The Spindle Challenge - Part 1

Recently I have heard a lot discussion surrounding the usefulness of spindles.  There have been statements made that spindles are nice to have or collect or use for sampling, but they aren’t effective for getting anything done.

Really?

Perhaps I am a little biased, but I think spindles are very effective.  For thirteen years my only tools for spinning were spindles because I didn’t have room for a spinning wheel and honestly, I couldn’t afford a wheel at that time. I was in college and had student loans and rent. I spun a lot of yarn on my spindles.  Enough yarn to make matching hats and mitts, shawls, scarves, an afghan and may other things.

The last six years, I have spent a lot time spinning on my spinning wheel and for the last year, most of my spinning has been for homework for the OHS Spinning Certificate Program.  That is a lot of wheel spinning. 

The realization that I miss my spindles came to me while I was writing my research paper for the start of OHS Level 2.  My topic was to compare five different types of spindles.  It was amazing! I spent a few months just with my spindles, but I wasn’t spinning for an end use.

So I decided to challenge myself this year, on top of homework, work, farm and a few other events that are coming up (more on those in future posts).

Shetland wool in three colours:  white, grey and
dark grey.

Challenge Rules

1.     I chose a little knitted bag in three colours from a back issue of Spin-Off Magazine (Summer 2006).

2.     My spinning time cannot interfere with obligations or daily duties (example: I cannot skip the dishes or the laundry to spin).

3.     I can only use one spindle to spin and ply with. Not one type of spindle, just one spindle.

4.     Only spinning and knitting time counts, not the fibre preparation time.

That’s it.

I combed through my stash of fibre and I came up with 3 different colours of Shetland wool.  I am using white, grey and dark grey.  The grey is already in roving form.  The dark grey and white are washed locks, so I just need to comb them, which I will do in the late afternoon and evenings when I do my other fibre prep.

Some of the tools I am using for the Spindle
Challenge. Forrester sheep spindle, pvc niddy
noddy, spinner's control card and wpi gauge/diz.

42 grams (1.5 ounces) of each colour should give me enough for the end result. The pattern only calls for 28 grams of each (1 ounce), but there should be enough for enough for three bags in alternate colours.  (It’s September and I am thinking about Christmas presents.)

My tools consist of my Forrester sheep spindle (24.5 grams), my wraps per inch gauge, my Hawkins mini combs, my diz and my niddy noddy.

My goal with this challenge is to reacquaint myself with my spindles and make useful items for the people that I care about. My spindles bring me comfort and peace when I use them.  This is a perfect opportunity to enjoy the little moments between the bigger moments of my daily life.

Stay tuned for the next post in this series where I discuss when I found the time to spindle spin for this challenge.  

Shaun the Sheep Movie - A Review

When a little sheep decides that the

routine of the farm is too boring, he takes a

day off and ends up

thinking outside the pasture.

The day starts out innocently enough when Shaun and the rest of his small flock conspire to escape the farmer by locking him in a trailer and spend a day watching movies, lounging on the couch and eating treats.  Things rapidly devolve and the plan goes downhill – literally - when the trailer rolls off the farm and into the Big City with the farmer inside.

Shaun packs up and heads into the city to find his farmer, and it isn’t long before the whole flock joins him.  During their adventures, the sheep befriend a little stray dog of undetermined breed, enjoy lunch

Shaun the Sheep Movie poster as
photographed outside the theatre at
Galaxy Cinemas in Peterborough, Ontario. 

in an upscale restaurant and discover their farmer in a surprising situation. Shaun guides his friends through the city streets, donning disguises and evading capture by the Animal Containment Unit, but the Big City just isn’t ready to cope with a flock of sheep running amok leaving chaos, mayhem and destruction in their wake. 

Done in the style of Wallace and Gromit, this clay animation movie by Aardman Animations had me laughing out loud at the antics of the sheep.  At times I found myself wondering if someone had installed cameras on my farm and was using my own little Shetlands as inspiration.  I was still giggling as I left the theatre.  Some of the best moments were the little side jokes and innuendos.

