Ask The Bellwether

When do you set the twist?

noreply@blogger.com (Amelia, belle of The Bellwether) — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 18:27:00 +0000

By Amelia © November 6, 2009

"When do you set the twist?" comes up in almost every conversation I have with a new spinner. They're curious to know if they need to set the twist in the singles before plying, how to finish their skein once it's plied, or they want their skein of singles to relax and stop being so curly and twisty.

First, let me jump in with: you don't need to set the twist in your singles, or skein them up and wash them before plying. Just take them as they are, and ply them.

What we do as spinners, is not set the twist so much as either strive for balanced twist so the skein won't be curly and twist -- only possible with plied yarns -- or make the twist go dormant, so an over-plied or under-plied skein, or a skein of singles, seems relaxed and calm. (Secretly, however, it's not -- the twist is sleeping, waiting for a tap on the shoulder to wake it up.)

In fact, the moment you start winding yarn onto your spindle or wheel, you are stretching it out taut as you wind it on (right? right!). Winding the yarn under pressure like that will help the twist go dormant. Even after five minutes, the twist has started to get sleepy. After a weekend, it's snoozing; after a month, a moderate twist single is fairly comatose.

So, when you ply those dozy singles, you need a "live" sample to compare to, if your goal is balanced twist. Balanced twist is cool -- like an arch, the twist in the singles leans against the twist in the ply, each balancing the other out so your yarn appears calm and relaxed, behaves calm and relax, despite having all that twist stored in it. That is what makes yarn stronger than fiber -- the twist, holding the strands together, making the whole appear stronger than the sum of its parts (because we discount the 'invisible' force of the twist).

I usually ply a short length as I am first spinning my singles and save that sample to compare to when I ply. If I've forgotten, then I'll break off a length of singles, say 8", fold it in half, knot the ends together, and put it in a sink of warm water. It will writhe and twist on itself (very cool to see!). Once it's done with its water dance, I take it out, run my fingers along it so the twist is evenly distributed, and dry it in a towel. That sample shows how the singles can balance each other in the ply. If I match that when I'm plying, then I will have a balanced yarn.

Another way to test for balance, while plying, is to look at the fibers in the yarn. A balanced yarn has the fibers aligned along the length of the yarn. It takes strong eyes and good light -- and the right fibers -- to see the individual strands in the yarn.

Once you have plied your yarn, putting the skein in a warm bath will wake up any dormant twist and let you see if the skein is balanced or not. If the skein twists on itself more than 2 complete rotations, then it's underplied if it's twisting in the ply direction; or it's overplied, if it's twisting in the direction the singles were spun. If the skein is overplied or underplied, you can alter the amount of twist with another trip through on your spindle or wheel, adding whichever type of twist it needs (more ply twist or less ply twist).

All this warm bath is doing is waking up dormant twist. If you want to permanently alter the characteristics of your yarn, you have to look at methods that change it in irreversible, or hard to reverse, ways.

The primary method available to the handspinner is fulling -- have a sink of hot water and a sink of cold water, and a skein with plenty of figure eight ties on it. Agitate the skein in the hot sink for a few minutes; squeeze it out. Agitate the skein in the cold sink for a few minutes; squeeze it out. Keep going between sinks a few times -- you may see or feel the skein shrinking down as you do this. You are actually felting the yarn. Be careful, because extremely feltable fibers could become a yarn donut rather than a fulled skein -- test for strand separatability as you do this. You'll want to reskein the skein when you are done, carefully tugging apart any strands that have adhered (lightly, I hope!) to their neighbors.

Oh, and -- fulling only works with feltable fibers; superwash wool and cotton won't full, or not much anyway. I have managed to somewhat full superwash skeins such as the one at the top of the page -- an overplied sock yarn (socks below show no bias) Some wools are more feltable than others, as well. So if you plan to do this, try to felt some of the unspun fiber before committing yourself to the full project.

A milder fulling is to take your freshly washed (not agitated) skein, wrap it in a towel, and whack it really hard on a countertop or other hard surface. Do this a few times from both ends of the skein. This shocks the surface fibers and makes them grab onto the strands more. It helps develop a halo in fibers that do that -- yak, angora, mohair, for example.

Now, I won't do either of these more "shocking" things -- fulling or whacking -- until I've verified that my skein is either balanced, or has the amount of twist I want. I do overply my yarn on purpose -- it's a great way to add durability to sock yarns -- and then full the yarn so that it will knit into a straight fabric. I will shock my singles to get them to quiet down just a touch.

I typically only dry my skeins with weights if I intend to weave with them. That is because I need them to be inelastic to behave well as warp on my loom. But, I don't want to lose their elasticity with a permanent change -- the fabric, once removed from the loom, will be fulled, and in the process the yarn will wake up and regain its elasticity (which is then transformed in the fulling process).

If you wet-block a skein -- dry it with weights or while stretched out -- any active twist in the skein is still in it, dormant, similar to the old singles or yarn still on a spindle or bobbin. If you knit with the wet-blocked yarn and then wash the knit fabric, any twist dormant in the yarn will wake up and can cause the fabric or stitches to bias.

How can you know if your fabric will bias? My usual test is to hold up my just-washed-and-squeezed-out skein. If the skein twists on itself more than two complete rotations, then the fabric is likely to bias. If it's less than two full rotations, I might see some biasing in the stitches -- one leg upright, the other at an angle, on the knit-face of the fabric -- but I won't see any in the fabric. There are knitting methods you can use to overcome bias, as well -- garter stitch and seed stitch are less likely to bias. My crochet friend tells me she doesn't see any biasing in her crocheted fabric, often made with her own handspun, moderately high twist singles.

Other finishing techniques include steaming a stretched-out skein, simmering a skein (often done with cotton), and, I suppose, ironing a skein -- though I haven't tried that one. Commercial mills have much higher temperatures and more specialized equipment than the home spinner, I am curious to know how they create the calm singles that are Malabrigo laceweight, for example -- if you try a warm-water folded-back length of that yarn, it barely twists on itself at all. But the fibers are not aligned. I've tried fulling, and kettle steaming, but so far have not managed to produce a similar skein of yarn despite copying fiber and twist amount. The trick is in the finishing -- so there's yet another way to finish a yarn that I have not yet uncovered.

~~

The Bellwether is having holiday sale -- 15% off select items through the end of 2009. Shop early for the best selection, and thanks! for supporting Ask The Bellwether!

~~

Related posts on finishing yarn:
How do you set the twist in handspun cotton?
What makes my handspun yarn bloom?
How do you steam block handspun yarn?
What do I do with my very first full spindle?
Do you set the twist in handspun singles before you ply?
How do I ply set singles?
Is my yarn's twist set when I ply it?
Why do you wash the finished skein in warm or hot water?
How do you set the twist in singles yarn?

~~

© 6 November 2009 by Ask The Bellwether, posted at http://askthebellwether.blogspot.com/

Yarn Story: Special Singles

noreply@blogger.com (Amelia, belle of The Bellwether) — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 18:35:00 +0000

By Amelia © October 27, 2009

Many spinners seem to migrate to being plyers, spinning mostly 2-ply yarns. There are a special group who love singles, and spin many of them. There's the instant satisfaction of a single, the fact that you maximize your yardage-per-time. That trades off with the active twist it presents, and the need to control the drafting to get the thickness you want.

Therein lies the rub. Spinners become plyers because we learn to draft, and get very good at drafting -- we draft pretty much every fiber we can get our hands on about as fine as it will let us go. How fine is that? The finer the fiber, the finer our yarn, because what is happening is the feel of the individual fibers on our hands gives us a certain comfort level; fewer fibers, less comfort -- so thicker Romney fibers draft out into a thicker yarn, with the same number of fibers as the finer Merino fibers. Given those fine singles, we ply to get back to the thickness we want. I've a friend who spins the same single every time, and then plies 2, 3, 4, or even 5 strands together to get the thickness she desires in her yarn.

Developing the ability to stay present in your spinning and take control of the drafting will remove the need to make 5-plies from your standard too-fine single. It's tricky, though, if your spinning has become an automatic ability for you -- because you have to bring spinning back into the part of your mind that pays attention to what's going on, that can let you consciously control the drafting as you watch it. For me, this is Intentional Spinning writ large.

Now, some spinners just really can't get to that place. And Judith McCuin's book, The Intentional Spinner, has some great methods for the always-automatic spinner to adopt to alter their resulting singles.

If you want thicker singles on your wheel, try this:

Move to a larger flyer whorl -- this is a lower ratio, putting less twist in. remember, singles that will remain singles need only enough twist to hang together -- not enough to ply tightly. If you fold your singles over for a ply-back test, they should puff up and ply loosely. If they stay tight, they will be high-twist singles, which is a yarn classification worth study on its own -- see the work of Kathryn Alexander for her amazing use of high-twist singles.
Increase the tension on your brake band or double-drive band -- this increases the pull of the yarn out of your hands, so that you will let it go onto the bobbin with less twist and less drafting.

There are other changes you can try as well -- a thicker drive band and brake band will tend to make you spin a thicker yarn; a thicker leader on your bobbin helps you start out spinning a thicker yarn.

If you want to change your drafting habits, or develop a thick-single habit, I usually recommend pre-drafting the first time, down to the thickness you need for your singles, and then spinning without drafting. This is very hard for those of us with ingrained drafting habits. But if you can bring your drafting back under your conscious control, then you can alter how much you draft. Zero-out drafting by pre-drafting so you can see just how automatic drafting is for you, and then, unlearn it for a bit. Once you have control of your drafting back, pre-draft just a little, and see if you can draft just a little bit at your wheel. Re-gain control of your drafting with practice, introducing a little bit more at a time until you are in control of the drafting at your wheel.

Remember, how much fiber you draft defines how thick your yarn is. Figure out how much you need to draft for the thickness of the single you desire, and draft that much. No finer, no thicker.

Now that we've covered some ground on spinning singles, what makes these special? I followed all my guidelines above, definitely. They are a nice, low-twist single. But there are two other things about these singles that make them unique in my own spinning history.

First, the fiber: this is Pitt Island Merino. Go ahead, google it, or follow the link. These are cool! Semi-feral Merino on a small New Zealand island.

Second, the preparation: I purchased this from the farmer, who was also the processor of the fiber. They carded raw fiber into roving -- it might have been lightly washed, but there's still some lanolin, some sheepy smell, and some dirt in it. I seldom spin raw fiber, preferring to keep my wheels clean with scoured fibers. But, this was unique. Being lanolin-y, the fiber waited for a warm day so that it would slip controllably in drafting. It was actually a fairly fine roving, and I really wanted to see how it would wash out -- the unscoured roving felt fairly tacky and rough, but it was a Merino, after all. So, I didn't draft it much, and ended up with a 10-12 wpi single. The skein scoured into a nice Merino result -- not superfine, but lovely heathered natural color, and fine enough for a hat or scarf.

This lovely skein is available on my Etsy shop, By Our Hands. Perhaps it will add a special something to your next knitting project. There are 116 yards, 10-12 wraps per inch, in this 3.6 ounce skein.

~~

See prior Yarn Stories for more tales from my wheel.

And for more tips on spinning singles, see Singles Yarn postings.

~~

© 27 October 2009 by Ask The Bellwether, posted at http://askthebellwether.blogspot.com/

Why spin on an electric wheel?

noreply@blogger.com (Amelia, belle of The Bellwether) — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 16:19:00 +0000

By Amelia © October 23, 2009

Electric spinning wheels -- are they the poor little sister of the spinning wheel, even more snubbed than the simple spindle? Perhaps. But they have their place.

The decision to have an electric wheel is likely a pretty personal one. Here are a few reasons I've run across...

