Are you tired of spindles yet?

I thought I should 'fess up to all my recent spindle purchases. Of course you know I have a bunch of trindles and a Jenkins Kuchulu. Well, I loved spinning on the Kuchulu so much that I bought these.

A lovely little Jenkins Holly Delight. I happened to be on the web when these became available. This is at the same time that I bought the Malcolm Fielding dervish.
Here is her older brother....

A Swan in Zebrawood.

A few weeks earlier I bought this green and yellow Russian...

And, with her, a lovely wrist distaff in rosewood

I haven't started spinning on any of these yet because I want to pack them as is and take them to Shanghai with me.

I have one more spindle on the way - a Tibetan. So that is the end of my confessions.

A dervish has landed

In case you had not noticed, I am obsessed with supported spindles lately. Spindling in general, and supported spindles in particular. The process of spinning on them is very efficient and I like being able to sit and spin anywhere. I like drop spindles because I can stand up and walk around while spindling and posturally that is better. But being able to sit and spin is also nice.

There are some supported spindle makers whose spindles are prized and availability is limited because their spindles sell out as soon as they are listed. I have been fortunate in the past few weeks to catch a couple of these updates and succeed in snatching up a spindle or two.

Yesterday, one of these arrived from Tasmania. The maker is Malcolm Fielding and my style of spindle is called the dervish.

The shaft is a manufactured wood called Dymondwood to ensure that it is straight and doesn't warp. The whorl is made of silky oak and I think it is beautiful.

Malcolm sent along some Tasmanian Corriedale with it and I couldn't resist starting to spin. The fiber is luscious. It is silky and drafts like butter.

I also stopped at Goodwill and found this nice solid saucer for $0.69. I actually paid $0.67 because I am over 55. It is heavy so will sit firm while I spin on it. The spider bowl that I was using makes noise as the disco balls on my trindle hit it. So it will be good for the other spindles. I like spinning supported spindles on my leg but the trindle is also very sharp so if I am wearing a softer material on my legs, it pokes through and hurts. Jeans work very well for spinning without discomfort but other pants don't. This saucer will be perfect for the trindle.

Over the weekend, I will show you my newly enlarged spindle stable so you can see how far down the rabbit hole I have fallen.

Locks without keys

I've been cleaning locks (locks from sheep, of course) all week. The results are amazing. When we last left the process, I had finished washing most of them. I am now done with all the washing and most of them are ready for spinning. Be prepared for an amazing transformation!This collage is a summary of the work. The washed locks full of vegetal matter (VM) are on the left. Going clockwise around the collage, you can see the tools I used, the final fiber ready for spinning and the waste in the bin. The waste is short cuts, VM and tangles.

Looking at each in detail, this is the last bit of fiber I have to process. It is pretty typical of the fiber after washing. Lots of VM.I combed them with this dog comb (on the bottom) and also used the slicker (on the top) when the tangles were too much for the comb. I treated the locks as if they were my hair.

The end result is amazing. This is the fiber that I am ready to spin. I think I am going to spin it from the fold.And here is what was discarded. You can see the VM in the bin.

Now, on a totally different topic, I have been drinking green tea during the day since January. I have cut down my coffee consumption to one cup in the am. Up to this week, I have been finishing off tea bags that had accumulated in the house. This week I am starting on loose tea, which is what I really like. Loose tea can be a pain when you are on the go. I found this tea travel mug in Panama and it is my work mug.On the top is the tea in a little strainer that sits in the mug. The left lower picture shows the screw top on the mug. It is water tight and doesn't leak. The inside is all stainless steel so it doesn't impart a taste to the tea. On the right you can see the mug with its top on. It is sleek and keeps the tea hot for a long time. And, with the top screwed on, I can safely take it to meetings without spilling hot tea on myself or other people.

Madrona 2011

I didn't post last week because I was at the Madrona Fiber Arts Retreat in Tacoma, Washington. I love going there, not only because it is more specialized than some of the other fiber retreats, but also because many of my friends gather there. We all stay in the same hotel so it is easy to interact and hang out. The classes are also different from the ones offered at the NY Sheep and Wool Festival in Rhinebeck , New York.

I made excellent progress on my Rose Lace Collar. The yoke is done and I am now on the plain stockinette part.

I love the colors in this yoke. So muted, and yet so interesting.

My first class was from Janine Bajus on designing fair-isle yoke sweaters. I love Janine's approach to color in fair-isle. She is a wonderful teacher. I made a little American Girl doll sweater. I am not happy with the colors. I will post a picture one of these days. I have put away most of the stuff that came back from Madrona so it isn't readily available to photograph.

I also took Susanna Hanson's Bohus class. Yes, I know I have made a lot of Bohus sweaters, but the class covers the history of Bohus Stickning, and Susanna brings the vintage sweaters that she collected. She is also a great teacher. Very organized and methodical. I have updated the blog page so my photos of the vintage sweaters are a slideshow. There are too many photos to post on the page directly. If you want to see the whole album, it is here.

Lastly, I took a knitted and beaded beads class from Betsy Hershberg. Here are the beads we made in class.

The left two are knitted coverings on wooden beads. The right hand one is a soft bead made entirely of yarn and beads. We have instructions for a few more that we didn't get to in class. I plan to make these on my own. This class has given me lots of ideas that I want to play with. I wish I had more time in the day!

I bought this Betsy Hershberg kit before I took the class. It makes this lariat necklace from Knitters magazine. I bought it because it was the last kit with the gray yarn I wanted. The others were much brighter and I felt the colors would limit the opportunities to wear it. I think this could be a weekend project one of these days.

I bought a few more odds and ends but my biggest purchase was this lovely Hansen mini-spinner in purpleheart and maple. I have been spinning a little every day on it. I love it because I can really focus on my drafting skills without worrying about treadling and speed.

I also love the orifice threader I got with it. It is made of mono-filament and it much easier to use than a hook. I am busy spinning up odds and ends of roving that I've collected for practice.

This little ear-light is something that I'm looking forward to using when I'm in the car or in the plane, and the light isn't great. There is also a useful folding Ott light on my shopping list.

That is all for now... Back to spinning and knitting