The (almost) Perfect Spindle for Drawing With!

What am I talking about you say? See for yourself.

I have been doing a lot of spindle drawings lately because I am going to have an opportunity to sell them and the headbands with the yarn at a craft show in November. So back in August I did a bit of thinking and realized there had to be an easier way to draw with a spindle besides taping a pencil to the bottom.  And thus this was born!

Like most homemade spindles, I used wooden wheels from Hobby Lobby. Unlike most homemade spindles, the dowel rod is replaced with a charcoal pencil.  Overall, it does the job just like a normal spindle.  However there are a few flaws in this device:

• It actually makes a different type of mark than the ones produced by taping a pencil to the bottom of a normal spindle
• The hole in the wheel was too small for my pencil, so I had to do a bit of carving and hacking at it. If I wanted to go 'pro' on these, I'd find a better thing to use there.
• Since the wheel is small, it doesn't hold much yarn.
• Obviously, the pencil needs sharpening sometimes, thus making it shorter.
• I couldn't quite get the hook to stay it, so it's taped on top.

This really does do the trick for making drawings, I am not going to lie. But I think that I actually prefer the marks made by taping a pencil to the bottom. So for now I am alternating between the two until I have time to think of a better solution.

Anyone ever make a homemade drop spindle? Any pointers??

~Lisa

Resolutions-in-Progress Wednesday

Happy Wednesday! I'm halfway through the week and the weekend cannot come soon enough!

For today's WIP Wednesday, I thought I would mix it up a bit. I have so much going on in fiber land that I think it's appropriate to take today's post and talk about my 2012 Fiber Resolutions.

Back at the beginning of the year me and Ivy both made lists of things we wanted to accomplish with our knitting and spinning this year (her list). While she has amazingly been trucking through her list, I felt the last few months that I had kind of just forgotten about mine.

And then something happened: I looked at the list and realized I was a lot farther than I thought, and that all the ones I really care about doing are actually happening.

Resolution-in-progress #1: Conquer something lace with minimal, barely noticeable mistakes. Like socks or a scarf or something smaller.

Or bigger, like a top. I wish I could say I had conquered it though. This is the depressing part of the post. So if you tear up easily you may want to look away. 

Remember this: 

Well I haven't picked it up in forever, so I decided to last night. After knitting another 4 rounds it was finally getting to a good length where I could tell if it was going to fit or not. The whole time I was worried it'd be too small.

WOW! My math is bad! I am never, ever, ever again following instructions to make your own numbers. At least, not for a very long time. Basically, I am at that point where I want to cry, long and hard, over the many many hours spent just getting this far. Safe to say this will be in hibernation for a very long time until I can pull it out and start over without ripping my heart out as well.

But, it still helps fulfill the above goal, in that the lace is almost perfect (Thanks to the markers) and if nothing else I learned a lot about knitting lace patterns in the process. 

Resolution-in-progress #2: Toe-Up 2 at a time socks. 

I couldn't resist casting on this yarn, it was just calling to me. 

Plus, I haven't knit a pair of plain vanilla socks in forever. So.... my new knit-night exclusive is a vanilla pattern from "Socks from the Toe-up" by Wendy Johnson, which I am knitting 2-at-a-time just to see how it goes. So far so good. 

So after these socks are done, this resolution will be also!

Resolution-in-progress DONE! #3: Dye bare yarn. So far I've only dyed roving, but I'd love to try dying sock yarn or something white like that.

A few weeks ago we had a dying/unpacking/fiber fun weekend at my place and Ivy graciously let me try dying some bare Knitpicks Stroll Fingering. I had never dyed bare yarn before, so I wasn't sure if it would be anything like dying bare roving or not. I basically did the same thing I do when I dye roving, and I gotta admit, the results were spectacular for a first time!

This yarn will eventually become a Multnomah Shawl, which I had planned on casting on much sooner, but right now it's on the back burner since I'm burned out on constant knitting AND I have so many other WIP's. 

Resolution-in-progress Complete! #4: Attempt different types of plys. I am not sure if you can do much more with a spindle, but even more 3 and 4 ply yarns would be nice.

