I’ve just returned from a lovely weekend in Ohio. I was teaching at Stringtopia in Lebanon and held at the Golden Lamb Hotel which is Ohio’s oldest operating hotel. If I remember correctly it was established in 1817 and lots of well known people have stayed there, including Sara Lamb and Abby Franquemont and Shelly Kilgallen!

I was teaching about breeds and fine spinning and drafting and longwools. The students were great, the venue was great and my room mate was great.

There were students from all over the United States and even from Canada. I took no photos. I am the worst of the bloggers. When I am teaching I am focused on the teaching and the students and all of the happiness in the room and the camera is the last thing I think about. Take my word that this retreat is fabulous and next April, if you can, you should attend.

In my breeds study class on Friday was RebeccaG from California! I lent her a wheel and she made me sheep! I love these guys so much.  There is a Jacob and a Wensleydale and a Shetland and a Zwartbles as well as a fantastic Border Collie. I may bring them to the shop once in a while but I think they will live near me in my room.

The thing that happened before I left for Ohio is that Kathryn Alexander came over to show us things. I had been asking for a few years for her to come to Michigan but she doesn’t leave her horses (who she loves) very often. The class was just as wonderful as I thought it would be and I learned a ton about twist and how it affects fabrics.

The students, including me, were learning and spinning and knitting and learning some more.  Tagging and notes were quite necessary.

No idea what’s going on here but Roxanne looks scared!

Our class materials were presented in a beautiful box. We felt well taken care of .

This was our first swatch knit from singles with a dormant twist which we then activated by washing. See that slant? That’s before washing. My hands were warm and they began to activate the twist.

This is after the bath. A bit more slant. Swatching in these cases is imperative.

This is the yarn I made and washed. I really do love lace made from singles.

These two yarns were spun in opposite directions. It is a knit 4 purl 4 rib but the opposite twist just makes the stitches lean with no pulling in. Imagine this as a cuff or a sweater hem.

And this is a bit of entrelac which makes these swirly things because the swatch was knit with active twist. Also, I learned to knit backwards to avoid turning the knitting every 4 stitches!

While Kathryn was in Michigan I showed her a good time. We went to the Western Wear store where she found a fantastic pair of boots.

And she tried on my favorite tiara. I can’t say enough wonderful things about Kathryn as a person and as a teacher. She was knowledgeable and fun and had the samples to back up what she was saying so we could see the things in person. She also had a great sense of humor because I couldn’t stop teasing her.

In three weekends i will be teaching at the Carolina Fiber Fest. There are still openings if you are in the area and want to take classes with lots of samples and lots of fun. Signups are over on May 11th so check it out.

Also, The Rhinebeck registrations are open and I will be teaching a few classes there this October. Check it out!

The other thing I wanted to mention was my favorite podcast. Hopefully you’ve all heard of  it but if you haven’t give it a listen. It’s called SpinDoctor.  It is hosted by Sasha Torres who is funny and smart and right on in her assessment of most things (except when I don’t agree:-). There is a new part called Out for a Spin when she chats with Jillian Moreno. Jillian is the Editor of Knittyspin and also posts on Tuesdays on the Knitty Blog. The two of them are great fun and are usually the boss of me.

If you are looking for something fun to listen to when you are spinning the SpinDoctor Podcast is the place to go.

When I was around 8 I learned how to sew.  My grandmother was a pattern maker in a dress factory until I was in my teens. My mother was a dressmaker in our home who designed wedding gowns as well as taking in smaller jobs until I left home. I watched my mother a lot a lot. I watched her take measurements and have consultations and have fittings.

My mother also took a lot of other classes when I was young. She took stained glass classes and jewelry making classes. I remember her taking many different painting classes including using oil and acrylic paints. There was a time when we used to joke that if you sat still too long she would paint on you. Eventually she opened a little shop where she sold stuff on which she had done tole painting.

My point is, I grew up around people who took a lot of classes. My Grandmother used to say that when you die, you can’t take your stuff with you but you always have your knowledge.

In the beginning of my spinning pursuit I did not take a class for a long time…maybe 6 months. I was not successful quickly. Then I found a teacher and though I had been making yarn before, the quality improved pretty fast after just a few lessons. I knew how important learning from a knowledgeable teacher was but this experience drove it home for me.

Then after a year of spinning processed fibers I had my first carding lesson. I was not good at it and I didn’t love it. After that I took more carding classes with different instructors. I got better and better at it. Each instructor had a different technique and I took a small thing from each of them to find a technique that was comfortable and worked for me.