The film score had a delightful blend of upbeat music that perfectly punctuated the plot.  Musical performances included Shaun’s baa-baa-shop quartet that featured a beat-boxing sheep.  The talents of the Shaun and his friends have left me promising I will never again underestimate my own flock’s capabilities.

I am sure that I would have to see Shaun the Sheep Movie a couple more times to fully see and appreciate all the comedic subtleties.  It is highly recommended for an afternoon of lighthearted sheepy fun.

Creativity with a Ten-Year-Old

Spring has been busy this year – busier than normal.  It all started with spring shearing.  Who would have thought that eight Shetland sheep could create so much fuss?  It didn’t help that the weather didn’t cooperate either.  Every time we picked a date to shear, it rained for 4 or five days and then we had to wait another few days for the sheepies to dry out.  By that time, it was raining again. We did eventually get it done, and then the washing began.  Heavy work, and with the weather being fussy, I still have two Shetland fleeces waiting to be washed.

I have also been preparing for the OHS Spinning Certificate Program in August.  Level Two starts soon and I am completing my spindle research paper that is due the first day.  Not overly worried about comparing five types of spindles in 4-6 pages and showing spun samples.  I can do that.  It would be easier if I could dedicate 4-6 pages each individual spindle since there is so much information!

Last week, however, I took a five-day break from all of this fun.  My niece, Abigail, came to stay with us.  Abigail is 10 and in love with animals and spinning. She has been spinning with Nanny and I since she was an infant.  She started on our laps while we were at our wheels, and then a few years ago, Nanny put a spindle in her hands.  Abigail and I spent last week adventuring in fluff.

We started with sun tea. Dyeing wool locks in jars was a fascinating experience.  Abigail checked on the jars every hour or so to feel the temperature and to see if the water was clear

Sun tea dyeing in jars.

yet.  She couldn’t wait for the jars of wool to be completely saturated with colour.  That evening, we took the locks out of the jars, rinsed them and laid them on a screen to dry.

While the wool was drying the next day, we went for a lunchtime boat cruise on Stoney Lake.  Abigail was impressed with the sizes of the cottages and all of the rocky islands on the lake. The cottage shaped like a castle was her favourite.  Ice cream for a treat on the way home. I think Uncle Jeremy enjoyed that part the best.

We also did some wild tie-dyeing!  And I really mean wild.  That young lady proclaimed herself the Tie-Dye Queen and her t-shirts came out great!  She even did three pairs of

Tie-Dye Creations by Abigail.
One of a kind.

Granddad’s work socks because she felt he needed some colour in his life. While there was more dye on the shirts than on Abigail (which surprised me the way she was flinging the tie dye around), she was uninhibited in her application of colours and designs. I was impressed at her enthusiasm and attention span, considering the technological age we live in.

I gave her a pair of hand cards to try when the sun tea fibre was dry.  She took to carding so quickly and easily it was like she had been doing it all her life.  It brought a tear to my

Abigail hand carding.
What a natural!

eye more than once to see how happy she was.  I am sure that Nanny is smiling down on us.  She would have loved to see Abigail experiencing all this spinning and woolly fun.

And on the final day, Abby sat on the couch with her spindle, spinning away to Harry Potter movies.  My husband and my father laughed over that for all the times Mum and I sat spinning quietly with the Harry Potter movies running.  I guess a tradition was started and is being carried on.

Abigail went home with almost a pound of carded wool, her spindle, and some wonderful memories.

Everyone has been asking me if Abigail wore me out while she was here.  I would like to answer yes, but the truth is, she didn’t. I was busily creative during the days and slept well at night. It was a pleasure to have her with us.

I had a very good week with Abigail.  It reminded me to relax more with my spinning and my new life on the farm.  I am more interested now in being fearless and playing and trying new things.  No one told Abigail that carding or dyeing or spinning was difficult, so when she tried it, it wasn’t.  I hope I can approach fibre arts with that same outlook.  It will make the process much more enjoyable.

Rainbow wool from the sun tea
jars. Very pretty colours to spin.

