they will help you paint it.  I'm thinking of finding a picture of the Dr. Who Tardis!

Friday Felines - Vol. 2 2014

Willow

Paper bag ... cat ... need I say more?

FO: Kaire Polwarth

This was a braid of Polwarth fiber from BlueDogFibers in the colorway Kaire.  I started spinning this last July and then it sat for a while.  Its fractal spun 2 ply and probably somewhere around fingering weight.

For fractal spinning the entire roving is split in half down the middle vertically. One half is left as is, the other half is split into smaller bits again and again. This produces one bobbin with very long color repeats and one with very short color repeats.  At some points in the final skein the colors meet up and at other points the typical hand spun "barber poling" occurs with different colors. 

As usual I OVER-SPUN the singles.  This year I am focusing on re-learning how to spin and to stop treadling like I am in a bicycle race trying to escape from a zombie hoard and my life depends on how fast I can go.  

Spun clockwise singles, counterclockwise 2-ply on my Road Bug on the medium whorl using worsted drafting.

Here is the finished plied yarn looking a little crazy.

Washing and beating into submission calmed it down a little, but its still bordering on Art Yarn in some spots.  The fractal spinning worked out well for the colors.  I had approximately 300 yds before washing.

My Stash Runneth Over

I've been a member of the Into the Whirled Fiber Club for a while now and memberships are currently closed.  I am currently unemployed, but until it comes time that I cannot pay a bill, I'm staying put and holding on to my spot.  

For 2014 my goal is to spin 12 skeins.  This is much more than I've spun in the past.  While I was employed and making good money, I bought fiber like a fiend!  I have an ample stash now and know it.  What I didn't REALLY know was just how ample that stash was... 12 skeins would put a good dent in it ... it would free up a whole bin!  

I figured since I can never really decide what to spin next I would choose the first January shipment from the ITW club.  So I looked on the Ravelry group and searched January 2013 .... wait a minute, that's not the first shipment I got ... so I searched January 2012 ... oh that's the first shipment I got.  So I now have TWO YEARS of Into the Whirled shipments ... in addition to all the other stash I purchased in the past.  Wowzah!

I've always wanted to put my stash up on Ravelry, so I figured why not start with my ITW stash.  Today is rainy, cold and dreary, so not the best day for photos ... but at least its done!  Right now I have all of 2012 and 2 of 2013 in there and some other stuff that was in my craft room for a total of 29 entries.  

I'm done for today, I still have ways to go.  I kept an Excel spreadsheet of my fiber stash and it was mostly updated, except for all of the ITW club - I stopped buying fiber in 2013 when it was clear that my stash was out of control, because I had to keep going to Walmart to purchase plastic storage bins.  My spreadsheet has 99 entries ...