First, my own: clumsiness. Yes, "grace" is not my middle name. So very often I get horrid bruises on my legs from clocking my ankle against a staircase or doorjamb. Painful as they swell and for a week or two afterwards. At the height of it, this can make treadling a painful proposition. So, I pull out my electric wheel and spin away my troubles.

I have found, too, that the electric wheel is a quick way to fix an underplied skein. You know the one -- you worked hard on it, gorgeous fiber, and then you run it off on your skeiner or niddy. Only to have a visible chunk of it showing underplied-ness. Sigh. Wash it and ignore it? No, can't do that. So, I put my skeiner next to my trusty electric wheel and quicker-than-spit, run it through onto the bobbin, slowing the uptake only on those low-twist sections. It looks so much better! I feel so much better! The electric wheel enjoys helping me like this, I am sure.

But those are my reasons. I know not everyone is as clumsy or as prone to irregular plying as I am!

The RV/boat spinner: they look for a small wheel, one they can travel with. Yes, there are many traditional travel wheels out there, and some adopt them. Some go to their spindles. But others don't want a spindle, and can't spare the floor space for a wheel. So, they go electric. Most electric wheels are table-top style models.

The non-traditionalist: at least one person I know didn't really like the look of a wheel, but wanted to spin. So, she took to an electric wheel, like a fish to water. It suits her desire to spin without making her feel like someone from the pre-industrial age. I am glad that spinning gives us so many options -- yes, I love my wheels and spindles. But I'm happy to see someone spinning in a way that suits them, be it wheel, spindle, charka, or e-spinner.

The production spinner: many production spinners use wheels; but of those, many also look to e-spinners to aid with plying. And some production spinners do most of their work on e-spinners. It simplifies the process, definitely. Less to coordinate, more likely to be consistent, and plying becomes much simpler and potentially faster, too.

The less able spinner: let's face it, we all get older. And parts of us don't work like they used to. Will I want to keep spinning into my golden years? I don't know. But I know I would like to keep spinning as long as my hands can manage it. And I've no idea what I'll do when they give out. The e-spinner is a way for people with foot/ankle issues to be able to spin, no matter what their age. I know mine is a boon to me when I've once again bruised an ankle.

Why the focus on electric wheels? I've definitely owned my share, usually not more than two at a time. I had an older model Spin-It (shown here), then a more modern (same maker) Fricke e-spinner. Then, I purchased a Butterfly, a very nice, quiet e-spinner made in lovely woods (mine is spalted/quilted maple). Very recently, I purchased the even smaller Hansen mini-spinner. Part of that purchase was a visit to their workshop and home, and we got to talking about why people have electric wheels. Kevin Hansen designed the mini-spinner for his wife Beth, to enable her to spin on their boat during their travels. She originally picked up spinning in Tasmania, starting with spindles. The wheel really didn't click for her, and their boat had, of course, limited space -- thus the mini-spinner was created. It's Beth's favorite spinning tool now, and she has fun spinning yarn on it.

The new e-spinner means I will have to let my beautiful Butterfly go, of course. I am working very hard on keeping my life/tools/fiber simplified -- the fiber diet is "mostly" sticking: at Taos, I did gain a pound of Shetland, but mailed my mother 6 pounds of Navajo Churro in exchange for it; and the ounce of raw Cashmere is a tiny thing, despite how much work it will be to dehair.

Here are details on the Butterfly: base is spalted/quilted maple; comes with WooLee Winder and four bobbins, a quilted maple bulky flyer (fits Ashford bulky bobbins), and a foot pedal; machine has been fitted with three rubber feet to run quietly on hard surfaces. Asking $1000 plus postage, the price new of this set would be $1250 plus shipping/handling. Note, as of 25 October 2009, I have a sale pending on the wheel ... will update once it closes ...

Here it is in operation:

And here are several of the lovely skeins-in-progress I have spun on the Butterfly:

If you're interested, please contact me.

And if you have your own reasons to share for spinning on an electric wheel, do post them in the comments -- I enjoy learning why we choose the tools we use.

~~
© 23 October 2009 by Ask The Bellwether, posted at http://askthebellwether.blogspot.com/

A Bold Twist on Socks: The Enchanted Sole

noreply@blogger.com (Amelia, belle of The Bellwether) — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 19:30:00 +0000

By Amelia © October 19, 2009

Welcome to the third stop on The Eclectic Sole's blog tour! Janel Laidman's second book of sock patterns takes you on an adventure through fairy tales and legends for your feet. If I were to sum up this book in one word, it is this: bold.

Color knitting, cables, lace, cables-and-lace, beads with cables or lace: it's all packed in here. Toe-up, cuff-down, sideways - yep, all accounted for. The book is well worth its price for Janel's unvented stretchy slipknot cast-on and her clear instructions on two methods for knitting with beads -- both clearly photo-illustrated in the back of the book.

Janel's patterns show off solids, semi-solids, and handpainted yarns wonderfully. Her advice on choosing alternate colors is delightful to this spinner -- it lets me know where in my stash to dive, for a given pattern. Most of the patterns are for 400 yards/3.5 ounces of sock yarns; some take a slightly finer yarn, and some combine two colors in one sock, so may work for your smaller skeins. The Tinker looks to be a great sock for a semi-solid and little bits of leftovers, actually.

I have three handspun skeins waiting for perfect patterns. The one shown with the book above is super-special, being not only handspun sock yarn, and not only an Abby batt, but also completely spindle-spun and plied. It shines from its Romney and silk, and is soft from its Merino and silk. I've been letting it come of age, waiting for the perfect sock pattern to fall into my lap.

And you know, it just may have: when you get this book, and if you are an adventurous sock knitter, you will!, check out Selkie. Why did I choose this pattern? It's perfect for my "semi-solid", its texture will gleam with the luster of my yarn, and if you look closely, you see it puts the knit stitches next to the skin -- a delightful treat for the skin! Try it -- take a handknit sock and put it on inside out. Doesn't that feel nice? Ahhhh.

I'm planning on another read-through; I think the second half of my skein called "Elk" may also have met its pattern here ... Naiad, or Lothlorien, I wonder. What do you think? Naiad is on the left, my skein in the middle, Lothlorien is on the right. Let me know in the comments.

Janel, thank you for these lovely socks. I'm sure they'll be as gorgeous in handspun as in the lovely yarns in the book -- and I'll enjoy the knitting as much as I enjoyed the spinning. And for my readers: if you are itching for your own copy, they are purchasable directly from Janel's Rustling Leaf Press, your local yarn store may have a copy or can order one for you, or add a copy to your next order from Amazon.

Now, I'm off to dig up my size 2's (2.75mm) for some swatching ...

~~
If you'd like tips on spinning yarn for socks, see the posts labeled Sock Spinning.
~~
© 19 October 2009 by Ask The Bellwether, posted at http://askthebellwether.blogspot.com/

Wrap-up for Productive Spindling: The Treasure Hunt

noreply@blogger.com (Amelia, belle of The Bellwether) — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 14:49:00 +0000

By Amelia © October 14, 2009

Ummm ... how'd it get to be the 14th, already? That was a blur -- Oregon Flock and Fiber brought September to a roaring end, then I hopped on a plane to Colorado to drive to the Taos Wool Festival with my mum. What a hoot! We had a great time, it's wonderful to be a grownup with your mother at your side. It's been a whirl of wrap-ups since, here at home. But the laundry's done, the email's caught up, the orders are back on track (thanks, customers! you're great!!) and finally I can get to this item on my todo list:

Oct. 1: post answers to Treasure Hunt

So with apologies for the delay and without further ado ...

How many photographers did the book have?
22: 19 from ravelry, my two children, and me.
On which page does my ravatar (also seen on my facebook...) appear?
27 (and shown above)
What's your favorite section in the book (provide its section heading)?
Can I say, the whole thing? It was a pleasure to write. The hardest for me was editing the photographs -- without Joanne's (artsyfish) help, that could have easily taken much longer. Spindle Weight is the one I find myself speaking the most often in my booth and classes, and Drafting Singles on Full Spindles was probably the biggest revelation during the writing of the book -- I mostly stop putting fiber on spindles when they get that full. Overall, hunt responders seemed to enjoy Productive Plying the most.
Where does the name "Ask The Bellwether" come from? Bonus: why is "The" capitalized?
Here, clearly -- the blog. "The" is capitalized because "Ask" was added to my nom de plume, "The Bellwether". And because, I like to fly in the face of convention from time to time, just to keep the bars on my cage rattling a bit ;-)
Name the maker/brand of each spindle on the front cover.
Let's start at the top and go clockwise: Tabachek top-whorl spindle, zebrawood whorl; Kundert pinwheel in four woods; Spindlewood bottom-whorl spindle all tulipwood; Mielke Emily, purpleheart on Maple; Bosworth midi in purpleheart; Jenkins Turkish in carob; and Spin-Dizzy Traveller in Goncalo Alves. Of these, the Emily is an Adam Mielke original, early model, smaller than his later ones and a slightly different shape than the Emily spindles now made by his father, I think; and the Spin-Dizzy Traveler is no longer being made. The Bellwether sells Kunderts (in stock), Jenkins (restocking now), and Tabacheks (restocking soon, I hope!); Spindlewood and Bosworth sell theirs directly.
Ah, but what about the items? The blue and purple shawl on the left was spindle-spun in a month for a spindlitis challenge, on a variety of top-whorl spindles probably including that Purpleheart midi; the pink-and-white singles were spun on the Tabachek and the Kundert shown; the brown llama laceweight and knit shawl were spun on the Emily shown; the blue skein in the back and on the right were spun on the Spin-Dizzy and plied on the Jenkins shown; the Brown and white singles were spun on a Peace Fleece "Russian" spindle (it's like a Turkish, actually), and the blue silk singles on the llama knit shawl were spun on a Natalie silk spindle.
Locate the flickr page for a photo that is in the book (hint: most of the ravelry contributors' photos originated on flickr, in color). Provide a link to the flickr page.
Here is Mary's (marihana) stunning square Spindlewood:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/hanakoandmari/2846215840/

