Navajo Plying and Hand Painted Yarn

Finished Skein of Navajo Plied Handpainted Dorset Roving

When I posted about my yarn dyeing day I didn't really elaborate on the handpainting that Lesley and I did. I guess I didn't because I really wasn't enjoying it that much. I was having so much fun with the dyeing in the pot that I just glossed over the handpainting we did as something rather ho hum. Boy was I wrong!!!! When I got home I thought that I might as well spin it up and get it out of the way before I go back to carding and spinning my Maine Island Fleece for my someday sweater. Am I glad I decided to tackle that little "chore." Here's a picture of me waving the roving right after I handpainted it. It was a very windy day and I was putting it outside to dry.

You can see that it is nothing to write home about. I thought it rather boring.

Here is a photo of the roving after I predrafted before spinning:

Here is a photo of the beginning of the yarn as I begun to spin this same roving:

Now understand my pleasant surprise!? I only wish I had handpainted a ton more.

I spent an hour or so navajo plying. It's been years since I've done any plying like this. Navajo plying is good if you have a thin single ply that you want to ply in such a way that the colors stay as vivid and separate as possible. Perfect for handpainting! It was clunky during most of my attempt at this but just as I was getting to the end of it I got the hang of it. Here are two youtube video clips that I used and found helpful.
This first one is with Sarah Anderson and is from Interweave Press. Can't go wrong with Interweave Press! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JmlwtojLXI8&NR=1 I watched this all the way through several times before I began. Then I paused a lot as I tried to follow along. To be honest I just couldn't get the left hand to guide the yarn. I was using the left hand to pull it through. But figured I'd keep going and maybe I'd see the errors of my ways.
Then I found this clip and this helped me with what to do with my right hand and how to manage that opening loop that I seemed to keep losing: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dgNkkt5xLZI&feature=related For some reason, not that this video is any better than Sarah's, but this one worked for me. Maybe it was because I had been so keen on watching my loop and trying to figure out how to turn my left hand into a guiding hand that I was ready to really see and feel this technique. Then I got it! Right before I ran out of yarn.
And here's my final Navajo Plied yarn!

So now I think I'm going to grab some cheap cotton yarn and try using that just to practice this technique.

Good luck with Navajo plying if you ever give it a go. I know I'm going do a heck of a lot more handpainting this summer! That's for sure.

May your spinning spin smoothly and your yarn be luscious,
Mary
PS - Speaking of smooth spinning and Navajo plying; take a look at these Navajo spindles! Wow! I just may have to try this type of spinning - http://www.roosterick.com/spinning

A Day of Dyeing Yarns

A Basket of Dyed Handspun Yarns

Today was a great day! My friend, Lesley, and I spent the afternoon dyeing some of our handspun yarns. Lesley is an AMAZING knitter and now spinner. She showed me a sweater she is knitting from handspun and dyed yarn and it is absolutely beautiful! As you can see by the basket of yarns, today was all about color.

I brought yarns I had spun up from my Maine Island Sheep fleece. These are yarns that I want to make a sweater out of. Initially I thought I would get the color for the base of my sweater from Indigo. I grow Indigo (Japanese Indigo) and have used it to dye yarns before and I love it. But today was about experimenting with colors, a variety of vivid colors.

Color is a funny thing. You can create colors that inspire and excite you or colors that just turn you off. To be honest I am intimidated by color. How much is too much? Which ones go together? What if they don't look good together? I spin and knit for feel, for texture. The first thing I do when I see a yarn or fiber is touch it. If it doesn't feel nice than I don't like it. I'll chose texture over color any day. So this foray into the world of color is not an easy one for me to make. But Lesley is so comfortable with color that she is graciously helping me make that journey into the world of color. But for the record, I'm still scared of it.

A package of the Cushings Dye that we used today. Cushings Dye is a local company out of Kennebunkport. I like the idea that it's a local company. And I must say that I like the colors that these Cushings dyes made. One concern that I've had with dyes is the chemicals that are in them. So I've been more intrigued by natural dyes. But you can't get quite the pallet of colors with natural dyes that you can from these. Natural dyes also use mordants and some of those can be as dangerous as these dyes. I guess you just have to be very careful and follow the directions carefully.

The first thing we did was figure out what color we wanted using Lesley's handy color chart. Then we discussed the value we wanted (how deep or light of a color shade we wanted). Lesley took a dyeing weekend at Wrinkle in Thyme Farm http://www.awrinkleinthymefarm.com/ and so she was putting to practice all the wonderful things she learned during that workshop.

Then we weighed the dry yarn. This helped us figure out how much dye stock solution to use in the dyepot. This was a very helpful step.

