More glorious weather yesterday, so I spent most of it out on the back deck, spinning topless (very pleasant, until the sweat starts trickling down my boobs into my work; bleh). Finished (finally!) the 2nd single for the sock yarn I'm working on, this one predominantly blue with a fair amount of purple. Then I plied it with the 1st single, same blue base with red and yellow (and a teeny bit o' green) bits throughout. This tweedy denim wool 2ply is what I came out with, about 300yds of it (hopefully enough for socks). Tons of vm (never seen such dirty fiber), but most is coming out. I was shooting for a worsted/heavy- worsted weight yarn; it averages about 10wpi, so I didn't quite hit the mark, but pretty close. I am so new at this (since I learned in February, about a dozen skeins spun), I haven't really mastered spinning to gauge yet. This is definitely my finest gauge spun to date. Oh, yeah, this was going to be my contribution to the Sep. 1 Fiber Friday "inner space" theme. (More pics here, if you are interested).I don't really like plying; at least, not yet anyway. This was only the 2nd time I've done it, which may explain why I feel like I have no clue what I'm doing. I don't really understand tension when spinning, and even less so for plying. I really go mostly on instinct. I like the yarns I produce, and they don't appear to be over-twisted or hard, so I think I must at least be on the right track, but still. I'd really like to take a spinning workshop or 2, from Lexi maybe. (I was actually signed-up and payed-up for one of her retreats this summer, but had transpo probs and had to withdraw; doh!). But a class would really help me advance quicker. 'Spose I should really bust out that Alden Amos book I bought and actually give it a read.
Speaking of spinning books, I have a lot of respect for Shannon O'Key and what she's done, and I'm really excited about the release next week of her new book Spin to Knit and the accompanying handspun swap, but I'm a bit peeved at her publisher, Interweave Press. In their press release they say: "There is only one hip, updated book on the subject: Spin to Knit." But that really give's Lexi Boeger's Handspun Revolution short-shrift, IMHO.
Tags:
Such pretty tweed Velma! I want it now - too bad I don't know how to spin and have been banned from learning.
ReplyDeletebanned from learning?!? what's up w/ that? i assume you have a penis around the house that says 'no'... mine is very understanding about my obsession, as he has one of his own: he doesn't complain about my wheel and all the fiber around the house, and i don't complain about his golf discs everywhere. works great!
ReplyDeleteif you ever sit down at a wheel, i'll bet you'll be hooked! (and thanks for the compliments on my yarn).
regarding StK...
ReplyDeletemaybe that was how the book was pitched two years ago, before lexi's book.??
and i don't have lexi's book, so i can't say for sure, but, from what i gather the foucus is on spinning, not spinning to knit. (like each yarn/tequniqe has a project attached.)
and i'm sure intervewave didn't mean any disrespect to lexi, as she is in the book...
~just my .02
also!
lovley yarny babee!