It was actually the spindle that inspired me to ask for contributions -- so amazing!
What's your favorite illustration (photo or drawing) in the book?
That would be telling, wouldn't it? I am drawn to Sherie's (sherie) silk, it glows even in black and white (p. 11). The one that makes me smile is Tracy's (himalaya) spindling on the beach (p. 43). I had so many fun ones to look at from the contributors, it was hard to pick, and many that I pull up on flickr from time to time just to enjoy them.
How many different peoples' hands are in the book?
Two ... mine, doing most of the demonstrations throughout, and Aija's (sockpr0n), showing sliding a cop from spindle to straw, p. 40.
Name at least ten different spindles in the book (maker/model).
You know, it would be fun to compile a complete list of tool-and-make by photograph. Perhaps a future blog post, eh. In the meantime I'll start at the beginning. You already got the list of those on the cover, so from p. 1: Bosworth, either midi or maxi (I'd guess midi); p. 2, 5, 6, and 7: the drawings are based on the Nikolai spindle, no longer being made; p. 10, Ashford student spindle; p. 11: Golding, solid whorl, brass rim; p. 12, Forrester Dervish top whorl and Jenkins Turkish (upper pair) and Kundert ring/wreath model, Bosworth maxi, Spindlewood square all three top whorls (lower trio); p. 13: upper series is of the same painted/polka-dot toy wheel spindle, middle series is: Bosworth Maxi (same one), Kundert solid wood whorl, Ledbetter, and Natalie silk spindle, lower left is the handmade clock spindle, made from parts for the New Spindle (whorl piece turned upside down), and the drawing is based on the Nikolai. Whew! that puts us at ... 13, not counting the repeating Bosworths and Nikolais.
On page 34, what is the spindle made from in the photo by artsyfish?
I was impressed to learn the whorl is the drain plate from under a flowerpot ... with a hole very carefully drilled in the middle of it, I'm guessing. So, it's terra cotta. Shaft is wood, and it looks like there may be duct tape involved, too ...
What's another name for the lark's head knot?
This is also called a snitch knot, as mentioned in the book. I've heard it called a double-reverse half-hitch as well.
How many different peoples' faces are in the book?
Two ... Diana's (chewiedox) modelling her amazing spindle-spun, dyed, and knit wimple (p. 45) and mine, in the author photo at the back (p. 50)
How many niddy-noddies are in the book?
Two ... a Full Circle one-yard niddy on p. 9 (he's not making this model at present, now Mr. F.C. makes the niddy-pinny, with the middle arm doubling as a nostepinne and WPI gauge) and Lline's on p. 40 - maker unknown, but most likely her, as she made her appealing Turkish spindle (on p. 23).
Which spindle (same one) appears in the most photographs?
That would be my Bosworth Bird's Eye Maple Maxi, it's even in my ravatar :-) It's the top whorl spindle in most of the teaching pictures in the book.
How many types of joins are described? Name them.
The index is an invaluable tool for questions like this ... under joins you find four listed: "felt (when plying) p. 38; textbook pgs. 7, 29, and 30; V p. 31; and worsted p. 31". There was also a second plying join, of simply laying the two ends over one another, described on p. 38, though I didn't give it a formal name -- so it wasn't counted.
What time is it on the clock spindle?
I'd say it's 1:50, since the short arm is close to/on but not past the 2, and the long arm is on the 10. Wouldn't you?
How many different peoples' feet are in the book?
Two ... mine, showing kick spindling on p. 22, and Tracy's (himalaya) on the beach, on p. 43.
Which maker's spindles appear in the most photographs (can be different models)?
Um yeah ... I did a rough count, though I've since lost my notes. But it was striking ... Bosworths won far and away the "spindle count". In part due to my oft-photographed Bird's Eye Maple top whorl. It was a popular model throughout, and Jonathan Bosworth has done amazing engineering in this spindle, making it my favorite tool for showing people Spindle Physics. Bosworth spindles are available directly from them, at http://www.journeywheel.com/.
How many types of plying are described? Name them.
Andean 2-strand ball plying p. 34, Andean 3-strand ball plying p. 34 (some people just mentioned winding the ball, without respect to ply, which I accepted as well), Andean plying bracelet p. 36, Beauty-wave plying bracelet p. 36, Navajo plying (p 39). There's also kick-plying (p. 35) and Peruvian hand-roll plying (p. 35), along with the other spindle twirling methods from spinning singles: finger-flick and thigh roll. But most folks concentrated on the first set listed above.
What's your spindle "dream team"? Digital photograph submissions encouraged :-)
Mine is shown on page 17 -- a Bosworth featherweight in lacewood, a Tabachek compact deluxe in zebrawood, and a Kundert pinwheel in exotic woods. Why those three? Several reasons. I do have a fondness for top-whorl spindles; they were the first type of spindle I learned on, and I've learned most of my spindling on them. This trio covers the weight range I like to have for getting a new spindle-full off on the right thickness. The Tabachek is an early one that I won on the Yahoo spindler's list when I was still learning to spindle -- it and a Mongold resin spindle (no longer being made) were my first turned spindles. I treasure it for two reasons: I seldom win anything, making it a unique item in my life; and it spins like a Tabachek, of course -- just delightful! The Kundert is an amazing combination of four woods on the whorl, filling my love of wood with its rich variety. I still remember opening the box of Kunderts and finding the first one of these (which this is) -- Mr. Kundert made it for me as he knew I loved woods. It was a total surprise, and is treasured to this day. There had to be a Bosworth, and I admit a weakness for Midi's, actually, but the featherweight was chosen to provide a good laceweight spindle and lacewood is a delightful wood with its rice grain, I simply adore it!

I do hope you've enjoyed the Treasure Hunt as much as I have. Thanks for playing!

If you haven't seen Productive Spindling yet, I'm pleased to announce, not only can you purchase it from The Bellwether and many other fine retailers, but your local yarn store may be able to procure it for you through their book distributor (Unicorn Books distributes in the USA and Gemini Fibres in Canada), and it is also now on Amazon! woot! Amazon only orders theirs from me when they have purchases, so far, so if you have a copy, go there and submit an "I own it" note (at the bottom of the product page) and a review, to encourage them to have a few on hand for the next person who'd like a copy. Thank you ever so much!

~~
© 14 October 2009 by Ask The Bellwether, posted at http://askthebellwether.blogspot.com/

How do you clean your drum carder?

noreply@blogger.com (Amelia, belle of The Bellwether) — Sun, 27 Sep 2009 04:38:00 +0000

By Amelia © September 26, 2009

After you’ve done whatever you usually do to clean off the drums (in my case, a flicker-like tool that came with my carder), I have one word: shop-vac. Love my little shop-vac for this, sucks everything right out of the crevasses and depths of the carding cloth. All that leaves is my needle-nose pliers to clean out the axles.

We always cover this topic in my drum carding class -- and at least one participant is surprised at how much fiber (and what colors!) they dig out of the axles.

If you are lucky enough to have a dedicated spot for your drum carder, remember to lift it up and check underneath -- bits of dirt, VM (vegetable matter), and short pieces of fiber all end up under there, and can be swept up in the breeze of the turning drum into the next batt.

For a thorough discourse on cleaning drum carders with terrific pictures, check out this post on Abby's Yarns.

Oh, and ... I always end a carding session by cleaning my drum carder. That way the next time I'm going to use it, I can get right to carding.

~~
I've covered a variety of drum carding topics in past posts; the most recent is
How do I card a self-striping batt?
~~

© 26 September 2009 by Ask The Bellwether, posted at http://askthebellwether.blogspot.com/

How do you spin short guanaco fiber?

noreply@blogger.com (Amelia, belle of The Bellwether) — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 02:44:00 +0000

By Amelia © September 24, 2009

An interesting question recently came to Ask The Bellwether from Juli. She asked how to spin guanaco fiber with a short staple length of one inch or less. Her goal was to spin it laceweight, getting 650 yards from four ounces.

Now, luckily, Juli's had experience with other short fibers, notably cashmere, but nothing quite this short. To master the challenge of this very short guanaco (usually it's longer than an inch), she could do what I did before learning to spin cashmere -- learn to spin cotton. It typically has a very short staple, under an inch, and is one of the hardest fibers I've had to learn to spin, undoing everything I learned about wool to tackle cotton: no crimp, no staple -- definitely a challenge. But this post isn't about learning to spin cotton.

With fiber as short as Juli's guanaco, you're pretty much in the realm of long draw spinning -- because to do inchworm, your hands need to be about a staple-length-and-a-half apart, and the closer they are, the more often they move. At about an inch apart, they'd be needing to move faster than I'd expect anyone would enjoy.

With a short staple fiber (like cotton, or short guanaco or cashmere) one nice thing about long draw is that you can draw the fiber away as the twist enters, making yarn in one smooth motion. The best way to describe this is "point of twist drafting" -- you draft right where twist is entering the fiber, and you draft back as quickly as the twist makes the drafting-point yarn.

One way to prepare the fiber can help with long draw spinning -- make a puni with the fiber; handcard it on fine cards, then doff it off by rolling it around a knitting needle or dowel as wide as your card, and keep rolling the stick behind the knees of the teeth at the base of the card until it "tightens" -- it's a visible change -- and then take it off the stick, and spin it from the end, long draw.

Short staple extremely fine fibers like guanaco and cotton may not want to hang together -- plenty of twist will help, but you will be treading a fine line between plenty of twist and enough twist to snap it. Do a ply-back test (fold part of the fiber on itself before winding it onto the bobbin or spindle) and check that the bottom of the plied-back section is closed, not open -- it plies right to the bottom end. 650 yards from 4 ounces, 2-ply, is fine, but not insanely so. I would plan on a 2-ply, as you will get more yardage from a 2-ply than as a single at the same final thickness.

I had considered making a video of the puni-making process, but so far other things have kept me busy. Luckily, youtube has several puni-making videos, including spinnergrrl's Yak puni-making:

As you can see, she rolles the doffed fiber around a knitting needle to create the puni. That video doesn't have a discussion; there is a cotton puni-making video by Spin2Weave on YouTube as well: her cotton puni-making is applicable to guanaco, yak, or another similarly short fiber. Spin2Weave twirls the cotton puni on the teeth of the card rather than behind them, with the same tightening effect.

~~
This topic is one I cover in my classes "Exotic Fiber Spindling" and "Spin a Fine Yarn".

I've posted before about spinning fine, to continue on this topic see:
What tips do you have for spinning lace?
How can I spin a fine yarn?
How do you spin long draw on a spindle?
How do you spin on an Akha spindle?
What's sideways spinning?
What spindle do I spin cotton on?

~~
© 24 September 2009 by Ask The Bellwether, posted at http://askthebellwether.blogspot.com/

Gleaning

noreply@blogger.com (Amelia, belle of The Bellwether) — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 23:44:00 +0000

By Amelia © September 17, 2009
When I was a young girl in Massachusetts, my father would bring home bushel-boxes of Damson plums from trips to Maine in the fall. My mother would spend the next day over the sink and stove, sterilizing the jars and cooking the plums into lovely plum jam to refill them. We all pitched in writing the labels, so ours were adorned with a variety of handwriting from adult to pre-school. I remember that jam well -- we spread it on our toast all winter long and we made jam tarts next to the mincemeat pies in the mini-tart pans at Christmas time.

Making jam is becoming one of those lost arts ... all the ladies that bring jam in to the county fair have white hair, and the spidery handwriting on their labels shows they did all the work themselves, no helpers in the kitchen.

My love of plum jam has not left me, so I have always scoured the market shelves looking for plum jam. In the last few years, it has gotten harder to find. So, this year, when I noticed the lovely plums on the tree in the empty lot next to me had no-one to collect them except deer and birds, I resolved to do something about it.

A bucket-full of plums later, there was plenty for my jam cooker -- a heavy duty stainless steel pot with a clear glass lid, picked up at Goodwill for a song -- one of those lucky finds you don't pass up. I'm certainly glad I decided to get it, as it's been a very helpful pan, and when I saw the price of new ... I was really thrilled someone had donated it to Goodwill.

So I filled up my sink with hot water for the jars, fired up the stove, and put together my jam in my cooker:

5.5 pounds plums
5 cups white sugar
1/2 cup lemon juice

I cooked my jam the way my mother did -- mashing the fruit as I went, stirring it occasionally, not wandering away. The pips eventually separated and rose, so as I stirred, I fished them out.

A couple of saucers tucked in the freezer sufficed for jam testing. As last year's blackberry jam was a bit overcooked, I decided to stop early this year, when the jam started acting jammy on the frozen plates.

It was a good sign that my jam, right down to the last spatula-scraping, exactly filled a dozen 1/2-pint jars to 1/4 inch from the top ... and that all 12 lids "popped" during cooling, so they've all sealed themselves until their turn comes.

Looks like it will be a plummy winter!

~~
© 17 September 2009 by Ask The Bellwether, posted at http://askthebellwether.blogspot.com/

Simplicity and Craft ...

noreply@blogger.com (Amelia, belle of The Bellwether) — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 16:29:00 +0000

By Amelia © September 15, 2009

Dave Daniels just finished his Summer Of Spinning ... I admit that sometimes my own stash overwhelms me, so I watched his SOS and wondered how productive it would be. I thought perhaps a year of spinning might not even be enough to blow through my own stash. But Dave, did it! spun his whole stash and more -- 16.5 pounds of fiber!

