Saturday, July 23, 2011

Fiber Prep For Woolen Spinning

I've spent the last 3 weeks working on spinning ~ a pound of wool using the long draw method. I found it very satisfying. The roving was prepped from a carded batt so I did not have to do anything special to the fiber to spin it long draw. However, I was listening to the Podcast Just One More Row, and they described a method of fiber prep for long draw that I had never heard of. They called it Fauxlags(Faked Rolags). I used this method with some fiber that needed some prep because it had slightly felted, and I was really struggling to draft it. So the following is a little tutorial on how I made my Fauxlags.

First I pulled apart the roving into little section. I chose to do this by color organizing darker spots and lighter blue sections.


Pulled apart each section separating the fibers until it's fairly thin. The thinner you make this the finer you can spin your single.


Use a dowel or pencil. Place it along the bottom edge of the fibers you just separated.


Roll up the fibers around the pencil/dowel loosely.


Once it's rolled up take out the pencil from the center. Do not compact the roll.


You will spin off the end of the Fauxlag. Start by pre-drafting from one end. I organized my rolls in the order I wanted to spin them. This allow you to get long color repeats.


and this was the single on the bobbin.


This method works great if you want to spin long draw and you have top or if you want to better control your color repeats on a short-color repeat roving.

Hope this is helpful

Saturday, June 25, 2011

A New Spinning Toy

I had to Share a photo of my new toy. I got it last Saturday and I just had my first chance to use it last night.


The toy came from Sharon at Loom-N-Essence. I had to wait a while because Will was out of the country, but it was SOOOO worth the wait. It is exactly what I want and it works so well.

The singles are the Labyrinth colorway from Fiber Optics. I am doing a 2 ply (Obviously). My test yarn came out to be 20 WPI.

Finished Project:
My Buttercup got finished this week. I love how it turned out. Details on my Rav Page. The Linen Yarn (Katia lino 100%) is so nice and drappy. I purchased this yarn at a close-out sale last summer at The Courtyard (32 Palmetto Bay Road, #10A Hilton Head Island, SC 29928).

Sunday, June 19, 2011

Life is Good

I find going on vacation is always so wonderful. I get to reconnect with my family, & kids, and this vacation was no disappointment!! A week at Hilton Head with my family topped off my June like nothing else!
One of the best parts was going down to the beach the first night. We came across a Sea Turtle, A loggerhead. She was crawling up to the dunes to lay her eggs, and it was amazing. My son said he felt like he saw a dinosaur! She looked like she weighed about 150-200 pounds. I've never seen anything like it.

We also had the chance to see a horseshoe crab and a plethora of starfish in the wild. And finally after all these years, we spotted our first alligator at Hilton head. It was a banner year for spotting wildlife.
As wonderful as the entire vacation was, sleeping for 12 hours in my own bed last night was the best.

As for knitting, I finished a started and finished a dish towel the final in my series of 3. This makes 710 yards completed for The Knit Girllls Stash Dash.


I also finished the first sleeve on my fylingdales sweater. (Sorry No sleeve picture yet)

Sunday, May 15, 2011

Ah MAN!!!! I missed it!

I just was going through my blogger account reading blogs that I had not kept up on in about 2 months!! I was reading AbbyYarns blog and realilzed I missed STRINGTOPIA!

That really Sucks!! I want to take some spinning classes and some of the best teachers in the country were in my backyard, and I missed it!!!!

Abby, Please have another retreat! From now on I will be stalking your website to see if you repeat this event.

Sunday, May 08, 2011

More Pictures to Share

Spinning:
I've completed 4 oz (of the 8 oz) of Frabjous Fibers Merino Top braid( Colorway: Summit 125) I bought at Knit-On. It's 2 ply woolen spun. For about 460 yards. I tried to do a high twist woolen spun to make it more durable in case I decided I wanted to do socks out of it, But I think this is crying to be a shawl or Infinity scarf, It is very soft and squishy!!






KNITTING:
I've completed a Chullo and mittens from Colorwork Creations: I love them both.
Bluebird Chullo:



Mittens:
These are for my Daughter. She picked the colorway so It would not be so Dramatic. But I like the subtle patterning.


