THICK, MEDIUM & THIN - Spinning for a Specific Yarn

Yesterday at Webs I had the distinct pleasure of taking a spinning class called THICK, MEDIUM & THIN - Spinning for a Specific Yarn with Instructor: Jeannine Bakriges. We spent considerable time spinning yarn for different weights using different draws with different fibers. I enjoyed taking this course because it reawakened methods I was taught over 10 years ago by my first spinning teacher.

Since I've been spinning for 10 years, I've gotten into a spinnning rut with regard to a singles thickness. I have been spinning to create a consistently thin yarns for many years. This class helped me to experiment with creating thick yarns as you can see in the pics. Of course....I had to make some thin yarn samples as well, but this time by changing the whorls and the draw used. We spun using different wool rovings as well as silk. We also were given a project to complete. My project is to spin a bulky yarn with threads of other colors for a knitted sweater.
I recommend this class to advanced beginners and intermediate spinners!




Of course.....Judy and I did meet fellow bloggers and a new blogger as well. Be sure to check out Jeannine Bakriges' blog for her course schedule as well as comments on drafting techniques.





The happiness of fiber folks pursuing their craft is overwhelming........

Real Men Knit

A celebration of Men who Knit! Kaffee Fassett is interviewed. "Kaffe ventured into the world of colourful yarn on a visit to a Scottish wool mill with fashion designer Bill Gibb. Inspired by the colours in the landscape, Kaffe was thrilled to find the same colours in yarns. He bought 20 colours of Shetland wool and some knitting needles, and on the train back to London a fellow passenger taught him how to knit. His first design appeared as a full page spread in Vogue Knitting magazine." http://www.kaffefassett.com/biography.htm

When Fiber Friends Gather.....

For well over 12 years I've been knitting on Tuesday nights with friends! First it began at Faith's Fiber Arts Studio where I first learned to spin and increase my knitting skills;I miss her so much. Then Faith moved and Sue of RI Handspun invited us to her shop for Tuesday night knit ins; she continued the Tuesday tradition that has made our gatherings so much fun.

Last night was no exception: Carol R showed up with her woven treasures...her lovely handspun/handwoven shawl, her handwoven special technique shawl in plaid and her Bartlett blanket. The woman is steeped in weaving lately!




Judy arrived sporting her Shetland Triangle shawl knitted with her hand dyed yarn and beads. It is a tribute to her knitting and dyeing skills. The autumnal green in the shawl is a delight to the eye!



Gail brings such panache to the group. Here she holds a lovely striped hat in merino that she knitted for her grandson. What a lucky baby boy. She also is wearing a wonderful shrug she knitted; she added a special pin that we all admired.




Muriel provided us with inspiration as always. She wore a sweater that we want to reinterpret in handspun yarns.

Sue is the needle felting queen....check out her snowman progression. It is as always such a well executed needle felted sculpture that Sue designs. Of course, she's created another felted treasure for her granddaughter complete with Beatrix Potter buttons. Lastly she's begun a needle felted Nativity Set which is lovely in its simplicity....


My contirbution for the night was a skein of hand dyed handspun roving that is lovely to the touch. I have only 250 yards...what shall I make with it? It's between fingering and DK weight.

Modeling!

A very productive weekend for sure! I hard blocked the triangle and I am very pleased with the result. This is as close as I will come to a modeled shot Laurie :).

Here you can see the two skeins of Rhinebeck 2006 stash I finshed plying. I just love this fiber!

Blocking Shetland Triangle

Happy Belated Thanksgiving to all who celebrate. We enjoyed the day with family and a feast of turkey and all the trimmings. I even remembered to take out the cranberry sauce.I am so happy to have all the leftovers......one of the perks of inviting all to your home.

Today while browsing the web I came across two desserts I would like to make for a future holiday celebration...chocolate pecan fudge pie ( no this is not a hint to John who makes the best pecan pie) and holiday cobbler Of course, Vicki made a mean cobbler as well! You may have to scroll to the "say my name" entry.

Today..... while America shops I'm blocking my Shetland Triangle shawl knitted in North Ronaldsay Yarn. It's incredible how a hard blocking changes a knitted piece like a shawl. It reveals those yarn overs and subtle color changes in the yarn so we can appreciate the meaning of lace.

