My new Ashford Joy spinning wheel arrived in the mail yesterday. That's good news right? It's exciting to get that big box on the porch and when it relates to one of your favorite activities, even better. So, after dinner last night, even though I was feeling tired, I thought I would at least open the box and check it out. It comes almost entirely assembled so I found myself putting the few finishing touches together so I could take it for a spin.
That's when I hit the bad news. I picked this wheel in particular because whenever I'm spinning with a group of people, the Joys seem so quiet and smooth. Now I realize I probably should have looked more closely. I suspect those quiet Ashford Joys were single treadles. The reason I suspect this is because my double treadle is not quiet. There seems to be a flaw in the very design. The wood pieces attached to the treadles rub against each other creating a knocking sound that gets louder with speed. I had a few minutes of disbelief. Could this really be the design? Was it assembled incorrectly. After triple checking everything, I hit my low of last night.
I hate returning things and I just refused to accept that this wheel couldn't be made to run smoothly. That's when the tinker in me came out. It's also how this story has a good news ending. Here's what I did. I changed the connecting tube on the right treadle (exhibit A). Instead of running straight into the hole like you can see on the left treadle, I rearranged it by removing the screw (exhibit B) and then brought the tube up from the bottom of the treadle. There was enough length in the tube and by reversing the direction of placement in this way, the wooden leg is held back and no longer rubs against the leg of the other treadle.
That's not all I had to do. I also discovered that the leg of the left treadle was rubbing against the right treadle. I actually got out my wood whittling tools (I guess it's strange that I happen to have wood whittling tools) and I carefully reshaped the wood in the offending spot (exhibit C). At this point you are either thinking that I'm quick and clever or just plain crazy. It did feel a bit nuts to take a knife to my brand new wheel, but if I sent it back, it would just become a problem for someone else. The good news is that it now treadles very smoothly. The only sound is the whirring of the wheel which is as it should be. I'm a little less than impressed that I had to tinker to get these results, but I'm happy to have solved the problem.
I have a goal for myself this year. This coming Christmas, that's right, just under 12 months away, I want to decorate a tree with ornaments that are all handmade. Specifically, I want them to be crocheted and/or possibly tatted. The rules I have made for myself are as follows:
1. The yarn must be handspun by me.
2. If I choose to add color, then I have to dye the yarn or finished ornaments. (I haven't decided whether I want to add color because I think a tree all decorated in ecru would be pretty.)
3. I have to design the ornaments. They will probably be uncomplicated, just shapes that I find appealing.
4. I will share the designs each month here on my blog, so if you like something I design, you can make it too!
The next post on The 2012 Ornament Project will be labeled "January" and then each month to come will also have an ornament post.
I've already started preparations for this month. Yesterday, I spun the Merino yarn pictured above and let me say that this is the skein that finally pushed me over the edge with my spinning wheel. I've been thinking about replacing my Louet S10 DT for some time now and I keep talking myself out of it. By the time I began spinning the second singles for this two ply, I was fed up. In fact, I paused in my spinning, ordered a new wheel online, and then finished up this skein as quickly as I could. I just can't stand how noisy my Louet wheel has become and it's more than just a squeak that I could lube although there's that too. It's the bobbin sliding and knocking around the all of the superfluous movement that the wheel generates. Argh!
Sorry about that. I needed to rant. Still, I managed to spin about 115 yards of 2ply Merino. I plied this skein a little tighter that I often do and I like how it looks and the springy feel. I think it will make pretty ornaments.
To the left of the yarn is January's ornament. I've already come up with the design using the yarn I plied from my Turkish drop spindle the other day. Now I just need to write up the pattern and make an ecru version. I think the dye free yarn will be better for my post. The stitches will be easier to see and I'll take some photographs along the way.
So this is my plan. I'll be designing 12 ornaments over the next 12 months and you are welcome to come along and join in the project. The designs will be quick and easy, so they might be nice to do with the kids or a beginning crochet class. Now I just have to stay on task and make my goal!
I promised myself that I would take down my Christmas decorations today. For the few of you who have visited my home during the holidays, you know that this is a pretty big job. Feeling the desire to stall, I took a detour into my studio looking for a distraction. You see, I can justify putting off chores if there is fiber involved.