Next week, Abigail’s younger brothers come to stay for a few days. Got a few things planned for them, including tie-dyeing. Hmmm… wonder if I will survive with these two.

Create a Sacred Spinning Space

When life gets busy with other obligations and promises, spinning may take a back seat and soon we notice a day or week or month has gone by and our spindles and spinning wheels are covered with a layer of dust.  This may bring up feelings of sadness for not spinning or guilt at leaving a project partially completed.  Those feelings can lead to resistance to coming back to our art.

Returning to spinning doesn’t have to be difficult, and with a little imagination, we can recapture that enthusiasm and create a sacred spinning space.

Change Your Wheel’s Geography

If you always spin in one corner of your basement family room, move upstairs near the living room window.  Or if you are tight on space you could turn your wheel to face a different direction.  The new orientation of your wheel may be just enough change that it catches your eye every day and pulls you back in for some quality fluff time.

A special space for spinning can make you
want to pick the fluff and find comfort.

Pretty Up Your Space

Is there room to add a small table with a lamp and a plant?  Even if your green thumb is really brown, a pot of pretty silk flowers might brighten up your space and encourage you to try new colour combinations with your spinning. Accessorize with a pretty bowl to hold your fibre so that you are excited to return to your spinning space.

Learn a New Spinning Technique

Trying something new is a great way to bust out boredom.  Have you always wanted to do core spinning or make a delicious boucle yarn? Take a class or buy a book or find instructions on the internet. Find a technique that grabs you and practice it until you get it. The possibilities are endless for you to try something new.

Whatever the reason that you have fallen off the spinning wheel, climbing back on should be fun.  Finding the inspiration to return to spinning can be difficult journey, but it is worth it if it means picking up our fibre and settling into the comforting rhythm of the wheel turning.

Spinning Custom Colours

As a fibre artist, I am always looking for the fibre that is just the right colour.  Only once have I found the perfect shades by chance.  Every other bundle of fibre was close but not quite, and even though I was able to spin and knit a lovely piece, I’ve always found it lacking something.

Then I learned dyeing and colour blending.  I was able to make my own custom colours and be more excited about the end result of my spinning.

Custom hand-painted fibre with colours
a customer chose from crayons.

The Work

Yes, creating my own custom colours means a number of extra steps, but it is a process I enjoy.  Colour theory and colour play makes me very happy.

The steps involve:

1. going through colour samples,

2. choosing a dominant colour and two or three complementary colours,

3. mixing the dyes,

4. filling the dye pots,

5. making fluff soup (that’s the fibre simmering away while my family knows the kitchen is tied up and they are likely on their own for dinner),

6. and waiting for everything to dry.

Then I get to spin.

Fluff of A Different Colour

I will admit that not everyone is interested in taking the time to dye their own fibre or maybe the thought of creating a fibre colour scheme intimidates them.

That is ok. That is why I am here.

I offer custom colour work for spinners and knitters (and for those of you who crochet too – I will never leave you out).

If you would like a custom colour I am happy to create it for you. I require a few things from you in order to get it done at a timely speed.

Your tasks are:

1. Bring a sample of what colours you want.  They can be in paint chip form, material swatches, your favourite sweater, a print photograph or whatever is inspiring your colours. (Please make sure the chips, swatches and photographs are at least 10cm X 10cm.)

2. Be prepared to leave them with me.  I will return them to you, unharmed, with your order.

3. Spend some time with me (15 minutes) going over your colours.  We will work together to create your custom fibre colour.

4. Be patient with the process.  I usually complete the colour order within 5 days and then I will hand it all to you within a week of you placing your order.

Colour blending inspired by a material swatch used in a
quilt made by my mother-in-law, Julia Lamperd.

I have a supply of natural fibre on hand that you can use for your custom order or you can bring your own.  Maybe you have that luscious white merino in your stash that you want to use for something special and this is the opportunity.

We all spin better when we have colours that make us happy.

Call me at (705) 934-4929 to set up your custom colour appointment.

May you always spin the colours of your dreams.