One year younger than me

I came home with this Ashford Traditional wheel on Sunday.

 *updated with new photos*

Twins went straight to work spinning the wheel. I don't even need to treadle! It's twin-powered!

I couldn't resist trying it out with a bit of alpaca roving that had come with my newest spindles (intended for trying out the spindle and learning to spin, but I'm proficient enough with my spindles now).

The wheel needs oil and some TLC (dusting, had to reorient some of the flyer hooks, springs for the brake band...) I'll need a couple more bobbins (it only came with one) and I'll have to purchase/build a lazy kate at some point. I am also thinking of adding some painted details to the wheel because I'm not in love with the finish - but I really can't be bothered to sand it down and refinish it! It'll work as an earthy base coat that I can slowly detail - as I once did with my bedroom in my youth.  My parents haven't repainted, so my detailed knotwork still adorns the walls and ceiling corners.

I digress. All I really want to say at this point is SQUEEEEEEEE!
I've wanted a spinning wheel for a long time. I'd given up hope of getting one second hand in my area for a price I could afford. (Hence I recently spent my Xmas money on a couple more spindles and fibre instead; not expecting a wheel to come up.) Then I received some money for a shawl I knit and this came up on kijiji within the week. Clearly it was meant to be. She'll look lovely posed next to my lap harp Amalthia (a Stoneyend Eve) when I eventually organize my office/tea room. One day in the nearer future. I'm inspired by the wheel to make the space usable!  Plus, now I can organize the space around my fibre needs. Spinning corner, fibre basket, reading/knitting chair, good lamp... desk for the laptop so I can grade assignments... warm rug - which I should spin and make from a local fleece. Yeah... *dreaming now* *I'm back*
Seriously, that would be wonderful.

Stay tuned for more spinning updates as I'm wrapping up that Red fibre experiment using different spindles. If only I had one more ounce now to compare on my wheel. Oh well, guess I'll have to do the comparison again with a different fibre and all my tools. Darn.

easy as apple pie?

I've become fairly proficient at spindle-spinning on my existing spindles and especially making lace weight yarns. I like lace. I knit lace.
But it was time to mix things up a little and spin outside my comfort zone. Time to try something new.
I've heard (and experienced for myself) how difficult it can be to shift from fine singles to bulkier. I decided one way I would try to combat this was with new tools. For starters, a heavier top whorl was in order. I went shopping on etsy and found this cute mid-priced top-whorl. I had xmas money to spend.  Then I saw the matching bowl for a heavier support spindle (sold together; 2oz spindle is quite heavy) and decided this new tool would also be good to experiment with. Add a bit of fibre and I had a lovely order.

lavender batts were my chosen fibre. the rest came with the top-whorl as part of a starter kit - BFL, merino, and alpaca

The new support spindle has certainly taken some getting used to. It does not spin as quick or long as my light weight Tibetan style spindle. I was having difficulty adjusting, so I took my questions to the Ravelry group for support spindlers and received a lot of great advice. With some more practice, I'm working up a new rhythm that not only is adjusted to the spindle but to making thicker singles. I've similarly been working on making thicker singles on the new top whorl spindle - as shown in the top photo - using the same fibre (merino).  I think it's going well.
The colour of this fibre reminds me of green apples with a little bit of pink/red.  Alas, I only had Pink Lady apples on hand to photograph, which is not quite the apple colouring I'm thinking of.

Apples made me think of warm apple pie.
Which gave me the idea that perhaps I'll pair this small bit of experimental yarn (plied) with my Pumpkin Pie fibre. The green would add some cute contrast stripes or border or... well I've yet to figure that out. I need a project idea first. Then I'll spin the Pumpkin (from Waterloo Wools).

Pie made me think of the phrase "easy as pie" and as I reflect on that I think that pie's not so easy to  bake. Filling is simple and flexible, but the crust? That requires skills and an awareness of how to adjust it for different circumstances - or it will fall apart as you roll it out.  Rather like experimenting with different spindles, thicker singles, different fibres... (no, I'm not the cook at home and I can not make pie crust so please forgive me if my analogy is grossly inaccurate. But I do watch Food Network with my beloved cook.)

I'm not the only one practicing with my new support spindle. One toddler is quite taken with it and is trying to learn to spin. However, she keeps twisting it in the wrong direction (to my spinning).

The eldest wants to spin too (she rotates my Turkish spindles for me on occasion). Neither is ready to sit still and learn. (20m and 5.5yrs)

Camel silk

It. is. finished.

The 2 oz of camel-silk blend fibre I have been spinning for-ever (since last February, according to my own blog) is finally plied. 3 delightful plies and still this is a lace weight yarn. Yes, it was fine spinning. The 2oz yielded 342m of 3-ply yarn plus several more meters of chain-plied yarn using the remaining singles - but I found this resultant yarn to be of a lesser quality and certainly does not blend the colours as the 3-ply does.
In the photos above the yarn is skeined but not yet washed. (Looks pretty balanced pre-wash if I do say so my self.) Currently it is washed, dried, and I'm pretty sure it will be knit up as a Lapidarius scarf.