That's when I thought of my Turkish drop spindle. I guess I've had spindles on my mind since spending a recent afternoon with a spindle enthusiast. I have a Turkish drop spindle that I have taken on numerous outings. I've been working on this ball of yarn, bit by bit for a long time. I decided that today, at long last, I would remove the yarn and ply it.
I originally bought this spindle because I liked the idea of being able to ply from one ball using the center pull, beginning strand and the outer ending one. The wool that I've been spinning has sentimental value as it is a carded blend of some of my earliest wool purchases. It mostly began as raw fleece and I did all of the washing, dyeing and carding. This was back in those wonderful experimental days before I really knew what I was doing. Also, I had yet to come across my favorite wools with which to work. As a result, this yarn is a funky blend of Rambouillet, Mohair and I can't remember what else. There's even a little leftover grease as my washing could have been better.
Today is the first time I've plied yarn from my Turkish drop spindle. I pulled the center end out from one of the larger side holes. At first I was thinking I would put it on a lazy kate and just go for it. Then I realized that it 
would probably need to roll free. I was worried about the two strands twisting together as they unraveled. Then, as I started plying, I discovered that although they did twist as the ball rolled around, this really didn't interfere with the plying process.
Typically when I ply two singles, my I hold the two strands separately in my right hand and control the twist with my left. When I plied this ball, I just held them together and fed them right in. No muss, no fuss!
In the end, I find myself with about 95 yards of medium weight yarn. Since the colors are sort of Christmas-like and the texture is more coarse, I think I may use it to make ornaments. This year I was thinking that it would be fun to decorate a small tree with nothing but crocheted or tatted decorations. Of course one needs to plan ahead for such things. I think starting in January might give me just enough time!
Hi, I thought I'd do another quick post on hemp today. Yesterday I listed 8oz of hemp in the shop and it got snatched up. Most of it is winging its way to Sweden right now. I have to order and dye some more because it really is a cool fiber.
A couple years ago, I made two YouTube videos All About Hemp Roving and Spinning Hemp. Back in those days, I was using a little flip camera, so I apologize for the low resolution. You kind of have to crank the volume too. In spite of the amateur video production, you can still get a closer look at hemp roving and see how it handles.
The first thing that comes to mind when I think of hemp is hemp jewelry. That may be true for you as well, but hemp is getting more and more popular among fiber artists. A lot of spinners like to add hemp to their wool batts for the texture it provides. It also makes a cool core fiber. When you spin a singles of hemp, it turns into that hemp cord you see at the craft stores. In my video I say that you almost don't need to set the twist. The truth is, you really don't. I like to give all of my handspun a final soak, but it really isn't necessary with hemp. When you used it as a core fiber it creates a strong yarn that's great for rug weaving or more structural pieces.
Hemp roving can also be used for other crafts. You can tease the fibers apart and use them in paper making, small amounts can be worked into nuno felt and in general, it can be a handy embellishment for scrapbooks and other handicrafts. Here I am talking about hemp when I'm down to just a couple ounces in the shop. I still have 1oz of Fire Red, 1oz of Azalea and 1oz of dye free. When I get more in stock, I'll be sure to let you know!
My last post was only a couple days ago, but I feel like I've been gone for a long time. I can't believe we're already up to day 9 of the Tour de Fleece!
I think the reason I'm feeling time warped is because I've spent the better part of the last three days cleaning and organizing my kids' rooms. Most of this time was in my younger son's room, the family pack rat. To his credit, he can tell you the origin of every scrap of paper or little doodad. He also knows the right things to say to tug at his mother's heart strings like, "it's a memory" or "it's very important to me". Somehow, I still managed to clean and purge while holding on to the most valued items. It feels like such a major accomplishment that I've walked into his room several times today just to bask in the cleanliness.
By early evening I've been exhausted, but it's Tour de Fleece, so spin I must. This sport weight singles yarn is a mix of light and fawn alpaca, golden brown Merino, some Firestar, a little lace weight boucle yarn cut into bits and some raffia. I know the raffia is probably a weird choice, but it makes for some fun texture and after cleaning all day, I needed a little fun!
I'm psyched to have tomorrow off. I need a "me" day! I still have a pattern that I'm writing and so many other things that I want to do for Wind Rose Fiber Studio.
Yesterday was day 5 of this year's Tour de Fleece and I spent my day finishing up this project. This is the first wool batt that I made using my Ashford Wild Drum Carder. So you can see the progression from wild fibers to combed batt. Then I spun that up. Next I made a singles yarn with just plain, black Merino. Finally I plied the two together to make a worsted weight yarn with lots of glitz and just enough texture to keep things interesting.
