IndigoMuse Knits

Thursday, December 30, 2004

A time for spinning

***Edited to add - for those of you asking about the Clover needles, I got mine at my LYS. However, here are a few places where you can find them online:
Purl Soho
Marr Haven Wool Farm
WorldKnit.com

I've ignored my poor Golding girl, Brighid, for nearly three weeks. I wondered if my spinning abilities were a fluke, if I really couldn't spin but just got lucky when I first picked her up. Well, a chair positioned in the warmth of the sun, Thing 2 as my fiber assistant and a few stolen moments (stolen from working) later and I was spinning lace weight silk mohair as I had before. If you're even thinking about spinning, get a Golding. They spin FOREVER and are just beautiful tools. Anyhoo, I spun for over an hour last night and still have a ton of fiber to spin up. I'm going to have enough yarn to knit something small with though I'm unsure of what just yet. Spinning is definitely in my blood. I'm am SO convinced that I was a Celtic spinner in a past life (Stop laughing, I CAN hear you).

I realized yesterday that I never showed you some of my spinning samples. I took pictures but forgot to post. First a snapshot of my fiber stash from Spirit Trail Fiberworks. I also included a shot of my homemade PVC niddy noddy. This baby is great for setting the twist on my singles because I can soak, rinse and dry without removing them from the niddy noddy.


Fibery goodness Posted by Hello

Next, I spun up samples of Jen's fabulous fibers just to get the feel of the fiber and the hang of spinning, My faves were the Polwarth/Angora blend (fourth one over with the hint of blue)and the CVM (the dark brown in the second sample). I lined these up in order of when they were spun. As you can see, the first few are pretty damn ugly. I'll keep them as I've been advised but man they are pitiful little blobs of fiber.


Spinning samples Posted by Hello

Finally, a shot of the merino silk. Don't ya love my high tech toilet paper roll bobbins? The mini skein is my first attempt a plying. It's not great but should get better with practice. I didn't realize until too late that I'm spinning the second batch much thinner than the first. Oh well, live and learn.

My thumb is sore from spinning which prompts me to step up my spinning wheel search activities. I think I have my six choices narrowed down to 3 - an Ashford Traveller or a Majacraft Millie or Little Gem. At first I thought that I didn't want to travel with my wheel but now I'm thinking that it would be great to take her with me when I visit family. That ruled out the Prelude and the Traditional and the Baynes wheels. I might be able to get by Stony Mtn. Fibers after a business trip on Tuesday. Man do I need to scratch that itch!

Corgi lovers have come out of hiding as of late. I've found that lots of people love these nubby little fur balls and want more pics of Princess Mavi. As soon as I get a new camera, I'll oblige her fans. In the meantime, here are some great photos that I've come across by sheer accident in most cases. Enjoy!


Gigi Posted by Hello
This is Gigi. She's a year old and is a red headed tri. More pictures of Gigi are here.




This is Ollie the wonder Corgi.

5 comments:

Amie said...

Hello, darling! Adorable corgi pictures! I wanted to point you to this blog that's in the Spinning Wheel (why aren't you, btw???)

http://crazyfiberlady.typepad.com/

She's selling her used Ashford Trad... you might be able to get a good deal (I have no idea what she's asking, but I figured it couldn't hurt to let you know!)

Anonymous said...

I just received an Ashford Traveller for Christmas and I can't say enough wonderful things about it! It is sturdy (it has 4 legs, while many castle wheels have only 3) and it went together like a dream. I was spinning as soon as I got home from the store with some wool on December 26. My yarn is a bit "oberspun" but I am pleased with it for a start. Another benefit of the castle style wheels is that they take up less room if you do not have a dedicated "project" room in your house.

I say go for the wheel - you will not regret it!

Beth, in New Jersey

Anonymous said...

I guess I didn't make it clear that these great Corgi shots are of OTHER people's dogs. Mavis is so camera shy that there's no way that she'd let me get pictures like these of her. I can only handle one dog in this crazy house filled with boys. And in case anyone else is wondering, Corgis are great with kids which is why we got Mavis ten years ago. They're also herding dogs and will commonly entangle themselves in your legs when you're walking.

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