I am relieved to see what Dave did; it means there's hope for me. Sure, it might take a full year, Julie/Julia style (Amelia/Mabel kind of has a ring to it, don't you think?), of attacking the stash to really put a big dent in it. I've been doing that somewhat in a variety of ways already; teaching has been a real stash-reliever, as I've been able to repurpose all of the space-dyed medium wools for my drum carding classes -- keeping the material fee low and my students thrilled with their materials. The spindling classes have benefited from the breadth of my stash -- fine wools, medium wools, long wools, and more recently I've been diving into the finer bits of stash for cashmere and camel on the Akha.

I have found that I have so much fun spinning that my handspun yarn has outstripped my knitting needles -- so, suitably labeled and priced, it is on my table at Black Sheep and other shows. It makes me less stressed out about how to spin the yarn, to spin it simply for the joy of the spinning. I can choose to spin a soft, puffy yarn or a strong, durable yarn as the fiber or mood strikes me. Thick or fine, the entire cubby of Lincoln/Cormo or just the next 4 oz. packet.

When I want to start a new project, it's fun to go through my own private handspun yarn store to pick something fun to use next. And my mother knits too -- so she gets to shop the store when she visits, or get gifted from the handspun when I come to visit her.

Yes, having stash -- be it fiber or yarn -- aids the creativity process. The point is to find the line between creativity and overwhelm. Having been in 'overwhelm land' for some time, I am always grateful when I see a success like Dave's, or find a corner of my stash that has a focus and purpose like teaching. I look forward to my stash returning to a healthy creativity size. And then, like a nice sourdough starter, I can take from it and feed it without feeling overwhelmed.

Dave's triumph reminded me of my own goals, and of the ways I've explored in my work on them. There are great writings out there on the simple life and the frugal life, good ways to see what minimalism is in practice and then apply it to my fiber-filled life. My husband is a past secular Franciscan, and his own life is a good example of functioning minimalism; he has a bookcase full of books to feed his inner life, lovely art on the walls to inspire him, and a graceful, non-intrusive lifestyle.

Leo Babutta of Zen Habits, one of my favorite simple life blogs, has put together an e-book that I find really fascinating: The Simple Guide to a Minimalist Life. He's right -- it could be three simple words: Eliminate the unnecessary. But we are complex creatures, and want more than that -- how do we identify the unnecessary? Do you keep the "spare" old-style light bulb because your 10 year bulbs might blow out early? (No.) Do you keep the extra t-shirt because t-shirts wear out (Yes, but it could also, if still brand new, end up being a gift for someone else in the meantime -- don't be attached to it).

So, crafters -- look at your stash. Look over your tools. Decide what you need, what your stash can be, and enjoy it.

Have you engaged in stash reduction or worked through your own stash? I'd love to hear of your accomplishments -- feel free to post a comment on the blog about your own story, or a link to your story on your own blog.

~~
Need help destashing tools? See my posts on finding/selling used items:
Where can I find a used loom?
Where can I find a used wheel?
Where can I find a sock machine?

Need help destashing fiber? Ravelry has several destashing sale/trade groups (including a new fiber-focused one), and kbbspin.org offers free ads for fiber as well. Better yet, consider trading in your own guild, or having a "white elephant" sale/trade day. My guild does that annually, we have a lot of fun with it.
~~
© 15 September 2009 by Ask The Bellwether, posted at http://askthebellwether.blogspot.com/

On Rigid Heddle Vocabulary

noreply@blogger.com (Amelia, belle of The Bellwether) — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 19:28:00 +0000

By Amelia © September 7, 2009

Now, I realize I was likely to be off, in my posts explaining weaving drafts and using them on the rigid heddle ... and, it turns out I was. I do appreciate that being pointed out by commenters, even anonymous comments I've chosen not to publish so as to spare my audience.

So, with apologies, here you go ... a straight(er) mapping of terminology, between table/floor looms with multiple harnesses/shafts (shaft being the current popularly preferred term) and rigid heddle looms.

Rigid heddle looms are called rigid heddle because the heddles are in a fixed location -- they are evenly spaced in a fixed, stiff bar. That piece, the "heddle" as it is often called by rigid heddlers, functions as the reed, the heddles, and one shaft (or harness) in the rigid heddle loom -- it's doing three different jobs! This makes these powerful little looms.

On a multi-shaft (sometimes called multi-harness) loom such as a table loom or floor loom, the heddles sit on several shafts, and they can move. So, you can put a few in a row on the same shaft, then a few on another, and so on, for more complex patterns. Each shaft defines a particular pattern of warp threads; shafts typically can be lifted alone or in combination with each other. These complex patterns are also made possible because you can alter which shaft (sometimes called a harness) you lift, and lift more than one at a time if desired as well -- on the rigid heddle loom, you can only, and always, lift [or lower] the half of your warp that is in the holes of your [rigid] heddles. The ones in the slots stay put.

The table loom's reed is like a long row of fixed slots -- all the warp threads go through it. It is used to beat the weft threads into place, since the shafts (or harnesses) are fixed in place, not moving forward.

On a rigid heddle loom, if you try to skip heddles, you end up with visible gaps in your weaving -- possibly intentionally like the spaced-warp/spaced-weft scarves that have been seen on Schacht's Newsletter, in Handwoven, and possibly other places as well (someday, I'll try one too!)

Let's check out the rigid heddle itself again ... actually, you see, it's a bunch of heddles fixed in place. And the Rigid Heddle Loom is also unique among looms in that it may be the only loom where warp threads are commonly not placed in heddles at all, but ride free in the slots between the heddles. The heddles are rigid in two ways. Typically they are, these days, hard plastic, unbending and not flexible; nothing like the texsolv or wire heddles on table and floor looms. And second, they cannot be slid left or right to put more than one thread next to another. Rigid Heddle weavers have to experiment with other solutions -- multiple warp threads through a single heddle-hole or heddle-slot; skipping a heddle-hole or heddle-slot; or combining those two methods.

Now, Rigid Heddle looms can be more complex -- two or even three heddles have been used on them; and pick-up sticks make possible patterns that would take 24 shafts, or even more, on a multi-shaft loom. I've kept it simple, at one heddle, for the sake of this mapping of RH loom to multi-shaft loom.

I have not yet uncovered any discussions comparing rigid heddle looms to multi-shaft looms beyond my own simple postings on this blog on the topic. Interweave's Handwoven magazine occasionally publishes side-by-side patterns for rigid heddle and multi-shaft looms, which may help one learn how to make that mapping for more complex patterns. If you have found a discussion mapping the two types of looms, please do post a link in the comments, so that Anonymous and I can both be enlightened, along with the other readers of this blog. My thanks!

~~
If you would like to see my earlier Rigid Heddle posts, as well as the websites on Rigid Heddling I've collected around the internet, I keep a "running log" on tumblr, you can find all of the posts and links here:

http://therigidheddle.tumblr.com/

~~

And to all commenters: your comments are *always* welcome, even if they are chiding me. I welcome your adding a name or link to your blog in the fields comment entry supplies for those, rather than posting anonymously. Links are great, because then I can send you a personal thank you note as well as discovering the wider world of bloggers out there -- it's always fun to see others' creations.

That's our little cat Anna in the picture at the top, warming up my just-warped Glimakra Emilia loom before I dove into weaving a scarf for my MIL from handspun superwash merino. It turned out great!
~~
© 7 September 2009 by Ask The Bellwether, posted at http://askthebellwether.blogspot.com/

What do you look for in a fleece?

noreply@blogger.com (Amelia, belle of The Bellwether) — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 18:08:00 +0000

By Amelia © September 1, 2009

[ See the end of this article for an update on Productive Spindling: The Treasure Hunt! ]

It's the season of fall wool shows, with plenty of fleeces available for purchase. But, how do you decide?

Sockpr0n had a gorgeous post recently about this very thing, and her thoughts echo my own. The snaps she took of the posters the judges had are excellent, do check them out as well (on the post and on her flickr ... start here).

If at all possible, sit in on the judging -- an open judging is very educational. You'll learn what the judge is looking for, to guide your purchases of non-judged fleeces, and you'll know which are the ones the judge really liked and why -- so you'll know if you'd like them, too.

What's the judge looking for? First off, I'm not a qualified judge, all of my knowledge is school-of-experience and listening to judges myself. But, to start, they are looking for faults in the fleece:

weak tips -- a bleached tip might be weak, easy to break off. Pinch the very end and tug on the tip of a small lock. Try it in several places on the fleece before you conclude its tips are fine -- the top of the back gets the most sun
breaks -- the entire length of the lock should be strong. Take a lock, pinch each end in your fingers, and holding it near your ear, snap it out; bring your two hands together and snap it out -- you should hear a twang, not a rip. It's a bit like a tuning fork, each fleece has its own tone. If you hear a rip -- it's weak. Again, spot checks over a fleece are a good idea.
scurf -- dandruff like flakes in the fleece. They don't wash out, they stick around; I've heard of some folks getting them out in the dye bath, but there's no guarantee.
VM -- hay, seeds, and other Vegetable Matter. The more there is, the harder it is to process the fleece. Burrs and thorns are an extreme (and a painful) thing to have in a fleece. Large seeds can wreck carding cloth (not to mention what they do to the fleece when they break into a million tiny pieces - bleh)
Canary stain or yolk -- yellowing of the fleece caused by bacteria. It doesn't wash out. You can dye over it, but the bacteria's discoloration is not a surface effect, so the wool likely isn't as strong as it could be, either.
Inconsistent staple length -- fleeces should generally have a consistent staple, or length of fibers in the fleece. Yeah, hair on the sheep's legs may dwindle down to nothing; but those shorter pieces should be removed before it hits the sale table. Some breeds, like multi-color Jacob, may exhibit "quilting", where one color is longer than another -- that can be hard to process and spin.
Tags or incomplete skirting -- skirting is the removal of all the less lovely bits of a fleece. Tags are, well, the "tags" that hang off the butt of the sheep because he or she doesn't have toilet paper out there in the field (or hands to use it ... right Benny?)
Odor -- ram fleeces can be rather "rich". Improperly stored fleeces could develop mold or mildew -- the nose knows.
Second cuts -- these are short cut pieces found at the base of the cut wool -- from the shearer making a second pass with the cutters on the same location, closer to the skin. If you don't get them out of the fleece with careful skirting, youl'l end up with short bits in your fiber that are likely to make noils in your yarn. (Thanks to Marcia, comment #1, for reminding me of this!)

Once they've cleared their checklist of faults, the judge is looking at the fleece in terms of its breed. If it's a meat breed like Southdown, then really all you want to see is health in the fleece. But if it's Wensleydale, you're looking for lovely crisp locks. Merino should be fine and soft with small crimp, Romney should have a more medium hand with a more open crimp. Some breeds (Merino, Cotswold) run to lots of lanolin, while others have less.

The best way to look over a fleece is to have a large table or clean, clear surface (last thing you want to do is introduce foreign matter in the fleece yourself) and take the fleece out of the back. Most fleece are folded in thirds like a handtowel and then rolled up like a sleeping bag --- if you can find the end of the roll, unroll it and open it up. Usually that puts it cut side up (if memory serves me ...). A good quality fleece usually hangs together in its sheepy shape pretty nicely.

If it was shorn and rolled without respect to saleability (those free fleeces you keep getting offered...) then it's likely the belly wool is stuffed in the middle of it -- that's trash, and also that the fleece is completely unskirted, so the outer edges may be really short, coarse fibers and/or full of mud and muck. See if you can tell the neck from the tail by the amount of tags on the fiber ... if so, then it's not skirted enough.

