April 7, 2016

Today I worked on spinning up some samples of Leicester Longwool.  A friend had given me a little less than an ounce, and she wanted to see how I'd spin as a 2-ply, laceweight, for a lace shawl application.  My goal was to spin a fine, smooth yarn, taking into consideration how long each sample took me to make (I was helping her make batts yesterday for her business and took way too long to make the first one, so I figured it'd be fun to see how efficient I can be with my spinning!)

The fiber is prepared as roving, and has some texture (nepps) to it, not to mention some vegetable matter.  Not a lot, but enough.  It's hard to see in this photo, but trust me, there's some there.  (You can see it a bit better if you click on the picture to enlarge.)

In hindsight, I should have spun the fiber just as is first, before playing around with changing the preparation.  But I guess I anticipated the roving prep to not be ideal for a fine, smooth laceweight yarn, and I wanted to really see what this fiber could do at its best.  For a smooth, fine, laceweight, it really made the most sense to me to comb it to remove the nepps, vm, and shorter fibers.  I divided the sample roughly in half.  The first half I combed on my Valkyrie ExtraFine combs, making just two tranfers.  This resulted in quite a bit of waste, (about 5 grams) but I wanted to be efficient and get the best quality wool, not necessarily the most wool.  Anyways, they'll grow more!

The combed prep was divine to spin.  It easily spun into a fine, smooth singles that just shined.  Plied back on itself, I got ~33 yards (unwashed) in 7 grams.  It's definitely laceweight, at 20 wraps per inch.  This yarn took me 50 minutes from start to finish.   I wish I had broken down the total time into time spent on prep and time spent spinning & plying.  This sample had the most yardage, but I think it was one of the fastest and most enjoyable to spin, since I didn't spend any time picking out nepps or vm, and the fibers just flowed.  I personally enjoy combing and think the time spent in that extra step was well worth it.  I'd happily knit a shawl with this yarn, and I would consider it an heirloom.

First sample: 2-ply, 20 wraps per inch, combed prep

The remaining half of the sample I planned to spin as is, in the roving form, nepps and vm included.   Compared to the combed top, I really had to fight with the roving to get it fine and smooth.  It didn't draft as nicely, and I had to either stop frequently to pick out nepps/vm or just let them be part of the yarn.  I knew it wasn't turning out nearly as nice as the combed top and quickly grew frustrated with it.  I felt like the fiber was just telling me this isn't how it was supposed to be spun, and I agreed with it.  So I stopped before finishing the roving and plied it back on itself.  I ended up with 18 yards, unwashed, in 7 grams.  This yarn ended up approximately 15 wraps per inch, so more of a fingering to sport weight.  It took me 28 minutes, start to finish.  It's an okay yarn, more slubby and uneven than the combed sample.  It would make a decent lace shawl, but I know the yarn could be so much better, the fiber has so much potential, and I just think this yarn doesn't quite do it justice, so I'm not entirely happy with it.  Additionally, the spinning process was not enjoyable; it just didn't flow for me.  I wonder if I had spun this prep first, before the lovely combed top, I might have disliked it less?

Second sample: 2-ply, 15 wraps per inch, roving prep

I really didn't think the roving prep was suited to a fine smooth lace yarn, but I wanted to give the roving a second chance at being a thicker, woolier yarn, so I spun the last few grams thicker, letting the fiber and fiber prep dictate how thick to spin.  I barely fussed with vm or nepps this time around, and tried to enjoy the spin more.  It was more enjoyable for me to spin the roving at this thickness, as it just seemed more suitable for the preparation and I wasn't fighting so hard to make it thinner than it wanted to be.  Plied, it's still got some unevenness and slubs, but the thickness of the yarn seems to hide the slubs better than in the thinner second sample.  This sample was just 11.5 yards, 6 grams, and approximately 11 wraps per inch (dk to worsted weight).  It took just 15 minutes from start to finish.  I do like this yarn, better than the second sample.  I feel like the thickness embraces and works with the roving prep better.  This fiber isn't next-to-skin soft for me, but I'd definitely enjoy using this yarn in some outerwear or home goods application.  There's just enough unevenness to be charming, I think.

Third sample: 2-ply, 11 wraps per inch, roving prep

My spinning speed averaged 38-46 yards of finished yarn per hour.  The sample that took the longest in yards per minute was actually the second sample (38.5 yds/min), where I tried to spin a fine smooth yarn with the roving prep.  Surprisingly, the first sample (39.5 yds/min), where I first combed the roving and then spun a fine smooth yarn, resulted in almost the same yards per minute, even given the extra preparation time!  Definitely worth that extra step, in my opinion!  The final sample, spun as roving, thicker, was the fastest at 46 yds/min.