Five times I took the Russian Spindle Spinning Class that Galina Khmeleva offers. The first time I was horrible. Couldn’t manage it.  I also asked my friend Faina Letoutchia to help me over and over. Today, 7 years after that first class I feel like I can handle a Russian spindle pretty well. I struggled and practiced and worked at it.

I took a knitted pile weaving class with Sara Lamb. I want to do more with it but haven’t found the time. The thing I did learn in that class was to not be afraid to use my handspun. I spun a lot of silk in that class and then made little knots with it and cut it into tiny pieces. The result was a beautiful little bit of knotted pile and a big bunch of confidence in using my yarn however I wanted.

I’ve had classes in textured yarns from Amy King, Jacey Boggs, Abby Franquemont (that one was about boucle only). Several times with each of them.

This brings me to my next point. Anyone who knows my spinning and the classes I teach knows that the yarns I spin are mostly smooth and consistent. I can do them on the wheel or the spindle but the cocoons and the boucles and the thick and thins and the wrapped yarns are not my style. I take the classes anyway. Every time I’ve been in a class learning a yarn that I never thought I would spin on a regular basis it has helped me to improve the yarns I do spin and use on a regular basis. I’ve better understood twist and different drafting methods and rhythm to help with consistency.

I’m a wool girl. You all know that. I’ve had a 3 day class on spinning cotton with Stephenie Gaustad. I haven’t spun much cotton spinning since then but my long draw with wool was HUGELY improved through the 3 days with Stephenie. I am also much more comfortable with my great wheel and spinning off the point, not to mention the further improvement to my Russian Support Spindle technique.

This coming weekend Kathryn Alexander will be here. I have been wanting to take a class with her for years!  I’ve had an opportunity to spend some time with her a few years ago when we were both teaching at Rhinebeck. Just from that experience I know she is a great teacher.  Do i think I will be knitting the projects that Kathryn loves to knit after this class? Nope. Not at all.  But I am excited to have a new understanding of twist energy and how it works in the fiber and how it can affect the yarns we make and the fabrics we knit. I am having her here for entirely selfish reasons. I want this knowledge. I can see how this will help me to be an even better spinner. It will help me to look at things in a different way and add even more skills to my toolbox. Check out the class description here but read between the lines.

After Kathryn, in June, Stephenie Gaustad will be here to teach us about Bast Fibers. Hemp, Flax and Ramie. Do I think I will change from my love of wool to these fibers? Nope (but you never know). I do know that what she has to say and teach me will translate to other things. The things she has to teach will help me again improve in my spinning.

There is space in both of these classes as well as classes coming up the rest of the year. When you read the class descriptions i would urge you to think of things in a different way and even if the topic isn’t something you are dying to learn perhaps there is something in there to help you improve what you are already doing. And, who knows, maybe you will have a new love.

So I’ve been combing a lot lately. And I was thinking while I was combing about how some of you might feel a little afraid of the combing. Maybe it looks like a lot of work or maybe the combs look scary or you’ve heard that there is too much waste involved, but hand combed top is one of my most favorite things to spin.

So we’ll start with some Blue Faced Leicester. We’re using that right now because that’s what I’m spinning now. BFL is not a wool that I would recommend for a first time comber because it is very curly from cut end to tip and so lashing on (putting the wool onto the combs) and the actual combing can take a little more time and more passes than some other wools. The process is still the same and the tips I will share here are basically the same.

With Blue Faced Leicester, because the locks are so long and thin, I like to line them all up before I lash on. This is about 2 combs full of fiber.

As I lash on, I take each lock and spread out the cut end a bit so it is wider than at least two tines. With wools with narrow locks like these, this helps the wool stay on the combs a little easier and begins to open up the cut end and get the combing going more easily.

As I lash on I am also careful to allow as little of the lock to hang out the back or hand side of the comb as possible. This will cut down on waste tremendously.

With combing as with all other wool processing methods, less is more, and cuts down on the overall work that has to be done. The more I load my combs, the more work it is to pull through the wool and that makes more work and more waste.

For many wool breeds I fill the combs no more than 1/4 to 1/3 of the length of the tines because the fibers fluff up and fill the tines. For BFL and other wools needing more management I try not to fill the tines more than about 1/6 the full length of the tines.

After lashing on I begin to comb out at the very, very tips of the wool. Even if I am only grabbing one or two locks in that first pass, I want to begin at the tippiest tip and work slowly, very slowly, in toward the other comb.