Once you have the fleece unrolled, you can check it for faults, for consistency, for breed qualities.

Now, at fleece sales, often it's a bunch of fleeces in large black plastic sacks. No opportunity to unroll them. Yeah, it's a crap shoot. What do I do then? Well, I look at the information provided. How much time did the shepherd invest in selling their fleece? a farm writeup, the sheep's name/breed/caring (was it coated? that helps reduce VM), details on how they recommend washing it, a washed lock from this fleece or even a yarn sample -- all show the shepherd understands their market. You might be able to check a lock for soundness or tippiness, and color along the lock for yolk, that's about it. If you can track the seller down (at some fleece sales, they're right there; at others, they're busy with their animals, too, and can't be available at the fleece sales), you can ask about unrolling the fleece for a more thorough look.

Now, as to price ... what's fair? The market decides, right, classic economics. Here are some things to consider. Most fleeces are sold at a "per pound" price. That's why it's handy to make sure it's well skirted, no belly wool wrapped in the middle either. The weight of the fleece depends on the breed (Romney fleeces are easily 10 pounds, while Shetland fleeces might be 7) and how thoroughly skirted it was. Muck is heavier than fiber. Okay, so assuming it's a nicely skirted fleece, consider this too: processing. You're likely to lose at least 25% of the weight in washing the fleece -- the dirt and lanolin; I've lost 30% in some, 20% in others. And then processing loses more. If you send a fleece to a mill for carding, you can expect the finished weight to be about 40% of the weight you sent in. So the price per pound you paid gets pretty magnified -- rather than $8/pound, you've paid $8/9.6 ounces of fiber, not considering processing costs. If you process the fleece yourself, you are still likely to lose a little more in processing -- combing loses more than carding.

All of the above was about wool fleeces, shorn from sheep. Cashmere, Mohair (goat), angora (bunny), llama, and alpaca are a different kettle of fish. There's no lanolin (or, not much -- some Huacaya alpaca can have some oils in them) to hold the fleece together, so typically they are more disorganized and not unrollable into animal shape. The same checks might apply for faults. Llama fleeces in particular have a tendency to hide tree branches and small rocks (okay, maybe that's just mine...); mohair fleeces from the rams can be quite odiferous. For cashmere, it's helpful to know if it is shorn or combed from the animal -- a shorn fleece has more hair in it by weight than down, while a combed one is likely to be less than half (by weight) hair.

Oh, and -- llama seconds, alpaca seconds (or thirds) are the shorter staple or coarser fibers from the animals. Sure, you could spin them, but check them over and see if you feel you can manage the staple length. The longer staple of the prime blanket of the animal (basically, where a saddle would be if they were horses) gives a stronger yarn; that's why they separate out the shorter fibers.

In closing ... if you are buying a fleece without getting your hands on it first (eBay, FleeceForSale list, or website), all you can do is ask questions; check the shepherd's reputation; and, check on their return policy, but consider: if the fleece does not measure up, will you be able to afford mailing it back? Now, I don't mean to scare you off of this. Some fleeces I might never have had the opportunity to try without buying them sight unseen, untested reputation and all. Some fleeces from reputable shepherds have clearly been from off years. It is hit-and-miss. But I am glad about what each fleece I've had, has taught me.

So, you dived in and purchased a fleece (carefully, using all my advice, right?) What next? Luckily, I've already worked on that, so here are some follow-up posts for you to wander through with your fleece next to you, planning out its path:

What is a skirted fleece?
How do you skirt a fleece?
What is kemp?
How do you get hay and twigs out of raw fleece?
How do I wash raw fleece?
How do you get muddy tips in raw fleece to come clean?
How much weight will a Shetland fleece lose in washing?
What tips do you have for keeping fleece washing water hot?
How old is too old for a fleece?

There was a list of the fiber processors I've used recently in a past issue of Bellefeathers -- they all do nice work. Or, you might look at whether you want to Card or Comb your washed fleece.

If you have some fleece shopping advice to share, please post it in the comments on this article -- I'm always picking up new tips from my fellow shoppers, and may indulge myself with a nice Cormo fleece at Oregon Flock and Fiber Festival this fall ... I wonder if Morro Fleece Works is doing whites or colors right now ...

~~

Productive Spindling: The Treasure Hunt has reached its date for the treasure! Final cut-off for receiving the discounts for submitted answers will be September 30th.

What are the discounts? 5% of purchases at The Bellwether through 31 Dec 09 for a reasonable attempt, 10% for getting at least 12 correct ... and 3 are always right, if you've given an answer, so that's only 9 to "hunt" for ...)

Curious to known the answers? The answers will be posted here on Ask The Bellwether, October 1.

I appreciate the response, it's been great! And it turns out the quiz was really hard ... so all the entries I received will be entered in a drawing for the prizes ... I'll contact you in email later this week if you've won, so keep an eye on your inbox :)

~~
© 1 September 2009 by Ask The Bellwether, posted at http://askthebellwether.blogspot.com/

Where will you be this fall?

noreply@blogger.com (Amelia, belle of The Bellwether) — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 13:28:00 +0000

By Amelia © August 27, 2009

There are so many fun shows in the spring and in the fall! September and October both see me at a variety of events. You, too, get to choose from among the many in your area. If you're on Ravelry, they've started up an event calendar here: http://www.ravelry.com/events

Spin-off maintains an event calendar in their magazine, I haven't found it on www.spinoffmagazine.com yet, but it may be available somewhere there as well.

Here are the events I'm juggling (and no, I'm not doing all of them -- cloning is not yet perfected!)

Saturday, September 12th: Opulent Art Show at The Cutting Garden in Sequim, Washington, 10-5. Lovely finished items, so you can get a hop on your holiday shopping!

Saturday, September 19th: Allyn Knit Shop's Spin In Public Celebration -- come spin with us in lovely Allyn, Washington. 10-4 under the gazebo. I'll be there with plenty of books and some Forrester Decades (yes, they came!)

Friday - Sunday, September 25-27: Oregon Flock and Fiber Festival in Canby, Oregon. I'm teaching beginning spindling, productive spindling, and drum carding - bring your copy of Productive Spindling for a signature, or find me, I'll be in Tea Time Garden's booth between/after classes with copies.

Saturday - Sunday, October 3-4: Taos Wool Festival in Taos, New Mexico. My mum and I are having a meet-up here, so I asked the organizers, and guess what! Yep! I'm teaching Productive Spindling and Plying Around (a wheel class -- lots of fun!) And if you are in the area, there's a Natural Color Conference the weekend before, Sept. 26-28.

Friday - Sunday, October 2-4: North Olympic Fiber Arts Festival, in Sequim, Washington. This is a fun show that has grown each year. Now in its 4th year (I think), with a nice assortment of demos, vendors (Sat/Sun) and workshops (Sun). Next year I will be staying home, to volunteer and teach workshops here again. And if you like weekends away from Seattle, there are many lovely B&B's in the area, as well as our newest hotel, a Quality Inn.

And then, after all that, there is the big one, the Spin-Off Autumn Retreat or SOAR, so nearby this year! It's in Bend, Oregon! Workshops are October 25-28, and the Retreat is October 29 - November 1. I'll be working on talking a friend into going down for some of the retreat if everything is going smoothly at home.

See you at the shows!

~~
© 27 August 2009 by Ask The Bellwether, posted at http://askthebellwether.blogspot.com/

What fiber preparations are there?

noreply@blogger.com (Amelia, belle of The Bellwether) — Sun, 23 Aug 2009 00:01:00 +0000

By Amelia © August 22, 2009

When you go to a show or fiber store for the first time, all the different types of fiber can be overwhelming ... there are batts, roving, fleece, top; wool of various breeds, silk, cotton, blends, and more. Shown to the right is a skein of handspun and a Crosspatch Batt, Greens and Purples.

For starters, it's worth noting that the particular fiber prep on the label may not be accurate; top may be labeled roving or vice-versa, as those two look the same (from across the room, anyway).

Commercial top is a very dense preparation, very smooth in appearance. It’s machine combed. Hand-combed top is airy and done in small amounts, typically (in fact I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone selling hand-combed top… it’s pretty labor intensive). Hand-dyed commercial top can tend to have a “wavy” appearance, as the wetting/warming re-awakens the fibers somewhat.

In the picture left/above, we have 4 preparations: combed top, roving, pin-drafted roving, and sliver. Pin-drafted is machine drafted out finer than the original roving. There is also pencil roving, which is drafted out to a pencil width.

Batts are big fluffy rectangles of fiber. Sometimes rolled up and banded or bagged in sale-type situations. These can be all one fiber, a blend, layered, striped (see my blog post How do I card a self-striping batt? for the last one). There are big machines that make big batts, and there are people with table-top drum carders who make individual batts (in the 1-4 oz size, typically).

Roving is carded on a carding machine with twist inserted; if no twist is inserted, it’s “sliver”, but folks don’t often label it that way. It’s fluffier than the combed top, though I have seen fairly compressed roving as well. It can be as fat as the commercial top or also quite fine – it depends on the equipment used to make it.

Fleece is really big (several pounds, usually, unlike the small fleece from my Soay shown here), smelly, and in a plastic bag usually. Well, smelly if it’s unwashed. It may or may not be skirted, may or may not have faults – best to go sit in on a fleece judging, or buy fleeces that have been judged (and read the judge’s comments on it before you buy). Or express an interest, I'd be happy to do a blog post on "what to look for in a fleece". Sometimes you can find washed fleece or dyed locks (mohair, typically).

Most top, batts, roving, or fleece is wool; the breed may be noted, or it may have a note on it like "medium wool" or "50s wool" (that's not a reference to its year of shearing, by the way). Here, you can in part let your hand be your guide, if you aren't yet familiar with the breeds. Wensleydale is coarse, Coopworth and Romney are medium wools, Corriedale is medium/fine, and Merino is fine ... there are so many sheep breeds out there, though, so learn to trust your fingertips. Within a breed there's a huge variety -- Merino can run from "fine" to aaaaaaa-fiiiiine, for example. It will always be softer than Wensleydale, though. For further information on this see How do I know what sheep breeds to look for?

Cloud is a prep you often see with cashmere, camel, or pygora; this is typically de-haired but otherwise unprocessed fiber. Well, dehairing is actually a carding type of operation, so it’s pretty airy usually. You can spin cloud by the handfull if you like, you don’t need to prep it further.

Then there are just fibers in baggies or pick-your-favorite-containers labeled with content and weight – flash & angelina come to mind. They don’t really have a “prep” per se, they just “are”.

Silk is usually sold as a top, sliver, hanky, cap, or brick. The hanky and cap are stretched out coccoons; the brick is a bunch of caps as I recall; there’s also a really big prep called a “bell” which is several/many pounds of silk caps, and it looks like the Liberty Bell (really big!). Top and sliver are the same prep, they are cut lengths of silk all combed up nicely (then there’s reeled silk, but that’s not usually sold to spinners; and silk waste, silk noil, sari silk …)

Cotton is usually sold as sliver, either combed or carded (typically carded, but sometimes combed), or as punis, which are hand-carded, rolled up sausages put in a bundle and sold by weight.

Whew! Probably there are others, too … feel free to add to this list in the comments for this blog post, or ask questions about the information here.

~~
I realize I've posted on this topic before, in several separate blog posts; this was written to help out some new spinners on Ravelry heading to their first fiber shows (how exciting!). Here are related earlier posts:

What's the difference between Batts, Roving, and Top?
What's the difference between Roving and Top?
To drumcard, to handcard, or to comb?
How do I know what sheep breed to look for?