Happy Yule to Me

Oh happy day. My much anticipated package of fibre arrived today from Ranching Tradition Fibre. Combined with my order from Waterloo Wools that also arrived recently, I'm a very happy person.

BFL locks in burgundy and sage from the ranch.

Targhee Rambouillet roving in blues.  These are delightfully fluffy. Compare above how much larger these 4oz look from the other (BFL) roving in the group photo. Note Waterloo Wool's fibre is the density I am used to buying. Don't want you to think hers is more compacted.

More of the TR roving to match the burgundy locks. I'll be playing with spinning these together.

From Waterloo Wools, some oceany BFL and pumpkin spice BFL roving. Nom!

My favourite vintage (colourway) Kirkland lace for my own Carménerè shawl (which I had also test knit/ made the sample for Waterloo Wools).

 And some more of my favourite lace - Montague. This purple will be a new sample of my Battle-Weary Dragon shawl for Waterloo Wools.

Another picture - this one with sunlight - of my new handspun.

Dramatic Dénouments

This month I participated in the Ravelry Spindlers monthly challenge, which was to spin in the theme of "Teaching and Learning".  Normally I don't participate because I've tried a few times and failed to complete anything in the allotted month.  However, I more recently realized that many participants don't actually spin a full 4 or more ounces of fibre.  Apparently, enough people were spinning very small amounts that the group made a 1oz minimum rule. I decided I could manage an ounce and I had three lofty 1 oz batts to spin up.
I had picked up the batts this fall at the First Annual (or so the organizers hope) Manitoba Fibre Fest. They are hand-dyed batts of brilliant BFL (74%), silk (25%) and angelina (1%). Of course my camera fails to capture the beauty of the red and the sparkle.

 Batts by The Dyeing Arts

 Following my students' final exam, I started spinning and took a few class room photos - my first "teaching" element in the challenge.

 A little started...

 Spinning in progress at the university.

Such a delightful batt to spin.  I spun from the fold of chunks pulled off the batt.

Having spun the first ounce (one of 3 batts) I could ply it. One thing I love about my Turkish spindles is that I can ply straight from the 'turtle'.  In this case, I plied from both ends. In addition to being delightfully simpler (than rewinding), it guarantees no leftovers!

Making it look festive.

 It's not koolaid in the water...

To give some context to the name of the project - Dramatic Dénouments - I photographed the (damp) skein with some relevant books from my course.  The one that stands alone on the far right was the required textbook. The term refers to what can happen, in rare cases, when new religions enter into a downward spiral that results is some kind of dramatic ending (like murders, siege, or suicide).

Yes, the drying skein is currently adorning my tree - which is conveniently near a vent.

Here's my video attempt to show the sparkle of the angelina: It looked much better before uploading...

To continue with the teaching and learning theme of the challenge, this is only part 1. I won't finish (or start) any more ounces this month, but my intention is to spin the other two batts using different tools and see how that works out.  For one I'll use my top whorl and for the other I'll decide between my rakestraw and my supported spindle. Or maybe a new spindle...

Not Waste

Husband had the silly audacity to call this tangled mass of singles (that slipped off the stick and seriously hampered plying) garbage.
I still call is camel-silk fibre and it looks feltable to me! Actually, I was thinking of either stretching it lengthwise for a felted bracelet or balling it up for a bead.
The plying ball is coming along nicely as I did manage to salvage most of the tangled mess - very slowly and carefully.

This is NORMAL

This is normal for a fibre-ista home, right?

Abi's practice fibre and some random yarnage in tea room

Mini skeins display - this is deliberate

FO hiding...

WIP next to the desk. Adding a wider border to an old FO I was never satisfied with.

That's where my fuschia singles are hiding. I've been looking for that box - safely tucked out of the way.

Fibre on a shelf and half-hiding in a box after the fibre fest.

WIP that belongs in the van for long drives. I think it snuck into a bag that came in. Waiting at the door to go out again.

FO that needs blocking - waiting above the living room TV.

WIPs in the living room and some leftovers I haven't stashed away yet from other recent FOs.

WIP I was working on during kiddos' bath

hiding in my newly-accessed bedroom closet... WIPs on the top shelf - spinning and ? Oh, look, hellabitch horns. And a few lace shawls folded on a shelf.

Primary WIP in the living room / wherever I'm nursing.

WIP baby sock I didn't finish for baby shower because I couldn't find the first to know when to start heel...

While photographing above WIP look what I spotted. Wonder where it was hiding that kiddos dug it out from.

craft room bulletin board with swatches and such

where the stash belongs

see, I do put some away

even if some has to stored above

...or in another cupboard

okay, so it doesn't always find its way into the cupboards...

Sorting/storing stuff is still a WIP in general...  Only recently finished master bedroom. Now I just have to wrap up the course I'm teaching at the university.