My spinning wheel.

The beginning of this month marked my birthday. It was a weekday so was reasonably normal. I went to work, had birthday cake with my colleagues and did a few support visits. When I arrived home I was treated to a home made dinner and an amazing gift - a brand new spinning wheel! When I decided to learn to spin back at the beginning of this year the agreement was I purchase a second hand wheel and see if I liked/could spin wool. I loved it. I joined the spinning Guild, and spent the rest of this year handling the most wonderful Merino and Alpaca fleeces and turning them into yarn. My new spinning wheel is an Ashford Joy Double Treadle. It is so unbelievably compact - it can even be carried around in its own carry case!

And what about my old wheel? It was enthusiastically accepted by a wonderful local friend who is treading the path of sustainable living. She is loving learning to spin.

If any of you are interested in learning to spin, I would say to you "have a go!". Buy yourself a working second hand spinning wheel and a bag of fleece (washed or unwashed - it doesn't matter). Then sit down and watch a few YouTube videos to get an understanding of what spinning looks like, read a bit about it, then give it a try. I promise you will look at yarn in a whole new light after spinning your own skein. If you're not sure, why not support a spinner and try buying hand spun yarn for your next knitting/crocheting project? There are plenty for sale on sites like Etsy.

Sam xox

Sheep tam.

I just had to share this with you all! 

If you are a Ravelry user I am sure you have seen this tam pattern or the similar tea cosy pattern whilst lurking around the pages. A fellow spinner brought this hat along for show and tell at our last Spinners and Weavers Guild meeting. She knitted this from seven different alpaca yarns that she spun herself! All natural colours. I was in awe and just had to grab some photos for you all using my iPhone (so they are a touch grainy). If you are a fellow knitter or spinner, or just love a good quality knit, I know you will appreciate this ...

Sam xox

A prize from Ashford.

I promise this will be the last spinning related post for a while, but I just had to share with you the prize I received from winning an Ashford Facebook competition! The call was made for people to submit a photo of themselves and their Ashford product, with two winners to be selected and rewarded with an Ashford apron.

I entered this photo...

Yes, that is me in my pyjama's spinning Merino fleece while my darling cat Sophie watches on. A typical week night for me :-)

The apron arrived on Friday and it is terrific!

I have already pinned my Guild pin to it, and I plan to christen it at the next meeting. 

Sam xox

Psst - In case you were wondering what on earth aprons have to do with spinning... one must wear an apron to protect their clothing when spinning. Fibres like to attach themselves to your clothes and are super hard to remove. At other times, when spinning freshly shorn / unwashed fleeces, the apron catches all the dirty bits and pieces that fall onto your lap!

The first skein.

Today I wanted to briefly share with you a photo of the very first skein of wool I spun. The photo is grainy because at the time I didn't want to take 'nice' photos of my effort. I was embarrassed by how lumpy and uneven the yarn turned out to be. I was frustrated by my obviously novice ability and didn't think it was good enough.

Now I can see it really is beautiful. Handmade yarn does not need to look like it has been bought from a store. This skein has been made by imperfect hands on an imperfect timber wheel. It represents the beginning of my spinning journey. 

My starting block.

I've been told to keep the skein as a memento by some. Others have instructed me to knit something 'extra special' from it. For now it is hidden away at the bottom of my knitting basket, kept safe, and quietly reminding me that it doesn't hurt to be a beginner sometimes.

Sam xox

My spinning wheel.

When I began knitting back in January I had unexpected success. I used YouTube to teach me certain stitches, and then persevered hard until I got the hang of it. I was motivated by the idea that I would soon be able to create my own knitted clothing by hand, and not have to rely on all store bought winter garments. The thought of becoming self sufficient in not only sewing my own clothes but also knitting my own clothes appealed to me greatly. The world of wool opened up to me and I was learning the difference between Merino and Shetland wool, and appreciating blends containing alpaca and mohair.

The thought occurred to me in February that I could take this new found skill one step further, and try making my own yarns by learning how to spin wool. I was aiming high. I knew no one who spun, and better still had never actually seen or touched a spinning wheel. "How hard could it be?" I told myself. I bought my spinning wheel off eBay for $90, and a 1kg bag of Merino wool for $30. I received both in the post on same day, and spent the evening assembling the wheel and appreciating Jamie's assistance in adjusting the tension.

It took me over three weeks to 'get' how to spin. I watched countless YouTube videos, studied the spinners hands, fingers, movements, peddling. Trying to absorb every aspect of their spinning methods. What I learnt quickly was that spinning is very much a physically involved activity. The wheel powered by the foot/feet, the wool guided by the hands and fingers, and the eyes keeping watch over the tension. At first it sort of feels like the time when you were a kid, and your Kindergarten teacher the class "pat your head and rub your tummy" at the same time. And do you remember how you felt really uncoordinated? That was how I felt for at least three weeks. Then it all clicked into place. I now call myself a "Spinner", and I am knitting a scarf from my own hand spun wool.

