Some reorg at work and a come-together for the new team - I'm the third-oldest now, median is probably about 30 (I'll be 55 soon), about 2/3 male (IT).
One of the questions was if anyone has an "unusual" hobby - owning and using #spinning wheels and #weaving looms did count.
Question about a favorite book answered with "Big Book of #Handspinning didn't help either.
Fun new spinning project: I separated a bag of neon-splotched fiber by color as best I could, broke those colors down into smaller strips, and I'm just pulling them out of the bag at semi-random. My goal is to chain-ply and line the colors up as much as possible. I think it's looking good so far! #handspinning
Basket o' handspun. This is from a Tunis sheep named Lovely. It's currently single ply. I think I'm going to triple-ply it for cushy-soft knitting purposes.
Holy f*@k - I did a Thing!
I inherited a part ball of variegated yarn - which I dislike using because I feel it's disorganized, chaotic and messy looking. But I've seen this thing done online and decided to spend a day screwing around and tried it. It bloody worked. (Eventually) I'm amazed. A combination of programming and sorcery.
Look at how nice this yarn turned out! I had this fiber for years because I wasn't confident enough in my color handling skills, but I finally reached a point where I was more confident and I am proud of the end result #handspinning
500g of fingering weight alpaca from a local farm & mill. The roving came in cute little bags labelled with the animals' names on them: Carmelinda, Samson, and Golden Boy.
I love how the colors came out - it reminds me of a bird of prey.
Grace's glorious tail feathers. They're asymmetrical, much longer on the right side. She's a slinky little feather boa of a cat. In addition to being the feline love of my life, she is also a generous provider of cat wool for me to spin. #cat#catsofmastodon#handspinning#fiberarts
Happiness! I have stress-tested my little sample by rubbing it vigorously while it was bone dry, and to my delight, it felts instead of pilling. I was worried because these kitties' fur pills up on all our clothing, but I think the wool is going to provide some discipline. Now I can proceed with my spinning project, and then onto the knitting. #knitting#cat# catsofmastodon #handspinning#wool
A while ago, I posted a sample of yarn I spun with fur combed from my two floofy cats. I've decided to blend it with some wool. This is a sample of floof with white Jacob wool in the pattern called "cat paws," from which I plan to make a variation of the 10 stitch blanket. Now I just have to do some abrasion testing to see how much it will pill. I fear it will pill badly, but we'll see. #handspinning#handmade#catsofmastodon
The first (and so far only) pair of socks knit from handspun yarn.
They were really comfy, but the yarn didn't withstand the wear and tear of being worn in shoes so they didn't survive for more than one or two winters.
But I loved them while they lasted.
Maybe I should try again - I was a fairly novice spinner back then, I think I learned a bit about yarn integrity since.
This isn't even close to all the yarn I have spun since I began. It doesn't include that for which I have a plan, or that which has already been made into something. Still, this pile is overwhelming. It's all sorts of weights, twists, fibers and colors, and I want to use it somehow. Except that I don't. Some of it is oogly yarn I made as a beginner. Some of it is rough. I just don't know...#handspinning#handmade#handcraft
I bought these little packets of wool off Aliexpress to see if they would be good for blending, because I got a new blending board. My sweetie just said I was micro-dosing. #handspinning#handmade#handcraft
I thought I'd make some mega chunky yarn to sell at the island craft hub in time for Christmas presents. And this is before it's washed, when it usually blooms by at least ten percent!
North Ronaldsay wool, handspun to make yarn that's about two or three wraps per inch. Mostly two-ply, but there's one crazy Hawser four-ply in there that I'm so excited to see how it turns out!
35 wraps per inch for the "singles" from my unraveled #ReduceReuseReknit sweater 😭
I'd like a DK weight (~12 WPI) yarn, so does that mean I need to 3-ply it? 36 / 12 = 3, unless plying uses sorcery and not math.
I'm worried that if I go for a 3-ply I'll end up with fewer yards than I need for a cardigan. I could 2-ply and have a fingering weight yarn, but knitting with something that small is Not The Vibe
We are having a yard sale and I just made the first money I have ever, ever made for my textile work ($5 for handspun yarn).
What's also nice is even if I don't sell anything else, this process helped me decide what I'm okay getting rid of. So whatever doesn't sell goes straight in the donation bin.
I am so pleased with how my first attempt at stranded colorwork is going so far! Made a couple mistakes early on but nothing I can't live with. It's fiddly but I understand what I'm doing, at least, and it's fun to be learning a new skill with yarn I made myself and am also very happy with. #knitting#handspinning
Chose next spin randomly by color and it turns out to be Falkland, coarser and crisper than what I've been spinning. I thought I'd spin the same grist but this wants to be fatter so I'll let it. I might manage four braids in September. There's still a few days left...
I have finished spinning all six colors of natural undyed roving I got from Rainbow Fiber co-op! They look so lovely all together. Once I'm done with my sock project I will start swatching the squares I want to make with these. #handspinning