Dear Spinning Circle,
Sound issues at the beginning, please forward to 1-2minutes into the stream. Will fix for next week – I think it’s a cable issue!
Enjoy the show!
Live Chat Assistance here.
NEW! Virtual Spin Group! There’s been a call from the community for many months (ehem, years) for a virtual spinning group! There is LIMITED SPACE and the link is here (look to join the “Spinning Group” tier!) to learn more. We hosted our first one yesterday and we had a great time!
Attentive Spinners! Be sure to sign up for the Doodle to be part of Wool n’ Spinning Radio in the new year! We will be working on Word Prompt episodes and if you are a part of the Attentive Spinner tier – you are invited to join!!
Community Participation
For February, I’ll be sending out ~4oz of Shetland in pin-drafted form from Disdero Ranch in Tappen, BC. Please enter in the February Episode Thread and answer Amy’s question: what is the item that you made that you love to wear the most and why?
Want to feature the amazing projects people have been sharing in the episode thread! Will do so from now through March!
Holly – @hhaeger (post no. 3) says:
My most worn knitted item is the peeping cowl. It’s very me, and though it’s a statement piece, it also styles easy with a lot of looks. I made it to practice my jogless stripes.
Handspun Thread in Ravelry – Example of a Zero to Hero Make-Along Project
Kaylee (@kpollander, post no. 393) says:
I finished up this shawl over the weekend. It was my first “endurance spin” using two four ounce braids that I dyed. I didn’t have intentions of spinning them together, but I think the end result worked! I’m thrilled with the final result! Now to plan out my next handspun project!
Breed & Colour Studies
In December’s newsletter, I shared the beginnings of my Breed & Colour Study thoughts that will be vlogged about in the How I Spin content beginning January 2020. For the initial thoughts, please have a look here (YouTube).
51 Yarns – Group A – Tweed!
Becca (@bethy40, post no. 916) says:
All finished with the tweed yarn for this month. (I have done so many striping and fractal yarns that I am not as excited for those. But tweed and handblended gradient are really getting my teapot steaming)
I looooove tweed yarns and tweed fabric. I love their depth and the fabric they create. This month’s tweed is my second go at hand blending a wool/sari silk yarn. I first did this last year and knew it would be something I had to try again. I took 25 g samples of four different shades of merino for a total of about 100 gr, laid thin layers of each across my handcards, then took a thumb length of recycled sari silk and spread it across the top. I did two passes with the handcards to roughly blend (I wanted it a bit chunky) and then made rolags.
I spun those on my Flatiron doing a supported backward draw with twist in the drafting zone (ratio of 10.4:1) I did a pretty basic 3ply (after doing little samples of both 2ply and 3ply to see which I preferred).
Totally love this skein. The only thing I would change is using a different wool. I got the merino for the amazing range of colours but heavily processed merino like this feels kinda flat. Not bad, just noticeable after all the minimally processed farm fibre I’ve recently been using. For now, this skein will become part of my spinning certificate portfolio. After that, who knows.
51 Yarns – Group B – Planning
Holly – @hhaeger (post no. 168) says:
Yes! I made a bullet style journal this year. It’s my first spinning one, but I’ve had a Knitter’s journal most years.
Thanks so much for sharing!
Finished Objects – Spinning
CraftyJaks Tussah/Bamboo/Tussah Silk (80/10/10) in “Fractured Dawn”
- Traditional 3-ply yarn
- Spun on Ashford eSpinner & plied
- Short backwards, smoothed fibres as I spun
- Re-wound singles to first-spun end to ply from weaving bobbins
- Unwashed & unfinished at this point – finished yarn next show!
Works in Progress – Spinning
CraftyJaks Tussah/Bamboo/Tussah Silk (80/10/10) in “Pesuta”
- Fractal 3-ply
- Divided fibre to begin spinning – Ashford eSpinner
- Plan to spin to one bobbin with ‘divider’ fibre as with Fractured Dawn spin to then re-wind singles
- Reflections on spinning for this larger project – 2 more braids of fibre to spin for this large project
- Thoughts on how it’s progressing, planning final project & make
- Article for Ashford Wheeler magazine – thinking about something practical to make versus sharing process
Work in Progress – Knitting
The Shift by Andrea Mowry
- Felt inspired to try the pattern with Finn yarns
- Finn Study yarns from Fall 2018 – Fractured Dawn (colour B), Lakeside (colour C), Arctic Berries (colour A)
- Spun in different ways to highlight the individual ways we can handle colour in 2-ply yarns: centre-pull ball (Fractured Dawn), 2-ply fractal (Lakeside), traditional 2-ply (Arctic Berries)
- Note the changes in colour as the Arctic Berries moves through the colour repeat
Housekeeping
Be sure to sign up for the Wool n’ Spinning Newsletter at welfordpurls.com.
For softcover copy of How I Spin: A Sock Study, follow here.
Unbraided – EBOOKS available here & book orders can be made here.
Thank you so much for joining me today!
Until then, Happy Spinning!