And now for the big Tour de Fleece reveal! I gotta say, this yarn pretty much speaks for itself.

50% Tencel, 50% Merino, 4 oz, ~110 yards, two 2-ply yarns spun together to make a 4-ply chain yarn.

I seriously think I am the proudest of this yarn than any others I've spun.  It's the most even, and I managed to keep the fluff and softness, and it's enough to make something! I am sooo happy! (and I am taking photos outside from now on, period!)

Well,considering that I thought my resolutions list was going no where, it looks like I really do want to learn and that I am having a more successful year than I intially thought.

Have a great week guys!

To see more WIP Wednesdays, check out Tami's Amis!

~Lisa

Spindle Love

So I realized this weekend that I just don't do enough posts about the spindle, or that I have ever really had the chance to tell you WHY I love spindle.  Maybe Tour de Fleece is just making me remember how much I really do love spinning with my spindle? Maybe I am just in love with my current fiber? Maybe I am just bored and looking for something to talk about? Either way, I wanted to share with you my 5 reasons why I love the drop spindle.

*Disclaimer- I, by no means, intend to offend any wheel spinners. I have NEVER spun on a wheel, so I know very little about how it works. Some of the things I  mention below may actually be even easier on a wheel for all I know. Either way, these are simply my personal opinions and ideas.*

1: The portability.
I think one of the best parts about spinning on a spindle is that I can take it anywhere and do it almost anywhere.  Take for instance the last couple of weeks I had been in charge of watching after my aunt's garden while her and my uncle were out of town. I had to let the soakers run for an hour, so I took my spindle along and got a fair amount of spinning done! If I was using a wheel, this would have been much harder.  The spindle, being so small, easily fits into my cute little Tangled bag along with some fiber and away we go!

Everything fits in my super cute Tangled Pascal Bag!

2: The ease of teaching others.
My parents and sister came up this weekend to visit.  We were bored and I needed to get some TdF work done so I decided to show my sister how to spin.  She actually caught on really fast! But after about 5 minutes and me offering to take it with her, she said "What would I do with the yarn anyways, knitting is your thing" and put it down.  Well I tried right?  The point I am trying to make is basically that anyone can be taught to use a spindle within a few short minutes, as it's really just a spinning stick.  Spinning on a wheel (although I have never tried it) seems like it would take much longer to learn and become good at.

Not so hard after all :)

3: The ease of actually spinning.
Going back to the second reason, spinning on a spindle is so easy if you are patient and your arms are ok with the maneuvers. I feel like spinning on a spindle gives me so much more control than I would have with a wheel. If I mess up, I can easily undo my mistake by spinning backwards.  I can unwind the yarn whenever I need to.  I can check my twist easily.  I could go on and on and on, but I just love that I can fix a mistake pretty easily without much of a mess.

Concentration is key

4: The unique-ness of each and every spindle.
Just take a look at my 2 and you will see what I mean.  Every spindle is unique.  You can get them in so many pretty designs, basic or ornate, heavy or light, different wood types, etc.  I love that I could think I know everything there is to know about spindle spinning and then get a new spindle and have to start over with the learning process.  Some spindles are better for plying, some for singles.  Some take more spinning to get a good twist.  In my case, some are easier to attach pens to the bottom of and still get good yarn.

I love my spindles!

5: They're easy to make if you can't afford a 'good' one.
I learned how to spin on a CD and dowel rod, and spun all of my first yarns on this (and plyed a bit after) before I even caved and purchased a ready made one. I have seen so many people spin with the CD-spindles, or rods and toy wheels.  (ie: CD's, Wheel) , There are so many different home made solutions to the drop spindle that it is truly possible that ANYONE CAN SPIN.

Photo (C) the above CD's link

6:  They have been used for centuries, even before the wheel.
Wait? 6? Yes, I thought of a sixth reason why I love my spindle! The idea that our ancestors were using tools like this since forever (or so it seems) really hits home with thee nostalgia of the whole spinning concept and makes me really appreciate the spindle that much more.

