Weird but works

On April 19, 2021April 17, 2021 By CarynIn Craft

I noticed that I had to spin my experimental spindle quite often. I was not able draft fast enough and the twist built up and reversed the spindle. I needed to either draft faster, or slow the spindle down. I started by drilling a couple holes in the base of my spindle and wiring in an embroidery hoop. Moving the weight away from the center slows down the spin (yay physics!)

This worked well, but was very heavy. So I visited a local craft store and picked up some steel macrame hoops. Rather than wiring them in, I had the idea to snap them on. Because I so helpfully included an indent at the bottom of the spindle (which at the time I just thought was pretty), I could make a catch with the wire so the hoop could be changed out.

Spindle with wire hoop to adjust spin dynamics

I need to perfect the balance (which using a lathe on the spindle and more precise wiring should help), but with this modest modification I could produce yarn so much faster. The hoop is low enough that I can still use the nostepinne style ball wrapping, and when I want to use the spindle supported, the hoop pops off. It is not really surprising that I came to this solution. Wire is one of my favorite mediums, right up there with wood.

Hoop removes easily (which also means if I drop it, it pops off and sustains less damage than a permanently wired hoop)

Here is a variation on the wired “clip on” edge weighted hoop, still not quite right, but I feel I’m getting close.

Fear is the project killer

On April 17, 2021April 10, 2021 By CarynIn Craft

Even I am not immune to project fear, which leads to bundles of yarn in various states of assembly moldering in a corner because I’m not sure what to do. My forever alpaca project has been that way for months (I started it over a year ago) because I had an inkling that I didn’t have enough to make a vest. I was right.

Nålbound spirals laid out on my favorite vest

The idea was to lay out pieces on a vest that fit well, then sew the bits together to form a new vest. I’m not really wanting a bolo vest, and I spun all that fiber at one time, so I would be more consistent. I’m not sure I could spin it up the same now. So. Time for a new plan. I laid out the spirals in several different configurations, and when I had one I liked, took a picture and started sewing using the tails I left after nålbinding. To sew, I used a mattress type stitch, where the needle points the same direction for each stitch, just switching sides.

Two images showing stitching the circles together, picking up loops on the left and right respectively

I was planning on a scarf, but when I did a test fit (as you do), I realized I could shape it more like a shawl or large collar.

I also realized that I may still be able to turn it into a vest by adding a body section. Hmm.

Buffalo down

On April 13, 2021April 12, 2021 By CarynIn Craft

Buffalo down sounds like it comes from buffalo wings, but it is not feathers but the fine hair from the North American Bison. I love the opportunity to work with local fibers (and support local) and was so excited to find a nearby supplier of buffalo down. I grew up eating buffalo; it is a great low fat protein. To be able to use more of the animal is fantastic. The Buffalo Wool Company (thebuffalowoolco.com) uses fiber sheared from the hides of bison being processed for meat. Usually this fiber would be burned off, but they collect it and make hats, gloves, socks, and spinning fiber!

My buffalo down came in a beautiful golden bag

The owner was kind enough to share spinning tips as well. He said to spin “fast and fine” and to hold a small amount in my palm and spin off the pinch. I decided to use the tahkli spindle I made from an old button since it spins very fast and works well for cotton which is also a short fiber. I’m sticking with my spoon as a spindle rest because the handle is convenient.

Spinning buffalo fiber with a homemade tahkli spindle

Holding a small amount of fiber in my palm and spinning from the pinch (photo credit to my eldest)

It took me a bit to understand spinning from the pinch, but once I did, spinning went much smoother. The yarn is fine but fluffy! I spun until the cop wouldn’t stay put on the shaft, then wound it onto a small wool bead that my mom made. This is much easier than starting the ball with yarn! Some of the single is very thin, I was surprised when I didn’t break any of it winding it into a ball. I weighed everything and figured that I spun 6 grams of fiber. I pulled another 6 grams out of the bag to spin another single, then I will ply! I am really enjoying the spinning! The fiber is well prepared — I had no waste! (Yup, three exclamation point punctuated sentences in a row. I’m that excited.)

Winding the buffalo fiber yarn off onto a ball

What to do with small bits of yarn

On April 8, 2021April 3, 2021 By CarynIn Craft

I took the single ply merino wool I had left over from plying and made a simple lace scarf for my youngest’s doll. I had just enough for a decent length. The yarn is about 32 wraps per inch, which is small even for lace weight yarn. I tried nålbinding a new stitch, but the dark yarn was too hard to see. I tried knitting, but again, it was tiny and hard to see. So I used crochet, because I can crochet without having to distinguish individual strands. I did a simple lace pattern (chain three, single crochet in previous chain, repeat), and it still took me days to complete. Making doll clothes, though, is a great way to try different techniques with small amounts of yarn, rather than tackling a human sized project.

Crochet lace scarf from hand-spun merino wool for an 18” doll

Arm bag

On April 2, 2021March 30, 2021 By CarynIn Craft

I have a small arm bag that I made to hold my crochet yarn while I work. It hangs on my arm, so my supplies are close and don’t get tangled. I thought I would try the bag for fiber management for spinning, but the bag is full of a current crochet project, so I made a new one! This is my favorite fabric. When I found it in the store years ago I bought the whole bolt. I have been slowly working through it for various projects, and each time I marvel at the colors and the composition. Since it has a thick border and the rest is a more subtle background vine, it works perfectly for a lined bag.

Small arm bag to hold fiber for drop spindle spinning

I started by folding my fabric to the height I wanted for the bag plus seam allowance (about 11”). With the folded fabric cut for height, I then cut the width double at 17” (to avoid one seam). I folded this piece in half and cut shallow arcs from about two thirds down, to the top, which makes a wide strap to hang on my forearm. I opened the side fold, then with right sides together sewed along the cut edges, leaving a space in one side to turn it right side out.

Purple lines indicate sewing path, with gap so the fabric can be turned right side out

I clipped corners and turned the piece right side out, then with the patterned sides together, sewed the bottom three sides and the top, leaving the arcs open. Another inside out and the bag is serviceable! A nice touch is to over sew around the arcs to keep the seam neat.

Critters and Craft

Tag: spinning