Riley
I love Riley's toes and how he always sleeps holding a back foot.
Friday, January 17, 2014
Thursday, January 16, 2014
Combing Alpaca
I have some lovely (though a little dirty) Alpaca fiber in my stash. I did wash it when I got it to get all the dust and dirt out of it. Now it just has a little veggie matter in it.
Setting up to comb some fiber. I have my fiber, combs, newspaper to catch debris that falls out and a bag to put the discard into.
This is some fiber ready to come off the comb. I've made about four passes on it.
Here you can see the difference between the fiber that is not combed and the fiber that has been combed.
I have a whopping 0.5 oz of combed fiber for an hour of work. Its not bad work though. Its beautiful, isn't it?
This is my discard pile. I'm getting better at discarding :o) I usually try and save all the fibers, but its just not worth it sometimes. There's a reason why its referred to as discard.
Setting up to comb some fiber. I have my fiber, combs, newspaper to catch debris that falls out and a bag to put the discard into.
This is some fiber ready to come off the comb. I've made about four passes on it.
Here you can see the difference between the fiber that is not combed and the fiber that has been combed.
I have a whopping 0.5 oz of combed fiber for an hour of work. Its not bad work though. Its beautiful, isn't it?
This is my discard pile. I'm getting better at discarding :o) I usually try and save all the fibers, but its just not worth it sometimes. There's a reason why its referred to as discard.
I have over 4 oz of this fiber to comb up - so it'll be a while before I start spinning it.
Wednesday, January 15, 2014
Monday, January 13, 2014
Sunday, January 12, 2014
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!!!
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.
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.
Saturday, January 11, 2014
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, January 10, 2014
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