Five on Friday

I borrowed this idea from, http://knittingasfastasican.com/ so here goes;

1) Spent most of Sunday in the pool cause it is hot.
2) Finished two pairs of socks
3) Finished a sweater
4) Spent the rest of the week hiding in the basement where it was cool.
5) This youtube video, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4-94JhLEiN0&eurl=http%3A%2F%2Fknitorious%2Etypepad%2Ecom%2Fknitorious%2F&feature=player_embedded

A new way to spin or how to fall in love with your spindles again

I found a great new techinque for spinning and plying on a spindle at the same time . Ok so it's not totally at the same time but it's pretty close, so that when your done, you have new yarn. Check out this blog for more details,

http://rosemaryknits.blogspot.com/2008/06/tammy-rizzos-navajo-ply-on-fly.html

Five on Friday

In the last week I've;

1) Went swimming every night after work. It's been so hot here that not jumping the pool to cool off has not been an option. I almost hate to have to stop to put on a suit first but I'd rather not shock the neighbors.

2) Finished my second felted bag. Into the washer it goes.

3) Went to Mim's for the Carson Sierra Spinners and Weavers guild meeting.

4) Ate way too much of my husband cooking. He's the king of the grill.

5) and I cut my hair. My hair had been getting increasingly scraggly so I bit the bullet and made an appointment to have something done with it. It's shorter than I expected but I think it's a good look.

Here's a close up

Here's a close up of the bobbin end of the transfer set up.

Becky asked,  "how do I keep it from getting tangled?" I use a tensioned kate.

After I transfer to the storage bobbins they can sit from two days to two weeks.

Pictures to go with the Post

How I get the distance to balance out the twist.

Bobbins after transfer.

Bobbins before transfer.

Transfering Singles

At Saturdays Guild meeting, Amy asked why do I transfer my singles before I ply. I transfer my singles onto other bobbins before I ply for several reasons.

First I have the luxury of having another wheel that is great for plying, my Majacraft Rose. It is all set up for both winding into Majacraft bobbins which are larger than most, 6oz easy and I have the larger plying head and flyer, about 8 oz plus. That way I can make longer skeins of yarn without knots.

Second, Stephanie G recommends that you put as much distance between your bobbins and the plying wheel as possible when plying. The reason for doing this is to let the twist equal it’s self in the single out over the distance. I take this one step further and do this when I transfer my singles. I put the spinning singles at one of the room and my bobbin winding at the other in so that’s there’s a distance of 6 to 8 feet in between.

Also when I transfer the singles from the spinning bobbins to the plying bobbins I am able to smooth out the take up. On a wheel that has hooks the take up can be bumpy because the single winds on in the area directly under the hook first. You will always end up with more yarn there then in the spaces between the hooks.

P.S. I had nice pictures for this post but Blogger ate them! Bad, Blogger, bad.

Broom making class - June 6, 09

I have some pictures of the broom making class I took on June 6. Here's the link, http://www.flickr.com/photos/fiberfloozie/sets/72157620900604937/

As you can see we were all having a great time.

Classes, Study groups and sheep

June was highlighted by a lot of learning.



On the 6th, I took a Broom making class by Mark Pietz through the Great Basin Basket Makers Guild. We learned a bit about this history of broom making and then got down to business. In the morning we learned how to make a pot scrubber, a whisk broom and a cob webber (kind of a small witches broom.) With each project we learned a new skill. The scrubber, stitching; the whisk broom, layering and weaving and using a broom box; the cob webber adding a handle.

In the afternoon we put it all together and made a 48" sewn flat broom. I was really impressed with the amount of craftsmanship that went in to such a common item. Brooms were once made to order by traveling ex-sailors. Then in factories that employed the blind. There used to be fields of corn broom material. Not so much any more. Now most are made of plastic and come from over seas. Kind of sad really.



On the 19th I drove to Eugene, OR for the Black Sheep Gathering. I had a ball. I was able to hook up with my friends from the Spindles and Flyers Guild. It's a tradition with them to camp on site. I ate, I drank, I spun, and it was good. I had invite a few others to come with me but they could so I took my Sock monkey around to see what we could see. We shopped and hugged lots of people and looked at some great sheep.



A few months back I found a leather kit from Tandy Leather for my IPhone. Since I hadn't worked leather for many years I thought it would be a good idea to take a class or two to get my skills back up. Fortunately the Tandy Leather store in Reno has drop in classes on Thursdays and Saturdays.



Last Saturday our Guilds Weaving Study group met at Marilyn's house. We watched as Nancy put the warp on her loom with a warping wheel. It's this big drum that applies tension to the warp as you wind it on. Marilyn shown us how the computer helps her with the harnesses. I final finished dressing my loom. It felt good to get this done. Now All I have to do is fine some time to weave.