Once we knew what colors we wanted and how much yarn we wanted that color we began mixing the colors using hot water and vinegar. A packet of dye, a pint of very hot water, and a teaspoon of white vinegar.

While we were measuring out all the dyes we let our yarn soak in lukewarm water (for 30 minutes)that had a glug of white vinegar added. It was very helpful that we tied our yarns a little bit differently which made them easier to spot when they came out of the dyepots. Lesley very loosely wove a figure 8 out of thin yarn through her yarns and I just very loosely wrapped mine.

We then added the desired amount of dye stock to the pot, added the yarns, and slowly, very slowly brought the dyepots to barely a simmer. Once to the point of almost seeing bubbles begin we turned the heat down and let them simmer (just barely) for 30 minutes.

Once the simmering was done we took the yarns out and let them drain and cool in the sink a bit. Once cooled a bit we rinsed them in water the same temp as the yarns. We did this until the water was mostly clear. Some yarns this only took one rinse, others took 2 or 3.

FELTING NOTE - Something important to keep in mind throughout this whole process is that extreme changes in temperature, agitation, and lack of acid causes felting of wool. Knowing that and being careful throughout this process and you can avoid accidentally felting your yarn. The vinegar provides the needed acid. Not putting hot yarn into cold water or cold yarn into hot water helps with the extreme change in temperature issue. Carefully adding and removing the yarn to the dye or rinse waters and not stirring while in the waters takes care of the agitation issue.

Finished yarns air drying outside on a windy day.

And a well deserved meal of whole wheat ziti and 2010 summer garden stewed tomatoes with a delicious local ale:

To be honest I haven't decided if I will use these yarns in my sweater or not. Some of them are too deep a color and others not deep enough. I'm learning about value and today was a good lesson in that. I may use some of the yarns in the color work patterns in my sweater but I'm not sure about the body. That's ok; I've got lots of time to decide. Next step...finish spinning the fleece! I've still got easily 3 pounds of fleece to card and spin. Then I'll decide. So until I do I'm still planning and planting a natural dyers garden. I do really like that idea.

Hope you enjoyed our foray into the world of dyeing handspun yarns. And thanks Lesley for a great day!
Mary
PS - This is a very neat art exhibit in NYC. It's title: Counting Sheep by Brooklyn Artist, Kyu Seok Oh. An instillation of 24 handmade paper sheep (I wonder if they're lifesize? They look it.) in Times Square. I think it could have used some of our painting! Very Cool. http://www.cam111.com/photonews/2011/03/02/81256.html

Denmark Maine's 2011 Sheepfest

I LOVE fiddle music and was pleasantly surprised to hear it when I entered this quaint building.

Today I got to go to the Denmark Sheepfest. It had everything I enjoy about local fiber events. It was in a rural location, was small and intimate, and had a nice balance of fiber animals, and folks demonstrating different fiber activities such as spinning. And as you can see from the photo above there was even wonderful fiddle music!

According to the website http://www.denmarksheepfest.com/index.htm this event began a few years ago as a way for local shepherds to gather with an experienced shearer and have their sheep sheared. It has grown from there to include demonstrations, fiber items for sale, food, and music. I really enjoyed it. Some folks may find it too small to travel any distance for. But I find it's exactly what I want to travel for. I wanted to watch skirting and I got a brief chance to see that in action.

Experienced shearer. This was amazing to watch. He sheared each sheep with such skill and precision. And quick as a wink!

Here's the fleece of that shorn sheep being skirted at the skirting table. Skirting is the process where all the yucky wool is picked off and discarded. This is the first step to preparing a fleece for spinning by a hand spinner. The next step is decided by the spinner. Some spin in the grease, meaning they spin right from this fleece. The smell and feel of lanolin is absolutely delightful! There is nothing like it. Well, maybe the smell of beeswax. But most spinners choose to take the raw fleece and wash it very carefully in hot soapy water to get dirt and most of the lanolin out. That's what I prefer to do. I like to wash my fleece before I spin it. I find it easier and more enjoyable to spin. But that's my opinion. Some spinners would disagree whole heartily with me on that.

This picture gives you a sense of the intimacy of the day. What I realize I didn't capture with this picture was the different folks spinning and felting. I didn't see a weaver but I'm sure there was someone weaving. There were a lot of beautiful finished knitted items available and quite a bit of needle felting materials. I would have liked to have been able to purchase a fleece from a sheep being sheared. If that was an available option I missed it. I was particularly interested in a Finn fleece. Oh well. Maybe next year.

And finally, a woman spinning angora right from her beautiful and healthy angora rabbit.