The last day of my European travels was spent in Munich. I had already spent a few days in Munich earlier on this vacation. This last day was a day of rest after spending time in Italy and before heading back to the United States.
I had kind of accepted that the closest thing to fiber art I was going to find in Munich was this sheep I bought at the Viktualienmarkt, a farmer's market. He's cute, but he isn't even covered in real wool.
It was Sunday and the square in front of the Glockenspiel at Marienplatz was being set up for a performance. There was a stage, lots of tables and the local brew houses were setting up tents. My family and I were just out for a walk, stretching our legs. The day was overcast and occasionally a rain cloud would treat us to some sprinkles.
I saw a few craft tents set up on a side street. Drawn to crafts of any kind, I headed in their direction. I walked by the first couple tents as they held nothing of interest. I craned my neck to see if it was even worth walking to the end of the street when something caught my eye. I felt certain that I saw something spin. I quickened my pace, my spidey senses tingling. Sure enough, in the very last tent, sat a little band of handspinners. They had baskets of wool and samples of yarn. Some sat at wheels while others used drop spindles. My people! 
I took out one of my business cards which have a picture of a spinning wheel and sheep on them. I pointed to my name and in my best German said, "Dies ist mir." Which I'm sure you can guess means "this is me". Their faces lit up and we all smiled at each other. They each held up their projects for me to admire. One gentleman who was working a Turkish drop spindle, pulled out a stick and demonstrated spinning using nothing but a twig. I managed to share how Native American spinners sometimes use a long stick and spin it against their thigh. His response to this was to spin a little length of wool with his bare hands and present it to me as a gift.
Rain started to fall in earnest and I left to rejoin my family. My few minutes with the Handspinngilde of Munich left me feeling warm and fuzzy. It's heartwarming to know that there are others out there preserving and passing on this heritage. Even more, it's wonderful when a mutual love of spinning is enough to transcend language barriers and make you feel as though you are among friends!
I'm just back from my first visit to Knit Happens in Scottsdale, Arizona. I've been meaning to check out this shop out for a long time. Today, with my knitting mom visiting from Virginia, we decided to take a field trip.
Knit Happens is a beautiful shop and so nicely organized. When you walk in, the first thing you see is a long table where knitters sit contently with their projects. I love that. I think a good yarn shop should make you want to sit and stay for a while.
My mom and I had specific yarn needs in mind, but first can I just say that I have never seen a larger selection of Noro yarns in one place ever?! Who doesn't love Noro?
The staff was very helpful, and my mom quickly found a yarn to suit her project. I had a great time too. Since it's more fun to have a project in mind when you go yarn shopping, I decided to buy the yarn I will need for a Bruges Lace project I have planned. My pattern calls for around 1500 yards of fine sport weight yarn. I guess I should add that its a shawl. That's why so much yardage. 
I ended up picking out this Tapping Tootsees yarn from Done Roving Yarns in the color Cardinals In The Pine. The colors are gorgeous and it's made of 60% superwash Merino, 30% bamboo (thus the shine) and 10% nylon. Each 4oz skein contains 434 yards. I think it will be very nice.
Then I couldn't resist buying a couple bulky yarns. You know I like to play with my oversized tatting, so I couldn't resist these yummy, chubby yarns.
The one on the bottom of my yarn tower is made by Riviera in color 502. It's soft and bouncy and I love the colors. Then I wanted to get some blue for a piece of wall art I have planned. For this I chose the Cornflower skeins in the middle of my tower. This gorgeous 98% Merino, 2% polyamide was spun in Peru by Mirasol.
Yarn shopping is so fun. I couldn't wait to get home and wind my skeins. Now I can't wait to play with them!
I didn't take my camera, so I have a rare pictureless post tonight. I just thought I'd sit here for a few minutes and share my day.
Once a year, my town of Chandler hosts a multicultural festival. It always feels like a breath of fresh air. For one day, people come together to celebrate diversity and culture with food, music, dancing, art and education. Why oh why can't events like this be headline news?
