I've been busy!

[AnnClaire]

First, I made a Crochet page on facebook finally:

https://www.facebook.com/CountryClairesCrochetElegance

Then, I went to the craft show my fiber guild put on and did this:

using this:

From this:

with one of these:

 

[Kyle@theWintertime]

VERY, VERY COOL. Those are some AMAZING looking drop-spindles, btw!!! So jealous!!!!!

 

[Miss M]

Oh, wow! What beautiful yarn, from a beautiful bun!

 

[AnnClaire]

Kyle,

Those are Kundert Spindles and he sells at a very, very reasonable rate! http://kundertspindles.com/

 

[Kyle@theWintertime]

OMG, thank you!!! My drop spindle is a cheap piece of crap and I've been struggling with it, these look so attractive and well-made...I think on my next cheque I will totally get one. Thanks for the link!!!

 

[skysthelimit]

Oh wow! I hope my crocheting gets that good someday. I really liked the fingerless gloves.

 

[AnnClaire]

Weeeellll, I do have a few videos on youtube that I did for another lady about the mechanics of forming the stitches and "translating" vintage patterns if you want to take a look

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cERQoulWDPs[/youtube]

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w2VkaIGkSeo[/youtube]

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

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lHe2hBwy76k[/youtube]

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=awbArfMBpYc[/youtube]<br /><br />__________ Tue Feb 19, 2013 5:04 am __________<br /><br />Kyle, I am glad you like his beauties and you will absolutely have to post a photo of your spindle(s) when you get them I am thinking I need a few more just because he makes such beautiful creations

Also, Kyle and Sky, what colors of angora do you have? You know, you really need a white one so you can branch out into Kool Aid dyeing ... but the other colors look really interesting for overdying too :cheesysmile:

 

[mystang89]

:? :? :? :? :? :? You have more talent in your thumb than I have in my entire body when it comes to doing that. I haven't a clue what you just did from what to where and back again. My brain hurts from trying to watch that.

 

[Kyle@theWintertime]

I totally just cut my Angora herd down to one doe. My one doe is pointed though so almost all of her wool is white. I do have a bunch of black/gray wool and various brownish shades too, but their wool was never as nice as Miss Nosey Doe, my pointed one. She's a riot.

But alas, had to downsize and I have so much less time for spinning/knitting/crocheting due to school.

 

[MaggieJ]

AnnClaire, you do beautiful work! Thanks for posting about it. It's inspirational.

 

[skysthelimit]

All are white, though i am anxiously awaiting the arrival of the sable buck.

 

[AnnClaire]

Sky, I started with white also, and just acquired the black doe ... now I want one in blue, lavender, peach, etc.

Kyle, you are right, studies come first! But, you have spring break (when you will probably be building more outdoor cages?), then summer break so you might have a few minutes to finally get some spinning in?

I was at the VA for the ex's cortisone shot Wednesday and got about 4 hours of spindling in ... so now the cop is about 3x the size in the photo above. But, I have a hard time doing it in the house because I have a kitty that thinks the drop spindle is some new toy for him to play with :cheesysmile:

Oh, well, sooner or later we will get it worked out to where he lets me spin uninterrupted ... I hope

 

[skysthelimit]

I am really surprised Phoenix leaves me alone while I spin. The sheep wool is probably too clean for her taste.

 

[AnnClaire]

LOL!! She is probably a bit older than mine ... he's about 7 months old now and still into pouncing on anything new or moving ... all my bunny baskets and boxes have pieces of cage wire over the top to keep him out!

 

[KKRabbitry]

Wow! I'm impressed........I don't know how you keep your yarn so neat and uniform.
Mine is always so lumpy and bumpy :shock:
Your black Angora looks fabulous by the way!

 

[AnnClaire]

KKR, it sure didn't look that way last year! But I got a good bit of advice ... once you learn the motions and can get a good bit of drop to your spindle, PUT IT DOWN for a while. When you pick it back up, you should find a great improvement in how fine you can spin your fiber. I didn't intend to put it down for almost a year, but that is what happened and ya coulduv knocked me over with a feather when I saw how fine my single was down to!

Oh, and I replaced the Ashford spindle I was learning on with the Kunderts ... this is the Ashford with my first spinning from last year:

 

[ohiogoatgirl]

hahaha i'm drooling over the evenness as well! i taught myself on a drop spindle i made myself. then someone gave me a cheap one and though it spins longer i dont really like either of them too much.
i got a cheap wheel on ebay... ugh... i havent used it in months because i about break it to bits out of frustration. it just doesnt work correctly. should have waited and saved up for a good wheel. which i'm doing now.

but of course i had to get an angora rabbit in the mean time :roll: :mrgreen:

 

[skysthelimit]

I ordered the Louet, put it on layaway on Etsy. I am trying the JW on the drop spindle, and I keep dropping it!!!!
I tried to start the Angora on the broken Saxony wheel, and it worked That just wet my appetite for more angora and a working wheel.

 

[AnnClaire]

Sky, like my fiber group friend says, that is why it is called a drop spindle

What I would suggest is to fluff the fiber you hold in your hand and to start with a smaller tuft ... and let a LOT of spin build up before you let it into the drafting triangle. And you really, truely only need a few fibers to make the single ... as you can see from my last year's spinning, I am a WHOLE LOT smaller now

Another friend in the fiber group says that angora neeeeeeeds some overspin and that if you aren't breaking the single, then you are not overspinning the single too much.

__________ Wed Feb 27, 2013 10:14 pm __________

:congratulations: on the Louet!!! I hope you like it a lot!!! :congratulations: