FO Friday – Sea Glass Lace

Over the past little while I’ve been pecking away at spinning up my first little fibre batt that I created on my drum carder. It is a blend of all sorts of odds and ends from my fibre stash in beachy blues and greens. One of my friends says it makes them think of sea glass.

These singles were handspun on two of my support spindles.

A long term goal of mine is to eventually be able to spin and knit a wedding ring shawl. Whether it happens or not it’s a not crucial but it gives me something fun to work towards and spinning on support spindles is a step in that direction.

I can achieve a much finer single on support spindles that I can on either a drop spindle or wheel because I don’t have the weight of suspended spindle to contend with and I can more closely fine tune the tension with a support spindle. I can also get some great twist happening with ease.

Today’s finished project is something I’m pretty proud of. I have achieved fairly consistent singles and a whopping 373 yards for 30 grams worth of fibre. No too shabby!

I will continue my practice spinning fine singles and maybe one day I will achieve my goal of spinning fine enough for that shawl.

Unrelated to my crafting, I couldn’t help but snap a couple of shots of my beautiful centaurea blossoms. They grow next to the bench where I photograph my handspun and they bring me such joy. They look like magical Faery creations and I look forward to their appearance each year.

As we head into the weekend, I hope you find time for enjoying the flowers and some quiet and peaceful crafting time.

Sunday Snapshots

I recently acquired a drum carder so I’ve been quietly working away at using up some scraps and leftover bits of fibre.

Today, I made a very beachy looking batt with blues, greens, and the odd little pops of colour and have started spinning it on my Woodland Handcraft cauldron spindle.

The more I work with spindles, the more I seem to fall even more in love with them. I find them very peaceful and almost meditative to spin on and I particularly enjoy the fact that I get to really savour spinning the fibre.

So this is my Sunday treat …. A little spinning in the garden. What are you doing?

FO Friday – Spindle Spun and Plyed

I had a sweet little spinning batt made by my fibre friend Sue in my stash that I was saving for something special.

This was the perfect fibre for spinning on one of my support spindles as I get to slow down and really savour spinning it. For the fibre blend, I have no idea what is in it but it is soft, woolly, and I love alllllll the colors.

The singles were handspun on my Tibetan support spindle and I chose to ply it using my Dealgan. Both spindles are from Fox Mountain Spindles and are beautifully made. They are such a treat to use!

I’m very happy with the finished yarn too. It is a fingering weight 2 ply and it shows off all the pops of color so well. I have no idea what I want to make with it yet … for now I’m just content squishing it and daydreaming.

FO Friday – Solastalgia Hat and East Friesian Yarn

Today, I have TWO finished objects to share with you!

First up is the Solstalgia Hat by Heather Nolan of Oileánach Knits. This was a test knit (the date of release is TBA) and the third test knit that I have had the opportunity to do with them.

The pattern calls for fingering weight yarn(my favourite weight of yarn 😉) so I opted to stash dive for this test knit. I had a few contenders yarn-wise for this project but settled upon some of my leftover Point Prim Sock in Slate and some Hillesvåg Ullvarefabrikk Vilje . My other options were ALSO Point Prim Sock in a few different colorways but the Slate definitely won for this project.

The pattern a very straightforward knit and the directions are easy to follow. I did have to drop several needle sizes to make gauge for the colorwork but the motifs were easily memorized.

If you are interested in knitting your own Solstalgia Hat, I encourage you to follow Heather’s Instagram page for updates on pattern availability. I believe the pattern release will be fairly soon.

Second up for finished objects this week is my first 4oz bump of fibre from The Long Way Homestead breed specific fibre club.

This is the lovely East Friesian that I had posted about in a previous WIP Wednesday post.

I chose to spin mine as a 2 ply using supported long draw. I have to say, the fibre prep for this particular bump was fantastic. It spun up SO smoothly and long draw was almost effortless. As some of you may recall, I’m a die-hard worsted style spinner who has been working toward getting better at woollen style spinning. This project was such a confidence boost to my experiments in woollen. My singles are consistent and the finished yarn is just on the cusp of sport weight, which makes me a happy spinner indeed!

How about you? Did you finish up any projects this week? Have you been making any progress in crafting techniques that you’ve been working on learning? I’d love to hear!

