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One of the delights of this time of year is the autumnal and sometimes spooky colour palette. Nature yields some berries and plants that can be used for dyeing. This month's patterns are as usual appropriate for the season and include mitts, cowls and hats.
As I write, both Spin Together, an online spinning competition, and Shetland Wool Week (virtual) are taking place. If you haven't seen it, the 'Welcome' video is worth a look, and it's good to be looking forward to SWW being a real event once more next year.
Yarndale, Perth Festival of Yarn and Bakewell Wool Gathering have recently taken place as in-person events. There are more events to come this year and some dates for 2022 have been announced, and so I feel the time is right to reinstate the UK Events Calendar.
Read on for this month's round-up of news, views and reviews for spinners, knitters, crocheters, dyers and weavers.
In the media
Southwark Bridge sheep drive, new uses for wool
Handspun stories
The secret spectrum of plant-based dyeing, inspirational fibre blending, interview with a gansey, an Icelandic Rya reconstruction, what makes a rigid-heddle loom?
"Sheep are central to my life and this celebration of them will be a day to remember," said Amanda Owen, The Yorkshire Shepherdess after leading the Annual Sheep Drive on 26 September 2021.
The historic Southwark Bridge was traffic-free for the day and the ceremony follows an ancient right to drive sheep over the Thames and into the City.
This page contains a gallery and links to a "ewetube" video of the BBC news report.
Whether or not you're new to natural dyeing, this video interview with Heather Thomas is very enjoyable and if you haven't tried using plants to dye yarn, this will be inspirational.
Many of the plants mentioned can be grown in the UK but if gardening is not your thing, there are many things that you can collect from the wild or even save in the kitchen.
As a perfect complement to the story above, Woolly Originals tweeted this picture of elderberry-dyed yarn. Some natural dyes are not very 'fast' and will fade, but you can still enjoy the colour while it lasts.
This is sweetpurls' latest handspun (at time of writing). She had set out to spin it entirely by electric spinner but found herself switching back to treadling because of breakages and tension issues.
I feel that it's time to bring back the UK Events Calendar and list the remaining 2021 dates and the 2022 dates that have been announced so far.
You can find the current Events listing lower down this issue and here's a link to the Yarndale Facebook group which contains many pictures from the 2021 event.
Online classes have come into their own since COVID, and here Debby writes about her experience and shares the results of the workshop that she attended virtually, Inspirational Blending, taught by Dia Robinson of Twisted Urban Fiber Arts.
This is just one of the colourways that Debby made using photograpgs for inspiration. There are also pictures of the spun yarn.
You may be aware that a gamp is a sampler, designed to show how each chosen colour interacts with every other colour.
Ewespecial has come across some old colour gamps in a box and says that they can be more than just samplers. They can be useful and "brighten up any room".
Film noir and its use of shadows and light was the inspiration for Jacqueline Harp's study. She blended black fibre with primary colours in small increments "to bring out richness and add depth to fibers that would otherwise be a bit plain and one-dimensional."
When little needs saying except 'beautiful colour'
Spooky Spin
This month, the colour inspiration must include some spooky colours. This is Amy's 'Spooky Spin'. Explore her recent pictures to see the fibre that she's using.
These skeins are called Autumn Equinox. giftofgracefiberarts has posted a number of pictures showing the dyed fibre as well as close-ups of the yarn. it's worth a closer look to see the variety of colours in the braid, which was dyed by The Artful Ewe.
Felicia Lo visited a fleece auction run by the Lower Mainland Sheep Producers Association.
There's a lot more to the day than you might imagine. The fleeces were judged, the judge gave a talk about her process and criteria. It seems to be an enjoyable day out and I recommend Felicia's video.
The event seems to be aimed at connecting small producers with anyone who may be interested. This takes place in British Columbia. Are there similar events in the UK and elsewhere? If you know, tell me.
The tutorial about how to blend two very different fibres without using any tools is the one that grabbed my attention, but the page contains much more.
The video is around halfway down this page and also has step-by-step instructions in text just below.
This wonderful texture is achieved by teasing locks very gently to make the fibre airy and more spinnable but without totally losing the lock structure.
Alexander Reynoso has written his instructions for the Schacht newsletter and made an accompanying video (look for the link in the middle of this article). As a bonus, there's a link at the bottom to a related article by Jillian Moreno.
The spiral effect in these samples happens naturally when plying dissimilar singles; a bulkier, fluffier single with a denser, thinner single.
Last month we had a couple of stories about combining different singles for yarn that's more than a sum of the parts, but I don't think gimp yarns had a mention.
Stefanie Johnson gives her thoughts and some tips in Spin Off magazine.
Don't look for a moral of this story. I'm not taking sides, the idea just made me laugh.
If you like Yvonne, click the image to find her page, you can use next and previous to explore more cartoons.
Keeping this wheel spinning
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This month's sexy spindle shot is suitably autumnal, in the yarn colours as well as the spindle designs. Check out that acorn.
Danaknitshere plans to experiment by spinning the same braid two different ways.This braid was spun end to end and will be chain plied. The other will be split and fractal spun. It'll be fascinating to see the comparison.
A selection of free seasonal patterns which will work well with handspun yarn.
Fright Night socks by Lara Smoot
This pattern has sadly been retired and Lara Smoot has requested that we don't seek out the pattern and share it, so I won't do that, but I will post this link to quiteayarn's project because I really like the socks and it may provide inspiration to do something similar.
This pattern can be used for a hat or head band. The band is thinner at the back than the front for comfort. The one shown here is made with a variegated yarn for the brim, and semi-solid for the body.
It will use around 200 yards altogether of a worsted-weight (9 wpi) yarn. Three sizes are given.
Susanna says, "Briochepira Cowl is a great pattern for those special handspun skeins but commercially or hand-dyed yarns work equally well".
Pick two contrasting, yet coordinating colors that play off of each other.
She says that if you're familiar with regular brioche, double brioche is not so difficult, but do familiarise yourself with regular brioche before venturing onto double.
Both feature mosaic knitting, or slipped-stitch knitting which allows you to knit with (in this case) three colours while only knitting one colour per round. It's very easy and very effective.
This hat, cowl and mitt set are designed to be unisex but look great on a chap, particularly in these colours.
The examples shown here are made in handpsun yarn by Cheryl Newhouse . If you like the colours and want to spin your own, Cheryl also sells the same fibre for spinning.
The yarn you need is "DK/light worsted yarn with approximately 60 yards per ounce". Mitts: 100 (125, 150) yards, cowl: 150 (200, 275) yards and hat: 150 (175, 225) yards.
The remaining events in 2021 are a mix of in-person and virtual
Kendal Wool Gathering
Saturday 30 and Sunday 31 October 2021, Virtual event
Kendal Wool Gathering mixes demonstrations, fun activities and displays, all connected to the cloth on which the town's wealth was built.
A large number of exhibitors will be bringing a huge variety of goods including yarns, dyes, crafts, art, accessories, tools, felting, crochet, patterns, carpets, looms, spinning wheels and more. Outside there will be livestock, where you can meet a variety of sheep and Llamas, whilst learning about the important Lake District sheep farming industry.
A wide variety of crafts including knittings, spinning, weaving, crochet.
Demonstrations, have-a-go tables, workshops and exhibitions include Norwich Castle tapestry, RBST, Nudiknits, Saori Shed, Drop Spindle for Beginners with Jenn Monahan and much more.
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.
I'm Shiela Dixon, I've beeing doing this for around ten years in order to promote and encourage the craft of spinning.
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