It was a nice day and I can't wait to go again next year.
May your fiber be clean, soft, and a joy to work with,
Mary

Maine Nash Island Sheep

Photo taken from: http://www.starcroftfiber.com/nash_island

I just had to share this link! The several pounds of Maine Island Sheep fleece that I'm carding, spinning, dying, and then knitting into a sweater is from this small island flock. I didn't know there was a website about this flock so was very excited to stumble upon it!
http://www.starcroftfiber.com/nash_island

I did not realize that my fleece came from a flock of 120 or so Coopworth-Romney-Corriedale sheep.

Photo also taken from: http://www.starcroftfiber.com/nash_island
Coopworth sheep are from New Zealand and are a dual sheep meaning it's a meat and wool sheep. Its wool is considered to be of the coarser nature. Corriedale sheep are also from New Zealand as well as Australia and are also a dual sheep. Corriedale are a result of Merino Lincoln mix. That seems like an odd mix to me. Merino known for its softness and Lincoln which has a long coarse staple. Corriedale are a parent of today's Targhee. Romeny on the other hand is a common sheep here in Maine and unlike the Coopworth and Cooriedale comes from England. It is also considered a long wool. It's a wonderful wool for beginning spinners and is most often used for outer garment wearing. So based on the ancestry of these lovely Nash Island Sheep I think making an outer sweater is a perfect use for this wool.

On the Starcroft website it says you can purchase a fleece directly from them, a local spinning mill, or from the fleece tent at MOFGA's Common Ground Fair. That's what I did. I purchased it from the fleece tent. Here's the link to Common Ground Fair - http://www.mofga.org/TheFair/tabid/135/Default.aspx

Happy spinning!
Mary

Dorsets

photo taken from - http://www.sheepapedia.info/Home.aspx

I wish you could feel the spongy coat on one of these sheep! Just lovely.

A few years ago a friend and I went up north a bit to meet with a very nice woman who raises Dorset sheep. I like to try the wool from different breeds and when I heard this breed was here in Maine I thought I'd go visit and buy some of her wool. Well, it's been a while and this roving has sat in my wool room all this time just patiently waiting for me to realize what a wonderful wool this is and spin it up.

Here's some info on Dorsets. It goes something like this; Centuries ago Spain brought Merino sheep into Southwest England and crossed them with the Horned Sheep of Wales, which produced a desirable all-purpose sheep which met the needs of that time. Thus began a breed of sheep which spread over Dorset, Somerset, Devon, and most of Wales and were called Horned Dorsets. In the USA they are called Dorset." Dorsets were brought to America in the 1850's so they've been here a while.
Taken from: http://www.ansi.okstate.edu/breeds/sheep/dorset/

This is very fitting that I found the need to spin this sheep's wool now. As I type my son is on a train through Wales on his way to southern England! Dorset country!

Dorsets have what's considered a medium diameter fiber and a medium to long staple length making the yarn perfect for outer ware, socks, and blankets. One resource I'm reading, In Sheep's Clothing, says that this wool does not felt easily and that the grease content washes out easily with hot water and detergent. It also notes that since the wool is open and airy the fleece dries quickly. The staple often has more of a crimp after washing so it appears to have shrunk. For this reason it states to select preparation method after washing so you can see what the exact staple length will be.

Here's a wonderful write up of dorset wool:
http://www.glenrosefarms.com/GlenroseFarmsFleece.htm
It says that Dorset down wool is wonderful to hand spin. I agree! It is lofty and just a pleasure to work with. It is also suppose to take dye well. Good thing since I'm planning on dying it next week. More on that below. Dorset wool is the softest of the "down" fleeces. Down referring to short-wooled sheep with fleece that typically have a spongy handle and are considered lofty, air trapping, and warm. The fibers have a well developed spiral crimp and thus have excellent resilience, springiness, and elasticity. For these reasons the fiber has great shape retention and insulation.

This desire to spin some white wool came from my friend Lesley. Again she inspired me to try something a little different. She recently went to a weekend fiber dying workshop (lucky!) and now has a drum carder. During school break next week we will get together to dye some newly spun yarn. Well I can't play if I don't have some newly spun yarn to dye. So I pulled out one of the white rovings I had, that being this wonderful dorset and am I glad I did. The woman who raises these sheep said this will make lovely mittens and hats, outer garments. And I think she is absolutely right on! As I spin this all I can think about is what great mittens these will make. So now I have a project in mind. Mittens that will have a simple pattern of some kind.

I'll post a pic the yarn once it's all spun. And then next week invite you to see our dying day in progress!