It was an interesting experiment, and I hope my friend finds it useful, but even if she doesn't, it was enlightening to me!

Photo of the three samples together: top is first, middle is second, bottom is third.

April 4, 2016

I've lived in New York City now for just over two years now, but it's just been in the last few months that it's started to feel like home.  For one thing, the trains hardly phase me any more.  I used to get so anxious riding them--every noise or movement that seemed remotely weird made me panic (so yeah, perpetual panic, not fun), not to mention all the other people and what they might suddenly do while we're trapped here together.  I'm getting into the city more too, and getting more comfortable with the routes there--I think I kind of, sort of, almost, maybe have the Upper West Side figured out, haha, until the weekend hits and they do all sorts of crazy stuff to confuse me.

Transportation aside, a sense of home has come in many ways.  I've finally made some friends that I hang out with consistently at a yarn shop every week, though we meet there for spinning.  I've been volunteering with GallopNYC, which rocks my world in a way I did not see coming (I wanted to be around the horses, originally, but it's the kids that keep me coming back).  New York Insight Meditation Center is also coming to be my spiritual home.  I've gone on Sunday evenings to the Generation Meditation and Insight Dialogue in the city, and I look forward to the every-other-week Monday meetings of the sweet little Queens sangha.  I've also finally found a really great therapist (no shame, I'll admit it I do therapy) with whom I really "click".  If only I had made all these connections when I first moved here!  The connections and activities don't pay my rent or groceries; they don't fill my bank account, but they fill my soul.  And I think it was really a struggle to seek and maintain employment with a half-empty soul.  Something to keep in mind for the next move.

 On to lighter, fluffier topics!  I've been spinning lots...

FatCatKnits "Seth" (Day's End) on vBFL

Blue Mountain Handcrafts "I See Fire" + "Appleton" on Merino & Cormo, with lots of add ins

More FatCatKnits, "Sea Anemone" + "Cinnamon Clownfish" (club colorways) on SW BFL/nylon/bamboo

FiberRiot "Madly, Deeply" on 50/50 Merino/Yak

Hipstrings Buoy sampler (half of it).  Blend of Shetland, BFL, and Manx Loaghtan.  Colors are "Beacon" (yellow), "Sea Star" (orange), and "Otter" (taupe)

Happy sigh!  I couldn't pick a favorite.  They're each lovely and beautiful and fun in their own way.  (This is why I am hopelessly drowning in fiber--I love all of it, all the colors, all the fiber bases.)

I've been knitting too--a scarf pattern called Hallayö (whoo, look I made an ö! ALT + 0246, all pressed at once) using some ooold yarn dyed by a friend.  I'd attempted this pattern and yarn before and it did NOT work for me.  Turns out there are some errors in the pattern.  They're mentioned in the notes on the Ravelry page, but the PDF still contains the errors, so watch out for that.  Anyways, I'm almost done and playing yarn chicken--I've got 10 grams of yarn left, and quite a few rows to do!  I plan to put in a couple lifelines between pattern repeats so that if I run short, I can rip back and do fewer repeats.  This is a pretty crappy picture of the scarf, since it's not blocked yet and the lace doesn't show well, but it's proof that I'm working on it (and nearly done!)

Whoo, that's a bad picture, sorry!

In other news, I've started jogging again, in an attempt to train my butt into good enough shape to manage a 5K.  This is only the 3rd or 4th (or maybe 5th, haha) time I've started the training.  Maybe I'll finish it this time, lol.  I'm optimistic, given I've been at it two weeks so far, and I have lots of weeks left before it gets unbearably hot (good timing, Colleen!)  I'd like to aim for a 5K in June, but I'm not confident enough (that I'll follow through with the training) yet to sign up for it.  I know, if I signed myself up, maybe that would light a fire under me and keep me on track with the training...or maybe I'd quit like every other time and feel even worse at the money wasted on an entry fee.  I'm going to give it a few more weeks and see how it goes!

March 12-13, 2016

Cotton!  For the handspinner (or at least, for this handspinner!), cotton is pretty intimidating.  It's has a very short staple (length of fiber), which makes it challenging to spin.  I've tried it a few times in the past, and it's always beaten me--the yarn breaks immediately, and I give up in frustration after a few minutes.  I may be easily frustrated, but I'm also really really stubborn and I can't stand to give up on something that I know can be done--if others can do it, so can I, dammit!