Spindle in the museum at St. Andrews College in Scotland!

On the TdF front, I am only .6 oz away from finishing the fiber. I should get at least .3 done tonight, so it's looking like this yarn will be plyed and completed by the weekend! YAY!

TdF Progress (there's another tube I didn't take a picture of)

So to all my spinning blog friends, what do you think? Spindle or wheel? Why? I'd love to hear your opinions.
~Lisa

WIP Wednesday #3; Bit by Bit

Happy Wednesday! I have been eagerly awaiting this day because I want to show off all the amazing projects I have going right now. I have not one, not two, but THREE WIP knitting projects, plus a slowly progressing spindle project. Each one is coming along at it's own pace, bit by bit and row by row.

First on my list for you is the Amari Shawl, which is for a KAL I am doing with Evelyn and a bunch of others. I told myself way back in January I wouldn't buy any new yarn this year, but sadly that plan has come to a halt. I wanted to do this shawl so bad, but I didn't have enough of any worsted yarn in my stash. In the end I caved and purchased Plymouth Yarn Jeannee, in several shades of blue to make the shawl striped. I am still not sure how much I like this project yet, probably because of the yarn, which is half cotton, half acrylic (I did get it in the 'baby' section of the LYS), which doesn't give much drape. I wanted something suitable for summer though, so I think it will be ok. If you get the chance, hop over to the Ravelry KAL and see what everyone is up too, they are all amazing.  For me, this project is going slow, even though it's a fast knit, because it is my knit night only project. It's simply the kind of thing I can take there and not worry about getting distracted during.

I finally casted on  my lacy summer top last weekend, and then ripped it out 3 rows later because it was twisted. Seriously, 260 stitches with yarn that thin is really hard to get right the first time. And man, this thing knits slow. I feel like I've knitted forever, and I'm not even past the first inch of edging! I know in the end I will love it, but right now it's just a pain, and I think it's hurting my eyes to work on too because of how small the yarn is. Lace weight yarn, after this project, is no longer my friend. 

My final WIP for the week is my Pink Spiral Scarf (or is it a shawl?) which has been on the needles for awhile but barely been worked on. For the most part, it has been my between projects project, but I've decided to try and make it my before bed project, since it requires less concentration and eye strain to work on and I can listen to my audio book during it. 

Speaking of audio books, I decided to try one for the first time last week. I was at the library and they had a book I have been needing to read anyway, Crossed by Ally Condie,which is the sequel to the popular book Matchd, and decided to give it a try. It's definitely a different experience that's for sure. It's taking some getting used to the voices and also having to remember what 'chapter' I left off on. But overall, it's an ok experience. I prefer actual books more, but this is ok too.

So now I want to share you something I am REALLY proud of! I have been working on spinning up some lovely Merino/ Tussah Silk blend yarn and I originally was going to divide it into threes and triple ply it, but the first 1/3 came out kinda thick, like everything else I have always spun, and I decided I wanted something different. So for the second 1/3 I took a shot at making it much thinner, and found success! I am so excited! I have never spun anything this spin, or consistent, on my spindle before. It's going much slower, but the progress is so refreshing that it's worth it. Thanks again Ivy for the amazing gift!

 I am 2 days away from finishing up my figure class. I can't wait to share my drawings with you guys, I know you will all love as much as I do (I can't believe I'm even saying that about the figure!). For now, I am leaving you with a picture of Muffin, who thought my spindle was a toy last weekend. Have a good one everyone!

~Lisa

If you want to participate in WIP Wedneday or see more, visit Tami's Amis :)

First Attempt at a WIP Wednesday

Yes, I am caving and participating in WIP Wednesdays. Partially because now that school is pretty much over, I can spend more time on my crafts, and partially because today I have a bunch of WIPs I can share.

First, I want to show you what exactly you were looking at in my last blog post:

A lot of you probably saw this the first time I discussed it, but I have since edited it a bit more. All those pictures from the last blog was me messing around with my camera at studio after I finished up. It really made me think about perspective and how we view art.