I am super in love with my spinning wheel, and feel I have made another step towards self sufficiency.

For anyone who is interested, my wheel is an Ashford Kit Kraft and from my research I estimate it was made in the 1970's. If you are thinking of buying a wheel for yourself second hand, I would recommend buying a maintenance kit from Ashford (these can be found on eBay for around AUD$25) and are worth it, because you can replace your leather piece, hooks, strings, and give the wheel a bit of oil. The Ashford website also has an online book Learn to Spin. I don't mean to sound like I am 'pushing' Ashford products. There are many different spinning wheel suppliers out there. It just happened that I bought an Ashford and so far have been really pleased with their products.

Sam xox

My hand spun yarn.

Here is the first of the blended Merino tops I bought from Feltfine, and it spun up absolutely beautifully!

" Aries is a combination of dyed Merino wool tops scarlet, crimson, hot pink, ruby with extra bleached tussah silk to create a rainbow blend with a silky sheen. "

I bought 200 grams of the tops and weighed it out using digital scales to make two 100 gram bundles. I then spun two bobbins, with 100 grams on each. The wool spun beautifully with the different colours scattered throughout the bobbin. The yarn is then created by plying the two bobbins together.

Once the bobbin is full, the yarn is removed and wrapped around a wooden niddy noddy (I couldn't make that name up if I tried!) to help even out the tension.

The yarn is secured in place with four tie, is then removed from the niddy noddy, and twisted tightly to create a skein!

~ Those large white lines are the ties on the skein, not part of the actual yarn ~

200 grams of the wool gave me two and a half skeins of wool!

Isn't it beautiful? I am so pleased!!!

This is the third skein I have spun and I am already noticing an improvement in my consistency which is really encouraging. I am self taught from Youtube and bought my spinning wheel second hand on ebay. If you're a knitter and have been thinking of giving spinning a try, I say "Go for it!", it is really amazing to actually create yarn with your own two hands!

Sam xox

Can I call myself a spinner yet?

Last week I was fortunate enough to find an Ashford wheel for very cheep. As I am new to this hobby I did not want to invest much money in my first wheel, but did hope that for the small price I paid I wouldn't be receiving a total lemon.  Luckily for me, after doing some simple maintenance on the wheel (new hooks, leather piece, string, and a bit of oil) it is running smoothly. I did a little research and believe this wheel was made circa 1975, judging by this timeline. 

What I was most excited about was that it was a vintage Ashford wheel. Ashford is a New Zealand company, that was founded by Walter Ashford in 1934. Ashford designed flat pack wheels for people to use during war time and following there after. It has evolved to become a leading producer of top quality spinning and weaving equipment.

 ~ One must wear an apron when spinning ~

 ~ Beautiful fleece from a merino sheep in Oberon ~

I have been teaching myself to spin via youtube videos, online articles and books. The skill of spinning is evolving slowly. I have mastered the motion of the treadle, however my grafting leaves a lot to be desired! My yarn is spinning well sometimes, and other times it is over spun and twists up too much. I am troubleshooting this problem and can see I am getting better and stopping this happening. 

~ Some twisty bits in there! ~

Practice makes perfect right? 

But the good news is I very much enjoy it and look forward to when my skills improve.

It is also important to note: spinning (like any other fabric/yarn craft) appears to be a cat magnet. But even more so when the slight scent of sheep is in the air...

Sam xox

Come in spinner.

My appreciation for fine quality wool has grown alongside my love affair with knitting. Extra fine merino... baby alpaca... Shetland wool... All so lovely against the skin and far more inviting than the typical acrylic sold at my local Spotlight. While I move and loop the beautiful yarns in my hands, my mind traces over the journey these fibres have had before they reach my needles. The process of making wool into knitting yarn. This lead me to toy with the idea of spinning my own wool. 

I took action. On Saturday I became a member of my local Spinners and Weavers Guild!

After some googling and a few emails I found the group and was warming invited to attend their meeting (which also happened to be their Annual General Meeting!). When I arrived at the Community Hall I was greeted with the sound of treadling wooden wheels, chatter and laughter. Pikelets, an assortment of cakes, and cups of tea were spread out across the high table squeezed tightly into the hall kitchen. I watched as the ladies each took a turn at show and tell, and I learnt about a unique breed of New Zealand sheep that can be shorn every six months (the name of the breed escapes me at this very moment). 

The Guild ladies were all very welcoming and patiently answered my 1001 questions. I was supplied with a bag of fleece (fresh from the sheep!) for practicing purposes, a spinning wheel to borrow and a book on loan from the Guild library.

I am set up to spin!

~ My first fleece for practice ~

~ Combing the wool in preparation for spinning ~

~ A small amount of white wool I was also gifted. Preparing to be washed ~

After a few hours of practice I am beginning to see some progress. My treadling is beginning to become smooth and I am achieving a few meters at a time of well spun wool - in between these meters are quite a lot of mistakes ;-)

Sam xox