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March 08, 2007
Celebratory spinning
Whenever I finish a project, I try to give myself one evening of time to chill out and do whatever I want. Usually I end up knitting a sock in front of the TV, which is somehow so much more relaxing than what I do every other night - knit in front of the TV. Now that I have a wheel, sometimes I spin (not in front of the TV). When I finished a pair of mittens a couple of weeks ago, I spun up the Shetland roving that came with my wheel. The tag didn't lie. It was "a dream to spin" and it smelled incredibly woolly-yummy. I would spin a little and then walk around smelling my hands. That's not weird, is it? You understand, right? Now what can I make with 144 yd/131 m of sport/dk weight fluffiness?
Then, to blow off a little steam, I started spinning just a couple minutes (almost) every day. I would spin long enough that it was time to move the single to another hook* and then I would stop. I spun up some lovely superwash merino that I got from Mama E's shop. Yeah, ok. My spinning isn't so even. I don't care. The point for me was to spin and fool around with drafting, not to spin super evenly, though I hope that fooling around will bring me closer and closer to consistency. It's not super super thin (except in spots here and there) so I think I'll just make a two-ply and it will become socks. Frog would never wear orange and pink and Tadpole will just outgrow them before I can knit them so they will be mine mine mine. (evil laugh here)
*Is there a fancier name than "hook"? On a machine that has parts named things like "maidens" and "mother-of-all", shouldn't the hooks be called something like "ladyfingers" or... or....? I'm out of ideas. What's your best suggestion?
Posted by kate at March 8, 2007 09:07 AM
Comments
I love your handspun! it really does look yummy!
I don't spin yet, but I do knit.... looks workable to me! LOL
Posted by: Silver Ilix at March 15, 2007 08:28 PM
I met your Aunt Betsy today! So CUTE!
Posted by: meg at March 14, 2007 06:43 PM
Your spinning is so pretty! Love the pink and orange.
Posted by: brooke at March 14, 2007 11:48 AM
I love that roving - the colors are gorgeous - just gorgeous. I have a bulky flyer so I don't have move my hook thingies that often. Each bobbin holds up to two pounds so there is a ton of room.
BTW - a freind of mine is making me the most beautiful orifice hooks EVER. Every spinning wheel needs a little jewelry! :) What a name though - orifice hook huh? Do you shove it in the "maiden"? hhheeehhhh!
I spin in spurts and starts. Sometimes I will sit down and spin for hours. Sometimes I spin for five minutes - just depends, but I love to spin every day. It gives me balance, even more than knitting. It is also addictive. It takes all the bad work/life stuff and spins it away.
And your yarn is gorgeous. I haven't ever understood the purpose of spinning perfectly even yarn - when the mills make such perfect yarn. I can, just don't want to. I love adding little curly locks and clumps of fiber. Imperfections is the thing i love the most about handspun. If you look closely at Noro, it looks like handspun. And I think its popularity, besides the long colorways, is the imperfections.
I can't wait to see the finished yarn!
Happy Saturday
Holly
Posted by: HollyEQQ at March 10, 2007 09:57 PM
I need to spend some time doing a little spinning. I love this idea- just a bit here and there. Lately my wheel has been sitting there because I don't have a big chunk of time to devote to it. Silly!
Posted by: frecklegirl jess at March 10, 2007 12:39 AM
I think you should name it Armando. I love that name.
As far as sniffing your hands goes, there are far worse things you could walk around sniffing...
(I'll stop now).
Posted by: deawn at March 9, 2007 08:53 PM
I love the pink and orange. It's very important to allow yourself time to do something you really enjoy. I think the hooks should be called "begetters"
Posted by: Susan at March 9, 2007 06:12 PM
I so agree with the comment about getting thee the Woolee Winder. This is the greatest tool that helped me get consistent with spinning (not that I am great at it by any means). I call it the WONDERFUL WOOLEE WINDER. This is absolutely the thing that took me from sucky spinning to decent spinning. I know that some people think it is pricey but I believe it was worth every single penny! I can't begin to tell you how nice it is to spin now and just work on my drafting and spinning and not having to stop every time I finally get some type of rhythm or consistency going to move the yarn on the "hookie thingies"
Good luck
Posted by: anna at March 9, 2007 03:17 PM
hookies, is what I call 'em...and I too lurve that smell.
Posted by: Hope at March 9, 2007 02:50 AM
The yarn looks fabulous! At least you can remember the names of the darn pieces of your wheel! They're usually thinga-ma-bobs, do-hickeys, and mambo-whats-its to me.
I'm not the most helpful when it comes to describing how to spinning works: "Well you attach the yarn here through the ring-thing and then you spin the do-hickey, make sure the yarn is attached to these mambo-whats-its and treadle here..."
Posted by: Christine at March 8, 2007 07:14 PM
Your spinning is lovely - if you want lumpy you should see mine! I think I need to go and get some roving now.
Posted by: Sonya at March 8, 2007 04:45 PM
Your spinning looks SO GREAT, Kate! I call the hooks the "hook thingies," so clearly I'm of no help with this. We could call them the SHs or singles-holders. Or not.
Posted by: Kathy at March 8, 2007 03:49 PM
I like the idea of celebratory spinning. Spinning a bit almost everyday will go a long way to improving your skills. It is some of the best spinning advice I've ever been given.
Posted by: Sarah at March 8, 2007 01:51 PM
I can identify with the "smelling hands" thing. When I was young, some 40 or more years ago, my Mum bought some "real" straight off the sheep Aran wool for me to knit. It was quite cheap too as it hadn't gone through any chemical processing. I knit a guernsey in navy (obviously not quite straight off the sheep), and an Aran in natural, and smelled very sheepish while I was knitting them. It wasn't an unpleasant smell and my hands were so soft from all the lanolin. The Aran is still being worn - by my daughter-in-law up here in the north of Canada.
Janet MF up in Yellowknife
Posted by: Janet MF at March 8, 2007 01:03 PM
Simply beautiful. "Ladyfingers" cracked me up.
Posted by: regina at March 8, 2007 12:20 PM
hehe Love Tonia's. The orange and pink singles are so great! Such juicy fruity girly colors.
I was thinking "get thee one named *WoolleeWinder* and then you won't have to stop!" :)
Posted by: Laura at March 8, 2007 11:58 AM
Your spinning looks wonderful to me.
How about calling the hooks Mother-In-Laws. Since you are always having to stop what you are doing to tend to them and make them happy. LOL
Posted by: Tonia at March 8, 2007 11:22 AM
That pink and orange is stunning, I can't wait to see the yummy socks that it will make!
Posted by: Emilee at March 8, 2007 10:41 AM
