Here is further evidence that Missy has feline genes amongst the canine DNA.
Further proof
Month: July 2022
Setting the twist
After plying my hand dyed chain ply yarn, I transferred it to my PVC niddy noddy and soaked it with water to set the twist.
When the yarn was dry, I wound it into a cake using a swift and a ball winder.
I have picked a crochet pattern that I think will do nicely with this yarn, but it is fifth in my queue, so I better get to making!
Plying on a wheel
Some spinners set the twist in their singles before plying. I usually can’t wait, and the hand dyed single I spun on the Befra Willy Spinning wheel was no exception. I couldn’t even wait a day. As soon as the last of the roving twisted into yarn, I had the bobbin off, mounted on the bobbin holder, and was plying the newly spun yarn. I chose to chain ply to keep the color change consistent with the spun singles. Chain plying results in a three ply yarn. If you have made a chain in crochet, or shortened a long rope after tying off a horse, it is a similar concept, but with bigger loops. It took me 2 hours to ply the same amount of yarn it took me four days to spin, and I did it all in one go. (Can you say obsessed?)
The shocker? The flyer assembly worked. The flyer was moving slightly slower than the bobbin, so it was adding twist as the yarn was wound onto the shaft of the bobbin. Wha? I think it was that the new bobbin fit loosely on the flyer shaft, where the bobbin I used to spin had a tight fit. Hm. Learning.
Frozen ring
During the extra hot heat wave I made my chicken some frozen treats by putting fruit and vegetable pieces in a bundt pan and freezing it. To give it to the chickens I turned the bundt pan over and ran hot water over the metal. The ice ring popped right out!
The bits of fruit left over from fruit salad went over the best. I made another ring with pumpkin, carrots and peas; the chickens ate around the peas. The ring made of banana and cranberry was a huge bust, they barely nibbled it.
Obsessed
My spinning speed on the wheel is about the same as on a drop spindle right now, but I am obsessed and can sit and treadle longer than I can stand and spin. The gentle swoosh of the wheel spinning is also soothing. Until I get a squeak. It doesn’t bother me (shockingly), but does set other people’s teeth on edge. I ask my eagle eared eldest to listen for the source of the squeak, then I apply a little oil. Off I go again. I even am making myself switch sides to balance the stresses on my body. I find it harder to treadle with my left foot and draft out to my right, but it is getting better!
I separated my hand dyed roving by Supernova Dye Works into segments and sorted by color. I love gradient yarns and wanted to separate the teal from the olive green. At the end of each day I took a picture of the yarn on the bobbin.
Critters and Craft 