WnS Ep. 216: Delving into Spinning Sheep Breeds Kit || Jacob

Dear Spinning Circle,

Live Stream: Saturday, September 25th @ 8am Pacific // 11am Eastern

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. You are most welcome. I hope you feel most welcome because you are welcome here.

Enjoy the show!

Live Chat Assistance here.

There is a lot going on in our community! It’s a lot to cover and remind you of each week. Have a look here for more info!!

If you are curious about what happens in our community, please click the links below, reach out to me: rachel @ welfordpurls (dot) com, or reach out on Instagram/Ravelry/Slack (if you are a Patreon member, @welfordpurls_admin)

Spinning On The Wheel || Jacob

We will be spinning at the wheel! Looking at samples from the Spinning Sheep Breeds Kit from the School of SweetGeorgia, which is the kit from my new workshop – link here (affiliate link). This week, we will start off with the first couple of breeds in the kit and work our way through the entire set over the coming months – which will take us into the summer! Exciting!

On & Off the Bobbins

Hello Yarn Organic Polwarth in colourway Spelt; Ashford eSpinner3, sampling process

Spindling progress – SweetGeorgia Yarns Spinning Socks 6 Pack; Jacob from World of Wool

On & Off the Loom

OHS Master Weaver information:

1. Wool n’ Spinning Radio OHS Master Weaver ep. 0077: OHS Master Weaver with Lisa & Lea

2. Info Session about OHS Master Weaver here

On & Off the Needles

In Progress – Knitting

Ystava by Jonna Hietala – Estelle Yarns Llama Worsted, 5 skeins

Lunenburg Pullover by Amy Christoffers – Dominion Fleece & Fibre North County Cheviot, naturally dyed in Indigo, Marigold, Madder

Community Inspiration // Participation

For September, tell us about the fibres you DISLIKE and WHY! Share in the Ravelry episode thread or comments on YouTube or here on Patreon!

August fibre pack will be going out to Judi @creekcrafter! Send me your mailing address & I’ll get that in the mail for you!

Spindle Spun Summer (SSS) – coming to any end! Be sure to post your yardage in the Ravelry thread!

We have winners to announce — just waiting on people to submit their final photos and yardage – stay tuned! In the meantime, here are some of the amazing finished submission photos:

Mary Jo shares via Slack: This week I have had a fail and a win. I guess it is best to start with a failure- I plyed the cotton I have been spinning on supported spindles and it was so frustrating. It kept breaking off as I plyed. I am glad I stopped and plyed the little amount I spun because now I know I am not putting enough twist into my single. Back to honing my technique. I will figure this out. Now for a success story – after losing at the cotton wars I decided to spin multi colored nests of fiber on my new Tibetan spindle. Now I have been practicing on supported spindles for a few weeks and it has been a bit slow – park and draft and park and draft again – but it’s not a problem. I am making usable yarn even if it isn’t the most consistent. I am having fun and learning. But Thursday afternoon I was spinning while distracted(watching a YouTube) when I looked at my fingers and realized I was drafting and the spindle was still spinning! Mind you it wasn’t the graceful dance that I see on some videos but I wasn’t parking and I was drafting! Does that mean there is hope for me?? Maybe,, oh who am I kidding I might never be a ballerina dancing with my supported spindle in a mesmerizing fashion but I am making yarn ; ) look at that cop, I am pretty proud of myself.

Alex shares via Slack: I had a bit of FOMO with all the support spindle talk and so I decided to give it a go. It’s so fun! And like learning anything new the first few times I swear I was all thumbs.

Diana shares via Slack: This yarn surprised me. It was created from dozens of odds and bits that I’ve collected over time. In a burst of curiosity (about what would happen) and tidiness ( was sick of the random collection of dyed rovings, blending experiments) I tossed it all through the drum carder. I blended and blended it until it was a uniform blend and then at the end, added sari silk. It would have been considered waste, but it’s turned into a good looking yarn if I don’t say so myself.

