Fiber Friday 12-5-2008

[myklia]

I was hoping for someone else to start Fiber Friday, but I have things to do, so I am posting now.














Obviously this is for a swap and since I won't be sending until the 15th, I couldn't wait to post the yarn.  I'll have to trust that scotskipper402 won't wander in.  This is for the Four Element swap and is supposed to represent air and water, so therefore I call it "sea and sky".  It is merino/tencil (sp?) from Fiber Optic on Etsy with bits of leftover tussah silk.  It looks more sea than sky.   4oz and still only about 66 yards?  Why can't I get a lot of yardage?  I use a drop spindle, but I have seen others get more yardage on their drop spindle.  I don't know.

Anyways, here is the yarn.  I really love it and it will be hard to part with.   I'll live.   It is likely I'll order more of the type of fiber from Fiber Optic in the future.


Can't wait to see everyone else's.

[Cya]

I wish I had more to show you for my first fiber Friday. 
This strange yarn is spun with fiber I carded and blended myself (also a first).

[myklia]

That is cool Cya.  I have yet to card and blend fibers.  That is something I eventually would like to learn how to do.  I would really like to learn the whole process from animal (or other raw fiber) to finished roving.

[mullerslanefarm]

The Pink:  About 7-8 oz of singles.  One bobbin will be plied with thread that has felted flowers attached and knitted into a scarf and hat for my pink crazy niece.  I have the yarn plied, but do not have pics.



The 3 skeins on the right, plus the niddy noddy.  These are chain plied and will become a BSJ.  About 250 yards total

[WMA]

WoW!! That is pink Mullerslanefarm! Is chain plying the same as navajo plying..?

I like your 'strange yarn' Cya... 

Sea and Sky is so pretty and shiny, love those colors...I haven't tried working with silk or tencel yet but I love the look of them.

This was done on my homemade drop spindle. I spun it from my first batts I blended on my new drum carder. Most of the wool (all the Kool-aid dyed colors and at least half the white) is local wool that I received as dirty fleece. I blended the local white with a bit of white from Sheep Shed Studio then blended the colors in. It's approx. 85 yards (not plied). It looks a bit more pink compared to the photos. The colors remind me of candy and since most of us seem to want to just gobble up these wonderful squishy yarns...
Squishy Candy

[jen6265]

This skein came from Chiffon.  I found a bag of carded locks that were left over from her 2008 fleece.  Not sure why I missed them, but  I spun them up to see how it looks.  Chiffon is a really pretty ewe that I sold this spring. The color is all natural, no dyes, this is what I love about shetlands, all the different colors you can get. Love her highlights, wish we could have kept her now that I see how nicely she spun up. Oh well.  I also included a photo of her roving, which I don't have anymore.






Have a great weekend!

Jen

[Belladune]

Its been a couple weeks since I posted, but I got stuck on this yarn here:
Its the  Roving I named Swamp, a few weeks ago, spun up with some roving I dyed with coffee.  I got stuck on it, simply because I really don't like it.  I was getting sick of the colors so I didn't want to look at it.  finally figured I should just get it over with lol!  ANyway I ended up with 160~ yards of it. *bleck*



And something I did a while back but hadn't posted yet.  Just plain old wool some of it is fat most of it is skinny.  aprox~104ish yards


Great yarns everyone!  Happy fiber friday!

again sry about the crapy web cam shots... one day I'll figure out how to make my pics .2 mb smaller >.>

[zuxana]

Okay, here is my first Fiber Friday post.  I've been spinning on homemade drop spindles for about 9 months, but never got around to posting for FF because 1) I lacked a decent digital camera and 2) I hadn't spun up anything I felt worthy (I'm a little bit of an anal retentive perfectionist) 

So.... I took these mill ends that I'd dyed with McCormick's food coloring:


and spun them up on my CD drop spindle into this:


Seaweed
4 oz, 121 yards, navajo plied

[mullerslanefarm]

zuxana, that is Beautiful!!

Jen, Chiffon's fiber is a knockout.  I love the colors of Shetlands!!

Belladune - I had a 'swamp' roving also ... same green, with dark and light brown, spattering of yellow and some shiny stuff.  It did knit up into a nice looking purse!

WMA, Squishy Candy is aptly named!  I like it!  The pink was from of Carol Lee's (the sheep shed) roving, as was the other 4 skeins.  Yes, chain plying is the same as Navajo plying

Cya - what beautiful yarn!  Any plans for it??

Myklila - it's all about the drafting and twists per inch.  It's beautiful yarn!

