Yesterday I finished spinning some lovely purple and blue wool, and today I plied it.  One of the skeins came off the niddy-noddy perfectly balanced--a first for me!   The other still has some energy left it in but not too much.

I'm not sure what this yarn wants to be, but I'd like to make something from a yarn I've made and I think this is the first with that would be practical.  Maybe a scarf, or a hat??

Another new spindle

The Takli spindle (and bowl) arrived today, and I gave it a spin.  It seems to work better for me than the Akha, but I probably benefited from the practice the Akha gave me of spindle spinning in general.  I am finding that if I spin the fiber too thin, the metal "point" wears it through as I spin, and it breaks there.   So, I'm going to have to do a little careful watching of some experienced spinners to watch the angle at which they hold the drafted fiber relative to the spindle.

It is great fun, though--cotton drafts so nicely!

And I spun a bit more on the Akha, to see if my greater ease with the Takhli was due to "experience" (albeit it very limited) or to the spindle, and I think it's a little of both.  The wooden Akha is lighter weight than the metal Takhli (and has a point much less dangerous to a klutz!) but weight of the Takhli seems to make it easier to spin it more freely.   Time will tell.   (Why am I unable to take a clear photo of the Akhi?)

First cotton!

I embarked on this spinning journey because I wanted to learn and experience what my ancestors experienced in the way of getting thread and fabric, especially when making quilts.     That meant cotton and linen/flax and, while I'm having fun with wool and other animal fibers, I'm ready to get started with cotton.  After watching Stephanie Gaustad's "Spinning Cotton" video I ordered up some organic cotton (a lovely sample from Cotton Clouds) and a couple of spindles:  an Akha and a Takhli.  The cotton sample and the Akha spindle arrived to day...

and I'm giving it a try.  It's going to take some doing, but I love the way cotton drafts!

The tiny, uneven amount of brown cotton yarn on the spindle may not look like much, but it was hard won!   It's going to take a lot of practice, but cotton feels so soft and luxurious to me.  (The photo is fuzzier than the fiber, I see!)

Saffron Projects

I've come to the end of the saffron-colored wool.  I may still do a core-spun coil from one of the thick-thin yarns, but for now, here are the results of my practice and play.

Now I've started on some blue/purple fiber, just for some simple calming rhythm and practice.

Happy New Fiber Year!

I've been spending more time with learning to spin art yarn, or"textured yarn," as Jacey Boggs prefers to call it.  I am reasonably happy with my first attempt at supercoils, though it isn't a completely balanced yarn--I'll get there.

I'm still working on thick-and-thin, and think I'm doing better with that.

Beehives, though--not so much. I understand what to do (I think) but so far I haven't been so successful in actually doing it.   I'm not getting the core section spun correctly, and I end up with SERIOUS overtwist in the yarn ahead of the beehive.  I'll keep at it.   Maybe that will be my New Year's resolution, to perfect the beehive before the end of the year!

First results of thick-thin spinning

My first stab at spinning thick-and-thin was successful or not, depending on how you look at it.  It's not a sturdy yarn, but I learned a great deal from the process.  I did find a rhythm to the process but I need to make some adjustments to give integrity to the yarn.

Here are two thick sections--the one the left will pull apart, the one on the right will not.

 And here's why, as I have it figured:
1)  The left section is too long, and the ends of all the fibers are not caught in the twist of the thin sections;  I need to pay better attention to where the fibers pull apart as I finish the drafting for the thin sections and start on the thick.
2) I drafted too much fiber into the thick section on the left, and had some fibers that weren't lined up with the others so, again, the ends of the fibers weren't all caught in the twist of the thin section;
3) My tension/uptake was too high; it all needed a little more twist--not a lot, but a bit.

I have a bit more of this fiber, to do some more practicing.  I'm not sure what I'll do with this, which has more sections that won't work than those that will.  Perhaps I'll just run it through the wheel again, to give it some more twist, then ply it with an even, thinner yarn.  (I do have a smaller skein of this spinning, as a part of the history of my work. )

Back again

I've been away from blogging for awhile, due to chaotic change in my work life.  But I'm back, because spinning and weaving calm that chaos--in my mind, at least.

I've been buying some fiber--more about that as the days progress.  At the moment I'm spinning some thick and thin, a la Jacey Boggs. (If you haven't seen her Spin Art video yet, do it!  She's natural teacher, and even if you aren't interested in textured yarns, you'll pick up some terrific hints about spinning in general.)

I can't say that I'm horribly proficient yet but, with Jacey's instruction, I'm getting there--and having great fun.  I am using a local wool blend (from Alice Threlkeld) in a wonderful saffron color.   I'll post photos when I have finished.  If it's not too embarrassing!! :-)