Time passes so quickly

PSFAngoras":2wvvdj46 said:

On a side note, Hubby will be helping me learn a little blacksmithing so I can start making drop spindles with hand forged spindle parts, so they'll be super sturdy. Still have to figure out what I'm going to do for the whorl, but probably some scroll saw work. I'll post pics when I figure it out. Hoping to sell them on etsy eventually, but I have to figure out how to make them first!!

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That sounds absolutely gorgeous!!! There are so many skills I still want to learn, blacksmithing being one of many. My woodworking skills are ok, but I want to eventually get a lathe, too, so I can expand my skills (plus, solid turned drop spindles sound scrumptious).

I’d love to see the finished product, a metal spindle sounds really cool. I'm also thinking with a combination of a wooden whorl and metal shaft the resulting spindle could have a very cool steampunk look to it. ldtimer:

I wonder if with a little blacksmithing know-how you could also make your own parts to drive a spinning wheel? I don’t know the name of the bits that are currently coming to mind, but predominately those bent metal bars that attach the pedals to the wheel and so on...

opcorn:

Nymphadora:

With enough creativity, you don't even need blacksmithing skills to make those parts... The husband and I refurbished an antique wheel this summer, and made footmen, new flyers, bobbins, shafts, and bushings using a hodgepodge of casting, epoxy, pressure fitting and heat-toughening techniques.

It, of course, doesn't look quite as polished as blacksmiths work, but the wheel went from "pile of scrap lumber" to spinning tool so we're calling it a win.

I agree with Ferra, you can easily make that stuff with just a smattering of modern fabrication techniques. Most steel rod can be heated with a propane torch and bent with a vise and a small handheld sledgehammer, no forge or anvil needed. And even beyond that, you can usually find a way to make things work with a little sheet metal, nuts, bolts, and a drill.

Thank you both for the extra knowledge/help!

I'll start looking around for some bits and bobs, although it's hard to do certain projects where we are right now because, well, we aren't the only ones in the house. And I'm just not comfortable having my various projects spill all around the place here. It was different when we were in our own apartment, but I can't leave stuff on the table now. Although I was told several times "please, it's not a bother, go ahead and use this room [a spare bedroom that's been converted into an office space] whenever you want to do crafts"... two days later (in the middle of a project) I come home from work to see the table space has been "reorganized". Darn near gave me a heart-attack when I walked in to see things moved around.

I'm really looking forward to diving into spinning though! I'm not the most skilled in knitting, but I crochet when I get the urge, and I loom knit (especially around the holidays). So there will be uses for yarn. Or I can try to sell some at the senior center when they hold craft fairs. Who knows, maybe this is the beginning of a grand venture (doubt it, but it's fun to dream). :lol:

That is the best thing about spindles, they are so portable and can "live" in a carry bag with a bit of fiber, while the rest of the fiber hides in a drawer or closet LOL

My spinning guild friend sells cute carry bags with a spindle and some fiber (she makes her own spindles!!!) and you can see her stuff at ThePurpleStarfish on Facebook to get some ideas or just buy a kit from her as they are very reasonably priced! It can hang on a door knob when not in use, or from your wrist while in use!

I should live closer I have lots of wool from our sheep at sharing time. We have black sheep too.

oohhhh Karen. We will just all have to take a spin through New Zealand. LOL! When is shearing season??

SixGun":xkobw118 said:

oohhhh Karen. We will just all have to take a spin through New Zealand. LOL! When is shearing season??

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:yeahthat:
:lol:

I do want to visit New Zealand, anyway... and maybe it's better to do that before we're entirely settled in to a house and homesteading... I could even pick up an Ashford spinning wheel in person, they're from New Zealand, aren't they? :mrgreen:

Come visit your welcome anytime we live near Hobbiton so plenty of places to visit lol every 6 months is shearing. We can always keep some for anyone visiting anytime

Just wanted to add a couple more pics.

Cotton


Shetland


Ghost (new buck) comfy on break


Me and my boy Apache (buck growing out)


Hope (new Grand Champion doe)


Crystal (new doe)


Latte (new doe)


Alouette (miss this girl)


Avalanche taking a nap


Some of my different wool yarns

Beautiful!!!

Gorgeous, SixGun!!! :in_love:

Nymphadora":1uv9bp20 said:

Nope, unfortunately Southern California is severely lacking in wool-producers.

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I wouldn't say that.
Pull up Youtube and search: brightpathvideo channel. also search: fibershed.

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rEJmXmTFpMg[/youtube]

http://www.fibershed.com/

The producer directory is new
http://www.fibershed.com/producer-directory/

Have you played with fiber or spinning at all before? I could send you some sample wools. PM me.

Thank you ohiogoatgirl! That video is incredible, thank you so much for sharing it! :in_love:

I've been playing around with spinning for the past month or so now, and I'm positively obsessed. I'll share some pictures of my progress once I've uploaded them to photobucket.

