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by Jenny K on May 24, 2012
There are certain people that you meet in your fiber travels that simply beam with a passion for what they do, and no one embodies this like Jen Anderson, the face behind Hanks in the Hood. It is a quality that is infectious in person and hard to express in words. And since Jen is a local to us here in Portland (she is based out of Gresham, Oregon), I was so excited when I was able to spend a day at her shop (Andersen Fiber Works) and her fiber processing studio for a little video interview! All of us here at the office love Jen and of course, her rovings and batts from Hanks in the Hood. And personally, I am thrilled to be able to share Jen's story in addition to her enthusiasm, drive, and passion for what she does everyday. I hope this little video lets you get to know Jen a little bit better, I am sure you'll love her as much as we all do! |
Category Archives: spinning
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by Hannah on May 9, 2012
As some of you know, I live with a delightful little (well, fairly large) angora rabbit named Linus. He was the little spokes-bunny for our Special Reserve Sugarbunny line when I first started working here and periodically comes to work with me here at the office! Every three months I give him a big shave and wind up with about 2-3 ounces of useable fiber. I've had several years to practice spinning angora fiber and have figured out a few things about this specific fiber type that I thought I'd share today! |
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by Kelley on May 7, 2012
You’re spinning? Isn’t it just too much fun? Once you are confident with your skills, I know you are going to be happy for years as you feel all sorts of fibers slip through your fingers. But, handspinning isn’t just a tactile experience. Color is a whole other world of spinning. I think it is even more fun because it is a way for you to add your own color preferences to spinning. Color in Spinning by Deb Menz is a large book but Deb’s lessons make working with color completely approachable. The page sizes and quality paper provide a excellent canvas for the large, colorful, detailed photos. |
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by Knit Picks Staff on April 27, 2012
Why, three bags full in fact! Actually, I have so much more than that! But I did get those at the Columbia Gorge Fiber Festival last weekend! I can't really pass up a deal like that - it's scraps and seconds, but $6 for 8 oz of fiber is just too good. Unfortunately I must come across deals like that too often, because I have so, so, so much spinning fiber that I'm quickly running out of places to put it. So, obviously knitting is not my only pastime. Spinning is certainly one of them, and although I wouldn't consider myself to be a great spinner, I love the process of watching a big ball of fluff turn into something wonderful and useable. |
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by Stacey on April 24, 2012
We had a taste of summer weather this weekend so Kerin, Jenny K., Hannah and I all went for a scenic drive - which, of course, ended at the Columbia Gorge Fiber Festival. None of us can resist pretty yarn & fiber! Photo of the Upstream Alpaca booth |
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by Jenny K on April 17, 2012
At the beginning of the new year, instead of setting resolutions for myself that I knew would be lost after a month or two - I instead tried to come up with a list of crafting goals for myself in 2012. And wouldn't you know it, I have been slowly been tackling new projects and checking off my goals! One of the things I knew I really wanted to try this year was spinning. And aside from the fact that you get to make your own yarn, I just loved the zen-like calm that spinners have about them as they sit at their spinning wheel. Combined with the fact that I had a wealth of information all around me since so many others here at the KP office know how to spin, I finally faced with the fact that it might be time to learn. I had a good chunk of Wool of the Andes Roving in Tidepool Heather that I started on with a drop spindle, and that is where my spinning adventure started! L: Full Circle Roving, R: Full Circle and Wool of the Andes Roving |
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by Jenny K on April 3, 2012
During the very first sock summit (which was almost three years ago, back in 2009!), I got overtaken by all of the fiber fumes and came home with a drop spindle. I hadn't the faintest clue as to what I was going to do with said drop spindle, but I knew I needed one everytime I walked past someone drop spindling as they were standing around, waiting in line, or just hanging out. After I recovered from the fiber festivities, I tucked my drop spindle away in one of my craft containers. Finally a year or so later, I dusted off my drop spindle after a visit to an alpaca farm where I couldn't resist buying some fiber. From then on out, every few weeks I would break out my spindle to spin up a bit of fiber. It took a while to get the feel for drafting, but every time it got easier and more natural. If you have ever been intrigued by making your own yarn or spinning with a drop spindle, we have an entire 6-part series video class to help you get started! Kelley's Drop Spindling Class covers everything from terminology to drafting, finishing, and even plying your yarn. It really is so much fun and a great way to play with fiber! |
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by Alison on March 5, 2012
This project has been a long time in the making! I dyed my fiber last year using Greener Shades dyes, then spun it into four different 250g skeins of bulky weight 2-ply, and now I've finally transformed it all into a finished object. When I'm stash busting or using up unlabeled yarn, I tend to create my own patterns that are a) extremely basic and b) allow me to change plans mid-stream in order to work around yarn shortages. For this project, I decided to do a basic crochet ripple afghan - I wanted something soothing that let me really enjoy the texture and colors of my handspun without concentrating on a difficult stitch pattern. I also planned on creating stripes of varying widths so that I had more options for using up the majority of my yarn. |
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by Alison on February 23, 2012
When I first started knitting with my handspun yarn, I can't tell you how many times I've wished for a magical label marked with yarn weight, recommended needle size, yardage, and washing instructions. Over time, I've gotten better about documenting my handspun as I create it; when I don't take notes, though, I have to just wing it! For a recent cross-country trip I decided to give myself a little challenge - I packed nothing but 4 skeins of handspun yarn and an assortment of needle tips and cables. The four skeins I chose were finished more recently, so I hadn't had time to measure the yardage, weigh them, or even match them up with other yarn for projects. |
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by Hannah on January 12, 2012
Birch Bay is back! Last time, I had just spun the roving into a (roughly) fingering weight single and was just getting ready to ply the ends together on my wheel at home. Now it's all spun up and ready to knit! |