WIP Wednesday – Rideau Arcott

I’ve been very much enjoying my subscription to Long Way Homestead’s fibre club.

Each month, members receive 4oz of breed specific fibre from small Canadian flocks. This month’s breed is Rideau Arcott.

While it appears to be more of a medium grade wool, it is soft and almost down-like and it spins up like a dream.

I have chosen to spin my bump as a higher twist 2 ply with the intent to weave with it. I like my handspun for warps to be able to withstand the abrasion from the reed, so that little bit of extra twist does the trick.

Since I have been doing a fair amount of spinning on support spindles recently, I decided to change it up a bit and brought out my Electric Eel wheel for a play. I’m alllllmost finished spinning up the first half of the fibre. Time sure flys when you’re having fun!

What are you working on? Do you switch up which tools you’re using for variety too? I’d love to hear!

WIP Wednesday – East Friesian

It has been a while since I’ve been a member of a fibre club and I’ve been missing it.

When I first started spinning, one of my best decisions was to join up with a fibre club …. Each month I received a 4oz bump of breed specific spinning fibre in a fun colorway with tips and tricks for spinning. This exposed me to a whole assortment of breed specific wools and wool blends and community to share the finer details of spinning as well as fun projects everyone was making with that month’s selection. It vastly expanded my spinning skills and fibre knowledge and gave me the confidence to deep dive into all things woolly.

Flash forward to many (MANY!) years later and I was craving some of that fun again. Thanks to Nikki from Knitting with Cat Hair Podcast, I discovered the Long Way Homestead and their Breed of the Month fibre subscription. Each month, subscribers receive 4oz of breed specific fibre in a natural color from a Canadian source along with an info card. The info card includes helpful notes about the breed, where this particular fibre shipment comes from within Canada, and tips for spinning and best uses for the wool/finished yarn.

My first shipment is East Friesian from Les Bresbis du Beauivage in Quebec. It is perfectly creamy white, a bit toothy and just up my alley! I’ve decided to spin it long draw for a woollen style yarn and have chosen a 2 ply for the finished yarn. The fibre prep is fabulous! It drafts soooo easily and makes long draw a real treat. I’m very much looking forward to seeing what the finished yarn looks like. Spinning the fibre has been a real pleasure!

I have approximately one ounce left to spin before I embark on plying but it has been going very quickly!

Have you spun East Friesian? Are you a member of a breed specific fibre or yarn club? Do you love it? I’d love to hear!

WIP Wednesday – Time To Ply

I’ve been spending my quiet moments spinning away on my Tibetan spindle (and might have acquired two more support spindles) and have reached the point of plying.

This dealgan was a purchase from several years ago and is made by Fox Mountain Spindles. It is a traditional Scottish whorl-less spindle that has been used historically for both spinning and plying. I figured that this would be the PERFECT spindle for doing my current project. I love the rhythm and speed of plying and it certainly flys on the spindle. It certainly helps when you love the fibre tools you’re using also 😉

Do you use a dealgan? If so, do you spin with it, ply with it, or both?

FO Friday – Luscious Llama

Today, I proudly get to share with you my first support spindle spun skein!

This beautiful fibre was a gift from Amanda of Red Island Fibre and it was grown at Maple River Farm in Nova Scotia. I knew it needed to be something special! It was the perfect fibre for spinning on my Tibetan support spindle.

I’m very happy with how it spun up too. I ended up with 358 yards for 47g of fibre …. Putting it well within the Laceweight range. It is soft, drapey, and I love the soft natural café au lait color. I have no idea what it wants to be yet but I know that it will be something cozy and light.

I’ll end the post here with a little peek from my ruck this morning. Happy Friday all!

WIP Wednesday – Swooning over Support Spindling

Well, it is safe to say that I’ve fallen head-over-heels for support spindle spinning. It took me a little bit to catch on to this method of spinning but now that I’ve got it, I’m really enjoying it.

I enjoy the slower pace and intentionality to spinning in this manner. I find I get to savour the process and enjoy my spinning fibre even more. It is quiet, peaceful, and meditative. I look forward to spinning on my support spindle a little bit each day. Some days I spend an hour and others I spend only five minutes. It is a little crafty treat that I look forward to each day.

Do you have any crafts like that? What processes or crafts do you find meditative? I’d love to hear.