Spinning fast and loose

I had an attack of the spinning bug this weekend.

The only prepped fibre in my stash was the green, yellow and brown in this photo from the UK indie dyer Chopped Tomatoes (it is the only before picture I have). I broke this out, got my new Start spinning book and warmed up the wheel.

I wanted to work on my spinning technique with this project. Reading through the book I think I usually do a short backwards draw, dividing the top down into very thin sections before spinning to minimise drafting.

Instead I split the top into lengths (about a foot long) then divided these into three. Each section was predrafted, working end to end then back. I need more practise at predrafting as I sometimes pull too hard and end up with a thin section. Working back and forward, doing less on each pass helped to reduce this. 

Using the instructions in the book I tried to work a short forward draw. This worked quite well but I did slip into a backwards draw a few times. I am happy with the end result which is what matters more to me than the actual method.

I used a fairly low amount of twist, drafting thicker than I usually manage. This made the spinning go really fast, after an very enjoyable couple of hours (it was about the length of two films, so I guess a little over three hours) I had finished the 100g length of top and had a stuffed bobbin.

The colours are fairly accurate in these pictures.

Next week I will share my plying adventures, I need to take some more photos first.

I only have unprepped fibre left now, I need to either do some carding or some shopping.

Something about spinning

I suspect you are getting bored of seeing the same project every week, the problem with spinning thin yarn is that is takes a long time, so there is nothing new and exciting to share. Anyway, last week I showed you the finished singles on my drop spindle.

Having learnt my lesson from the hideous tangle I got into wiyth the first half of this I made a plying ball. To keep it under control I popped it into a mug and looped the single through the handle.

Up to the wheel, because I am never plying on my spindle ever again, ever! And after a little navajo plying we have this:

It has yet to be washed, but I will count it as done since the photo will not look any different after. The next time you see this is will be being knitted up, or maybe even as a finished object! It feels a little smaller than the first skein, so if I make socks they will be toe up to use as much as possible.

That also means next week there will be a new project to share, I have four to choose from, I feel somewhat spoilt for choice.

Something about spinning

This week I have managed to finish the second half of the Chopped Tomatoes fibre. I love working on my projects, but at the same time I am impatient to get them finished, both so I can see what the end product looks like and so I can start the next new, shiny thing, it is possible I have attention span issues!

Close up of the single:

I had hoped to have this as a plying ball already, but have not got round to winding it yet. I might take it to knitting group as it is a pretty low concentration, and somewhat boring, task so that will make it much more fun. I should be able to ply it this weekend and next Thursday I will have actual yarn to show you, then I have to choose which shiny spinning project I want to start next!

Something about spinning

Firstly an apology, my n key is broken and only working intermittently (when I poke it really hard) so if any of my posts are looking a little odd, that is why.

I have been working on the second half of my Chopped Tomatoes Shetland fibre. It is coming along nicely now, drop spindled into a fine single ready to be navajo plied.

The second half seems to be making more of a striped single than the first lot so I might get some odd looking socks out of this!

I have lots of things starting with S planned for this weekend, not intentionally, it just seems that way so maybe I will do some Spinning too.

WIP Wednesday- Spinning

For once I have a WIP to talk about on Wednesday, usually I am saving the projects for either FO Friday or the Year of Projects posts but it occurred to me that I could talk about my spinning projects without infringing on either of them, so Wednesdays might be all about spinning for me.

I am still working on the Shetland fibre from Chopped Tomatoes on my drop spindle. This was my travelling project during the Tour de Fleece and is still on the go as I have been spinning it really fine in the hopes of achieving sock weight when I navajo ply, I think it is going to be too thin though.

I have one more short piece of fibre then I have 50g done. I split the fibre vertically in the hopes of making similar socks, but since then I have been dividing the working bits into shorter lengths in no particular order. There is no way I will be able to replicate it and make the two lengths match. If it works out for socks they will have to be similar but non matching.

Tour de fleece day 15

A very last minute post today. Only managed about 20 minutes of spindling as out and about. I did most of this last night and a little more today, it is Shetland fibre dyed by Chopped Tomatoes.

I am aiming for a thin single, hopefully it will be sock wieght when navajo plied

Tour de fleece day 11

Today I spun up the beaded roving from yesterday. I have been enjoying the different fibres but it is nice to spin something colourful.

Adding the beads was not too bad, although I quite often missed the extra little strand of fluff that stops them sliding around.

See, beads on yarn, although you can't actually tell that they have been spun on, but I promise I did not cheat and thread them on a finished single.

Lovely new goodies

I have been hugely lucky enough to win another blog giveaway, the Intertwined book and two bumps of Shetland fibre from Chopped Tomatoes.

I have already started on one of the lovely fibres, the blue and red is the one being used for my beaded yarn trial.

The book interests me a lot, I love handspun but am a bit iffy about art yarn (to be totally honest sometime it gives me the heebie jeebies), I can appreciate the effort in it, the beautiful colours, the sparkles (love some sparkles) but I always have the question "what can you knit it into?!" stuck in my mind. I think it is the fact I can see the effort and the pretty but can't picture a worked up FO that causes my mini brain melt down, I am hoping this super book can fix that.

BTW, this was not meant to be a "go me I won" boasting post, especially as I didn't have to do anything except write a comment on a blog post. I wanted to encourage you all to look at the Chopped Tomatoes pretty, and also to make my little art yarn confession, please don't hate me!