Dear Spinning Circle,

The HOW I SPIN: A SOCK STUDY ebook is on SPECIAL OFFER through the Co-Exec and higher tiers starting this afternoon for those who haven’t yet received a copy! You can go to the Patreon post associated with the book and download your copy if you subscribe to those levels here or upgrade to get your copy! 

We have SPIN GROUP in the morning, prior to the Live Stream. Think about joining us – check out the information here.

Thank you for being here today, especially those who were able to make it to the Live Stream. I appreciate your time spent here in this place and me. I hope you feel most welcome because you are welcome here. 

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 have a great time!

Community Participation

For April, James and I have been carding up a storm and we would like to send out a batt made from the Friesian wool to someone in our community! It is a spongy, downy wool in dark brown and spins like a dream – more on it in the show today!

For March, I’ll be sending out another 4oz of Shetland in pin-drafted form from Disdero Ranch in Tappen, BC. Please enter in the March Episode Thread and answer: What is your favourite YARN you’ve even spun & why? Post no. 6 in the thread – MPTANG – Mary! Congrats! 

PLEASE NOTE THAT SHIPPING WILL BE DELAYED FOR THE FORESEEABLE FUTURE DUE TO ACCESS ISSUES.

For February, we’re still looking at the answers to Amy’s question: what is the item that you made that you love to wear the most and why?

MarlyMade (post no. 7) says:

My bonbon shawl is by far my most worn project. I love the drape and it’s so warm.

Book Club

#booksbooksbooks channel on Slack

As a community, we are delving into a Jane Austen Book Club. We will be reading Sense & Sensibility by Jane Austen. Reading can begin anytime and @bethy40 (Becca) in our community will be coordinating Zoom Book Clubs for us to meet within to discuss chunks of the book at a time. 

Made with Love – ALONG

Community-wide call to everyone in the community to participate in our Crafty Jaks Along to honour some of the people in our community! Cast on date: April 1st, 2020 with cast off deadline July 31st, 2020

Prizes! There will be fun prizes! Read the post linked above for details!

This is a time to do what we do best and get creative. This is the time to make and lift up others – please read Rebecca’s blog post to learn more about this Makealong and event if you would like to learn more about the creation of this amazing event.

Excited to be casting on with Katrina’s B-fabu-licious yarn in an OOAK that she had in stock (that I love) and making Anker’s Cardigan by PetiteKnits, a PURELY selfish knit at this time!

UPCOMING Yarn Substitution Content – May – August 2020

Our mini-series trailer was released back in January and I have been working on this content in the background for a long time! I hope you will watch the TRAILER and find out more. An Intro video will be released at the end of April/early May to get you started.

Make NINE Progress

Making some changes to my projects that I would like to make this year, based on some purchases from ‘Fibres West’ last weekend & thinking about what I would like to make, wear & add to my wardrobe.

Many recent changes have resulted in some major purging of my closet so I have been thinking about what I’d like to add & make!

Thoughts have lead me to some simple, cropped sweaters & some really lovely lace, open-front cardigans that can double as ‘jackets’ in the Spring and Fall

Make Nine Ravelry page – changing & fluid project page as things progress, my thoughts solidify & I think about what to commit to going forward

Finished Objects – Knitting

SiMPLE SOMETHiNG by Ankestrick

• Loved how this is working up – holding yarns double throughout process
• Cast on contrasting yarns at top neck, worked in fade in the ribbing at bottom hem and sleeves
• Construction: top-down with raglan increases and short rows at back-neck
• Larger gauge than pattern so separated from yoke early for sleeves – worked up to ~33” bust with 0 ease so that I could maximize yardage
• Intuition for colour blending based on her suggestions in the pattern – extensive instructions for colour blending, which is very helpful

Yarns used in this project: 

1. SweetGeorgia Yarns Alpaca/Merino/Silk

• ‘Falling Leaves’ colourway from UK’s Spin Together in Fall 2019
• High ratio – 27:1 for high twist singles due to multiple staple lengths of fibre & quite short staple lengths overall (fibre probably cut in commercial processing)
• Divided fibre into 6 nests and spun end-to-end with very little prep or attenuating as fibre began to drift apart (no coarseness of fibres – alpaca and silk are smooth – to keep fibre together even with small twist)

2. SweetGeorgia Yarns Gotland

• Spinning with a distaff — managing hands and placement learning curve
• Enjoying fineness of spun yarn — keeping medium twist

3. SweetGeorgia Yarns SW Targhee

• Ashford eSpinner 3 – getting to know the wheel & breaking it in
• Lots of pull on spinner – find I am adjusting quite a bit to get used to it again
• Stripped braid ~8 times and spinning end-to-end with pre-drafting the fibre gently
• Lovely draft – easy & methodical

Works in Progress – Spinning

Gotland/Romeny Fleece

• Processing by hand – was combing but finding it just wasn’t getting finished; wasn’t super keen on the finished prep
• Decided to sample a carded prep by making a smooth batt, slow carding to prevent tangling & neps
• Love results – knit sample lovely
• Sampling for Gentle-Morning by Trine-Annalie

Friesian Fleece

• James is helping me to card it all — very downy and spongy
• Lovely dark brown with heathering from the lighter tips
• Spun to a DK (11 WPI) and very light to the hand – sample is just a few grams
• Knit sample on 5.00mm, 4.5mm, 4,00mm needles
• Sampling for the Shore Cardigan by Carrie Bostick Hoge

Westcoast Colour 100% Falkland 

• Started on a whim for relaxation and meditation
• No plan – just spinning up the fibre and enjoying the motion
• Using Majacraft Suzie Pro – ratio 27:1, fine spinning – will bounce & sproing to life with finishing
• Have 2 braids so spinning each to a bobbin & plying

Work in Progress – Knitting

Felix Cardigan by Amy Christoffers

• Back to this cardigan again! Ripping to re-knit in slightly different shape that I will wear more!
• Decided to do some stash diving for some forthcoming content that I am developing & felt inspired by this yarn
• Swatched on Monday morning – dried quickly due to the loose gauge & stitch count
• Loving knitting with it – enjoying the simplicity of this design & quickness

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!