Spindle Love

Thanks to those of you who shared some of your own knitting adventures with me, it was fun to read about, I'm glad to hear that I'm not the only one who has had some interesting knitting adventures.

I'm not sure if I have ever talked much about the spindles I own.  It might seem strange, but I only own two spindles and I don't think that I need more.  Not only am I an enemy of clutter, but I haven't ever felt the need (desire, maybe) for another.

I currently own two Schacht brand Spindles (the 2.2 oz and the 3.0 oz), and I absolutely love them.  When I took my beginning drop spindle class at Webs, my instructor insisted that all beginners learn on the 3 oz Schacht spindle and I can definitely see her reasoning behind it (by the way, this instructor has a video on how to spin here, she is wonderful). I frequently receive questions from people who are interested in learning to spin, one being which kind of spindle is best to learn with, the larger Schacht is definitely my recommendation.

I absolutely love these spindles for several reasons:
- they are very solid: I cannot even begin to say how many times I've dropped each of them, and they don't even have a mark.
- they are very well balanced and have very simple design (I like simple/functional tools over ornate ones)
- smooth finish so fibers don't snag
- they are two spindles styles in one:

Two common spindle designs are high whorl and low whorl (many people seem to prefer one over the other), the Schacht Hi-Lo's are equipped to be either one.  High whorl is with the whorl (the disk) on top, low whorl is with the whorl on bottom.  I was taught how to spin high whorl and I prefer it.

So, why do I own two spindles for my all spinning needs?

In general, the larger the spindle the higher weight yarn you will spin with it.  So, I use my smaller, lighter spindle the most, and for spinning most singles.  I find it easier to ply with the larger, heavier spindle because it allows me better control over the twist and it has more room for storing the spun yarn.  However, when I was first learning, I found the larger spindle to be easier to work with.

I've started spinning some really lovely, soft BFL right now.  I plan on subjecting it to a dyeing experiment later once it's spun and plied.

I'm always happy to answer spinning questions and love hearing about spinning experiences, so please always feel free to contact me about anything spinning related!

Note: I have not received any compensation or request to review these products, I'm simply giving my own personal opinion on them.

Spinning Away!

I would love to spend some time writing a long, involved post tonight and I love you all.  However, I'm going to have to leave you with a hastily shot phone picture and an abbreviated post.

I'm having one of those special days where I get a burst of crafting momentum that suddenly comes out of nowhere!  Now I am determined to ply this alpaca handspun I've been working on for a while.

I'm sure many of you know exactly what I mean when I say that when the urge to ply happens, do it!  Plying on a drop spindle is very slow and annoying (this is the reason why I want to have a wheel), so when I feel up to plying I take advantage of it.

Besides, I feel so content and happy after a few hours of happy crafting.  All of the stress over homework, thesis, and life in general sort of drift away for a while.  Then when the burst of craftiness is over, I am so much more productive in the rest of my work because I'm so much more relaxed!

Anyways, you will likely find me spindling away for the rest of the day until this yarn is plied.  Then hopefully I'll have a finished project to share!

Also, I wanted some advice.  Usually when I'm working on some handspun I get so many great project ideas for it once I'm done.  This time around I'm completely blank, any ideas of what this 100% alpaca handspun should be?

7 Reasons to Spin

When I learned to spin, I can honestly say that it profoundly changed the course of my knitting and crafting forever. I truly enjoy picking up my spindle and spinning away, watching the fibers bind together. Now I cannot imagine my life without it.

I decided to come up with some reasons why I enjoy spinning:

1. Can be incredibly relaxing once you get the hang of it. Learning can be annoying and stressful, but once that fiber is gliding through your fingers it can be a form of meditation.

2. Enables you to create one-of-a-kind yarns using special blends with exotic fibers and different spinning techniques can give your creation a whole new feel and personality.

3. Allows knitters to specially hand craft yarn for a specific project from start to finish. My spinning teacher told us that this would be perk of learning to spin, but at the time I wasn't sure what that meant.

4. Like knitting, usually fairly portable. Now I'm talking drop spindles and select wheels. I'm a spindler and easily spin while at the airport or in the car. It is also fun to walk around the house while spinning.

5. Spinning is very satisfying to finish and get to say "I made this yarn"! It is also extremely exciting to get to knit with your spun yarn and gives your finished object a whole other meaning.

6. Makes a connection to the past. Spinning is an ancient craft and so your ancestors spun too. For me it is a lot of fun knowing that I am aiding in the preservation of this craft tradition.

7. Presents the challenge of learning something new. For me, one of the best parts of learning how to knit was the satisfaction of masting new techniques and producing a tangible final product that could then be made useful. Spinning was the same way, a whole new world of challenges and knowledge opened up when I learned how to spin.

Also, cats love spinning.

So, if you don't know how to spin and have any interest at all, I would highly recommend that you give it a go. The worst thing that can happen is that you will get hooked on a new craft.

What are your reasons for spinning?

Finally Spinning with Silk Merino

I finally got my hands on a silk merino blend of fiber to spin with.  So far I am loving every second of it even though I only have time to spin about 10 minutes every other day.  I dyed the fiber myself with decent results, it isn't my favorite attempt at dyeing but it isn't bad either.  It is a little too light because I dyed with egg dye tablets.  I'm also a little suspicious of the brown...

 I also quickly mastered the two main methods of braiding fiber.  I'm on the go a lot and free fiber is often a recipe for disaster.  Regular braiding is nice, but doesn't work if you want to keep most of it in the braid.  The chain braiding method is way more practical for me and it still looks great.

Bluefaced Leicester Wool

Current spinning project!  Now I know that all the hype surrounding Bluefaced Leicester wool is completely justified.  This lovely fiber is from the wonderful woman behind Into The Whirled.  I was really lucky to get to actually meet her at the Mass. Sheep and Woolcraft fair last month.  Her colorways are to die for and her fiber is a really high quality.

When I'm finished with this I know that I will fall in love with it.

Crazy Fiber

This stuff was a little weird to spin with because it has so many different fibers! It was excellent practice for spinning worsted (even though I didn't quite get there this time).

• Spun June 2011
• Roving: Unknown mix of Merino, Tencel, Sea Cell, Milk Fiber, Corn Silk (Fibers 4 Ewe)
• Colors: Blue, Purple, and Green.
• Spindle: Schacht 3” Hi-Lo drop spindle (2.2 oz.)
• 2 ply, ~85 yards, ~2.0 Ounces, 12 WPI (Sport)

The "I cannot believe I made this" moment in spinning.

I finished this yarn last month and was surprised at how nice it turned out.  It almost looks like something machine made!  Now I truly know why spinning is addictive (and dangerous).  Before I know it I will have accumulated dozens of spindles and spent way too much money on fiber (oh wait...already done that).  However resource consuming spinning gets, at least I know that I can make a truly beautiful product.

• Spun May 2011
• Roving: 100% Merino (Galloping Jester)
• Colors: blue and dark purple
• Spindle: Schacht 4” Hi-Lo drop spindle (3 oz.)
• 2 ply, ~300 yards, 14 WPI (Fingering (2))