Sunday, March 16, 2008

KnittySpin - gotta love it!

Knitty of course is a fav site of knitters and spinners too- and this 08 Spring issue has a great article on plying:
http://knitty.com/ISSUEspring08/KSnoveltyply.html


This blog helps me get back to places I like, so hope this helps you too.

The long and short of my spinning life is:

I use an Ashford Traditional wheel- kind of a pain since it has a little lag when at the top of each rotation, that I have to watch out for, (the woes of a AT, single treadle newbie spinner)

I tried to learn how to spin yummy silk (tussah and bombyx top) but was a dismal failure; this was via a “ from (off?) the lock“ technique. 4-6 inch pieces of top. Super tangles is all I really got going. Will struggle along,silk is worth the effort to get GOOD!
I have some silk hankies to try next; it won’t be as frustrating to spin silk in that form.www.knitty.com/issuewinter05/FEATsilkhankies.html

Prolly if I had FIRST learned to spin wool off the lock, i would have done better.
Spinning on a spindle is way fun- yep, collecting these starts up quickly! I try out various wools, such as those I have dyed, to see how they spin up. My first attempts at dyeing wool became semi-felted- oops. Not easy to draft at all.... So I do very exotic yarn via spindling to make something of them! LOL - Moi Designer yarn.

About Me

Marin County, California, United States
I work for 2 non-profits in Marin County CA (near SF) that serve the Developmentally Delayed. I was introduced to weaving and knitting at a very young age. Over the years I have always had knitting on hand. There was a time where I was severely chastised for being so old fashioned, so it is great to see the upsurge in the home arts now going on! I have expanded into machine knitting; fortunately there is a great Guild nearby that has really been great. Spinning Fibers is a new thrust as well, and felting has creeped in too. If only I had more time...