Smatterings

  • saturday spin-in

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    Your answers to my question how much yarn, measured in weight, have you had on your spindle at once, floored me.  Dave said TWO ounces!  That would bring the spindle weight to well over 3 ounces, maybe four.  Who said a lighter spindle worked better.  Funny thing about it is, the more weight I have, and I have little by comparison, the better it spins.  Impatience finally got the better of me. I wanted to see what the yarn looked like, how much yardage there would be per ounce, that sort of thing. When I weighed my little centerpull yarn muffin, it was only 18.5 gr or a bit over .6 oz.  Plied double, it yielded 80 yds. of lovely soft yarn.  I did the calculations.  If I stay on course, it will spin up at approx. 130 yds/oz.  Multiply that by 4 and given I have the time and endurance, I’ll have enough for a nice shawlette. 

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    Have you checked out The Weekend Whirls?

    7 responses to “saturday spin-in”

    1. Norma

      Hm. I didn’t know Dave spun on a spindle. I wonder if he was referring to his wheel bobbin with that number.

    2. Carol

      That’s gorgeous! If only there were either more time in a day or less job in the life…

    3. Dave Daniels

      Yup, it’s true, my Golding hand spindle. I did 2 ounces of fiber on it at most. Funny, I thought that was nothing. I couldn’t go further because it was too heavy at that point.
      Beautiful skein you’ve made there.

    4. cyndy

      That blend looks like it has a fabulous hand.
      Very interesting question, and answers…I have never weighed my singles from the spindle, and now I am curious…guess I will just have to experiment!

    5. jessie

      Fantastic yarn. It looks perfect.

    6. Anne

      OOooooo – lovely! Nice and even – perfect for a shawlette!!

    7. Karen

      Good morning!
      I just found your blog – followed the links from Riverrim. Nice place you’ve got here!
      I’ve never seen a spindle like that before – does it pull apart when you’re done so you can pull it out from the wool and have a finished ball of wool?
      If so, that’s neat!
      Karen

  • a few things

    First, my compliments. … another great cover!  This should make up nicely in a bag.

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    My book came today.  I’ll post the 2007 shows on the sidebar as soon as I can get around to it.  (There’s a lot going on around here!)

    A couple people asked me to tell them the vendor’s name that sold me the silk that bled so badly.   I don’t remember the vendor by name.  I also haven’t checked the other colors that I bought from her.  Hopefully this was an isolated mistake.  If not, I know where she locates each year and I may ask her about it.  I’ve had yarn rinse clear three times in warm water, then bleed on the fourth.  Go figure.

    My Dad emails his comments to me.  They almost always say what I wish I could, only better.  Here’s his comment on the woods in early spring, he is a man who knows.


    There is something new and wonderful about the air of a day in a hard
    wood lot as it reappears from under a bank of winter snow. Sharper
    Image     would have a red hot product if they could capture and sell it.

    The Ball and Skein Electric Winder.  The prototype has been fine tuned, the parts list finished and priced out.  Hopefully, by Friday it will be on the site and advance orders can be taken.  We have all the parts on order and are ready to go back into the shop.  Pricing looks to be about $395.00.  This one will be followed by a non-electric model.   I love it.  Why shouldn’t I, it was made according to my specs, and I’ve tested it all the way through.  It is fully adjustable to any size skein up to 2 yds.  There is a counter to keep track and a storage box for scissors and tie-ups or whatever.  I’ll post it here, too.

    Now, a question.  How much yarn, in weight (ounces would be good) have you spun on your spindle at one time and on what spindle??

     

    8 responses to “a few things”

    1. Carole

      To answer your question: that would be zero. Heh.

    2. Dave Daniels

      That’s a great cover.
      And YAY about the winder. I still want on the list, and I LOVE the storage area idea, too. I’ve got scissors, ties, and all sorts of mess around. (Also, would he consider staining in walnut, also?)
      The most I’ve ever spun on my Golding drop spindle was a little over two ounces. It was getting a little heavy to spin smoothly. On my wheel, though, that’s a different matter. I’ll overload OVER the four ounce bobbin, til the bobbin wouldn’t spin any more.

    3. Kim

      I have spun almost an ounce on my new Spanish Peacock Spindle and I am loving it!

    4. Anne

      I might need a T-shirt (or 2) of that one! Great graphics.
      Your dad is totally right. If you could bottle that, you’d be a millionare.

    5. margene

      Love the cover! Must have someone pick up a T-shirt or mug or something…it’s very cool.
      I spun what I would guess to be around 1 oz, or a bit more, of fine singles on my Greensleeves Barebones.

    6. Margaret

      I’ve spun almost an ounce of light fingering wt singles on a Grafton Fibers Nina

    7. Kathy

      Very little on my spindles. I was just thinking today that I need to resist the urge to pick up more this Spring, as I use them so rarely. But, they are SO SO pretty.

    8. Fiberjoy

      Wow, I shouldn’t let a week sneak past without checking your blog. Spinning, and bleeding yarn, Elton John comp tix!!!, running streams, and a functional electic winder with a yarn measurement to boot. What a clever winder with so many functional parts.
      Until recently I never weighed the amount before removing from a spindle. But the corriedale I spindling on my Turkish is just over an ounce and I’m planning to spin 1.5 oz before spinning another 1.5oz ball to ply with it.

  • walk with me wednesday

    Not all those who wander are lost.    
                                 J.R.R. Tolkien

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    I love returning to these woods as the winter snow and ice recedes.  Much the way one enjoys a visit with an old friend.  I’ve tramped this trail for years and know it well.  Out again, from under the blanket of snow, I see the familiar rocks, stumps, and footpaths angling off to the sides.  Soon enough, I will begin looking for plant friends, in the spots that I see them, year after year.  Already, a few early skunk cabbage peeking up.

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    Out from under the snow, there is color, the brightest greens, and chartreuse.

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    the vernal pools and streams overflow..

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    For me, it has been a long wait.  My tendon is better, not whole.  Instead of my usual 3 miles, I’m still doing a cautious 1.5.  The walk is sweeter, slower.  Beautiful.

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    10 responses to “walk with me wednesday”

    1. Kim

      That quote is also the title to one of my favorite albums 🙂

    2. Carole

      Gorgeous! I’m waiting for the peepers!

    3. margene

      You have a way of capturing the oft passed by but more interesting pieces of a landscape.

    4. elan

      My favourite Tolkien quote & it looks like you had a walk he would have loved. I imagined the sounds of water that must have surrounded you.

    5. Ruth

      Just gorgeous! I love watching spring unfold – I find it more magical even than the abundance of summer.

    6. cyndy

      Loved the last picture! I wonder how many winters your rock has survived…I bet it could tell stories of how the landscape has changed…

    7. Manise

      Love your walks. Spring will be here once the peepers start to “peep”.

    8. Pat K

      Perhaps you have a tendon slowing you down just so that you can see more than usual. There are always blessings in disguise.

    9. Marianne

      It’s nice to see a glimpse of your surroundings, changing through the seasons.

    10. elizabeth

      I’m jealous! It’s already so hot here that we’re choosing canoeing over hiking this weekend.

“Our lives are dyed the colors of our imagination.” ~ Marcus Aurelius

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