~~
© 22 August 2009 by Ask The Bellwether, posted at http://askthebellwether.blogspot.com/

How should I use the hooks on my flyer?

noreply@blogger.com (Amelia, belle of The Bellwether) — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 00:30:00 +0000

By Amelia

A new spinner and member of Spin-List recently asked for advice on when to change the hook their yarn was using coming from the bobbin out to the orifice.

Here are my tips on changing hooks -- I should point out, these are advice only, as there aren't any hard-and-fast rules.

change hooks before the little hill that builds up starts to collapse.
develop a pattern, that way if you lose your end, you know about where to look for it.
when spinning fine, I like to move from hook-to-hook, front-to-back, but when I'm at the back-most hook, I don't start going hook-by-hook to the front, rather, I come right across to the front-most hook from the back-most. This gives me a "lifeline" I can use if I should snap the yarn and lose it on the bobbin
try to build up the bobbin evenly; if you build it up unevenly, it may chatter on the flyer rod a little from having extra weight on one end or the other
if you have hooks on both sides of one face of the flyer, try using hooks on each side -- often they are off-set so you can build up in-between the hills of one side's hooks, using the other side's hooks
when you come out to a hook on the flyer arm, come out to that hook, be sure to be outside the other hooks coming forward to the orifice (your yarn will rest in all the other hooks, that is to say, not be in front of them or wrapped around them), especially the last hook -- if you miss that last hook, your yarn rubs against the edge of the bobbin. Then go through the orifice and out to the fiber
a paper clip, unfolded except for the smallest fold, makes a great emergency orifice hook if you need onev
when you want to stop, find a convenient spot on your wheel to wrap your singles around so they don't lose twist; good candidates might be the scotch tension knob if it's near the front of your wheel, or even coming back to the hooks on the flyer and wrapping around them.

Now, you can be completely random, and forgetful -- the worst that will happen is your bobbin will be a bit of a mess -- be careful when taking the yarn off the bobbin then, as you don't want to snap and break the yarn due to the bobbin stopping unexpectedly and trapping the yarn.

I hope this helps on your spinning journey. If you have a spinning wheel flyer hook tip or question, feel free to share it in the comments on this blog post.

~~
I've done a variety of posts in the past about bobbins on wheels, if you'd like to look into this further, they are:

How can I fit more yarn on my bobbin?
When is my bobbin half full?
How many bobbins do I need?
Where is the end on my bobbin?
Which lazy kate?
What tips do you have for spinning lace?
Will winding singles off my spindle or bobbin into a skein hurt the twist?

~~
That full bobbin at the top of the page? That's my SpinOlution Bee Travel Wheel, bobbin stuffed with 4 ounces of fingering weight 2-ply. The fiber was the last bit of Mint Chocolate Triple Play I had in the house from Crosspatch Creations. My plans for the yarn are fingerless gloves - yummy!
~~
© 19 August 2009 Amelia Garripoli. Posted on http://askthebellwether.blogspot.com/

How do I card a self-striping batt?

noreply@blogger.com (Amelia, belle of The Bellwether) — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 19:21:00 +0000

By Amelia

Among the various batts we card in my workshop Using the Batt Machine: Drum Carding from A to Z (next offering: Oregon Flock and Fiber in September 2009) is a batt with three colors running across the batt.

Developing this technique into a viable batt actually took some experimenting. If you lay the colors side-by-side in the infeed tray, not overlapping at all, then your batt tends to separate into 3 separate skinny batts when you take it off the drum carder. Oops, back to the drawing board.

So, what worked? ...

Interleaving the colors. Yep. Instead of dividing up your infeed tray into thirds, give each color a full 50% of the width. Okay, I hear you -- that adds up to 150%. That's where the interleaving comes in. Put the first color down on the left half of the infeed tray. Put the second color down in the "middle half" (quarters on each side of it), overlapping the first color. Put the third color down on the right half of the tray, overlapping the second color. Card them in. Repeat until drum carder is full, and remove batt.

This is what your batt looks like (if you used teal, dark green, and green that is):

See the heathering of the colors at the overlapping? That is why this is one, nice, solid batt, no signs of wanting to separate at all. Whew!

Ok, now you have your nice batt, how do you spin it up for stripes?

Let's do this the hard way: two-ply.

First, decide -- my batt was about 2 ounces, so enough for 1 sock, 1 mitten, half a hat, or whatever -- I say this, because I want an idea of how large to make my repeats.

Since I'm doing a 2-ply, first I split my batt in half across its width. To do this, I grasped the batt in both hands with the mid-point centered and my hands about 6 inches apart (a staple-length-and-a-half, this particular fiber, Corriedale, having about a 4 inch staple length -- that's important, but also a typical staple length for many wool breeds).

This left me with this:

But, I wanted more than 1 occurrence of each color (remember, this is a 2-ply, so all I've done so far is separate the fiber for each ply). My batt is kind of puny, though typical of most home drum carders, so I'm not sure I can get 3 repeats in, but I know I can get 2 in ... so I split the halves across their midpoints. And this time I remember to take a picture of my hand placement before the split (woo hoo!):

Here are all 4 of the batt pieces now:

But wait, I'm not done. To get the colors to stripe distinctly in the yarn, I roll each of the pieces up into a rolag -- yep, I'll be spinning this from a 99.4% pure woollen prep, carded and then rolled up into a rolag.

Here I've once again cleverly remembered to take a picture of my hand in action, rolling up the rolag:

What I have to say about the rolling -- you do want it to be fairly tight. When learning to do this, rolling around a knitting needle is a good idea; a size US 15 if you have it, or a US 10 will do in a pinch. No needles? maybe you have some 3/8" or 1/2" diameter dowel on hand ...

So here is one rolag next to one of the batt pieces:

And here are all 4 of my rolags:

Next comes the spinning. No new tricks here, but I admit this is the hard part. To spin a 2-ply and have the colors match up, you have to aim for consistency of thickness in your yarn. Decide which color in the trio you are going to start with in the rolags and always start from that end.

Since I have 4 rolags, I spun 2 onto one bobbin and 2 onto a second bobbin. Then I plied those two bobbins onto a third bobbin. This is the resulting skein:

Yes, I've been practicing consistency for quite some time -- my county fair judge really likes consistency, and the best kudo I got was this year, when judging my handspun, handwoven scarf she said, "Wait, is this commercial yarn?" he he he nope, I've just finally met her stringent standards. I got a blue for it!

Remember when I said there was an easier way to spin this up and preserve the color changes? Here you go: divide up your batt the same way, but then spin singles or Navajo ply to preserve the color changes. Both of these methods will have as many color repeats in the resulting yarn as the number of pieces you broke your batt into -- so with my batt above, I'd have 4 repeats, rather than the 2 repeats of my 2-ply yarn.

Now I'm off to go and card up another batt to match this one, so I can knit myself a nice cushy striped hat :-)

If you have any questions about this post, feel free to post them in the comments.

~~
Related posts:
Supercard or Duncan Motorized Drum Carder?
How do I card a smooth batt?
What's the difference between batts and roving?
To drumcard, to hand card, or to comb?
I washed the fleece, now what?

~~
© 18 August 2009 by Ask The Bellwether. Posted on http://askthebellwether.blogspot.com/

And the hunt goes on ...

noreply@blogger.com (Amelia, belle of The Bellwether) — Sat, 08 Aug 2009 01:48:00 +0000

By Amelia

It's a sign of my vacation that it's taken me two days to announce this: the first 100% result on Productive Spindling: The Treasure Hunt has been received! Woot! And who was the clever duck? Sarah M.

Sarah's dream team is a lovely spindle-quad:

Left to right, they are a 0.9 ounce maple Charis, a masur birch Greensleeves Loki, and a 0.8 ounce purpleheart Golding tsunami, all working on a 3 ply sock yarn, and a 1.4 oz maple and zebrawood Kundert waiting to ply the second skein. Notice the lovely first skein they are resting on -- well done, Sarah!

She added in her response: "However we're building our roster and interviewing new candidates, particularly in the 1.5 to 2 oz weight class. The Kundert and Charis are my vetrans who have been with me since the beginning, and the Golding is a very talented rookie backing up the Charis who is proving to be more than just a pretty face." It's clear she loves her spindles!

Her favorite section is also several other responders': Productively Filling a Spindle (see the whole Table of Contents).

Sarah's favorite picture is the cover photo, for showing off all those pretty spindles so well. Natalie (my daughter, who arranged and took the picture) was pleased to have it favorited by our first 100%-er.

No, I won't tell you the rest of her answers, because there's still plenty of time (until September 1, 2009) to get your answers in! See the questions here.

~~
During my travels, I've left copies -- signed!! -- at the following fine establishments:
Gypsy Wools in Boulder, Colorado
Table Rock Llamas Fiber Arts Studio in Black Forest, Colorado
Green Valley Weavers & Knitters in Colorado Springs, Colorado (you should see their book selection -- it's amazing!)

So if you're nearby, check them out!

~~
Next up: something different ... carding and spinning a striped batt!
~~
posted 7 August 2009 at http://askthebellwether.blogspot.com/

Productive Spindling: The Treasure Hunt!

noreply@blogger.com (Amelia, belle of The Bellwether) — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 22:50:00 +0000

By Amelia

Let me start with a Belle opportunity ... tomorrow, August 1, I will be doing a presentation and signing of Productive Spindling at Gypsy Wools in Boulder, Colorado, at 1pm. The lovely ladies there have door prizes, and I'll be hosting a spin-in until 5 pm, so come at the start for the prizes, come later to spin, or come any time between 1 and 5, I'd love to meet you there!

On to the treasure hunt ...

While I was writing Productive Spindling, I got to thinking, Wouldn't it be fun ... to have a treasure hunt through the pages of the book. So I present to you: Productive Spindling: The Treasure Hunt!

Now, treasure hunts can be very organized things. But I'd like to make this fun. So, here are the "rules" (should I shrink the font?):

Please email me your responses: ask-at-thebellwether-dot-com works, or the email address from the front of the book. Please don't post them as a comment here or on ravelry.
Yes, there are prizes (hint: see the picture). More on that, in a bit. Keep reading!
Yes, having a copy of the book is kind of necessary to be able to answer the questions ... though honestly you might be able to 'get' most of the answers if you dig through my blog, wander around ravelry, ... or convince your local library or spinning buddy to get a copy for their shelves. No, you don't have to have purchased it from The Bellwether -- Productive Spindling is available at several retailers, across the US, in Canada and Sweden!
Anyone can enter except me - since I know all but three of the answers already!
Cut-off for prizes: for the physical prizes, let's put it at September 1, 2009. That gives you a-month-and-a-day. And August is a long month, too. Plenty of time!
All entries get a 5% discount on a purchase at The Bellwether, good through 31 December 2009 ... so if you enter after that, ummm ... I can let you know how "right" you were.
All entries with at least 12 right answers get a 10% discount on a purchase at The Bellwether (instead of the 5%), good through 31 December 2009.
Final cut-off for receiving the discounts for submitted answers will be September 30th ... the answers will be posted October 1.
The first response with all answers correct gets first choice of one the prizes.
The names of all remaining responders with all answers correct, received by the deadline, will be put into a hat and 3 will be randomly selected for the remaining prizes.
Oh, what are the prizes? ... A Kundert top whorl, Maple with a streak on the whorl; a Bosworth Maxi, Bird's Eye maple; a Tabachek Compact Deluxe, Tulipwood; and some amazing Shetland top dyed by David Schulz in his Iris colorway (who can't love purple?) ... all of these are from my private collection/stash, hard to part with but I really wanted cool prizes, so I made sure to choose things I adore!
Responses and winners' names may be publicized. Please let me know if you wish to remain anonymous.
Do we need more rules? hope not! on to the questions!