For these pattern I used a fingering weight yarn. It was a combination of some Vintage (Patons brands - Nylox and Beehive and York Brands - looks like about 1960-1970's) sock yarn and KnitPicks Essential. I bought the vintage sock yarn off Ebay about 5 years ago from a lady in Canada who inherited it from her grandmother. It's not superwash (I found that out the hard way!!- Felting a pair of socks) But it is very nice to work with.


Fylingdales, In Progress:

This is being worked in Cascade 220 sport in the lightest gray colorway.

Dish Towel
In Queensland Haze Yarn (Corn and Cotton blend. Purchased at Main street Yarns. The pattern is from Mason Dixon Knitting

Sunday, April 10, 2011

Picture Show: Knitting and Spinning Galore

I have not taken the time to update my blog because I have been too busy to actually knitting and Spinning. Much has gotten done!!!

SPINNING!!
Ultraviolet from FiberOptics. Traditional 3-ply. 19-20 WPI


Stand By Me Crown Mountain Farms (On the Bobbins)


Traditional 3-ply 15 WPI & Navajo plied 20 WPI with seconds Bobbin waiting to be Navajo Plied.


KNITTING:
Mini Moochie in the Hermione's Everyday Sock Pattern (Free Ravelry Download).


Dead Simple Lace Socks(Toe Up Socks - Wendy Johnson)


Sweaters And Other Sundries
Girl Friday


Flyindales (A Find Fleece-Lisa Lloyd)


Traveling Womans Shawl


Black Clapotis


Nuthatch Chullo (Colorwork Creations)


Hope you enjoyed the Picture Show.

Saturday, January 15, 2011

Pictures of Knitting

It's been a while since I've put pictures of stuff I've been working on. I finished a lot last year and already have a finished project this year. I love looking at pictures on blogs of what people have sewn, knit and crocheted. So I wanted to put some up.
Hat in UC colors for my Nephew



Bubble Scarf in Kauni Yarn:


Slippers from Debbie Bliss Fall/Winter 2010: Cute and easy!!


Finally my finished Traveling Woman's Shawl in Ella Rae:

Friday, January 14, 2011

January, January, January.....

It's only the middle of January, and the winter blues have already set in!! I've been a little slow to start this year. Usually, I have some grand plan for the year ahead, and January is the month to kick it off. Not so this year.....

My new plan for this year is to find a bunch of "demi-grand" plans to get excited about. I'm still working on the definition of Demi-Grand. Can I call starting a new project demi-Grand?

My Yarny Recap for the Year 2010 - AKA, My Stash Down.
My total yardage knit was 11,000 yds.
My total stash down (which I call all the yarn that left my possession in 2010 was: 7850 yds. I now have 24,750 yards in my stash.

My total yardage purchased in 2010: technically, I bought 7550 yds.
2000 yds (Counts) from vacation yarn purchases
2200 yds (Counts) from 2 bags of closeout priced Universal Deluxe Worsted Tones for $40.00 including shipping!! No one should pass that up. And it's very nice yarn too!!
500 yds (counts). I needed Knit Picks needles for a project and I bought some wool of the Andies for A Kristin Nichols colorwork project that I had started with some left over yarn. I wanted the free shipping.

650 yds of Kauni yard Does not Count!! I bought this yarn and split it with a lady from my knitting group. We were part of the Lucy Neatby Bubble Scarf KAL. I finished the scarf. So the yarn was in and out in 2010.
2300 yds does not count!!! It counts toward 2011 purchased yarn. I had the opportunity in December to buy yarn with money had I put away since summer. In my mind, it was 2011. Oh, and by the way...I'm not counting for 2011.

Overall, my goal in 2010 was to get to a stash that I loved, to carve out the yarns that I purchased long ago with the intent of making something, but now know, that just ain't happening. I feel I'm mostly there.

My perspective on my crafting supplies, be it yarn, fabric, buttons, whatever:
Love what you have
Use what you have
And don't save the good stuff for special occasions.

Everyday is special. Treat yourself well.