Saturday, December 18, 2010

Current Spinning Projects

Found a local fiber store. Well, I say it's local, but it's really about an hour away on the other side of Athens from here. The store had a really nice selection of yarns and knitting needles, but had very little in the way of spinning fiber (which they told me they were so low because of Christmas). I'll see if I can get some pictures to share next time I go (and go I shall! lol).

I was able to get a few things, which I wanted to share with those who like to spin/knit/crochet. Sorry, no new tatting in this post, as I haven't gotten any pictures of my current works!

First up, I wanted to touch on the one that I -should- be finishing, but am finding it a bit hard to focus on. Remember the "Twilight" fiber I got?

Last I showed, I was just starting to ply. I've gotten the majority of the fiber spun, and only have about an ounce left to fully spin and ply.

I also learned a new technique with this -- Navajo Plying. I follow Monika's blog Smoking Hot Needles, and every week she has "Homespun Fridays." After reading about some of the beautiful fiber she's spun being plied using the Navajo technique, I had to give it a try and I think I have it down.


In the photo above, you can see what I have fully completed, as well as where I am in spinning. I have two small hanks of tri-ply yarn and one surprisingly thick hank of two-ply. Not sure of the full yard count just yet, and these haven't been blocked. I'll keep everyone updated!

One of the fibers I got at the fiber store was made by Ashland Bay, and is a merino/tussah silk combo, in their "Red" color, 4 ounces total.

I got this to make my sister something for next year, and depending on how much yarn I get out of this will tell me what I'm going to make with it! ^^ I couldn't wait to spin it, and while watching Sanctuary (I'm such a sci-fi geek!), I got started pre-drafting and spinning.

Here I have about half of the fiber spun:

As soon as I get the other half spun, I will be plying this in the Navajo method. I had been told this was a little harder to work with than the pure superwash that I am used to, but I'm finding it a joy to work with! I'm super glad that I got the other fiber to go with this, as I can't wait to work with it!

Also, I'm finding that I like spinning with a heavier drop spindle. Huh.. Never thought that would happen! This particular spindle was made by me, and is about sixteen inches long. I love the whorl of it! To see it, look at the second picture on this post. It's so pretty!

Happy Holidays to all!

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