I would love to see others spinning!!

SixGun":1susk3i2 said:

I would love to see others spinning!!

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Just remember you asked for it when I went off the deep end, k? :lol:

So with DH's full support, I went ahead and bought an Ashford Kiwi spinning wheel a few weeks ago (it was my Valentine's Day gift, according to DH).


And boy oh boy have I gotten into this spinning hobby! One of my first yarns was for a friend of mine that wanted a forest green yarn with mottling. It was my first time dyeing yarn, too, so I had nerves like crazy that I was going to ruin it... but it came out wonderfully. :roll:


Then I dyed some roving and started spinning that...






And lastly I've dyed roving in 4 colors, separately, and begun blending them on a homemade (courtesy of DH again) hackle. Can't say I'm totally in love with the amount of fiber ends I'm still leaving on the hackle, but hopefully I'll get better with practice. :lol:







All in all, I think I tend to overtwist quite a bit, but I'm actually quite liking the finished product. Plus it's so much fun to dye and spin, and I think I'm gonna make some cute boot cuffs with a yarn I'm currently spinning that's all blue and purple/magenta.

Also, my apologies for lack of clearer pictures, these were taken with my phone camera since my good camera is currently buried in storage.

I don't have a lot of high-res, nicely arranged photos of my recent work, but I can offer a studio tour?

The chaos that is my desk, *sigh*


Recently spun yarns awaiting handling. (Icelandic 2 ply, superwash merino sock, cotton "laceweight", several master spinner assignments, and tucked in the back, Hand-dyed Finsheep. Kinda proud of that last one: Helped cut the fleece off the sheep, and then did everything else. )



The loom, with the handspun llama-lincoln rug in progress:


The fluff-wall. Last count was around 120 lbs of fiber and ?lbs of yarns

Ferra, that is DREAMY!!! Goodness, I’d love a studio like that (mess and all, you should see how much stuff goes flying around when I start a sewing project). The sheer amount of fiber… why, I think I may be drooling!

If I may ask, how much fiber do you usually spin into one skein? Does it depend on the project, do you try to stay within a range, or is it just however much will fit on a bobbin?

I’ve spun up a few skeins with 4 oz. of merino each, and I can’t help but feel I could fit a good bit more onto my bobbins, so next time I’m trying 6 oz.. The previous skeins are about 200 yds each, give or take a little given the thickness of the final yarn (plying from a center-pull ball, so all are 2 ply). I’m not sure if that’s a decent amount of yarn for a skein, or if I should be getting more… I did try to chain ply with one of my singles, but I was getting bumps wherever one of the loops came to an end and I had started the next, so I haven’t tried it again since (hope that made sense). If you have any suggestions to make the chain-ply smoother, I’d be all for giving it another chance. The smooth portions looked wonderful, and I’d like to learn how to improve it to be consistently smooth.

Again, beautiful little studio, I’m completely smitten. :in_love:

Oh I love love love the pictures. All the pics just make me so happy! I'm absolutely dead tired tonight after building new cages today or I would talk more and share pics of that enterprise. Hopefully tomorrow!

Nymphadora":2poh80hc said:

If I may ask, how much fiber do you usually spin into one skein? Does it depend on the project, do you try to stay within a range, or is it just however much will fit on a bobbin?

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It varies based on what tools I'm using, but I've done ity-bitty 10g (0.4oz) balls all the way up to a somewhat monstrous 225g (8oz) ball. This would be the place to butt in and claim that "I like big [yarn] balls" (Safe for Work, But Just Barely) , but it's not really true, I vary my sizes based on what I'm spinning and how much of it, and what tools I'm using for the work.

Nymphadora":2poh80hc said:

I did try to chain ply with one of my singles, but I was getting bumps wherever one of the loops came to an end and I had started the next, so I haven’t tried it again since (hope that made sense). If you have any suggestions to make the chain-ply smoother, I’d be all for giving it another chance. The smooth portions looked wonderful, and I’d like to learn how to improve it to be consistently smooth.

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I like chain ply, but in my personal experiences, I've found it works best for thinner yarns that are comparatively higher twist if you want the loops to blend smoothly. I've also found that thick'n'thin yarns can make it hard to hide those loops as well. I like it the best for making graduated 3-ply sock yarns, but in certain circles, that would be considered heresy. :lol: There are those who argue the connection loops are a weak point, and will make for less hardy socks. I haven't noticed that myself, but I've yet to science that particular notion all that thoroughly.

SixGun":2poh80hc said:

Oh I love love love the pictures. All the pics just make me so happy!

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Okay. Here. Have a 5oz pile of Finnsheep yarns? Bottle cap for scale? It's hard to express the soft-quoshy on this in text...