I generally use a bit of water or combing milk on the fibers to cut down on static while I’m combing. The combing milk which is my latest favorite is made with 1/5 Unicorn Fiber Rinse and 4/5 water. It doesn’t get rancid like some combing milks made with oil and it has a nice smell. You can add it by using a spray bottle or just by adding it with your fingers before lashing on.

Notice the position of the combs. The moving comb is pointed away from me and the full comb is pointing to the sky but angled away from my face. Safety first. You can surely hurt yourself with these if you aren’t following these directions. But don’t let fear stop you. Just be careful.

Here I am working my way in and grabbing more fiber as I do.

After one pass, the first comb is almost completely empty but you can see from the fiber on the now full comb more passes are still required to open up the rest of the locks.

Here’s a closer look at what is left on the first comb after the first pass.

And here’s what the fibers look like after that first pass.

So with BFL I generally have to do about 5 passes. The fibers might be well open after 4 passes but since I like to pull the fiber from the comb and spin from the cut end I like to do an odd number of passes. For finer fibers I will try to do as few passes as I can but these longwools can take an extra pass.

Here we are after 5 passes. Look closely at the top of the fibers. There is a little knot of fibers that didn’t get caught up in the combs. I just pull those out manually before I begin to diz the fibers off.

For using the diz I take a tiny bit of fiber and add some twist to thread it through the hole. The curved part should be facing the comb.

Try not to push the diz too far back into the fiber on the comb. It makes the removal more difficult. Push it only back to where the fiber begins to get thicker again, similar to when you are doing a short forward draw and you only bring your fingers back to where the fiber supply gets a bit thicker. If you come to a point where things don’t seem to want to move, give the fibers a bit of a wiggle back and forth and they will loosen up. As you pull a bit off, push the diz back toward the comb. I generally don’t pull more than a couple of inches or half a staple length. This helps to keep the top you are making a consistent thickness which will, in turn, help you to spin a consistent yarn.

I pulled too much fiber off the comb with this one. You can see the neps and noils beginning to come off the comb. This is waste.

Here is what is left on the comb after the wool has been dized off.

Now I take the top I’ve made and make a bird’s nest. The bird’s nest will keep the fibers organized until I am ready to spin it. As I wind it around my hand I add about a half twist to the top so it will hold together a little better. I begin winding from the last bit that came off the comb so that the first part that came off the comb will be the first part I spin. This ensures that I am spinning from the cut ends of the fibers first.

A lot of people are worried about the amount of waste with combing. This is a photo of the waste from this comb full. As you can see, it isn’t very desirable. Lots of shorter fibers, some knots and some VM. It also is the dirtiest of the wool here left on the comb.

And here is the result of about an hour’s combing.

I love combing and the resultant yarn that comes from it. If you are thinking about combing and are wondering what kind of combs would fit you best, please don’t hesitate to email or call the shop and we can help you decide. My favorites are made by Valkyrie. You can take a little look here but if you need more guidance we are happy to help.

Also, there is always the option of private lessons or group lessons if you’d like a little personal attention as you work toward the most perfect combed top.

There has been a ton of spinning and knitting and weaving and writing going on around here though.

In February we had a 2 day class that I call “Spinning for Lace” although I’m considering to changing the name to something like “Spinning a Fine Yarn: Hints and Tips” I think it’s a great class for every spinner but I think the current title puts people off if they aren’t a knitter of lace. The class’s focus is really on spinning more consistently, adjusting your wheel for more comfortable spinning, and trying new things. All mixed in there we work on spinning fine yarns.

The class we did in the shop was a 2 day class. I can get very detailed in the two day class. I am teaching the one day version of this class at several places this year if this sounds like something you want to work on.

Actually, here is the entire current class schedule of where I am teaching for this coming year:

April 27-29 Stringtopia, Lebanon, OH
http://abbysyarns.com/store/
Breeds Study
Spinning For Lace
For the Love of Longwools
Drafting Methods

May 18-20 Carolina Fiber Fest, Raleigh North Carolina

Breeds Study
12 breeds
Spinning Lace
6 hour…
Drafting Methods
Plying

August 15-19
Michigan Fiber Festival, Allegan Michigan

Breed Study W all day
Spinning Lace T all day
Love of Longwool F AM
Drafting Methods F PM
Plying S AM
Fiber Prep Woolen S PM
Fiber Prep Worsted Sun AM

October 18-21
New York State Sheep and Wool Festival, Rhinebeck New York

Spinning for Lace
Breed Study
How to buy a Fleece
For the love of Longwool
Drafting Methods
Plying Methods

This is the current list.

