Folklore Charm

Day 320: Spinning blends on a Turkish spindle can be challenging when one fiber is neppy (i.e., full of slubs) and another is slick as a greased pig. One quickly learns why it's called a "drop spindle" unless great care is taken to ensure that some of the longer, grippier Merino is included in each pull, but on the other hand, spinning such a blend will help you improve your skill and control of the fiber. The name of the game is to pull apart and distribute the slubs aesthetically throughout the finished yarn. This does not necessarily imply that they must be evenly distributed, because part of the charm of slubby yarns lies in the occasional larger slub interspersed among smaller ones. In fact, "Charm" is the name of this particular colourway, one of my favourites in the Folklore series from Paradise Fibers. It is comprised of Merino, viscose and bamboo, and spins up beautifully at 26 wraps per inch (fingering/superfine weight). This skein is 95 yards and weighs one ounce.

Nepps

Day 204: I'm going to blame it on stress. My guiding rule about having no more than one project of any particular type in progress at the same time seems to have flown right out the window. Not only is my spinning wheel busy, I have yarn on one supported spindle and five...count them, five!...active drop spindles. Admittedly, two of the latter hold "leftovers," the bits I clean out of the carders when changing colours which therefore can't be spun in the worsted method I prefer, but still usable spun as woolen.

I have been wanting to spin some "confetti" yarn for the longest time, but was having trouble finding multicoloured nepps. Now, "nepps" is a word most of you won't recognize unless you've heard me talk about them before. Also spelled with one p, nepps are defined as "hopelessly entangled knots of fiber" which isn't as bad a thing as it sounds, at least in the right circumstances. Nepps can give a wonderful texture to a finished yarn, as well as visual interest. Since I couldn't find mixed-colour wool nepps through any of my suppliers, I went with a second option: a prepared wool/bamboo top with the nepps already built in, albeit only in two colours. I decided to spin the fiber on a drop spindle because it's slower, giving me broader opportunities to spread out any recalcitrant neppy concentrations as I go along.

The Right Job For The Tool

Day 191: You all know that you should always use the right tool for the job. In this case, I had to find the right job for the tool. I have to admit that I bought this teeny-tiny Turkish spindle on a whim. It cost only slightly more than two gallons of milk, and I thought it was absolutely adorable! Plus, the crossarms are made from sassafras wood, and I have a weakness for "exotic" woods, particularly when they have been turned into fiberarts implements. However, I had no idea what I'd be able to spin on a spindle which looked more like a toy than a tool, and rather figured it would turn out to be a conversation piece and nothing more. Still, it couldn't hurt to try to make yarn with it, so I attached a length of buttonhole twist to use as a leader, the same thread I use on my larger, weightier spindles. I gave it a twirl, watched it wind, but was dismayed when it began back-twisting after only a few rotations. I sat back to analyze the problem in a scientific manner and after deciding that the hard twist of buttonhole thread was at least partly responsible for the issue, I took it off and made a new leader from sewing thread. Sassafras spun like a dream! I grabbed a bit of Corriedale top, and immediately spun it into a fine strand with ease. While Sassy may not have the weight to spin heavier yarns, she spins cobweb any spider could admire.

Winding A Turkish Turtle

Day 186: While I've never had much success at spinning on a bottom-whorl drop spindle, for some reason, using a Turkish-style model has come easily. It has a distinct advantage over the round-whorled types, in that when you are done, you have a ready-made center-pull ball which is easily removed from the spindle by removing the shaft and pulling out the crossarms. As you can see by using the pencil for comparison, I am spinning a fine single here, and winding it on in the "god's-eye" manner known as a turtle. Forming a well-made Turkish turtle is a skill all of its very own! The spun yarn passes under one arm, over two, laying closely beside itself on both top and bottom. For me at least, effecting this takes almost as much time (or perhaps more) than spinning the length of yarn, and while my technique still leaves something to be desired, it's much better than it was on my first attempts. Two such turtles will eventually be used to form a double-ply strand. It should be noted that the turtle can also be called a cop, and you should be relieved that I have spared you all the possible "good cop, bad cop" humour, at least for now.