Lulu shares via Slack & Ravelry: Here is my #spindlespunsummer and first #zerotohero. Also, my very first handspun (well except for 50 grams of practice spinning). It is all Shetland – the Moorit is from commercially prepared roving and the colors are from hand dyed braids. It was fun getting to know my Bosworth and Texas Jeans drop spindles. My yardage is way too low for the competition (just about 1200yds total spindle spinning). But I just HAD to cast on the project as soon as I had the yarn that I needed. Now I just need some chilly weather.

Christine shares via Slack & Ravelry: My finished Spindle Spun Summer: Total =  8678.5m (9491 yards) Singles = 6228m (6811 yards)

Maegan shares via Ravelry: 44 minis x 70 yards x 3 ( 2 ply)= 9,240; And on that is waiting to be plied: 1 x 70 yards x 2 (singles waiting to be plied) = 140; Grand total of 9,380; I’m so proud of myself and never realized how much one can get done by spinning just 10 grams a day.

Antonia shares via Ravelry: Yardage: 1145m (1252 yards?) Spindles used: 4 (2 turkish spindles for the singles and 2 top whorl spindles for plying)

Ruth shares via Ravelry: 7084 yds. of spinning (post finishing) for a total of 1771 yds of 3 ply. Spun and plied (on the fly) on a Snyder 13 g spindle

Zero to Hero // #sweaterspin #useyourhandspun #spinallthethings #weavewithhandspun

Iris shares via Ravelry: My Shawlography (Westknits MKAL 2021) project is finished! I had hard time deciding on what and how to spin. I first spun a couple of batts of carded Finn, long draw, two ply. They look wonderful, but ended up being at least sport if not DK. Anyone who has knitted Westknit’s shawls know that with DK yarn they will be huge blankets. So, I changed to my original plan and spun singles, intentionally for the first time in my spinning career. They are not the most consistent, but not boa-eating-mouse -style either. The purple is merino, white and pink are merino silk. The pink got dyed after spinning. Darker grey is spun from a wool-silk top. The lighter grey is my first self made blend, grey Finn with white mulberry silk. I used hand carders for blending, it could have been smoother and better blended. They are all about light fingering, each skein weighs about 100g. I was really surprised how fast it was to spin them! Now I’m just waiting for October and the MKAL to start, and to finish my first bigger zero-to hero project!

Maegan shares via Ravelry: I’m hoping this is the right place to share my recent spin to knit project. It’s also my first big project made with my own handspun yarn (before this I knit one lumpy hat). This is my nightshift Shawl. I used fiber from a local dyers fiber subscription, each months fiber is inspired by a Canadian Song Bird which made it feel extra special. I’m a fairly new spinner (I started one year ago and self taught with videos and books) I learned a lot while working on this project. I can’t wait to make more with my own handspun! Fibers from left to right: Purple Finch(Polwarth), Whiskey Jack (Corriedale), Red-Breasted Grosbeak (Targhee/Bamboo/Tussah Silk Blend), Red-Breasted Nuthatch (Corriedale), Ruby-Throated Hummingbird (Targhee/Bamboo/Tussah Silk Blend), Eastern Bluebird (Polwarth), American Goldenfinch (Corriedale). Canadian Birds that inspired each fiber spun up.

Claudia shares via Ravelry: Here’s what I spun this summer for Tour de Fleece. I bought the Lavender Fields set from Inglenook fibres in Targhee/Bamboo/Silk. I spun it into a luscious 2ply, half on my wheel, half on my support spindles and it turned out to a worsted weight. I wanted to find the perfect pattern for it and I just couldn’t until I learned the news that my sister had cancer and would have to go though chemotherapy. So I searched for a simple but fun shawl that would make her feel cosy and warm during those difficult months. The Dotted Rays by Stephen West was just the perfect fit. I’m in love with the results and I almost wanted to keep it for myself, but seeing my sister wrap herself in it was also pure joy. Crafting is so much more than the item that results in it, it’s all the love and care we put into every single strand and stitch, and hope my sister can feel that every time she puts it on.

Thank you so much for joining me today!

Until then, Happy Spinning!