schacht ladybug

Working on Techniques

by CZeitler

First, I am very excited that I was selected to be one of the testers for the Akerworks Schacht & Wooleewinder Bulky Bobbin’s .  I love my Ladybug, and I really love my Woolee Winder, but the Akerworks 3-d printed bobbins are so darn cute too! I am very excited to test this bobbin out and see how it works, updates pending!

Next, I am working on seeing how well Kool-Aid dyes wool without heat.  I have some liquid that I am going to put on wet wool and set overnight to see if it sets.  I also hope to freeze some and let the cubes thaw on the wool to see how that works.  My final experiment is to use some powdered sugar free Kool-Aid on wet wool and let that set for a few hours to see how well that works.  It really should be interesting and I’ll put up a Kool-Aid results post next week probably.

This mmerino unicorn toporning I created some beautiful rolags from the Unicorn Wool Top, that I forgot to get a picture of, from part of my March Box from Paradise Fibers.  In my spinning I tend toward the short forward draw, but since I had just an ounce of this fiber, and I really wanted to preserve it’s beauty, I decided to practice my long draw.  Now I remember why it’s so much fun!   The picture is from the Paradise Fibers Website, whose link is above.img_1542.jpg

Also, an update on the Maryland Sheep and Wool festival: I have my plane tickets and entry tickets for the festival itself.  I also ordered, and received, the book from the festival that contains details about vendors, what is going on each day, and so much more!  The picture to the right is my copy, the black thing sticking out of the top is my book mark.  The cover is just beautiful!  From the book so far I have discovered Taproot Magazine, I have the first issue on order to see what it is about.  I have joined the Ravelry group dedicated to the festival, from there I have discovered the Buffalo Wool Company and their wonderful promotion to support the Linus foundation.

My Crafting Summer

by CZeitler

This summer was a ton of fun, I really enjoy reflecting on it.  The classes I taught caused the months to fly by, I cannot believe it is over.  I did manage to get a bit of my own crafting done, though not that much really.

I managed to weave my first two towels, and hem them.  They turned out a bit smaller than I had hoped, but I have learned a lot for the next set I weave.  I wove my first basket in over a decade, when I was working at my first public library they offered a basket weaving class and I became addicted.  They are so much fun and the structures are amazing.

The Buffalo Weavers Guild sold off a few of their items, I managed to score a triangle loom and a 4 shaft table loom for well less than the triangle loom would have cost normally.  I don’t have the table loom pictured, but it really is neat.  I picked up a stainless steel reed for it and cannot wait to try it out.  You can see my first project up on the triangle loom, it turned out really ‘sleezy’ the yarn was too thin for the distance between the nails.  I know better for my next try.

Last, but not least, are a pair of Dodec Wheels I purchased from their creator online.  They are an adorable pair of wheels that I am trying to not despise with every fiber of my being.  I do realize that I just need to take my time, get to know them, and I will probably come to love them too.  It is just so hard when I have Lady, my Schacht Ladybug, sitting there waiting for me to spin beautiful yarn in any thickness I want so very quickly.  Patience is a virtue that I need to learn when it comes to my crafting.

Speaking of which, I loved my WooleeWinder at first, then things started going ‘rattle, clank, clack’ and now I’m about ready to tear my hair out.  Instead of this I am going to send it back to the manufacturer and see if he can fix it up.  ‘Fingers Crossed’.

That is my summer in a nutshell.  Fall Crafting, Here I Come!

Happy Crafting!