I also have been spinning away on a fiber purchase from Rhinebeck via RI Handspun. Some lovely wool, alpaca and mohair

Saturday Sky & Friday Eye Candy

Here's a wonderful beach and sky pic for you to enjoy. I can't believe that it has been in the 60's for two weeks.....



Friday started out dreary and ended sunny. Muriel, Judy and I went to Mrs. Bridges Pantry for a light lunch of Farmhouse Tea. Let us say we spent the afternoon enjoying ourselves. We even visited the Flying Carpet where we made some nifty jewelry purchases all about freshwater pearls. The neat part is that we could design our own necklaces.

Lastly we took some pics of Muriel and Tom's rock. Judy agreed to pose for us....

C'est Fini !!

Everyday Cardigan is finished!! That's what is so good about joining the Red Sweater KAL. It keeps you focused on the task. I'm also knitting away on Shetland Triangle after seeing these shawls ...I had to make one. I'll post a pic if you like....

Saturday Sky, Rose and Surfer at East Matunuck, RI

My Friend Tom and I enjoyed watching the surfers yesterday in 60 degree weather. Hard to believe it's November in New England !!!

The Gathering Continued

I can't say enough about the weather last weekend and the wonderful mountains!

I attended two workshops. The first was on Bosnian Crochet. I made two tiny purse-like objects by working the simple stitch technique of making slip stitches around a foundation chain. Initially your work looks like an oval rug, but because you don't increase the oval shape becomes bowl- shaped. I like its organic quality. The stitch texture will change depending on whether or not you crochet a slip stitch into the front of a stitch or the back.

It is equally important when crocheting to use yarn with singles that have been spun with an S-twist (counterclockwise) then plied with a Z-twist ( clockwise). If you prepare the yarn in the way we spin to knit, the act of crocheting will undo the twist and cause the singles to separate....quite annoying I can tell you. I tried to crochet with yarn prepared for knitting. It was difficult to use that yarn. The smaller purse below is crocheted with cotton yarn from Henry's Attic. The larger with handspun Cotswold from a sheep named Tillie.

I also took an excellent workshop on Silk Paper with Robin Russo. We made silk paper using roving, silk hankies or mawata and textile medium. The technique is easy; there are several websites that describe the process. It is something I plan to explore.

The lighter colored silk paper was made with undyed tussah and bombex roving with natural embellishments such as dried hydrangea and money plant pieces

We Gathered Together

Wonderful skies provided much beauty as we headed to the Mountain Club on Loon in Lincoln New Hampshire this last weekend..... Muriel, Judy and I had to stop at Trader Joe's to loaded up on chocolate and ginger goodies. Need I say we stopped at the NH border to pick up some Tequila for our trip! There is much to tell so I will have to tell more in future posts.


The Gathering attracted over 200 fiber people from every state in the Northeast where we met spinners from all over the Northeast. We spent two fiber filled days in workshops on spinning, Bosnian crochet, silk paper making, rug hooking, fair isle knitting, Norwegian mittens, Shaker pin cushions and more.

Monica, Muriel, Judy and I spun to our hearts content during the evening Spin In. We also bought Foxfire fiber ( I didn't buy any at Rhinebeck so I had to buy here :)) and a lovely lightweight Forrester Spindle.




Here are some RI Guild members ( Marva and Beth) spinning away....

Check out the lovely morning view from our hotel window.

I need a bit of a nap now.......zzzzz

Mongolian Felt Making

The Old Ways are sometimes best!

The Gathering

Every two years spinners in the northeast get together for fiber workshops. This weekend I will be attending The Gathering for the second time in NewHampshire. I attended in Rhode Island the last time. I was so happy to learn more about spindle spinning and plying from Rita Buchanan that year. If you are a northeastern spinner and wish to attend in the future, join the Northeast Handspinners Guild.

This year I look forward to learning about Bosnian crochet from Deborah Pulliam called "Traditional Threads for Traditional Techniques: Bosnian Crochet & Fingerlooping".

