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by Alison on July 5, 2011
I've been mostly knitting and crocheting as of late, so the start of Le Tour de Fleece was a great opportunity to pull out my wheel and get back into my peaceful Zen square of handspinning. Spinning yarn seems to occupy a different part of my brain than other fiber crafts; I find it especially calming when I have a really hectic week. First, I spun some BFL (Bluefaced Leicester) that I got at Andersen Fiber Works a couple of weeks ago. The indie dyer is Dicentra Designs, and I just love their bright, clear colors. I predrafted this fiber without splitting it up in order to preserve the super-long color repeats, and then I chain plied it to make a bouncy 3-ply yarn. When I knit this one up, I should see stripes that transition gently from shade to shade. |
Category Archives: spinning
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by Knit Picks Podcast on April 6, 2011
Kelley and Alison chat about new colors in wool and alpaca yarn for fall, the new cashmere-merino blend Capra, and spinning supplies. 3 easy ways to listen… |
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by Alison on March 10, 2011
I finished spinning all 500g of the Wool of the Andes roving that I dyed! I did end up plying the lighter blue bobbins (the top two in the photo above) with the darker purple-and-blue bobbins so that the color would even out among the skeins. It worked for the most part, and I ended up with 5 skeins that varied only slightly - one is more purple, one more dark blue, etc. |
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by Alison on February 15, 2011
I've been trying to actually use my handspun instead of, well, hoarding it in bins. I tend to treat my handspun as a finished project instead of like yarn to be knit (or crocheted, or woven), and it's starting to overtake my craft room. This yarn was one of my very first handspun skeins. I had some undyed superwash merino roving that I had gotten from a friend, and I tried dyeing it using the instructions I found on the Yarn Harlot's blog. I was nervous about the roving floating apart and the colors mixing into a muddle, so I chose these instructions because they involved stuffing the roving into pantyhose in order to keep it from moving around in the pot. I used squeeze bottles filled with Jacquard dye solution to paint the roving (right through the old pantyhose), wrapped the weird sausages in plastic wrap, then steamed them over boiling water. |
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by Alison on February 11, 2011
I've been dyeing a ton of fiber lately! I think it's because the weather has been so cold, dyeing just seems like a way to make Crafty Soup. :) I'm a big fan of our Bare Wool of the Andes fiber for a couple of reasons. First, it's really easy to spin because the Peruvian wool is a little grippy and lets you control it easily. Next, it comes in 100g bundles which are the perfect size for the bobbins on my Kromski Polonaise - I know that one bundle will fill one bobbin perfectly. Finally, it's really inexpensive so I can mess around in the dye pot and try strange and/or challenging blends of colors without worrying about being out a pile of cash. |
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by Alison on February 8, 2011
I generally hold myself to a 12" limit for the stacks of paper and piles of samples that clutter my desk, but this heap of spinning fiber pushed things over the top. |
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by Knit Picks Podcast on February 3, 2011
Kelley tells her story about how she first learned how to spin in college. Kelley also discusses drop spindles and the importance of having a wide variety of sizes and styles. Alison interviews Jen from Hanks in the Hood about her exclusive batts for Knit Picks. 3 easy ways to listen… |
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by Kelley on January 25, 2011
Our Knit Picks Drop Spindle is an affordable introduction to drop spindling. Notice how I didn't say, 'introduction to spinning'. Thanks to Abby Franquemont's book, Respect the Spindle, drop spindling is no longer considered to be a 'training exercise' or 'a first step towards real spinning on a spinning wheel'. More about spinning wheels later. After you become comfortable spinning yarn with your first drop spindle, you will want to collect more spindles. Abby explains that there are practical, as well as esthetic, reasons for expanding your spindle collection. Between the two, I can justify nearly any spindle purchase. Practical reasons usually involve your wanting to spin different weights of yarns. My Golding is perfect for DK/Worsted weight yarn. But, if I want to spin anything lighter, I definitely need to use a smaller spindle. |
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by Knit Picks Podcast on September 30, 2010
Alison and Kerin chat about attending the Oregon Flock and Fiber Festival over the weekend. Is there a fiber festival in your area? Check out this calendar, or look for events in your area on Ravelry. 3 easy ways to listen... |
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by Kelley on September 8, 2010
I've decided to make Alison Hansel's Leftovers Vest using City Tweed DK in Tahitian Pearl and Orca with bright bits of my hand-spindled yarn from our new Corriedale Roving. My City Tweed yarn arrived last week and I've wanted to get even just a bit of handspun finished to show you. I finally decided to settle down and ply up what I had finished and I am thrilled with the result! |