I had my husband drop me off. I headed down the sidewalk with a blanket roll slung over one shoulder along with my messenger style purse. The other shoulder supported my tote bag full of yarn and samples of my craft. My hands were busy carrying a big African basket with display materials, a handful of drop spindles, roving and other goodies. As I walked into the center of downtown, I passed a grandstand where a new group of American citizens were being sworn in. There were big smiles in the crowd and plenty of cameras too. The pride on their faces was almost palpable. I walked on to have my senses livened by tasty aromas. I knew the food tents were near. I kept on until my own little culture came into view. Finally, the spinning wheels of my fellow Telaraña Guild members greeted me. The sun shone on this sweet little group of casually dressed women, expertly feeding roving to hungry wheels while chatting in happy tones. I felt a flush of warmth as I joined them, my people.
I rolled out my striped blanket and sat cross legged in the middle of it like the happy bohemian I am. On one side, I set out a display of my oversized tatted necklaces and bracelets. On the other, I allowed a large cloud of Blue Faced Leicester to billow out of a hat box surrounded by drop spindles. I like teaching, so I sort of come to these events prepared to interact with anyone who looks interested. I especially like working with kids. Every so often you see that sparkle, and you know you've got a real creative mind in front of you. It's exciting to think that you may be witnessing the beginning of a lifelong passion.
Anyone reading my blog post is probably already a fiber enthusiast, but if you're not, you may be surprised to learn that spinning, even with a simple drop spindle, can be a real crowd pleaser. I would even go as far as to say that people experience the "wow factor" the first time they witness wool becoming yarn. It's always the moment that tickles me the most as a teacher. I'll be instructing a young girl as her parents look on. She'll be holding the wool in an anxious pinch with one hand as she spins the spindle for the first time with the other. I like to keep my beginners in the moment so I'll say, "Can you see the twist getting tighter and tighter as you spin? Can you feel it starting to put pressure against your pinch?" Their focus will shift from their hands to the fiber. Their eyes will get a little wider as the see the twist for themselves. Then I'll have them park the spindle and slowly pull back on their pinch. "Watch the twist travel up the wool." I'll say. My student's eyes will get even larger and they'll suck in a breath as they see the twist climb up towards their fingers. One of the parents will usually exclaim, "Well, will you look at that? That's something!" I'll smile at my delighted young student and inform her, "You just made your first piece of yarn!"
Before my students leave me, I always unwrap the yarn they spun and give it to them as a keepsake along with a little roving. Spinning is all about the connection you feel with the wool and I want them to take that connection away with them. I know that with this souvenir in hand, they will be much more likely to seek it out again in the future. After all, the only way to keep your culture alive is to pass it on to the next generation. There are always a couple students that stand out in my mind at the end of the day. They are the ones that I know will spin again. There was one woman, Alyssa, who was about my age. As she spun yarn for the first time, she became so excited. "I have to do this!" She told me more than once. I just giggled and nodded. I know exactly how she feels!
In my last post on the subject, I called it National Spin in Public Day. I wasn't sure if it was a worldwide event. Since then, I've seen enough articles referring to the WWSIP Day, that I feel confident in it being a global gathering. All I can say to that is, "Even better!"
It was yesterday, this 24 hours of fiber lovers taking their art to the streets. People gathered in their local yarn shops and other meeting places to spin yarn in public. My plan was to get up early and spin in the park. The early part was crucial as the temperatures here in Phoenix are still reaching above 105º.
My back had other plans for me. It likes to act up every so often and this week I have been waking up stiff and in pain. Saturday morning came and I knew I was going nowhere fast. By midmorning, the muscles in my back were loosening up to the point where I could imagine spinning comfortably, but the temperature outside was already pushing 100º.
I envisioned all of my fellow spinners out there, treadling their wheels and spinning their spindles. I wanted to be among them. I had to bide my time. The official sunset is right about at 6:30 these days. I told my kids we would head out at 5:30. Though our days are still summery, our nights are starting to cool off. I knew the best time to be outside, if not early in the day, would be at sunset.
Apparently I wasn't the only one with this thought. I was so happy to see some cars at the park when the kids and I pulled up. Even more families arrived after us. When you live in this climate, nightfall is a special time of day. The sky is radiant, the colors supernal and the air relaxes and becomes pleasing. There is a tangible feeling among both children and adults of happy freedom. Finally, we emerge from our air conditioned crates and run wild.