Back to the WIP's, I've had a pretty good chance to work on stuff this week, since my only real final is Friday. I have been very heavily working on my Springy Orange Socks, which are becoming my new favorite pair by far. It was so nice here last weekend and also Happy Hour at my local coffee shop so I decided to pack up my knitting and go there and sit on their patio. Me and my friend Lynnsay stayed for the whole Saturday afternoon!

Between knitting at the coffee shop and the last few days, I have managed to get the entire cuff and the heel flaps done on my socks. :)

Such a pretty color!

Besides knitting, I have been doing a bit of spinning, producing more amazing postcards, as well as getting quite a bit done. 

For those of you who read Pumpkin Spins, you may remember this from a post a while back. My good friend Ivy who writes the blog was having some issues with the merino (Basically...she hated it), so being the good friend I am I offered to ply it for her, and being the good friend she is she agreed and mailed it my way. Well I have since gotten 2 skeins plyed, each of about 100yds each. It's at about a worsted weight right now, but I really want to ply these 2 skeins together and get a bulky yarn to use for a cowl or something warm this winter.

May not be the best fiber, but the colors are gorgeous!

Along with the plying mission, I have also been working on another fiber, although I am taking a bit of a break from it. Once again, it's becoming more of a worsted weight -- I really want to get better at spinning thinner, but alas that has yet to happen. This is a blend of Merino and Tussah Silk that I got for my birthday last year and it's the most gorgeous purple with blues and yellows mixed in. This photo does no justice.

LOVE!

I have had a great catch up week craft wise, and I am so glad summer is almost here. Yes I will have one all-day-every-day-for-3-weeks class starting next week, and then a 7-4 job after that, but at least the homework will be very minimal so once I am done with those things I can do whatever I want for the rest of the day :) I hope everyone else is ready for summer like me!

~Lisa

3KCBWDAY2 - Art and Fibers!

First off, my 5 random blogs for the day :

I Knit Alone

Life and Yarn or Yarn and Life

Made in K-Town

Sanday Spinners

Sunny Stitching

Ok, so today's challenge was to incorporate your craft into an interesting photo. I gotta admit, I had a very hard time deciding how and what I wanted to do for this. In the end I decided to incorporate some of my current drawing homework (which I will discuss in a later post) into it.

Pair that with my current spinning project and you have a work of art!

 Sorry it's such a short post, but it's been a long day and I don't have much to say about this. I can't wait to share what I've been drawing with you all, I know you will love it!

~Lisa

Back to the Spindle

It has been a very long time since I picked up my spindle. In my defense, I haven't felt like spinning either of the fibers I currently have in my stash, nor have I had the time or money to purchase more fiber.

A couple of days ago I just wanted a break, but didn't want to knit. I opened my drawer of spinning related things and found this:

100% Camel Wool (?) that Ivy sent me last summer. In the letter she explained that she simply could not get into the fiber and had no idea what to do with it, so was passing it along to me. At first glance back then I was like "When will I EVER use this? It's not even ready to spin!!!" but lately I've felt differently.  After reading some amazing blogs about spinning and gaining a little more confidence I decided to tackle the "Big blob of brown" (my pet name for it).

It still isn't 'carded', but I am spinning it anyways. And I LOVE IT! The threads I am getting are relatively thin, with a few thick spots here and there. The fact that it is more in chunks than nice, even bats, actually helps me to make it thinner. I'm not really sure how, but it's working.

I would love to show you guys a zoomed in photo, but the lighting is awful and any chance of zooming in came blurry to my camera. Just take my word for it, they are pretty thin (for me!). It's also very soft, and has a bit of a halo, which I love!

So this is where my readers come in. I need advice. Once I get this bunch spun up, how should I ply it? I am thinking there isn't enough to divide into 2, ply, and make a decent size amount of yarn. I am considering plying it with a different fiber, but I am unsure what. Anybody know what goes good with Camel? I will take any and all suggestions, I know you are all very knowledgeable.

