Picture Proof

[affreca]

Otherwise known as showing off. Or I could find charged batteries for the camera.

ETA: More pictures on affreca.com


First, my baby skein from class. I am proud that my skein was the longest of the class at a whopping 28 yards. I don't know what to do with it.



Next, my current project. I first learned to spin in high school, via the SCA. I found my first ball of single ply last time I was home. It has some mouse pee, so I'm not sure if I should get rid of it. About four summers ago I was retaught by a friend who had started a yarn and roving dyeing business. I bought a spindle from her partner and three lengths of roving from her. One got used up trying to learn to felt a hat, one I barely touched and one I managed to hand spin half of. The half spun is alpaca dyed with logwood, I think. Well, last night and this morning I managed to spin the other half on my fancy new wheel. Much faster. And I feel a lot more confident about consistency. I suspect it has something to do with not starting and stopping in order to wind on my finished ply.

So here's two bobbins worth of single ply. The one on the left is the stuff off the wheel, the one on the right is the drop spindle spun. The wheel-spun is smoother. I don't think it is that much more spun, but that it has to do with the the fibers being more parallel to begin with. Or it could do with time since originally spun.



Here's my pretty wheel. I've started plying the two bobbins. My wheel is a single treadle Ashford Traveller. Having seen others in use during class, I think I actually managed to get the perfect wheel for me. I like the traditional look. And it is small, like me. Compared to the looms, it is portable and I appreciate the built in Lazy Kate (spikes in front to put the bobbins on for plying).



Finally, a close up of the final product - two ply yarn. I'm somewhat pleased by the subtle variation of the fuzzy/smooth plies. The bobbin is almost full, so I'm going to either have to take it off onto the niddy-noddy or get a second bobbin (this one was a bit broken and fixed with glue but I'm not sure it fits quite right).

Comments

[revena.livejournal.com]

So awesome! The two-ply has a really pretty depth to it. Any plans for what you'll do with it next?

[affreca.livejournal.com]

No idea. I don't knit, and it wouldn't be a good warp thread. I'm going to see how many yards I have and might make it into a scarf.

[revena.livejournal.com]

I think a scarf would be lovely. If you have any interest in learning to knit, a yarn with variegated texture like that would actually be really good for disguising beginner mistakes.

[ninja-tech.livejournal.com]

Cool. That is so neat to see and read about!

[affreca.livejournal.com]

Thanks. Spinning is proving to be fun because 1) it is something new, 2) very meditative, 3) takes much less set up than weaving.

[floppycorpse.livejournal.com]

Those colors are really pretty!

[affreca.livejournal.com]

The credit for that goes to the dyer - Tara.