Do you spin intentionally or for its own pleasure? Devin makes a case for spinning as "a sensory joy" and a comfort at difficult times of the year or distraction from a destructive world.
This month there's a theme of scraps and stash. The gallery features a hand dyed and spun 'scrap happy' blanket, in the patterns is a Simply Scrappy cowl designed for using up small ends. You can join Spin the Bin as Joanne has done to use up some of that stash (or make room for more). craftmehappy has been collecting waste fibre in a box for a long time, and has spun corespun and supercoil yarns.
Read on for this month's round-up of news, views and reviews for spinners, knitters, crocheters, dyers and weavers.
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Cover photo: David Broadbent / Alamy Stock Photo.
Do you always spin intentionally for a specific project?
In this blog post, Devin makes a case for spinning as "a sensory joy" and a comfort at difficult times of the year or distraction from a destructive world.
afewgreenfigs.blogspot.com/2022/02/the-yearly-slump-joy-spinning.html
Teasing is essential for the best carded rolags.
Josefin's posts are usually packed with information.
In this case she covers teasing by hand, teasing with combs, flicking (before carding, before combing or as main preparation) and using a hand card as a flicker.
Sue has a 'standard size' for her skeins and therefore has nests of combed fleece left over.
Here's how she drumcards and spins these various breeds together to make unique blends.
travelfibreandthread.blogspot.com/2022/02/still-having-fluffy-time.html
This is a wool board. Like a mood board but with wool.
It's more than a mood board. It contains swatches and documents experimentation. As Josefins says, "perhaps I'm not planning on spinning the whole fleece right away. In those cases the wool board is an important map for me once I do dive into the fleece again. I have a neatly organised manual to work from."
Plain weave is simple and versatile. Here are some ideas for taking plain weave to the next level.
If this is useful to you, there is a part two here with six more ideas.
handwovenmagazine.com/anything-but-plain-weave-color-and-weave
In April 2021, we saw an article about Dhaka muslin, a legendary cloth "as light and soft as the wind".
This Handwoven article is related, Jamandi refers to the embroidered ornamentation on the Dhaka muslin.
Archaeologists in China have discovered a pair of wool trousers around 3,300 years old. The dry climate means that they're in very good condition.
Initially they were puzzled as there's no evidence of the fabric being cut. Twill, tapestry weaving and twining were all used.
www.sciencenews.org/article/pants-oldest-ancient-horseman-asia-culture-origin
The interviews in this video are in Italian and I didn't find that they auto-translated well. But the footage of ancient looms producing cloth for governments and the rich and famous is well worth a watch.
Using the looms is clearly very physical work.
Fibershed have collected together and bookended a few articles on the subject of the versatility of plant-based fibres; Three Bast Fibers to Know Beyond Hemp and Flax, The Hemp Casita of Rezolana, Updates from Field to Mill, Spinning the Structure of Life with Paleotechnics and Harvesting Hemp.
fibershed.org/2022/03/04/story-series-the-versatility-of-plant-based-fibers
Vampy has been involved with Abby Franquemont's online Andean backstrap weaving class.
The best choice for warp yarn is Khaitu, Andean handspun weaving yarn. It has a lot of twist. In order to demonstrate that commercial yarn is a bad choice, she tried a selection of yarns.
She even added twist to make them more suitable but the results are still not as good as her own handspun, where she was able to spin yarn with the right characteristics.
Rambouillet wool is next-to-the-skin soft, it takes dye beautifully and has excellent elasticity. Its loftiness gives it an airy feel and makes it cosy-warm.
Carol Sulcoski writes about the characteristics and history of this breed.
www.moderndailyknitting.com...a-sheep-of-ones-own-a-brief-history-of-the-rambouillet
At the start of this video I was assuming that these pieces of lichen were destined for the dyepot, but no.
Most people are right-hand-dominant and most wheels (which have the flyer to the side of the wheel) have it to the left of the drive wheel. Some manufacturers have made 'left handed' versions of their popular wheels.
Should you choose a wheel according to whether you're left or right-handed?
Anne Merrow has conducted some research on the subject and her inconclusive conclusions are here.
Way back in January 2021 (it seems a long time ago anyway!) We saw that Dylan Howitt was planning to make a documentary covering the gathering, processing, spinning of nettle fibre, and the making of a dress.