Still a few minutes away from sunset, I hunted for a little shade. I ended up sitting cross-legged under this fun climbing apparatus. It seemed appropriate to spin under something akin to a spiderweb. It also put me in the middle of the action so I could chat with the kids and keep an eye out for them. A few curious boys asked me what I was doing, but barely paused to hear my response. I couldn't blame them. It was much more fun to run and climb.
The sun sank low enough for me to move to the wall surrounding the playground. Whoever designed the park was nice enough to put in benches for the parents, but neglected to plant any shade trees. With the air becoming cooler, the wall was a nice place to spin. My drop spindle could travel four or five feet before touching the ground. It drew the attention of some other parents sitting nearby. They asked me questions and seemed to enjoy watching a craft they said they had never before seen.
The sky was growing dark as we left the park. My boys were sweaty and tired and I was feeling content. I managed not only to spin in public, but also to share my craft with others. That's all I wanted to accomplish and it felt good. Even though I didn't join a group of spinners yesterday, I like to think I was part of a global ensemble. An orchestra of spinners, playing our spider songs for the world to hear.
Over the past couple weeks, Crochet Pattern Central has been adding my free crochet patterns to their website. My blog has never been so busy! I want to welcome everyone to Wind Rose Fiber Studio. Thanks for visiting!
For those of you who are currently crocheting a pattern, I do check for comments on past posts everyday, so I am here to answer your questions. You can also contact me through my Etsy shop. I'll receive email notification and I'll be able to respond even faster.
I do like to give patterns away, so check back from time to time. In the picture you see here, I'm working on a slipcover for my Mac Pro laptop. If it turns out cute, it will probably be the next free pattern. The yarn I'm using is some of my own handspun. It's kind of wild and crazy yarn, but that's what I like about it. The design I'm working on is fairly simple, so I'm using a colorful yarn to make it more interesting.
Once again, welcome and I hope you enjoy the site!
This is a fiber arts blog, so I must proclaim to the world, or at least my handful of readers, that this coming Saturday is National Spin in Public Day.
Whether it's for 20 minutes or all day long, grab those drop spindles and spinning wheels and head outside. Set up in a park, a coffee shop, a bench in the mall, a street fair or even the grass of your own front yard. Be in a place where people can see you and where you can share your craft.
Whenever I tell people I like to spin my own yarn, I get responses like, "Do people really still do that?" or "That seems like a pretty unique hobby." When I tell them there are thousands of us spinners out there, they look skeptical. Well now's our chance to show the nation just how many of us there are!
Even better, we can answer questions, give demonstrations and share our love of fiber arts with others. This is a chance to invite new young spinners into the fold. Whenever I spin in public, I always find myself surrounded by children. If I put a drop spindle in their hands and show them how it works, they get very excited. They call their moms over to see what they can do. The spark has been ignited.
So my spinning friends, I implore you. This Saturday, find a shady palm, perhaps the good company of a sombrero wearing frog, and spin!
Here it is! I'd like to formally introduce The Wind Rose Spindle Noddy! I'm so excited!
The Wind Rose Spindle Noddy is a drop spindle and a niddy noddy all in one! Use the Spindle Noddy to spin beautiful skeins of yarn and wrap them right onto the 24" Niddy Noddy.
Singles can be placed on a swift and wound into center pull balls for easy plying. Or you can make single ply yarn that is conveniently wrapped onto the niddy noddy as you spin. Slide off your completed hank and it's ready to be washed and the twist set. You may also enjoy having the 2 foot niddy noddy for making sample skeins or short skeins for smaller projects.
The Wind Rose Spindle Noddy weighs 1oz with an 8.5" spindle length. The arms of the niddy noddy are 6" long allowing three inches on each side of the spindle. This is enough room to spin nice big skeins of yarn.
The Spindle Noddy is made from unfinished birch and comes with spinning instructions, a leader cord and a .5oz sample of roving. It's shipped in a sturdy box for safe travels.
I'm doing my best to get this week off to a great start! Today I decided to list some of the yarn I spun during the Tour de Fleece. Remember this one? My Pink Flowers Beaded Yarn is now available at Wind Rose Fiber Studio!
In addition to my beaded yarn, I have also listed my Jacob Swirl, Green Stripes and Candied Alpaca. It was so nice to be a part of this summer's Tour de Fleece and to be inspired by my fellow spinners. I'm also getting back to my dye work. It's rare that my inventory gets down to zero, but that's exactly where my Blue Faced Leicester stock is at the moment. This just won't do, so I'm going to be replenishing my BFL in all the colors of the rainbow. Right now I have a rich Gypsy Wine and a beautiful, bright Fuchsia drying outside. Starting tomorrow, the shop will begin to fill back up with this soft and lovely wool!