Happy Wednesday all! Tomorrow is Thursday and then the weekend. My first week back after Spring Break isn't going as bad I thought. 

~Lisa 

Little Purple Fuzzies

I never thought something as smooth and shiny as bamboo would leave little purple fuzzies all over my floor, but I guess I was wrong!

I haven't picked up my spindle in quite a while, mostly because I didn't have much fiber in my stash and money in my wallet.  However, last week I found myself picking up my spindle again.  My fiber of choice? A ball of purple bamboo I purchased at Wicked Stitch back in July.

Bamboo is one of those fibers that seemed really scary, for I am used to animal fibers and the one time I tried this fiber before it ended in miserable failure. But after reading a few posts by Sara (A Year at the Wheel), I knew I wanted to give it a second try.  Making sure I had minimal distractions I set to work.

As I spun I noticed a few things that are probably unique to bamboo fiber.  One, you have to have much more control over our spindle, because if you don't the fibers will pull apart much easier, or they will become overspun and kinky.  Two, the fibers pull apart easily anyways.  This is the kinda of fiber that comes off in strands instead of chunks, which means that if you draft too much you will end up with very thin strands that may even pull apart later.  Finally, when spinning bamboo, you have to spin your spindle a lot faster or once again, the fibers will come apart.

So far I have spun about half of my ball. I plan on going back to Wicked Stitch in the next couple of weeks and buying more, maybe in a second color, so that I may ply the 2 together to maximize my yardage. I am a little nervous (as usual) about how to ply and set the twist, but I know I will overcome it and by summer time I will have a beautiful handspun bamboo scarf!

~Lisa

Two Birds With One Spindle

So with dead week and finals vastly approaching, I would like to take a moment to share something with everyone that I recently began doing, and have fallen in love with.

An assignment in my drawing class about a month ago (wow, it's been that long?) was to do some primarily abstract and non-objective drawings with a pre-determined strategy. Examples given in class included drawing with your other hand, drawing under a table, drawing with reaction to something around you, or creating a 'machine'. These were all great ideas, and this was one abstract assignment I actually couldn't wait to start.

However, I could not for the life of me think of anything for the longest time, and then I Googled "Drawing Machines" and clicked images. Upon looking through a few, I found one that looked a lot like a spinning wheel (but I knew it wasn't) and it all made since.

This assignment was done mostly for a visiting artist, Marius Lehene, to come in and critique. Let me tell you, when he looked at mine and said he absolutely loved it and the way it looked like traces left behind by something, it almost blew my mind. Really? Even my teacher liked them (and she's very critical) and when she saw how I was doing them, she was amazed at the process.

So I know you are all probably wondering what process and drawings I am talking about, well ladies and gentlemen, I present to you:

Drawing with a Spindle.

For this project, I attached various types of charcoal to the bottom of my drop spindle and put a piece of paper down on the floor. As the yarn spun, the image was created.

(Single stick of compressed charcoal on the end)

The moment I conceived this idea, I knew it would be tricky. In fact, I almost didn't do it. There were so many cons to this idea. The spindle will get too heavy. The charcoal won't touch the paper right. The yarn that I spin won't be worth anything, it'll be too over/underspun. It will take the fun and relaxation out of spinning. My teacher will think I'm crazy. But after thinking some more and coming up with literally nothing better than "pencil on a string", I decided to give it a try. Man am I glad I did.

(How it's done!)

The results have been spectacular. Not only have I produced these beautiful drawings, I have also made some of the best yarn I have yet to make. It's spun almost perfectly. Maybe having that extra weight on the bottom helped to make it so? Or it taught me how to balance my spindle better? Or the fact that it wasn't fine quality fiber to begin with made me able to not worry about the results? Either way, both the yarn and the drawings are pure works of art.

(Created with a single 6B charcoal pencil on the end)

The assignment has since come and gone, and I am sad that I (for now) cannot pursue these drawings any further for a grade. However, I still do it most of the time. Whenever I pick up my spindle I also pick up a charcoal pencil and pad of paper. Upon spinning the leader, the pencil gets attached and a beautiful work of art gets created.