In an attempt to pack for the trip I'm trying to think about what projects to take along for evening free time for spinning and knitting. I may take along the Mohave fiber that I need to finish or the Rambouillet and silk I've started spinning. It's so hard to decide. Then I must think about what knitting project to tote along. Of course....who cares about clothes and other necessities ...LOL What shall I bring ......it's a puzzlement.

Below you see Mohave merino spun in a two ply. I hope to have enough for a small shawl.The last pic is a gift of handspun gray wool from fleece to yarn that I've finally finished for a friend.
It 's a worsted two ply spun by flicking the locks to preserve the subtle color changes of the wool. Now back to packing.....

Shetland Triangle in North Ronaldsay Yarn

After lusting over Brooklyn Tweed's Shetland Triangle shawl last week, I dyed some North Ronaldsay yarn to knit Shetland Triangle by Evelyn A.Clark.

My friend, Paula, graciously bought some of the Liz Lovick's yarn for me while in Scotland this year. According to Liz's website she says: "The yarn comes from the herd of North Ronaldsay sheep which live on the beaches of the Orkney island..." They eat seaweed and produce a soft fiber.

Liz is also presently hosting a Gansey workshop called Traditional Knitting in Yahoo Groups.

I've Been Spinning

I'm spinning.......

this............

It's Mohave.........I'm in a red mode lately. I'm working on the red Everyday cardigan....sleeve island as they say.

A Rhinebeck Confession

I know ...I know...I said I wouldn't buy anything at Rhinebeck!!! I said I would only indulge in the foods. But I couldn't help it. Carol M, Marva, Muriel and Sandy encouraged me. Richard showed me his purple and blue fine Rambouillet and silk so I had to buy some :) And Judy showed me her Ellen's Half Pint Farm sock yarn before the trip to Rhinebeck.....

Below is a pic of the finished Fetching wristers. I will make changes to the next pair. I will lengthen the hand and use a regular cast off instead of the picot cast off in the pattern.



Isn't this bootie darling...made with leftover sock yarn using the Pattern a Day 2006 calendar baby bootie pattern.

bootie

Saturday Sky at Rhinebeck

Here are pic of the glorious day at Rhinebeck. The ride there provided much beautiful foliage and knitting time thanks to Sandy C, our driver. Muriel, Marva and Carol M were on board as well.


You can see that the blogger meetup at 1 pm went well. Laurie and I walked to the meeting place after I remembered that is was time to seek out our fellow bloggers. There were too many for me to remember to list here; but some of the bloggers that I recognized were: Margene wearing a lovely Fair Isle vest, Maryse wearing a wonderful scarf from Scarf Style, Cosmicpluto wearing a Lopi styled sweater of her own handspun and design and, of course, Judy wearing Ribby in Noro. Linda, Judy's sister, was wearing a lovely scarf made with Judy's beautifully dyed merino and silk. I also spoke to Beth and got to see her lovely sweater in person while she was spindle shopping. Sadly, Sue from RI Handspun could not join us, but she was there in spirit as we made several purchases for her.

I was so happy to see Vanessa and her beautiful Marina. She graciously allowed me to take a pic....

Then, of course, I met David of Sweater Project. He hails from San Antonio, Texas. He was wearing a wonderful kilt complete with his handknitted kilt hose ; he gave me the pattern after I swooned over the kilt hose. It's here if you want it as well.

Naturally....I had to succumb to buying fleece....some lovely cormo. Lest you think I lost my head...I'm splitting this haul with Marva and CarolM.

Perhaps tomorrow I'll show more of my Rhinebeck goodies as well as give an update on my FO's.

I'm a Square!

I'm looking forward to visiting all the vendors at Rhinebeck. There will be some vendors I want to be sure to visit like Frelsi Farm for their wonderful icelandic laceweight yarn. I love Hatchtown farms needle cases; the woods are so beautifully turned.Little Barn always has some great prices on fiber...seems to me I should hunt in my stash for last years purchase :). Tintagel Farm in Barn 21 has by far the best dyed fiber in my humble opinion...they have some mohair/alpaca/wool mixes that are unspun eye candy.There are many more vendors I could list. What are your favorites?