Dear Spinning Circle,
Direct YouTube link 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 with me. I hope you feel most welcome because you are welcome here.
Enjoy the show!
Housekeeping
- Be sure to sign up for the Wool n’ Spinning Newsletter at welfordpurls.com.
- For a softcover copy of How I Spin: A Sock Study, check here & e-book link for patrons (>$5/month) here
- Unbraided: The Art & Science of Spinning Colour – EBOOKS available here & book orders can be made here.
Community Participation
August Community Participant:
For September, tell us about a blend you spun that you didn’t expect to be as wonderful as it was or a blend you are dreaming about spinning!
Episode thread here or comment below here on YouTube!
Breed & Colour Studies: Charollais
Sherri (@prairiefirebird, post no. 89) shares: Total spun amount equals 358 grams. Colors separated into “flower” groupings, blended on a blending board into a batt, striped batts, predrafted and spun at a ratio of 6.6 to 1 into 2ply. This fiber from my stash had some kemp and was a crisper feel than I expected for this breed. This spun up very nicely using a short forward allowing twist into the draft zone. I did not use long draw as the fiber staple was so short and I wanted to pick out the kemp and vm as I came across those bits. This was a fun spin and I had fun with dyeing my interpretation of the inspiration photo in the “Wool n’ Spinning” group for the color study. I still need to count the yardage and finish the notes and specifics on my handspun page, but here is the final photo.
Maria (@palmikkopuu, post no. 92) shares: My breed and colour study became affected by a tweed challange in other spinning group. The combed tips and some earlier prepping of Finn lamb fleece united.
I like trying to spin for smooth, even yarn more, but this was a fun process. It is good to make plans and have goals, but it is good to let some ‘hmm, what if I try this ‘ energy out every now and then.
Book Club
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.
We are currently deciding on our next antiracism book to study. Please see the Slack channel for the Zoom links as they are posted.
Zero to Hero
@ktp31, post no. 405, shares: Finished my gentle morning spun from a CVM fleece. Locks were flicked then spun from the fold on my majacraft Suzie pro. 2 ply final yarn. Total weight 16.5 oz with 1,126 yards used. It’s very warm yet lightweight, perfect for chilly mornings!
Christina, @louisette47, post no. 406, shares: I have finally finished my zero to hero cardigan. I had some challenges with this project and at times contemplated abandoning it but decided it would be a great learning opportunity so carried on. The pattern is Elizabeth Zimmerman’s seamless yoke sweater which is based on measurement/gauge and ratios so no actual ‘pattern’. My first issue was with the yarn. The fibre was NZ Polwarth which was pilling as I knit and while it felt and looked lovely, next time I would put more twist in or in fact use a hardier fibre as I think the pilling problem will go on for a long time. I also had issues with the dyeing process, the gold originally coming out a green colour which luckily I was able to fix. Secondly, knitting bottom up was difficult for the yoke sweater as I could not work out where the main body would sit at the level of my under arm making it difficult to calculate the yoke depth for my first yoke decrease. This also made it difficult to get the perfect sleeve length, I solved this by crossing my fingers! Thirdly the buttons bands, I did them 3 times using the ratio of row and stitch gauge and they still are not right – not sure how I would fix this, hoping blocking will help. I made a few other little mistakes (lots of pulling undone) which now that I’m aware of, hopefully I’ll avoid next time and despite some of these issues, I love my how my cardigan turned out especially for a first time yoke and colourwork piece which feels so lovely and soft to wear.
Sharon, @frogstitch, post no. 403, shares: This yarn was spun from combed top Bethy40 sent to me over a year ago. I had never spun combed top before and was quite afraid of its slipperiness at first. Everything fell into place soon enough. (I have had a haircut since……….)
Until next time,
Happy Spinning!