So, hunt through your copy (or a friend's...) and tell me (in email, remember) your answers. Remember, it's a treasure hunt ... have fun on the hunt!

How many photographers did the book have?
On which page does my ravatar (also seen on my facebook...) appear?
What's your favorite section in the book (provide its section heading)?
Where does the name "Ask The Bellwether" come from? Bonus: why is "The" capitalized?
Name the maker/brand of each spindle on the front cover.
Locate the flickr page for a photo that is in the book (hint: most of the ravelry contributors' photos originated on flickr, in color). Provide a link to the flickr page.
What's your favorite illustration (photo or drawing) in the book?
How many different peoples' hands are in the book?
Name at least ten different spindles in the book (maker/model).
On page 34, what is the spindle made from in the photo by artsyfish?
What's another name for the lark's head knot?
How many different peoples' faces are in the book?
How many niddy-noddies are in the book?
Which spindle (same one) appears in the most photographs?
How many types of joins are described? Name them.
What time is it on the clock spindle?
How many different peoples' feet are in the book?
Which maker's spindles appear in the most photographs (can be different models)?
How many types of plying are described? Name them.
What's your spindle "dream team"? Digital photograph submissions encouraged :-)

I like the fact that this treasure hunt is a nice, round 20 questions ... if you have a spindling question (or 20) after you read the book, feel free to "Ask The Bellwether"!

~~
posted 31 July 2009 at http://askthebellwether.blogspot.com/

How do you dye a ball?

noreply@blogger.com (Amelia, belle of The Bellwether) — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 03:22:00 +0000

By Amelia

There's more than one way to dye a ball of yarn ... that's what I learned this weekend at the Lacey Weekend Workshops (the 2008 workshop page is here; 2009 details were emailed out).

This time, we wound our undyed yarn balls loosely on the ballwinder and put a string through the center.

The dye was in crockpots, already warmed when we started dyeing. Our balls were pre-wetted in soapy water, squeezed out, and then dipped 1/3 their depth into a color. We held them by their strings in the dyepot for 10-20 minutes, then squeezed the dye liquid back into the pot. As you can see, we rotated and dipped again, and repeated a third time if desired. My three-dip ball (left) had 6 colors in it once done; the two-dip balls (middle and right) had 4 colors.

This was a fun way to dye! Enough of us were dipping to use up the dye in some of the pots -- the pots with leftover dye were used to put color on some wool roving brought for that purpose.

If you're near Lacey or can get there next July, I highly recommend this annual workshop weekend. The atmosphere is tranquil, the food's plentiful and tasty, and the classes are diverse. I had a fun time!

Oh, and my yarn? The left is superwash merino in a cushy DK weight ... I think it will be a woven scarf; the middle is superwash merino/alpaca/bamboo/nylon sock yarn, yep, for socks; and the right is a funky brown cabled yarn, I'm not sure what it might become.

~~
Do you have another way of dyeing a ball of yarn? I'd love to give it a try, too -- post a note in the comments about your method to share it.

The Bellwether sells Cushings Acid Dyes, great for dyeing wool, silk, and other protein fibers, and available in 94 colors. Your purchases at The Bellwether help keep the blog going -- thank you!
~~
posted 26 July 2009 at http://askthebellwether.blogspot.com/

How do you wind a ball?

noreply@blogger.com (Amelia, belle of The Bellwether) — Sat, 18 Jul 2009 19:01:00 +0000

By Amelia

It's interesting to note the things people ask. For instance, I often get asked, How do you wind on a Turkish spindle? So, I went through all my spinning books to see what they said. Do you know what they said, when they mentioned Turkish spindles? "Wind on." Hmmmm. Okay, that leaves out some of the details. But that answer has already been blogged, so let's look to the next "obvious" task.

Similarly, we're expected to know how to wind a ball. But, if your mother wasn't crafty, and there was no aunt or grandma around who was, maybe she didn't show you how to get one started, or how to keep it round.

Now, this is a handy spindling skill -- the Peruvian plying ball is my preferred way to ply. The time spent winding is more than recouped in plying. And, the way you wind the one-strand ball is the same as how you wind this two-strand ball (just with one strand...).

First off, the Peruvian plying balls are 2 strands held together, so I'll assume you have two cops of yarn, either on two spindles or pushed onto straws or knitting needles. Or, two single-strand balls. Hold the two strands as one as you wind. I'm a righty, so I'll write this that way ...

(1) Pinch the two strands together in your right hand. Wind them around the first two fingers (index and middle) of your left hand -- as you wind, the pinching right hand fingers slide back, maintaining tension on the yarn; the initial winding is held on by the windings about it. Do about eight complete rounds of your fingers. Then, slide that mass off your fingers; it's the core of your ball.

Some people start with a small ball of felt, wad of paper, or even a golf or tennis ball rather than this self-created core. Then, you can wind around that foreign object, rather than your fingers.

(2) Now, holding the core in your left hand (I pinch one end of it), wind the yarn around the middle of the core, tightly, about four times.

(3) I (note, I'm not Peruvian...this is my own method, they may do it differently) then fold the core in half over that winding, and then wind 4 more times tightly over the folded-in-half core.

Take that last winding 4 times around as your first "course", or path, around the ball.

(4) From here on out you wind courses, which basically means to wind on the same path several times, then move to a new course. The bigger the ball gets, the more times around on the same course you can go. Wind a course any way you please, then rotate the ball any way you please and start a new course. Some people get quite methodical and rotate only slightly along a central axis for a very tidy ball that is more of a cylinder shape. Others go fairly randomly, but aim to have a very round ball.

It's not really meant to be hard, or scientific -- it's just winding a ball. But if you haven't done it, it can be as hard as learning to tie a shoe (which I waited wayyyy too long to teach my kids!) so don't sweat it, just wind it. I think the key things to a Peruvian ball are winding tightly, and winding on the same path several times to create a "course". This is what lets you pin it to your shirt as Abby Franquemont mentions in her article. If you wind a two-strand ball on a ball winder, you don't get courses, as each path around is slightly off from the next one, in tidy mechanically-organized paths.

Now, one spindleful may have more yarn than the other -- at that point you can use an Andean plying bracelet to finish off the longer one, or if it's on your spindle, simply break off the extra to start the next spindleful.

This was based on a PM response I sent on ravelry on 17May2009 -- and this information, along with speed plying from the Peruvian plying ball, can also be found in my new book, Productive Spindling :-)

~~
posted 19 July 2009 at http://askthebellwether.blogspot.com/

What's in Productive Spindling?

noreply@blogger.com (Amelia, belle of The Bellwether) — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 16:52:00 +0000

By Amelia

I've been walking on air lately with the release of my third (yep, third!) book, Productive Spindling.

The question that comes up most is, what is in the book. My Productive Spindling class is a hands-on version of the book, and the blurb tells a good story, but you may find the Table of Contents satisfies your curiousity even more (click for bigger):

Productive Spindling is available from these fine retailers:

The Bellwether - that would be me - in Washington
Journey Wheel, home of Bosworth Spindles in Massachusetts
The Wheel Thing, a terrific spindle emporium, in Connecticut
Custom Handweaving -- look for Nancy at California area shows!
Spinning Loft with the amazing wall of fleece and spinners' sleepovers, in Michigan
The Yarn Source in Canada -- see them at a variety of Canada shows
SpinSpiration in Sweden! woot!
Knotty by Nature Fibre Arts in Victoria, Canada (our newest retailer!)
and the book is now showing up on Amazon and at other retailers via Unicorn, so be sure to check your LYS... I saw it at Halcyon Yarn and The Woolery just the other day!
I'm told (Oct. 18) that the book is now available at Scottish Fibres in the United Kingdom -- which is really cool because they're a cool shop I've ordered stuff from myself!

The retailers cover many shows I'm not able to reach, so if you want the book in your hands before you put down your $18 (or if you want to skip the shipping costs!), be sure to look for one of us at a show in your area.

Productive Spindling is available wholesale from me and also from Unicorn Books.

~~
What were the first two books, you ask? First, a little one called "British Tea Cosies" -- which quickly went out of print when Fiber Trends purchased two of the patterns outright, Nanny Meier's Tea Cosy and Braided Cable Tea Cosy. They remain favorites in their line to this day :)

And second, the ever popular Spindling: The Basics, which has been 80% folded into Productive Spindling -- the not-directly-spinning topics were left out, as they are available in similar form on my blog, and I wanted to keep Productive Spindling focused. Spindling: The Basics will remain available until it too is out of print, and is still used in my basic Learn To Spin kits.

And, if you like back stories and have a Ravelry account, you can see some of the development of Productive Spindling on this thread in Follow The Bellwether, and with my initial announcement of its availability here.
~~
posted 14 July 2009 at http://askthebellwether.blogspot.com/ updated 15 September 2009 with additional retailers

Can you spin a sheep?

noreply@blogger.com (Amelia, belle of The Bellwether) — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 03:04:00 +0000

By Amelia

I get asked this a lot, actually. And, perhaps you are curious.

As you can see from the photo, some of the spindles I carry are sheep shapes. Made by Mr. Forrester, they are gorgeous cuts of wood.

And, yes, they spin. See, I even spun singles and plied on this sheep -- it does it all!

Why don't they wobble? Well, at first, I was getting all complicated in my head about balance and cut and how Mr. Forrester must have really studied the shape. And then, like Archimedes in the tub, I thought, "Eureka!" it's not that complicated after all.

It's the center of mass that matters. If Mr. Forrester locates that in his sheep and puts the shaft there, then the sheep will spin without wobble.

That's why we can spin with a simple rock on a string -- it will rotate and center the string so it can spin with the string coming away from the side of the rock in a way that places the rock's center of mass below the string. Simple.

We can have spindles of pretty much any shape. And, do you know what happens when you twirl them? They all blur into circles. I guess that's why we think only circles can spin -- visually, all our shapes become circles when they are in motion.

It is only fitting that it is the eve of the availability of my new book, Productive Spindling, arriving July 15th, and I've figured out a new nugget not in the book (this nugget, that is). If you are ordering my new book, consider adding a Forrester Geometric spindle or Sheep spindle to support The Bellwether and expand your own spindle collection.

Thank you!
~~
posted 9 July 2009 at http://askthebellwether.blogspot.com/

What's Important to You in a Spinning Wheel?

noreply@blogger.com (Amelia, belle of The Bellwether) — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 17:18:00 +0000

By Amelia

I was recently asked by a new-to-me Michael what was important to me in a spinning wheel. It set me to thinking a fair bit about that, and developing a "short list":

What would I want in a wheel?

quiet ... this is really important for me, as I spin in the evenings while hubby watches a show or we talk. Even my electric wheel is the quietest available (the Butterfly). Majacraft, SpinOlution, and the Pocket Wheel are all nice, quiet wheels. This takes a fair bit of engineering and tight fit of things like bobbins, treadles, and the like.
ratios ... I'm a fast spinner, so most of my spinning is as high as I can crank up my wheel; I love 30+-to-1 ratios. That said, if it's fat singles, I want about 10:1. And if I'm teaching someone on my wheel, even lower is good!
smooth/easy treadling ... obvious, right? the foot action needs to be continuous and balanced if it's a double treadle, not a syncopated rhythm. I put my Majacraft together wrong at first and was quite disappointed; luckily I soon learned it was my mistake, corrected it, and now have smooth treadling. The SpinOlution wheels have the easiest treadling I've ever found, due in part to their completely novel approach to the topic.
stands up to continuous use ... I spin alot. Breaking brake bands or drive bands are a real bummer.
generous bobbin capacity; option for plying bobbin a plus ... we love big bobbins! Though when I spin laceweight, the small size bobbin can be a plus, because you really don't want to fight 4 ounces of laceweight singles all at one time (okay, maybe you do -- I don't!)
easy to change out bobbins ... I admit, this was the one weak spot of my Schacht Matchless (the cadillac of wheels). I love the treadle-on/treadle-off ease of the Majacraft and the simple pinch-and-pull of the SpinOlution wheels.
14 pounds-ish ... that's an easy-to-haul weight for me. Journey Wheel, Majacraft's Pro, The Bee Travel Wheel, the Lendrum all fall in that bracket. The Pocket Wheel exceeds it, at a mere 6-7 pounds!
won't lose the drive band during a car ride on gravel roads ... nothing so annoying as having to get one back on, bleh. Sure, a minor annoyance, but if I can avoid it, I do.
easy to replace drive band (both material and to put on the wheel) ... can you tell I have a thing about drive bands? You see, I broke my Majacraft drive band and found out I had to partially disassemble the wheel to put a new one one. So I bought 2 and put them both on, the spare at the ready! The Pocket and the Hitchhiker win this, with no drive band at all! The SpinOlution wheels are replaceable without taking the wheel apart, which is nice.
appealing to the eye ... I love the sleek look of the Majacraft, but have to admit the Jensen Tina II turned my head (and made me scribble in my checkbook!). There's something to be said for fairytale spoked wheels. That said, the Danish-modern of the Louet and the SpinOlution wheels have their own appeal, especially in a modern IKEA-furnished home. And the Hitchhiker has a whimsy all its own. The variety of wheels out there clearly shows the wide taste we spinners have for our wheels.