[Thenutmeg2000]

I finally finished another project of spinning. For this skein I carded up all sorts of stuff into batts. I think there is some stuff from Mill Ends in there I got a long time ago. I remember it being a small amount and didn't know what to do with it. That and some dyed black corridale, blobs of hobby farm raised various sheepys, and tussah silk for the shine. Spun thick and thin, this is my 3rd time plying.

and up close for detail

and finally a few left over batts. I think I used maybe 5 of them total and had 3 left over

[nicolassa]

Awesome yarns, everyone, and welcome to first-time Fiber Friday posters! 

Right now I'm really loving the pepperminty yarn by Cya and the Wall o' Yarn by mullerslanefarm...a nd Seaweed and Chiffon and who am I kidding??  I love them all!   

Here are mine for the week...


Ragtag  Just a little wee yarn, 58 yards, merino/bamboo/sparkle.


Cliffdiver Humane Romney lamb wool...I handpainted the roving from Homestead Wool and Gift Farm.  138 yards, 2.3 oz.


Terpsichore Fourth in my Muses series, named after the muse of song and dance.  100% handdyed merino, 120 yards, 4.3 oz, bulky.

and...I am renting my guild's Patrick Green carder...
These tasty batts:


became this yarn:

Storm's a' Comin'! Merino, silk, and opal sparkle, 160 yards.

Hooray for Fiber Friday!

[mullerslanefarm]

Nutmeg - I call batts like that my "Ugly Duckling Batts".  The yarns always become Swans - I know yours did!  I love the look of natural colored combined with color.

Nicolassa - I love the way you put together your colors!  Storm's a comin' is to dye for!!

[pmpknpunk]

Here are my pretties for the week!


"I'm Thankful for..." Collaboration yarn with Yarn Zombie Roving Balls, FeltStudioUK Selection Batts, and a Loop Baby Cake, 58 yards, Corespun, Heavy Worsted


Carnival, Yarn Zombie Batt 36 yards, Corespun, Bulky


Sweet Sixteenl, Yarn Zombie Batt 36 yards, Corespun, Bulky


Aztec Rainbow, YarnZombie Roving Balls, 54 yards, Corespun, Heavy Worsted


Cream De Menthe, CopperPot Woolies, 21 yards, Corespun, Heavy Worsted, 1.1oz


Tie-Dye Christmas, Thick and Thin, Merino


All Spun Up, Merino Approx 100 yards EXTRA chunky, 8oz!

TGIFF!!!!

[Jane Doe]

I like the colours in Aztec Rainbow.
Somehow light and airy while still being so colorful

[the noodle princess]

woooee! love those corespun yarns, pmpknpunk!!

i only have one photographed for this week:
UP,Up and Away



151 Yards
4.2 oz/ 119 grams
Thick and thin
Bulky

Made from beautiful batts of merino, ramboulette, angelina and sari silk from my friend Katrina at Spinningselkie: www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=6268661
I re-carded them and added some superwash merino, BFL, extra angelina, and polworth.

[laminathegreat]

myklia- if you are getting low yardage- really- you want your yarn to be thinner. It's kind of well duh, but sometimes when you are learning, it's nice to hear the obvious. So when you are spinning, don't try to spin 'yarn'- instead, try to spin 'thread'. It will help you spin thinner. Great job, though!

[myklia]

myklia- if you are getting low yardage- really- you want your yarn to be thinner. It's kind of well duh, but sometimes when you are learning, it's nice to hear the obvious. So when you are spinning, don't try to spin 'yarn'- instead, try to spin 'thread'. It will help you spin thinner. Great job, though!

My problem is then that it breaks apart while I'm spinning.  My spindle will just drop.  So I have made my roving slightly thicker, but I try not to make it too thick.  I definitely feel like I'm doing something wrong, maybe over drafting?

I hope in the spring (post tax refund ) to take a wheel lesson with Mullerslanefarm.  I hope Mullerslanefarm that you can perhaps teach me how to do fiber prep better as well. 

I am someone that definitely learns better person to person as opposed to through videos and books, but with the spinning, I haven't really had a choice.

For the yarns:

I love Up, Up and Away, Cliffdiver, everything from pmpknpunk, and the one that came from the sheep.  That is so cool.

Ok, back to work.

[nicolassa]

myklia, if your spindle is just dropping away when you try to spin thinner yarn, it's not you, it's the spindle!  It's probably just too heavy to make fine yarn.  You might want to look into getting a lighter-weight spindle, or making your own CD spindle. 

[myklia]

myklia, if your spindle is just dropping away when you try to spin thinner yarn, it's not you, it's the spindle!  It's probably just too heavy to make fine yarn.  You might want to look into getting a lighter-weight spindle, or making your own CD spindle. 