Dylan has announced that the dress is now finished, and the process of turning the footage into a finished film will begin.
www.kickstarter.com/projects/nettledress/the-nettle-dress/posts/3425325
When little needs saying except 'beautiful colour'
aspinnerweaver has posted a dozen designs for woven bands, you can use them as they are or take inspiration. They all have 39 threads for bands about an inch wide which is "great for dog collars and leashes, hatbands, key fobs, lanyards, ukulele straps, and lots of other things".
aspinnerweaver.blogspot.com/2022/02/four-colors-multiple-choices-many.html
Colour theory is a perennial topic, but it's one that doesn't get old, for me at least.
With this tutorial I was put off a little by the 'write what you see' exercise, but after reading the whole tutorial which put hue, saturation, temperature and value in mind, then this seemed much more logical.
schachtspindle.com/carding-for-color-part-i-understanding-and-analyzing-color
ivicreas dyed this fibre with short repeats (seen here).
Even though it's 2-ply I like the way that the grey and pink meet.
The red and gold here gives a coppery look. Melanie says that it reminds her of "Morocco or cave paintings".
When your project is "so big that you can see the curvature of the planet" then how on earth do you block it?
MDK has some tips.
www.moderndailyknitting.com/2022/02/08/color-explosion-block-large-handknit
If you're like me, done a little crochet but still a little unclear on the basics, then this very good article is aimed at us.
www.darngoodyarn.com/blogs/darn-good-blog/10-common-crochet-mistakes-and-how-to-solve-them
Melanie Smith explores how different handspun yarns behave when knitting cables.
craftmehappy has been collecting waste fibre in a box for a long time, and decided that it was time to spin them.
She made a variety of yarn and knitted samples. They include corespinning and 'supercoils'. She doesn't own a drumcarder, so she fluffed them up by hand into a cloud.
She includes a video showing the process of spinning the supercoil yarn from start to finish.
www.craftmehappy.com/2022/03/spinning-multicoloured-core-spun-and.html
Is it always necessary to put raw fleece through the detergent twice? Spinners discuss the soapy subject.
There are some really nice slip-stitch patterns here, as well as a discussion of the various slip-stitch techniques and tips.
www.interweave.com/article/knitting/slip-stitch-texturing-techniques
An international team of scientists have made a woven fabric which functions as a display, as well as incorporating other functions such as sensing and energy harvesting. Possible applications include curtains that are also TVs, energy-harvesting carpets, and interactive, self-powered clothing and fabrics.
The researchers had to take into account the stretching that each fibre would be subject to during the weaving process.
www.inavateonthenet.net/news/article/scientists-develop-fully-woven-smart-display
This is stolen from one of my favourite cartoonists, Dave Coverly who draws Speed Bump. He made this joke but with spacemen and I thought it would be funny to apply the line to our sheep.
If you like Yvonne, click the image to find her page, you can use next and previous to explore more cartoons.
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This is a review of a product that isn't available yet, and there are further improvements to be made, but if you're an Electric Eel Wheel user or curious about the EEW then this will be of interest.
As well as allowing you to continue spinning without stopping to move the flyer hooks, craftmehappy found some unexpected benefits.
www.craftmehappy.com/2022/01/testing-myautowindercom-level-winding.html
Sometimes just a picture is enough
Jean has finished this blanket. It's all handspun wool with some silk and mohair, dyed with natural dyes.
it's her second (the first is in the picture) but she doesn't expect to make a third.
onesmallstitch.wordpress.com/2022/02/14/scrap-happy-february-3
This extraordinary shawl contains rook feathers and locks. It's a response to the prompt: The Dark Side
Fiberygoodness presents this 'behind the scenes' with artist Ineke De Brouwer.
This is knitincolours' Öraefi which is a jumper with a neck 'you can hide in'.
It's handspun yarn, probably merino, although she's not sure.
It's designed to be worn with a bit more ease but knitincolours preferred a bit of negative, It's shaped at the waist and is longer on the back side than the front, so it's going to be warm.
The pattern is here.
taliesin spun this yarn some years ago, it's around 200g of merino/bamboo.
The pattern is Pizzelle Shawl by Jessica Gore. taliesin says that it's "a nice clear pattern, which worked perfectly for my handspun yarn."
This wool was shorn in October, spun from November to February and knit in February. A full circle from fleece to sweater.
Josefin has made this Icelandic-style yoke sweater in handspun singles lopi-style yarn.
The pattern is Telja by Jennifer Steingass.
HighlandHeffalump made this drawstring bag at a wet-felting group. The theme was a Platinum Jubilee project.
highlandheffalump.com...yop11-week-35-52-finally-a-new-cast-on-and-wet-felting
biotayarns has made this hat and mitt set using walnut-dyed Cheviot/Llama blend.
whimsicalwoollies loves to squish as many fibrey arts together as possible. This project involves hand spun art yarn, circular weaving, needle felted wire work and colourful locks.
threewatersfarm, who dyed the Mixed BFL wool top that oksanateicholz used here, comments "color work on a single colour background is a great way to use handspun!" and she's right!
