I used my small sprang loom to make a swatch with hand spun camel yarn.
Photo description: bent branch Sprang loom with interlinked 2 ply camel yarn nearly completed
To finish the middle, I tried a method I saw in a Sprang group that uses an Kitchner-like stitch to secure the warp threads. In knitting, the Kitchner stitch is a grafting method that takes the yarn in a winding path under and over two alternating strands at a time.
Photo description: binding off the Sprang by stitching
I finished the ends by pulling a section of yarn through the loops, doubling it, then wrapping the resulting circle with more yarn, forming a grommet.
Photo description: the end of the sprang swatch formed into a yarn grommetPhoto description: fresh off the loom unblocked Sprang swatch showing the tendency to twistPhoto description: same Sprang swatch laying flat after blocking (getting it wet and pinning it to a drying rack)Photo description: Sprang swatch pulled horizontally open to show the interlinked warp strands
I quite like the grommet finish for the ends, I’m sure I’ll think of a use for the structure eventually. I don’t care for how messy the center stitches look when the fabric is stretched. I like the chain method less, though. Experiments will continue.
I used my Clover mini loom to weave a swatch of my two ply hand spun camel yarn. I like to double the warp and I chose a plain weave this time. I start and end my weaving with a twined row to help keep the ends in place.
Photo description: 2 ply camel yarn warped onto a Clover mini loom
To finish, I used an embroidery needle to run the looped warp ends back through the weft on the back. I rather like the ribbed edge created by doing so. I added an embroidered daisy with a stem and leaf because the front looked rather plain. The daisy and leaf are done with a lazy daisy stitch, and the stem is a stem stitch, which amuses me.
Photo description: back of the small woven swatch showing the woven in loops and the back of the embroidery Photo description: front of the small weaving swatch done in hand spun camel yarn with five petal daisy, stem, and leaf, Missy the dog looking on in the background
It is interesting that the color of the yarn looks different in each picture. In real life, the color is a soft brown quite like milk chocolate. I did try to color adjust the final picture. I suspect the radical difference in backgrounds is the primary suspect for the color shift.
I have finished spinning and plying my banana fiber sample from Hearthside Fibers. I’m still using the drop spindle with the lost hook because I haven’t had the spindle and a new hook in the same room yet. The yarn came out less even than usual because I was trying to spin thicker and push myself out of my comfort zone. It should give some interesting texture once it is worked up, though. The texture of the yarn is cottony, even though it is a long stapled plant fiber (cotton has a short staple, or fiber length).
Photo description: banana fiber (made from banana leaves) two ply yarn on a well used drop spindle
My fiber study page for my pineapple fiber sample is done!
Photo description: clockwise from top left: card from Hearthside fibers that says “Pineapple Top, Developed in the Philippines, Made from the leaf of the pineapple plant”, paper bobbins with single spun and 2-ply hand spun yarn, sprang swatch, crochet swatch, woven swatch, knit swatch, unspun fiber
The crochet round gave me fits with this fiber. I spun it so fine I was having trouble getting the right gauge for my regular coaster pattern. I think I ripped it apart three times. I ended up winging it, filling the space with stitches and numbers that fit.
Photo description: same page with the swatches flipped up to show hand written descriptions: “Sprang interlaced horizontal ribs chain finished”, “crochet”, “plain weave with sections of 2×2 twill”, “knit stockinette with garter stitch edges size 2 needles, Prym”
For my next spinning adventure I selected banana fiber (made from banana leaves) from my stash. It was already in my mind to consciously spin thicker singles, because my default spin size has been getting quite fine. It was a double challenge with the banana fiber which has about an 8 inch staple length (the length of individual fibers). Spinning fine would not be a challenge, spinning thicker was! To add to my challenge my fingers decided to spin the singles counterclockwise, opposite to how I usually spin. (Probably because I ply counterclockwise when I’ve spun clockwise, so my hands were already in ply mode.) The counterclockwise twist did not make the hook on my spindle happy, and it unscrewed in the middle of the walk and flew off into the grass. Hm. Undeterred, I switched to making a half hitch to secured the spun yarn.
Photo description: white banana fiber on a top whorl spindle secured with a half hitch below the silk cord lashing
I was pleased that the silk lashing I do on the top of my spindle shaft also serves as a security measure for the half hitch. Not only did I finish the walk still spinning, I continued to use the half hitch method for the rest of the spin over the next few walks.
Photo description: all the banana fiber from my sample spun up on the spindle still missing the hook, Missy the dog and her ball in the background because it is hot in Texas and my last leg of the walk was around the kitchen counter inside
I managed to spin slightly thicker, we’ll see how it plies up. The banana fiber has a stiffness to it, more like flax, and doesn’t need much twist to make viable yarn. It had a cottony feel to it, despite the long staple length. It was easy to spin, but I think if I spin it again I will load the fiber on a distaff rather than pull off sections of combed top roving.
Critters and Craft 