It's just always natural to assume I am the problem.  Thanks so much.  I will definitely look into that.

[nicolassa]

Hahaha, it's something to keep in mind if/when you take up wheelspinning too.

That's what my (and Laminathegreat's) spinning instructor Maggie Casey always says:  "It's not you!  It's the wheel!" (or spindle, in your case).   

[pmpknpunk]

Nicolassa your teacher is Maggie Casey?! That is so awesome I JUST read the interview with her in the Spring 08 Spin Off like less than an hour ago and thought how amazing it would be to take a lesson from her. Her thoughts toward spinning are much like my husband's thoughts toward golf (he's a golf pro) in that everyone has their own style and you have to help them make it work to do what they want to do. Very cool, I'm jealous times a million!

[krafty_kelly]

All great yarns this week.   
Especially loving tie dyed Christmas.

I have no contributions this week.  Lots on the bobbin, but nothing plied or set.  Maybe next Friday.

[Lufah]

Brilliant yarns this week!  I am sad, as I have no yarns to show, so I cyber-nommed on all of yours.    Jen6265, I *love* the Chiffon yarn!  It's amazing to see how it progressed from sheep to yarn.  pmpknpunk, so cool to see how the balls and batts look spun up!  I will live my spinning life vicariously through you. 

[kirastorm]

oh wow! i love the secret sea and sky! so lovely.
squishy candy and ragtag are both so bright and awesome!

my offerings are my second and third from fleece to spin's. I got 8lbs of raw fleece from a lovely friend.

I combed, carded,  and cleaned this bunch about a week ago when my mom was in town. Together i had about 1/4 an oz of yarn, and i needed to do two dye jobs to send home with her for presents.

So i used kool-aid, strawberry and grape and got two lovely bunches of roving.

Time and allergies intervened and i suddenly needed to make something else for the relatives, so i set the roving aside. and i got to pick it up again yesterday!



this is my strawberry splash. I have no clue what the yardage is. It'll be lace trim on a black scarf for a friend.



and  i need to get a few more shots of the grape, but the one that did turn out is this one




i lost my cam this aft and i spent all evening hunting for it so i could get the pics in before midnight! happy spinning till next week ya'll!

[laminathegreat]

Maggie RULES.

[pmpknpunk]

Lufah if you ever need any other your fibers spun, you know my address 

Thanks for all the lovely comments everyone! I do so look forward to Fiber Fridays and seeing everyone elses fabulous yarns as well!

[nicolassa]

  Maggie *does* rule!

She's part-owner of the LYS in this little corner of Colorado, Shuttles, Spindles, & Skeins.  So, pmpknpunk, if you're ever in Boulder, you could stop in and meet her.  She also gives classes at several fiber festivals around the country...I know she definitely attends SOAR every year. 

I had no idea when I picked up spinning two years ago that I happened to live in some sort of fiber mecca (Interweave Press is a couple of towns over, Schacht Spindle company is here, TONS of talented people...our local Handweavers Guild is huge).  It's been great to "come of fiber age" in an area where there are a gajillion spinners, knitters, dyers, weavers, etc., because...uh...some times you need a physical person to help you sort out a big fat mess.   

Anyway...Kirastorm, I love the gorgeous saturated red of your strawberry splash yarn!

[mullerslanefarm]

My problem is then that it breaks apart while I'm spinning.  My spindle will just drop. 

Are you spindling using a park and draft or trying to draft and spin at the same time?  Sound like the 2nd.

Predraft your fiber.  Take your leader about 5" above the spindle and pinch tight.  Now give that spindle a whirl so you can feel the twist against your fingers, then spin the spindle a couple more times.  Park your spindle (between your knees or feet) and slowly allow the twist to come up into your pre-drafted fiber.  Wind on, and repeat.

I hope in the spring (post tax refund ) to take a wheel lesson with Mullerslanefarm.  I hope Mullerslanefarm that you can perhaps teach me how to do fiber prep better as well. 

Absolutely!  We can cover hand cards, drum carding and combing, spinning from the lock.  It will be a full day of fiber fun!

[myklia]

I split down the roving and then predraft it all before I start spinning.  The thinner roving will somtimes break apart long after a join and long before the next one.

As for my joins, I realized I wasn't overlaping my fibers enough (at least overlaping them more has seemed to solve the problem of my joins not being good enough).

I hope in the spring (post tax refund ) to take a wheel lesson with Mullerslanefarm.  I hope Mullerslanefarm that you can perhaps teach me how to do fiber prep better as well. 

Absolutely!  We can cover hand cards, drum carding and combing, spinning from the lock.  It will be a full day of fiber fun!

I totally look forward to this.  I really want to learn all that I can.