On top of these classes that I’m teaching, the Spinning Loft is hosting a wide range of very talented teachers this year with openings still available.

The next great teacher to come will be Kathryn Alexander. Kathryn sells out every where she teaches. We will be playing for two days with energized singles. The things you will learn in this class will help you in many ways in your every day spinning and may even inspire you to try new things.

We are also carrying her great kits right now!

Today I was spinning some Spunky Eclectic dyed Wensleydale and decided to show the results so here they are in this somewhat fuzzy photo (I waited until dark to take pictures)

All three yarns were spun at the same ratio, same treadling speed, same drafting length. The only thing that changes is my hand movement.

The top yarn is a short backward draw where I draft back short lengths at least 3 times before I feed any yarn onto the bobbin. This is the yarn with the most inconsistent twist and more thick and thin areas. Part of the problem with this method is If I draft back three equal lengths then I need to allow this yarn to draw onto the bobbin which takes time and additional twist builds behind my pinchy fingers of my front hand. When I go to draft again this additional twist make a bit of a thick spot there even though I am pinching.

The center yarn is a short forward draw where the yarn is allowed to draw onto the bobbin between each draft. This one is much more consistent. There is a bit of inconsistent twist but not too bad. This yarn has a lot more loft than I would expect in a worsted yarn.

The bottom yarn is the true worsted spun yarn with a short forward draw. This is the yarn I expect from a worsted drafting method. It is compact and smooth with a lot less halo than the other two.

Any of these drafting methods are fine to use but they each make a slightly different yarn. This again shows the importance of sampling to make sure that in the end you will have the yarn that fits your project.

This Drafting class will be taught at several Fiber Festivals and retreats this year along with a few other fun classes.

It will be at Stringtopia in Ohio

The Carolina Fiber Festival in Raleigh, NC

Michigan Fiber Festival in Allegan MI

and the New York State Sheep and Wool Festival in Rhinebeck NY.

Or watch the classes page of the Spinning Loft Website for offerings in Howell!

This coming weekend the Spinning Loft will be open on both Saturday and Sunday  from 10AM to 4PM. Keep reading for all of the details!

But first. Ryan has a new hat. I knit this the last day Lou was in the hospital because I had finally realized I couldn’t think about working.

It’s a singles yarn that was about a worsted weight. I think that’s right because I knit the hat on size 5 needles and I am a very loose knitter. Patterns that call for size 7 needles usually mean size 5 for me.

The fiber is Falkland I think. It was dyed by Amy King and may even have been a club fiber. I love her dyeing and Ryan does too!

The pattern was just a plain old pattern. Cast on some stitches and knit a while then decrease till there are only a few stitches left. Pull those stitches together and like magic! it’s a hat.

Also, today, patience was rewarded. Well, the thing was delivered yesterday but I was in seclusion so I did’t get to look until today.

It’s a Watson Martha which is an accelerated wheel. Andrew Watson builds a custom box to ship his wheels in.

Isn’t it fabulous? I think I’m going to pain the box and use it for a shop fiber container.

I took off the front panel and here’s what was inside. Beautifully packaged and also tied down with twine so nothing moved in the trip from Canada.

Little by little she was revealed and the assembly happened with only a tiny bit of confusion and question marks floating over my head.

And here she’s ready for her first spin. I was a little nervous. She’s fast. Faster than anything I’ve ever spun on. I need to get the ratios from Andrew but I did just sit and treadle for a bit.

That brass plaque makes me smile:-)

Each bobbin has a little slot so that when taking a bobbin off the wheel the end of the yarn can have a little place to stay and not get lost.

This is the large whorl end of the bobbin with the small flyer whorl.  See? Fast!

This shows the small whorl end of the bobbin! I’m gonna try that one out tomorrow night…after the Pinewood Derby.

Just a photo of the other whorl on he little storage spot as well as three bobbins on a built in yarn admiration device.

And here she is with a few of her friends. The lady behind her is the Vermont wheel that came to stay a short time ago. She’s gorgeous too. And on the left is the Jensen 24″ Tall Castle Wheel. My favorite of the Jensens I have.

There will also be some things on sale including select fibers and books.