Tour De Fleece

by CZeitler

I am thinking about joining the Tour De Fleece Group on Ravelry this year, 2017.  http://www.ravelry.com/groups/tour-de-fleece

The Tour de Fleece happens at the same time as the famous ride Tour de France.  In this case it runs from July 1st to 23rd with two days of rest, July 10th and 17th.  In theory this means that I would spin and post my results each of these days.  Since I will be obtaining a WooleeWinder as my Birthday Present, I hope that this goal will not only be attainable but enjoyable.  The WooleeWinder that I obtained to go with my Schacht Ladybug spinning wheel is the Bulky version, in order for this to work properly I also had to obtain the Bulky Orifice.  The purpose of the WooleeWinder is so that I will be able to skip switching hooks while I am filling my bobbin.  The bobbin and flyer will work together to fill the bobbin very evenly.  This will have the added benefit of allowing me to fit more on a bobbin, partially because it will be a larger bobbin, but also because the bobbin will fill evenly eliminating the hills and valleys that are naturally created on a bobbin when using hooks.   Since I have obtained the Bulky Plyer Flyer version I will also be able to create more art-yarns that I have been capable of in the past.  I will  have to see how plarn works on this flyer, right now it gets caught in the hooks!

In case you could not tell, I am very excited about this new accessory.  Perhaps I will participate in the Tour De Fleece just so I can show it off, LOL.

Happy Crafting

Crafting My Days Away

by CZeitler

I have not just been salivating over my loom!  I have been productive…I’m not sure what to do with what I have produced, but I have been productive!

It has been a great deal of fun learning more about my Ladybug and how she likes to work.  One of the main lessons I have learned is that she works best when she is well oiled and every part of her is as tight as I can get it.  I hate to admit I need a new screw for her orifice since I accidentally took out the original piece that sized everything down a bit. (That little plastic bead is in there for a reason, do not remove it!)  Other than that mistake on my part she runs like a dream.  Spinning ultra fine on her is not something that I have managed to perfect, especially with the realization that I do not knit, crochet, or probably weave, with ultra fine yarns.  I do realize that I can get amazing definition and beautifully intricate structures using ultra fine yarn, but shoot, I can also make some beautiful structures and amazing definition with fine or double knit (DK) weight yarns too.  Right now my yarns are falling around the 2-3 on the weight scale.  I did manage to spin up 2 bobbins that equaled over 250 yards

Pencil Roving on a Spinning Wheel

by CZeitler

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I had purchased some pencil roving in white and grey/black from Woolery.  This was a great medium to begin my spinning with.  Most articles that you read and YouTube videos that you watch, Craft Daily videos, etc, will recommend that you begin by getting a feel for your wheel and just treadling for a while to see how little effort it can take to get your wheel going and keep it going.  This is great advice, that I did not take.  After assembling my wheel  I dove right in.  I had this pencil roving sitting around from a previous attempt at a project.  It is, to be frank, outerwear roving.  Now that it is spun up and in a 3 ply I will have to figure out a project that I can use it for.  Since it is so rough I would rather not make it into a scarf, but I might try weaving with it to see if I can make some kind of warm outer shawl with it.    I really enjoyed working with this roving and my new wheel.  It is truly amazing how little effort it takes to keep the wheel spinning and how little twist needs to be put into this roving to keep it together.  This is unwashed, there was a third skein but it was my first time using my new Lazy Kate and I didn’t do a very good job keeping the strands separate.  There are pigtails everywhere, even a couple of big globs of pigtails.  If you never do anything wrong, then you are never doing anything!

Happy Spinning (the other skein might make it into a blooper reel I am not sure yet).

Big News

by CZeitler

My new Spinning Wheel a Schacht Ladybug, and the fiber I’ve managed to turn into singles already.  With my tax refund I managed to order this Ladybug.  It was so simple to put together I was through almost before I had started.  I took it for a brief test run last night, going against everything that we are told to do and starting with some fiber to spin with.  It worked like a dream.  I need a different chair so I can sit comfortably while I spin, and I probably need something to act as a dropcloth but those are just details.

I have some exciting news on the weaving front as well.  A friend of mine, a non-traditional student that goes to the community college I work at, is going to be moving out of state and she has a couple of looms she wants to get rid of.  She gifted me with my first rigid heddle loom earlier this week, the heddle is missing a few bits but I think it is a Beka 24″ heddle so I can order a replacement.  I am thinking about trying to warp it up and play with it, but I do not think I can tear myself away from my wheel for any length of time in the near future, except for laundry…I have to do laundry tonight!

Happy Crafting, more on the spinning and weaving front to come!