Part of what I look for in a wheel is related to how I spin. I mostly spin DK weight or finer 2-plies; occasionally I spin thick low-twist singles or art yarn.

And, I do sell the Bee and the Mach II from SpinOlution; be sure to stop by my booth at Black Sheep Gathering this weekend to give them each a spin! It's a great opportunity to compare them to all the wheels out there, as Carolina Homespun, Woodland Woolworks, and other vendors bring a wide variety of wheels for road testing too: Lendrum, Ashford, Kromski, Schacht, Louet, Fricke, and more.

So, what would you want in a wheel? Leave your input on the comments here, and I'll make sure to pass them on to Michael. After all, I told him, each spinner has their own opinion!

~~
Be sure to see Spin-Off's Spinning Wheel Round-Up for a list of features of a wide variety of wheels!

For details on several wheels I've reviewed on this blog, see the Wheels post list.

posted 15 June 2009 at http://askthebellwether.blogspot.com/

Worth the Price of Admission

noreply@blogger.com (Amelia, belle of The Bellwether) — Sun, 14 Jun 2009 04:39:00 +0000

By Amelia

The absolute highlight of my round of NwRSA classes was when a participant said "that was worth the price of admission" on one of the spindling techniques about halfway through Productive Spindling. She was thrilled! So was I! It really brightened all my classes for the weekend.

Next up was a very color-filled weekend at the CSMSA 2009 convention (that's Circular Sock Machine Society of America). I had a round of dye classes planned, and we all had much colorful fun, as you can see in my flickr set CSMSA 2009.

However, the days were even more colorful than planned ... the delightful Helga shared her ball dyeing with us!

You guessed it -- that was my "worth the price of admission" moment.

Helga has outlined the steps for this on her blog, ansichtsachen. Oh yeah -- Helga's German :-) the blog starts in German, the second half of each entry is in English.

Here you see my ball, after all the dye was in and it was set. We set our dyes using my dye microwave. I was worried about my usual 2 on/2 off/2 on/2 off/2 on not being quite enough for this tightly wound ball, so I added an extra 2 off/2 on at the end -- everyones' ball rinsed cleanly, so it worked!

Here's my yarn, skeined. You can see it's fairly white -- all of that was on the inside. Actually, there isn't much white. My second ball (who could resist? not me) was much richer color inside to out, and some of Helga's students got thorough coverage the first time out. The trick is, not to be afraid of the dye. Go for it, and have fun!

~~
posted 13 June 2009 at http://askthebellwether.blogspot.com/

What do you teach in Spinning Sock Yarn?

noreply@blogger.com (Amelia, belle of The Bellwether) — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 04:07:00 +0000

By Amelia

Sock yarn is about fineness. Fineness, and durability. Fineness, durability, and ... oh wait, I'm channeling a Monty Python skit, it has nothing to do with sock yarn.

Spinning is about having fun! And that's what we do in this workshop as we explore the ins-and-outs of spinning sock yarn.

Let's take a look at that fineness thing. And durability, how do we get that?

We'll play with:
* techniques for spinning fine(r)
* how fine singles are for different plies
* what fibers add durability
* what spinning methods add durability
* how to add durability in plying
* what finishing methods add durability

And to keep it fascinating, let's explore our color options:
* turning barberpoles into beads with cables
* marled 2-color yarns and faux cables
* Navajo-ply: test before you commit...
* self-striping socks
* fractal plying and more striping options

We'll wrap up with a discussion on knitting socks, from dress socks to boot socks, and any sock-knitting-ness you'd like to discuss: DPs or circs? What is a sock machine?

Bring your favorite sock pattern or favorite commercial sock yarn to explore in class.

~~
For a list of all workshops taught by the Belle (that's me!) see, What Workshops do you Teach? Hey -- it would be fun to have a sock blend batt carding class followed by this one. I'm happy to tailor workshops to your group, just let me know.

For posts on spinning sock yarns, see the SockSpinning topic.

Did that mention of sock machines tickle your ear? See the list of SockMachine posts.

Interested in Sock Yarn Dyeing? See the classes and posts on that, too.

(Oh, and ... as I was asked, the blog is quiet as I wrap up "the book" and the heat of show season ... not less than 10 classes to teach in the next two weeks, starting with this one, tomorrow: all fun, all the time!)
~~
posted 1 June 2009 at http://askthebellwether.blogspot.com/

Where can I find a used loom?

noreply@blogger.com (Amelia, belle of The Bellwether) — Sat, 09 May 2009 17:00:00 +0000

By Amelia

Now that I'm taking a splash in the weaving pool, folks ask me if I know of a second-hand table loom they could start with, or if I know someone interested in a floor loom. That's how I know my feet are wet (grin).

This is gonna sound a lot like my recent post Where can I find a used spinning wheel? Because, honestly, weavers tend to hang out around spinners and vice-versa. Especially on-line.

First things first ... I am not endorsing any particular seller or venue by listing these, just providing the information. Buyer beware, that is the best policy. Also, buying solely based on a photograph is taking a risk. Get out there and see it yourself, or if it's not by you, find a relative, friend, or associate who can see it in person before it's shipped to you.

If you don't weave yet, take an experienced weaver with you to check out the loom, too. Even if the seller can weave, this gives you a less biased opinion.

I know second-hand can be quite a bit less expensive than new, but consider also any manufacturer's or store's warranties may be a safety net you'd like to have. That's why it's cool that AVL USA provides warranties on their refurbished looms, too. Given those looms have electronics in them, that's very important to consider.

When purchasing a used loom, find out its brand/maker, age, harness, type (jack, countermarche, counterbalance, rigid heddle), how many heddles it has, how many and what dent reeds it has, what other accessories come with it, and if it has any manuals. Some old looms have manuals available from The Weaver's Friend. If the brand/maker isn't known, perhaps you can poll some friends on-line or in your local guild to look at pictures of it to see if they know.

I have not used all of these placed myself to sell or buy used equipment; I've visited them all, sold on some, bought on some. Most of my used sales have actually been in person, at shows, in my vendor booth. So that's another place to check for used equipment -- wool show vendors often have an item on the edge of a table that is second hand equipment for sale; and some conferences, like NwRSA's, have used equipment tables. Check with your local guild, someone may be considering selling a loom; and perhaps your local yarn shop has a bulletin board for used equipment sales.

Here is a list of handy links for used weaving equipment:

FiberArts.org's Classified ad page
Fiber Equipment and Barter's Looms for sale/wanted
Association of Northwest Weaver's Guilds Classified Ads
Vermont Weaver's Guild Looms and Equipment For Sale
Weaver's Guild of Boston Classifieds
Homestead Weaving Studio's For Sale/Wanted lists
Spinner's & Weaver's Housecleaning Pages - Loom
Apple Hollow Farm's Used Equipment Page
The Online Spinning & Weaving Guild Discussion pages
Ravelry's Weaver's Marketplace
Ravelry's Used Tools & Equipment Marketplace
AVL Looms' Factory Reconditioned Looms
Woodland Woolwork's Used Equipment Page
Portland Fiber Gallery's Used Equipment Page
Hawthorne Works' Refurbished Looms
Black Cat Weavery Weavers' Marketplace (central US)
Warped Weavers' Studio Estate and Equipment Sales

Check out your local Craig's List or use http://www.craigshelper.com/ to search all of the ones within 250 miles of you (handy, that!)

There's ebay too, though then you have bidding to deal with and commercial suppliers selling new equipment as well. Large looms listed on eBay usually require pick-up, so use the advanced search box there to find looms near you.

And, drum roll please, my big tip ... some of these pages have RSS feeds, but not all of them. Set yourself up with an account on ChangeDetection.com so you can monitor the non-RSS pages for updates.

Of course, this works the other way around too -- are you selling a used loom? these are options for listing it. Pick one local to you, or with the kind of exposure you want.

One thing to consider on selling the larger looms: when you list an item of considerable value, you may get emails from scammers. Be aware that if they ask you for your website, or a description of "the item", or your email, it's likely they are not for real. Talk to your buyer on the phone, if you can. Google them on-line, see if they are a weaver too. And, do not send money to "the freight company they choose" ... it's likely their own check will bounce, and you'll be out the freight money as well, because believe me, that check of yours will be cashed. Just be aware, and careful. I know it sounds scary, but it just takes a little watchfulness.

These websites can also be handy for researching the value of a loom, for buyers and sellers alike. Consider age, condition, and accessories. I've been told that when selling, offering a price point 30% less than new for a like-new-condition loom will usually be successful. If your loom is old, consider discounting from the price you paid for it or its price when it was new. Some looms gain in value due to their no longer being made, having a high-quality well-respected maker, and availability; others maintain value, and others, well, you know.

You might also check with the vendors that offer second-hand equipment; it's very likely they got them as trade-ins, so that's another avenue to pursue for selling your used equipment.

I am too new at weaving to have good suggestions for prices of looms. You can find bargains on Craig's List, and even "hen's teeth" -- I know I did, and paid the lady's local UPS store to pack and ship it to me, from Maine: a Baby Dobby for my Baby Wolf (woot!) ... but you know, I still haven't installed that sucker. It's on the floor in front of the loom, beckoning me ...

Anyway. For second-hand pricing, research the price of new; if you aren't in a hurry, research the price of a second-hand loom in places not near you, and then keep an eye open for something similar near you. You never know when you might find a treasure in your own neighborhood -- my first loom was purchased for $20 from a coffeeshop friend as I was chatting about wanting to learn to weave. It needed restoration, so it cost me a fair bit more than that to get to a working loom -- but wow, that was serendipitous, and still less expensive than new.

~~~
Related posts:
Where can I find a used spinning wheel?
Where can I find a sock machine?
The internet for the uninitiated fiber artist
... and more posts on weaving listed here.

Oh, and the looms in the photos? past looms of mine, all now enjoying new homes. Some were part of my loom lust fund, which has now been applied in payment toward my to-be-here-this-summer 24" 24H AVL WDL loom (yowza!) too new to be found second-hand, it's coming brand-spanking new to me.

Do you have a site you recommend for used weaving items? Let us know in the comments ~ thanks.
~~
posted 9 May 2009 at http://askthebellwether.blogspot.com/