Some of you follow me on Twitter or Facebook and so have gotten little snippets of things but I haven’t gone into detail. I’ve also not been answering email in the way that I like to. Which means I like to get back to people within a day and give good detail with my answers. Also I’m sure you are curious about the last bits of time because things haven’t been “right” around here.

I’m going to tell you now that things seem to be better and so you, my friends, don’t have to be worried anymore. I am thankful for all of your good thoughts and prayers.

I may get in trouble with my darling for this but I’m doing it anyway.

So Lou’s birthday was on Monday the 9th. We had a lovely dinner with the family, came home and had birthday cake and just relaxed for the evening.  Around 1:30 AM Lou was having terrible pains in his stomach. So bad he was laying all curled up. Next thing I know he passed out and fell in the bathroom which is when I decided I should probably get him to the hospital.

Many people came into our house that night including Police officers, Fire Fighters and Paramedics.

Lou was taken to the local hospital where they got him stable, did some tests and decided to send him to a larger hospital in Ann Arbor where they did more tests and he spent a comfortable and wonderful 5 days. (I’m kidding about the comfortable and wonderful) Turns out he had had a heart attack.

He came home on Friday afternoon, and Saturday was uneventful.

Sunday he wasn’t feeling well. Monday morning around 4AM we decided he should go back to the hospital where they were very worried about him again. This time he got a helicopter ride to Ann Arbor. (I wonder how much that will cost.)

He got stabilized and they watched over him for two days. This time looks like a combination of an infection and some unwanted side affects of a couple of his new medications. Things seem better. He looks much better. He’s home now.

He will be taking some time off of work and not shoveling snow for a while. I am trying to stop worrying and get back to work.

I just wanted to take a moment and let you know that things are better and I will work on getting caught up with all of the work I let slide in the last 9 days.

In other news, I did get some spinning and knitting done in the hospital so that’s good!

Also, those little chair/beds they have there are not comfortable. And, hospital pillows suck.

December was a blur. There was so much to do. The new website is still being tweaked, I am always surprised by the amount of paperwork to be done at the end of the year, there was last minute shopping to do and the wrapping!

So my good intentions of getting the rest of the Henry Ford trip posted went by the wayside. But I am back and here it is along with some other happenings. Click the image to make it bigger.

Now I am mostly caught up though there are some spinny things to talk about next!

]]> http://thespinningloft.com/as-promised-oh-so-long-ago/feed/ 2 http://thespinningloft.com/the-kids-built-a-car/ http://thespinningloft.com/the-kids-built-a-car/#comments Tue, 06 Dec 2011 00:58:44 +0000 Beth http://thespinningloft.com/?p=12011 Continue reading →]]> I had a ton more photos than I thought so I’m breaking this up.

We took a family trip to The Henry Ford. We all like it there. There are things that are interesting to adults and kids both.

This trip was because they have a special exhibit right now that is based on The Wizard of Oz and Maggie wanted to see it. We spent a total of 10 minutes in that exhibit. It was really for very young children, was a simple sciencey kind of thing directed at the 5 and under crowd in my opinion. It was also very loud and there were kids running wild everywhere. I don’t love that. So we went and did the things we love to d as well as something we’ve never been able to take part in before. The building of the Model T Ford.

Every night they take the car apart and the next day beginning when the museum opens they allow children to help reassemble the whole thing.

Thisis what the car looks like when the museum opens.

All the parts are around the edge of the room and they keep track of  the assembly on the black board.

Each kid gets to put on one part and then you have to go away for a bit’ They don’t let just one family do it all. So we would go by and add a piece and go back every half hour or so and add another pat. There weren’t many people in the museum that day so the kids got to do a big part of the build.

It was really fun to watch and really fun for the kids and we got to learn a lot about the Model T. Though I forgot everything already. I can tell you that after the assembly line was put in place and the man hours were reduced per car that a car cost only about 3 months salary for an average US worker. I wish cars were still that cheap!

More about our visit next time.

Polypay sheep were developed in Idaho by a shepherd named Reed Hulet who needed to make a profit on his ranch.  With some thought and education he began along with his brother, Doctor Clarence Hulet, to cross breeds of sheep which they thought would give them sheep with good body size, more lambs, and great wool.

They began in 1968 and by 1970 the Polypay breed was born.

Finn Sheep which are known for having multiple births with a short gestation period were crossed with Rambouillet sheep which have a nice heavy fleece.

Dorset sheep with good body size which had been born as twins or triplets were crossed with Targhee sheep which were a newer breed that had been developed for good body size and lovely fleece.