Fiber Friday Funness!!! August 6, 2010

[HunterJumper33]

I have two things to share this week.

here is some 2ply 50% tencel & 50% Merino (not the best representation of color it should be a very bright pink):



this is a WIP from some handspun I posted a few weeks ago:



I can't wait to see what everyone else has been up to this week.

[jrain]

Mmm, those look delicious!

I don't have anything finished to show off this week but I have been playing with a new spindle and fibre from the fibreholics sample box that I received today which happens to match the spindle perfectly! Here is my WIP shot:



The fibre is 100% corriedale top. I am hoping to spin this together with some of the other, coordinating fibre samples I received and ply with some solid lilac or pale blue top. Might take me a while, though!

[jexxican]

I love seeing what people are making with their handspun. I have yet to make anything with mine, though I have sent most of it to other people. That's what I do.

Oh my that spindle/fiber photo is gorgeous, and so is the yarn you are making! I love how they match so perfectly! But wow, I really just like the photo. Nerd am I?

[nikschaf]

Yummy yarns!!  I, too, love seeing what folks make with their handspun.

Here's mine for the week.  It's 4 oz of corriedale.  The roving's colorway didn't have a name, so I'm calling it "amethyst mine."  Might not make sense as a name, but it's what kept running through my mind as I was spinning it! 

[tcmatteson]

Nikschaf- I think that is the perfect name for that yarn! All those colors mixed in with the purple reminds me of the earth and all the layers you have to dig (aka mine) through to get at the pretty purple amethysts!

jrain- I love love love that spindle of yours! I think it was very thoughtful on their part to send you fiber that matches your spindle, too! They look nice and airy, kinda like when the day starts to turn into night... the part that's higher in the sky, not the sunset part...

Hunter Jumper33- That two-ply looks so pretty ^_^ I can only imagine the colors in real life are gorgeous! And I love the start to your sweater. Will it be long or short sleeved and how big is it?

[Cheyenneswthrt07]

Everyone's yarn looks awesome this week!!!!

[nikschaf]

tcmatteson:  Yay -- that's exactly what I was imagining with the colors!  I'm glad you understood!

[jexxican]

As soon as I saw that Nikschaf was the last to post I got excited! I love her yarns! And I love how she presented it on the wood, beautiful shot. Not just a skein of yarn, ya know?

On that note, how do you pronounce the word "skein?" Is it like SKANE or SKEEN or SKINE? I've always used the last but I think it's wrong.

[Cheyenneswthrt07]

I say SKEEN, but everyone at my SnB group says SKANE lol

[amazing_784]

I got some fiber and a drop spindle from the July Birthday swap earlier this week.  So far I've spun 4 oz of undyed merino and a beautiful piece of roving...not sure how much.  I want to dye the 2 hanks I made of the undyed, and the other roving (which was really pretty colors) is resting for now.  Can I post that?? Pretty please?

[nikschaf]

amazing_784 -- post it, for sure!!  We want to see what you've got!  

Jexxican, your sweet comments about my yarn made my week!!  I'm so new to spinning and usually scared to post my yarns because I worry they're not very well spun.  Thank you -- I feel more confident about posting now!!

ETA:  I say SKANE, but who knows if that's correct?  

Edited again to add this link from the online Merriam-Webster dictionary (because I was so curious I couldn't resist looking it up.)  According to this, it is pronounced SKANE: http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/skein

[Cheyenneswthrt07]

I got some fiber and a drop spindle from the July Birthday swap earlier this week.  So far I've spun 4 oz of undyed merino and a beautiful piece of roving...not sure how much.  I want to dye the 2 hanks I made of the undyed, and the other roving (which was really pretty colors) is resting for now.  Can I post that?? Pretty please?

Oh please do post pics!!! 

[HunterJumper33]

Thanks everyone & beautiful stuff as always and after reading this I'm not even sure how I say skein anymore!

@tcmatteson: thanks! the sweater will be short sleeves & hopefully I will be able to take a decent picture of it on me once I'm done.

[amazing_784]

Ok so I'm posting!!
First off, this:


Became this:


The thick and thin was the first go at anything.  Not terrible, but I learned a lot.


The singles was the second try:


Also, this:


became this:


there were some really cool color changes in it:


Its still wound around the back of a chair until I can set the twist.  The other two haven't been set yet either, but I want to dye them before I set any twist.  Hopefully I'll be able to post that soon too!

