Rocking Circle P

Rocking Circle P is my small farm in Northeastern rural Utah. We're a small fruit, nut and fiber farm.

Thursday, July 14, 2005

It's really truly YARN:

My spinning started in the spring of 2004. I
purchased some cheap roving to start learning on. I had just gotten my new Kromski Minstrel and was anxious to make yarn. Well it takes a while to get the foot thing going with the hand thing and it's not a perfect yarn. At our winter retreat for my local spinning guild, I finally became comfortable with the rhythm of the treadles and the draft of the fiber. So, I call this my attempt at novelty yarn. I really don't care it's mine and I made it.

It's not so bad that I can't knit something out of it and if it turns out bad.... felt it.
Felting cures all mistakes....Right!

This has been such a great learning experience for me. I spun several bobbins of this yarn and had them laying around because I had never plied before. So, my first plying was not performed until May of 2005. It's not perfect yet either. I want to try the Navajo plying, but I'm a bit hesitant and fearful to try just yet.

Also, I didn't realize that you had to set the twist. So that's why I'm showing off my first yarn now. It just dried from having the twist set. You can see some of the telephone cord affect of the yarn in the this picture. Something to remember and laugh about in the future.


The Dog Days of Summer:
It's been sooooo HOT! Here. I have been able to produce a few fibers. I need to take my wheel outside and spin in the shade of the tree, but I don't want to get my wheel all dirty. My latest yarn is pictured. This was a cheap roving of variegated "Range Sheep". It was purchased to give me more fiber to learn on and it was really cheap ($3.60). It should make some nice socks or maybe some warm mittens, as there is only 4 ounces of it.

I'm not sure how to ply a variegated yarn so you can get the same color combinations plying together. I've been advised that Navajo plying is best, but I'm still not sure I want to try that yet. Would truly like to have someone who is experienced close at hand when I try that ply.

What I tried this time seemed logical. I separated the roving into pencil rovings. Then divided those it into equal parts to be spun onto 2 bobbins. Then ply from the 2 bobbins. As I said the concept is logical, but in reality it did not turn out quite the same.

Well, I'm off to set the twist on this one and play at my first dyeing. Kool-aid where are you.

Happy Spinning Everyone.

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