I had the great gift to be in the right place/right time recently to learn from someone who really knows how to spin cotton.  She's a member of the spinning group I just joined in January, and she is just a master of cotton.  Plus, she's sweet & generous and a natural, patient teacher.  I've noticed before that just because a person has proficiency in something, doesn't mean they can teach it, but Tara has it and can do it, and I'm so grateful that she took the time to show me the basics!

Part of my issues with spinning cotton in the past was that I wasn't really starting with the easiest setup.  I tried spinning sliver on my wheel, which, while it can be done, just makes a challenging task even more challenging.  Much easier, Tara told me, to start with seed or ginned cotton on a teeny little tahkli support spindle.  Indeed!  I spun cotton!  It wasn't too pretty, but the yarn didn't break every inch!

Immediately after my lesson with Tara, I had to buy some supplies (*grins* New toys!)  I got a sweet little Mistral tahkli from Hipstrings on Etsy with a pretty primrose etched design.  You can see the original photo here.  I also got some seed cotton from her to practice with.  It's probably obvious to everyone else that "seed cotton" is cotton with the seeds still in it (duh).  I don't know what I was thinking, but I guess I wanted to believe the seeds had been removed.  Oh well, they're actually a piece of cake to separate from the cotton, and it's a surprisingly fun activity, seeing the pile of pure fluff grow, and the seeds, well, they just amaze me.  I'm so clueless I didn't realize the seeds were fuzzy.  It's strange to think of a seed as being adorable, but these little guys are like seedy teddy bears (ha, that doesn't sound right, but you get the point!)

A picture of my new stash & process...

Obviously the spindle (with a bit of spun cotton on it--proof!  I can spin cotton!) and the glass bowl I spin it in are on the left (the bottom point of the spindle is super pointy & sharp and is best supported by a hard surface).  At the center top is the cotton I pulled from the seeds, ready to spin.  At the right is cotton still on the seeds, and the center(ish) bottom is the fluffy teddy bear cotton seeds, with as much cotton removed as I could.  I told you they were adorable!

That's about all I've got to show so far.  I'm trying to practice on this a little every day.  It's going to take a while, I imagine, before I'm spinning pretty cotton yarn, but practice is the only way.  (Wow, that sounds very zen, haha.)

March 9, 2016

Hooray!  A finished scarf!  I blogged about this a couple weeks ago, and finally got myself together and finished it.  I'm SO thrilled with it!  It is beautiful and luxurious and I'm more than a little proud ;)

The yarns are a mix of commercial and my own handspun, fiber content is silk, wool, baby alpaca, and baby kid mohair.  Sigh, it's dreamy!  Over 100 inches long, it's nearly weightless--just 2.2 ounces.  The colors are soft and feminine, and the open weave makes it perfect for spring/summer/fall wear. 


I wish I had more to write about this, but it just leaves me speechless.  I wish I could take all the credit for it, but there are so many people who have inspired and taught and encouraged me to get to this point, in weaving and in life.  I feel really grateful to have so many friends, so much support.

March 8, 2016

Second time volunteering with GallopNYC.  I’m totally a fish out of water there!  Horses, I get, but kids with disabilities are totally foreign to me.  I don't know any of their diagnoses, and I suppose it really doesn't matter.  I talked with the volunteer coordinator about this, and it seems like putting a label on the kids might just limit my view of them or make me expect them to act a certain way and be capable of only certain things.  And even from the last week to tonight, I could see that each kid was a little different. Some were more talkative, or less; some were more easily frustrated, or more focused or less calm.  I suppose they're just like me in that sense: every day is different.  The horses too.  Popcorn seemed testy and edgy last night, but last week I didn't notice anything off about her.  It's probably best to approach these kids, the horses, and myself, with an open mind--a beginner's mind!  And just be open to the possibilities.

I think the older kids, the ones who seem to have more "severe" disabilities are the hardest for my heart to figure out.  I've never had experience with kids who can't or don't talk.  It breaks my heart a little, not to be able to communicate with them--well, in the way I'm most used to communicating, that is, verbally.  I worry that I'm not treating them in the "right" way, or that I might be babying them in some way.   Maybe they understand me more than I think?  I try to keep them safe and encourage and praise them for whatever they can do.  And I think about their parents, and about what I'd do if I ever had a child with that kind of disability, and it just hurts.  On the other hand, the kids who have very limited communication, every last one of them always seems really happy.  They smile and laugh and clap their hands, make happy sounding noises.  I hope they are happy; it makes me happy.  I often feel uncomfortable and slightly off-balance, but in a really good way, in a way that stretches me and will make me grow and evolve, I’m sure.  I'm so grateful for this opportunity.

March 6, 2016

Had a lovely afternoon-that-stretched-to-evening with my spinning friends.  When I got to Knitty City, I was surprised to see everyone spinning on support spindles--most of us usually spin on drop spindles (or wheels, but they aren't so portable).  Someone explained that they were doing this in honor of Tara, who will be moving to Indiana in two weeks.  She's a big fan of support spindles and spins cotton, no less!  I've tried both, briefly, and gave up on both, quickly, haha.  When I met Tara just a month ago, her reputation of proficiency in spinning cotton preceded her, and I hoped to pick her brain a little.  I would have preferred to get to know her better before begging her to share her knowledge and skills with me, but time is short (so is cotton, haha).  Thankfully, another friend lent me a support spindle, and Tara generously shared some cotton with me, then explained very clearly how to get started.  And I did it!  I never would have guessed I'd be able to spin cotton.  I know people do it, but I just kind of held this belief that it was really impossible.  With Tara's guidance, it really wasn't too bad.  I was, of course, hooked.  I have so little willpower when it comes to new crafts!  So when I got home I immediately ordered a similar spindle and some cotton from Hipstrings.  It should be here tomorrow--yay!  I wish I had taken a picture of my cotton spinning, to prove I did it!  Oh well, soon I'll have more to show.  Stay tuned!

March 2, 2016

Yesterday I did my first volunteering session with GallopNYC (therapeutic horseback riding lessons for children and adults with disabilities).  First, it was totally surreal to be at a barn with horses in New York City.  This place is about a mile from my apartment, and...boy is it just strange.  When I left, it was so weird to walk half a block and be at a busy gas station, city buses and traffic galore streaming past; if I didn't smell the lovely horse scent on my hands, I'd have not believed it.

Hands.  The other night I was at a meditation where the teacher was talking about loving kindness, or metta.  I've been trying to practice metta towards myself the past few days, and I'm trying to start small, with something I don't have trouble loving.  Knowing all my own faults and flaws, it can be hard to feel like I deserve loving kindness, so I started just extending metta toward...my fingernails.  I mean, surely they are deserving of peace, safety, happiness, and joy, right?  I know, it's a bit silly.  I even kind of laughed at myself, wondering if my fingernails would feel the goodness I am sending them, and if they would somehow respond by growing extra long and healthy, haha.  Oh wait, am I trying to get something out of this meditation?   Gotta let go of that goal :P  Then I moved on to feeling metta toward my fingers.

And last night, I tried to extend loving kindness to my whole hand.  Surprisingly, that's where I got hung up.  I started thinking about all the things my hands have done in the past 33 years.  They played beautiful (and sometimes not) music on the flute, typed legal documents for a criminal defense lawyer, shaken hands with hundreds of people, turned tens of thousands of pages in books.  Written love letters, condolence letters, letters of resignation.  They've made IV medication for sick patients that maybe helped save lives, or maybe didn't.  They've knitted and crocheted probably a million stitches--shawls, scarves, hats, sweaters, socks--for myself, family and friends, and strangers.  They've signed checks and endorsed checks; they've picked up pennies off the ground (hey, they add up over time, and rent is wicked expensive).  My hands have picked up dog poop, scooped cat litter, vacuumed, washed dishes, folded laundry, cleaned the bathroom (infrequently, admittedly).  My hands have put a ring on another person's finger¹.  They have planted seeds, harvested fruits and vegetables, and turned compost.  They've filled out entirely too much paperwork (!) and signed releases of liability (yes, I understand horses can be dangerous and could kill me; yes, I agree not to sue GallopNYC for harm that might come to me while volunteering).  They've put entirely too many cookies in my mouth, and probably too few fruits and vegetables :P

My hands have been tools that I don't give much thought to.  They've done a lot of good things for myself and others, and some not so good things.  They've probably missed opportunities to do more good for the world, but they've still got time.  I suppose my hands are a pretty good place to really focus some loving kindness, and be more mindful about what they are doing or not doing.

P.S. I was trying to find an interesting and appropriate photo to include with this post.  Something of my hands, doing something.  I found the expected photos of my hands spinning yarn or knitting or crocheting, petting a cat or dog, etc.  But I think this one is quite unexpected and a bit fun: my hands, weilding a chainsaw at the Becoming an Outdoors Woman (BOW) workshop in Tomahawk, WI back in 2013.  It wasn't our first choice class, but it was pretty awesome to try, once, haha.  They instilled a good fear/respect for the chainsaw in the classroom before we got to use one.  My hands also practiced archery, sewing racoon fur mittens, and climbing 40 feet into a pine tree at the workshop.  Dang, I need to do another BOW!  It was so great to do something totally outside my normal.  Thanks to my sister, Beth, for taking this photo.

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1 And, painfully, removed a ring from my own finger years later.