(Created with 2 pencils, one on one side of the end, one on the other, to create more dots)

Maybe I'm crazy, maybe I'm obsessed, or maybe I just like that I can do something I love AND get art/homework done at the same time. No matter what it is, you've got to admit, it sure would be cool to see a gallery show with the yarn hanging next to the drawings it made.

(Most of the yarn I spun for the drawings above, note that I did not create any drawings when plying; I'm not that adventurous yet)

~Lisa

PS: I have way more drawings than what is pictured here, but they are either with my teacher, at studio, or I was too lazy to take pictures tonight. Expect more pictures when I can. Did I also mention I hand dyed all the roving used with Wilton's food dyes?

Well, That's a First!

I like puns :)

In case you are wondering, this post is all about the "firsts" I am acheiving this month in the world of knitting and spinning.

First on the list is a project I am making with some wool I got at K1 knitting boutique in Edinburgh, Scotland. It's going to be a set of fingerless gloves. Why a first? Well 1, I've never made fingerless gloves, and 2, I am improvising the pattern. I am taking the construction from a basic gloves pattern, using the math of another fingerless pattern to know when to cut off the fingers, and creating my own cable design to go on the outside of the hand. The cable shown in that pattern is not the design I am creating, but it is the chart I am basically working from. When they're done they should have an X across the front of them.

Second on the list is my first handspun with my new spindle. I am not sure of the weight (The owner of Wicked Stitch didn't tell me...) but it's heavier, which means thicker plys. It's also being spun with my FIRST (Sensing a pattern here?) Wilton Food Dye dyed roving, and I really love how it turned out! It's various shades of blues, greens and yellow and it looks so pretty! And the thicker plys make it softer too.

And that leads us to the next first, my FIRST sweater! Ok, it's actually a cardigan, but what's the difference? I am using this very pretty shade of Berocco Vintage (My old standby for worsted socks) and so far it really is effortless, hense the name "Effortless Cardigan". I am only 6 rows in, and it seems like it may take awhile, but I am up for the challenge.

No I did not take this picture, it's a very nice picture taken by one of my test knitters for my first published (and for sale) pattern! I'm so excited about these because they are super basic and cheap and all proceeds go to Relay For Life. Here we go again with that, but I am really passionate about that cause.

The next 5-6 weeks are going to be torture. My teachers are pushing me so hard, and I'm grateful for it, but also burned out. I don't really feel like doing anything, but I have no choice. School should come first, but I'm having a hard time lately remembering that. Wish me luck as the next weeks speed by.

~Lisa

I Bet You Think I Forgot....

that this is my art/knitting blog after all! (For those of you seeing this on Facebook, I have my art blog automatically send the posts to Facebook notes).

So what have I been making in the world of knitting? A LOT! I have several projects I have finished up since school started, and I'd like to take the time to share them with you now.

(Please note that my camera is not the greatest, and therefore these photos do no real justice to the amazingness of the final products. Oh and clicking the project title will take you to the Ravelry project page.)

Pretty Purple Cables. Worsted weight socks in size 6.5 that I made for my friend Griselda's birthday. She has small feet! But I loved how fast these knit up and how pretty they turned out. The pattern is my own, and in the working stages of getting published.

Sophie. Cotton bunny for my friend Kenni's future baby girl. She loved this! And so do I! Sophie turned out perfect and I can't believe how far I've come, being able to make stuffed animals now!

Blue Summer Sloutch Hat. Not my favorite. The pattern got messed up somewhere. But oh well. I haven't really warn it yet either. This was one of those random projects I made over the course of like 3 days.

Remember that "ugly" roving I showed you? Well this is the yarn! I actually do like how it turned out, although it could have more yellow. What should I make?

I had leftover of the red and yellow roving, because I caved and plyed the threads before I used it all. I just couldn't stare at the yellow and red anymore. This is what was left, overdyed with grape and orange kool-aid. I'm literally spinning this right now and it looks really pretty!

In other news, school is slowly catching up to me, as is sleep. I guess that's my own fault though.

~Lisa