[nikschaf]

amazing_784:  That white thick and thin is so fluffy I want to dive right in!!  It looks like clouds!!  And I LOVE the purples in that second one!

[A_WRIGHT]

Everyone's yarns look awesome.  I agree that the white merino looks just like big, fluffy clouds.  I love colors but pure white merino just can't be beat, it matches everything.  You did an amazing job on it amazing_784, it looks MUCH better than my first few attempts at spinning.   

[ludicrouslouisa]

I only just started spinning - my neighbour gave me a drop spindle (bottom whorl) and I grabbed some roving off her (she's an ex felter and I only took a couple of bags cause I wasn't sure if I'd take to spinning. Now, of course, I want MORE roving so I'll have to ask her if I can have some more.)
Anyway, it's a little worrying that everyone says top whorl is better, and I'm not sure I'm doing it specifically CORRECTLY (I don't knit "correctly" either - ie my hand positions etc aren't what you're supposed to do, but my knitting ends up the same so why worry?) but hopefully what I'm doing is Ok. there are lots of tutorials out there and a lot of the information conflicts with each other. Anyway, I draft the fibre before I spin it, and I spin the spindle with my left hand and feed the fibre on with my right, which is apparently the reverse of how you're supposed to do it but anyway.

Here's my show and tell
that bluey-grey is wool roving that I spun up. My first go, so it's rather curly - I'd already set it. The stuff on the spindle is spun more evenly - it's alpaca top, randomly dyed. I have a lot of that.

My second skein of yarn - single, the aforementioned alpaca top. This is before I'd set the twist.
Two things I'd like to do - I want to see if I can spin a really really fine lace weight, but I've heard that bottom whorl isn't good for that. In some bits I did get it quite thin, but I'm not sure if I could do that consistently.
Also I'd like to ply yarn, but it seems bothersome to only get half as much yarn as I'd spun in the end. Also cause my singles are at least worsted weight, I'm worried it'll be way too thick if I ply it. Hrm.
Sorry for all the writing :p

[WMA]

Ludicrouslouisa - Did no one warn you spinning is an addiction? lol =)  I don't believe in 'supposed to' or 'the correct way' when it comes to most things art and that most definitely includes spinning (knitting too)! If you're drafting and putting twist in the fibers, you're spinning! I pre-draft my fiber a good bit before I start spinning too. There's something very Zen about just drafting out the roving (without spinning at the same time)...I love it. Everyone has their own opinions about top vs. bottom whorl...which one is better, which one is better for which type of yarn. It's the same with spinning wheels, the wheel that one spinner absolutely loves may not do it for another. Don't worry about 'supposed to' just worry about what feels right and works for you. It's more about creating the yarn that you want to create. Also, you mentioned plying...if you ply the yarn with itself you will definitely get half the length of yarn but you can ply two yarns or ply your yarn with thread of some sort without losing all that yardage. Your yarns look great!

Amazing yarns from everyone...as per usual, lol.

[SewMamaLady]

Awesome yarns this week! I'd comment on every one of them but I'm so tired. I'll have some to show this coming Friday.

[Cheyenneswthrt07]

Ludicrouslouisa-- as someone recently told me, just ply it, you'll love it.  Really it totally has a different feel once it's plied. 


As for drafting, I take the stance on not drafting unless needed, like if its' really felted, I draft as I spin.  I think it's all a personal stance.  Check out Abby Franquemonts videos on youtube on spinning, she's the ultimate spinning guru.  Wait here's her first vid, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rPUORvO-GZE , I still refer to it at times. 

[nikschaf]

Ludicrouslouisa -- your yarns look great!  That alpaca top is really pretty.  I'm also one who doesn't mind breaking a few rules.  If you do what feels natural and like the results, then in my opinion there is no "right" or "wrong" about it!  The main thing to remember is that you ply in the reverse direction that you spun, so just remember which way you spun it.  Spinning is really fun, and once you've tried one thing the ideas just start flowing!

I'm also one who hates losing yardage to plying, which is why thus far when I've plied I've done it with sewing thread or crochet thread.  I keep telling myself I'll ply two handspun yarns together.  I'm sure I will but for now singles or plying with thread has been my way of doing things.