Wow! Tour de Fleece 2010 is coming to an end today. It really has been a fun ride. The Team of Wonder was and is awesome, inspiring company. I'm so glad I went on this spinning journey with you!
I just have to talk about spinning! I went back to refine my bouclé yesterday. I knew I wanted more curls and for them to be tighter than on my first attempt. I was using a push up method when it occurred to me that is is totally how coils are made.
After the Spring 2008 edition of Spin Off Magazine, I started to see coils everywhere. It was like everyone was spinning them. I thought they looked cool, but I didn't explore making my own because I didn't think the yarn would be ideal for the kinds of things I like to crochet. I have to say, "Now I get it!" Coils are just plain fun to spin!
So I abandoned my previous plan, which I seem to be doing a lot lately, and instead made this Coils and Curls yarn. It was ridiculously fun and felt almost reckless compared to my usual, controlled spinning. To tell you the truth, even my novelty yarns tend to be well thought out and carefully constructed. This felt like letting loose. Now, I just want to make a bunch of crazy yarn although I still don't know what I'll do with it!
I know I said Thursday was challenge day of the Tour de Fleece 2010, but for me, it was a two day uphill climb. Actually, more like three days, because I just finished this morning!
This bird's nest, fiber doughnut is my first attempt at bouclé. This is before I soaked the yarn to set the twist. It just kind of makes for a fun photo. Right now it's hanging outside, in the sun, drying.
I have to be honest, my first bouclé is far from perfect. It lacks consistency, but I think I understand how to make it now and how I can make my next skein better.
After all my talk of figuring out things on my own, I did the opposite. I started off using mohair and then switched to Falkland top. The mohair was very fine and very much trying my patience. I went back to my comfort zone, good old sheep's wool. The idea I had in my head basically failed. I took an hour off to stew in my juices and then hopped online.
I wanted loopy yarn, so basically that's bouclé. I sort of went with Judith MacKenzie McCuin's school of thought on the process. I spun a lace weight going clockwise, then a heavier weight counterclockwise. Those two were plied together clockwise holding the lace at greater tension. This seemed to be where the learning curve kicked in. I had to get the feel for the right tension for each yarn and find a comfortable angle to hold them. It was pretty cool once I got it. I enjoyed watching my wavy yarn feed onto my spindle. What I also learned is that the next time I make a bouclé, I'll spin my lace weight at a lower twist. I felt like my twist was just a little too high on this skein.
The last step was to take my wavy two ply and ply it with a third yarn to hold the curls in place. With this ply I was back to going counterclockwise. Some people use thread. I have a big spool of silk lace in my studio, so I used that. I also like that the silk will add a little luster and will dye up nice with the rest of the fiber. Now that the hank has been washed and is hanging outside, it looks pretty fun. It's hard for me to look past the imperfections, but they make me want to try again and do it better!
So, notes to self: I need a slightly lighter twist in my thin yarn. I also want to be careful not to lose too much twist on the heavier yarn when I'm plying. I'd like to try adding a little of the push up method to exaggerate my curls.
I'll post another picture after my yarn is dry. I think I want to go ahead and dye it too. It's definitely cute enough to make into something. I hope all the others spinners out there had a good challenge day experience!
Here's a picture of the yarn I have spun so far in 2010's Tour de Fleece. It's a pretty humble offering compared to other spinners. I bow to these prolific spider-women who have 4oz on a spool before I've even finished my first cup of coffee. Simply, you rock!
Today is challenge day, the day when we are supposed to depart from our spinning comfort zones and try something that is... well... a challenge. I'm going to try a loopy mohair.
I've never made a yarn with loops before and I haven't read any books or blogs about how it's done. I'm basically just going to go for it. Half the fun is figuring it out. Sure I could read how to do it, but where's the challenge in that? "No!" I say. Today is a throw down! It's between me and the mohair and I plan to win!
I knew I wanted to spin one of my beaded Singles for Tour de Fleece 2010. Just as I was preparing my fiber, I received an email from one of my customers. She noticed one of my beaded skeins in my shop and asked me how I made it. I wrote a post entitled How to Spin Beaded Yarn over a year ago, but I thought that I might recap today with some added pictures.