This jumper is light and airy, mamasteddybear designed it specifically for the yarn that she spun from raw fleece.
There is quite a selection of pictures here if you swipe / click left and right. beginning with a bag of fleece, washing, combing, spinning.
An impressive project.
At first I saw gemstones in this shawl but it turned out to be the way the light was showing through the holes onto the background.
It's beautiful all the same, and the colours in the yarn are jewel-like. Diane says that it's spun from "a handspun sliver from Anna Gratton Ltd called Everglade, 29 micron Corriedale plyed with a fine commercial Merino".
She thinks that the pattern may be Nova Shawl by Sara Kay Hartmann. There are many more photographs in this blog post, along with more details about the spinning and crocheting.
A selection of free seasonal patterns which will work well with handspun yarn.
Helen says that she doesn't worry about finishing a row when using a new colour, so this recipe is perfect for using scraps. Either choose colours carefully or grab from your stash and see what happens.
It calls for fingering weight but I guess that's not critical and if your yarn is wildly different than you can adjust the number of stitches in multiples of 4.
With thanks to April for the link.
The colour charts here are very straightforward to knit, but when combined on your project make the whole thing look super complex.
It's suggested that you swatch in-the-round for a 'free' coffee cozy.
There's a 'download' link at the bottom of the post and why not join the knit-a-long?
If you're new to stranded knitting, there's a 'basic techniques' article with video here.
A further bonus is this tutorial about stretchy cast-ons for top-down socks.
lattesandllamas.com/2022/02/13/2022-geek-a-long-get-started-with-shifter-socks
Scrollwork by Ukrainian designer Irina Dmitrieva is popular with hand spinners, the one shown is by anneleterme in navajo-plied BFL.
It's knit on 3.5 and 4.5mm needles, uses 150 - 420 yards of worsted-weight (9 wpi) yarn.
Anne says "only 7 patterns repeats and a pompom, I like how it looks, soft and very warm."
We tend to swoon over the soft and fluffy fibres but the tougher, less elastic yarn has its place too.
If you've spun something (intentionally or unintentionally) that isn't so soft or elastic, then there are projects that it'll be perfect for.
Natalie Pelikh has a range of bag patterns ranging from this very pretty little purse to a backpack. They look great in a smooth neat yarn, but she says that they'll also look good in tee-shirt yarn or even macrame cord. Bonus: gauge isn't an issue.
This pattern is aimed at the beginner and if you wear your hair in a bun it'll keep your hair neat and your hook handy.
www.darngoodyarn.com...wheres-my-hook-bun-cover-crochet-pattern
Katherine McClelland creates detailed portraits with wool. She uses needle felting and wet felting.
23-24 April 2022, Royal Welsh Showground, Builth Wells
First held in 2006 to promote the market for Welsh wool and add value to product for small wool & fibre producers in Wales, the festival celebrates the green credentials of Welsh wool and its versatility as a material for creative crafts, designer clothes, home furnishings and more.
Wonderwool Wales has grown year on year. It covers everything from the start to the end of the creative process.
A list of accommodation and camping in the surrounding area is available on the Wonderwool website.
Friday 10 - Sunday 12 June, 2022, John Arbon Textiles, Hacche Lane Business Park, South Molton
This legendary event returns as an in-person event in 2022. Includes mill tour and "all sorts of additional bits and bobs". More details to be announced.
18 - 19 June 2022 FlyDSA Arena, Broughton Lane, Sheffield S9 2DF
Accessible, inclusive, welcoming.
3 and 4 September 2022, Newbury Racecourse, Berkshire
The perfect event for all lovers of knitting, crochet, feltmaking, weaving, spinning, dyeing, and all things woolly!
17 - 18 September 2022,
To highlight and raise awareness of all the wonderful things that our British wool can be used for.
24 and 25 September 2022, Skipton Auction Mart, North Yorkshire
Stunning exhibitions, skill demonstrations and a full programme of textile workshops create a visual feast and make Yarndale a real must-visit for yarn lovers.
6 - 9 October 2022, Alexandra Palace, London
I'm Shiela Dixon, I've been doing this for around ten years in order to promote and encourage the craft of spinning.
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All that remains is for me to thank everyone who blogs, writes articles or posts pictures on the subject of spinning, knitting, crochet or weaving. This newsletter wouldn't exist without them.
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Happy spinning!
Shiela Dixon - Editor / curator
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