When this idea first came to me, I was so excited. My enthusiasm grew when I tried it out and really liked my finished product. I named my first beaded singles skein Underwater Fantasy. It sold immediately when I listed it in my shop. That's when I thought I was really onto something. I shared a couple pictures on the Spin Off Magazine site thinking that the spinning community would really dig it. There were a couple comments, but it didn't get the fervent reception I thought it might. What's the point of telling you this? I guess none really. I just consider my readers friends and I wanted to share this little piece of history. 
Okay, back to my recap.
The first thing I do is thread a bunch of beads onto slivers of fiber. I use a bead threading needle, the kind that looks like just a big needle eye. I take a very fine sliver of whatever fiber I'm working with and insert in through the eye of the threader. Then I take the bead and slide it onto the fiber. I've been able to thread pretty small beads. The trick is to put just the very tip if the fiber through the eye so the bead doesn't have to travel over anything too thick.This particular skein, which measures 140 yards, contains 351 beads, but as you can see, some of the fibers are holding more than one bead.
Once you have a bunch on fiber threaded beads, you are ready to spin. [I also like to pre-draft my main fiber (pink) into a nice pencil thin roving.] You have to decide how often 
to introduce each bead and how structured you want that placement to be. Whatever you choose will be part of your individual design. When you get to the place where you're going to spin in the bead, you basically work it in the same way you join fiber when you are spinning any yarn. Be careful not to make each bead placement thicker than then rest of your skein. Just draft the fiber thin enough to accommodate the fiber that the bead is threaded on. If you're spinning with larger beads, it helps to have your singles be a little thicker to accommodate the weight of the beads. In this case, I've added some larger glass flowers along with my seed beads so I made this yarn at least a medium weight.
There's one more step. I anchor the beads in place by running a fine piece of the main fiber over the outside of the bead and working it into the twist just beyond the bead. This picture is from a different project, but it does a nice job of illustrating how the fiber is carried over the bead. It's anchoring the bead in this manner that makes it possible to spin beaded singles. You don't need that extra ply to stabilize your yarn and hold the bead in place. I like the singles because the beads really show well are there is something very delicate about them. There's one more thing I should add. You have to be more careful setting the twist on beaded yarn. The weight of the beads can pull on the fiber. For this reason, I spin my singles at a relatively low twist which makes for nice, easy setting. I know some spinners are reluctant to set twist under any kind of tension, but sometimes I allow my beaded singles to dry on a swift. It gives the yarn a little support while it's drying. 
This skein, which I named Moonlit Dance, is one of my personal favorites. The base is a charcoal Merino. The beads are ceramic and glass seed beads plus some Dalmation Jasper. I threaded the beads onto a dark turquoise. As I spun, I went back and forth between the beaded turquoise and some teased natural mohair locks. The contrast and the texture really makes me happy.
On a final note, I made a YouTube video about Spinning a Beaded Single. I was only using a Flip camera and I should have talked a little louder so the quality isn't what it could be. However, in the beginning of the video, I show how to thread the beads and you may find this useful. So that's it! If you have any questions, just leave a comment and I'll do my best to clarify. I hope you give it a try sometime. They are so much fun to make and you can go crazy with infinite designs. With yarn like this, something as simple as a scarf can look like a work of art!
Here's my latest spinning for the Tour de Fleece 2010. I was in my studio and became inspired to make an organic novelty yarn. I started off by making a ply combining lace weight jute with ginned cotton. I allowed the jute to show through because I wanted a little of that color contrast. I also made the cotton just a little nubby to give it some texture. What's a novelty yarn without texture?
For the next ply, I simply spun some lace weight Tussah Silk. Then I plied my ginned cotton jute and silk together. The result is unlike anything I've ever made before. The outside of the yarn is soft and the silk gives it that luster. The jute core gives the yarn a more structural feel making it a good choice for things like hats or purses. This is a yarn that will hold shape well. It's would be very cool in a fiber sculpture.
Well, sometimes I don't really know where my inspiration will lead. This time I'm really happy with my end result. I'm always trying to come up with something different that I've never done or seen before. This Silk, Cotton & Jute Novelty Yarn definitely fits that description. I also like how organic it is. I think it would be well suited for anyone who creates primitive or folk art.