On a slightly different note, I can't wait to try Lesley's new drum carder. I notice that when I card my Maine Island Sheep wool that there are lots of little nubs throughout it. I don't know if it's the wool or my carder, or my carding technique or all the above. But it'll be interesting to see what happens when I try it on a different carder. I'll let you know how that goes too.

So for now...spinning madly to get this all spun by next week. Ahhhh....such dilemmas I can live with :)

Happy Spring!
Mary

Maine Shepherdess Scarf

The Maine Shepherdess Scarf from Romney Ridge Farm!

We all need a Maine Shepherdess Scarf!! I just had to post this link for you all. If you don't know Romeny Ridge Farm in Maine you must visit her site!!! LOVE it!

Here's the link to download the pattern: http://romneyridgefarm.wordpress.com/patterns/

And here's a link to her farm site/yarn store: http://romneyridgefarm.com/ "Beautiful Yarns from Beautiful Sheep"

That's it for today. Off to gather maple sap and begin boiling sap for syrup! Spring is here! I do love boiling days because I sit and boil and knit. I'm still working on the gloves I posted earlier. I'm on the pinky. I'll up load another photo when I've got a few fingers done. It's really fun!

Happy fiber play!
Mary

Start Spinning

Sitting home today with absolutely no voice. So rather than pout I'm spending some time spinning and watching a wonderful spinning DVD. Start Spinning featuring spinning guru Maggie Casey and knitting guru Eunny Lang is a great beginner's DVD.

Even though I've been spinning for years I've never really progressed beyond spinning one kind of yarn. That yarn being, whatever I spun! I've never challenged myself to go beyond whatever I figure out on my own by playing. And there's so much more!

As I mentioned before, I took a beginner's spinning workshop at Halcyon Yarn in Bath Maine a few weeks ago. Not only did I learn about simple things like the difference between worsted spun and woolen spun methods. I also learned the importance of loosening up the tension all the way before beginning to spin. Then when beginning to spin... slowly, ever so slowly and slightly tighten up the tension just till it begins to feed the spun yarn into the wheel. Wow! What a difference that makes.

Having a new spinning friend has also pushed my spinning to a new level. Lesley, the banjo player,is behind this new passion to go further with my spinning. She is an amazing knitter and so knows exactly what types of yarn she likes and what types of yarn she wants to knit. I now realize that I really have no idea what kind of yarn I want to spin because I have no idea what kind of yarn I want to knit with. Being a somewhat new knitter (been knitting only as long as I've been spinning) I haven't really paid close attention to the properties of the different yarns I have knit with. Sure I notice thick vs thin. But I've never, until now, really looked at the spinning of the yarn. Put these things together with the new LadyBug wheel I bought and I really do feel like a beginning spinner all over again.

So this DVD was just awesome to watch. Yes, it had things I know but it also had things that I should have known but didn't. There were a few little things that I wondered about but didn't ever think to ask anyone about. For instance...see this flyer?

I've wondered why are there little hooks on each side. I never seem to use both sides. I usually use the hooks on the right. Well...in this DVD I learned that if you look closely at the hooks you'll notice that they don't line up evenly. And the reason they don't line up evenly is so you can go from hook on the right side of the flyer to hook on the left side of the flyer to fill in your "valleys" better! OMG! Genius! How logical and simple is that? I knew that as I spun I had to use different hooks to guide the spun yarn onto the bobbin but I didn't realize that you could also use hooks on the opposite side of the flyer to even those valleys out even more.

Another tip that I didn't know is that with each bobbin change, wipe the metal flyer rod that holds the bobbin with a soft cloth to clean it and then put a little bit of oil on it. I was either oiling too often or not often enough. And I never thought to wipe the rod clean before applying oil each time. Logical for sure!

So that's what I've been up to today. Not much. Not rocket science. But 2 little tips that will aid in my quest for spinning a yarn that is a bit more even then I'm spinning now. The decision of spinning worsted vs. woolen yarn I'll save for later. I've got to get back to my spinning!

Happy fiber fun!
Mary

Odds 'N Ends

Listening to the Wailin Jennys and watching the snow fall outside. What more can a spinner need for inspiration!? Just thought I'd post a few things I've been working on over the past week or so. Nothing fancy as I'm still learning and very much a beginner. But I had fun with each of these projects. Each made with yarn I spun so that makes them a bit more special to me.

Knitting my first pair of gloves. It's fun! I'm using some old handspun wool that I've had laying around forever. So it's some early spun wool and far from balanced! I've knit mittens before but I've never ventured into the world of fingers. I think I'll give each finger a different color, just for fun.

A simple scarf. Garter stitch so it was a good take with me project. I knit this mostly driving to and back from Boston. Well I didn't do the driving. It's a bunch of different fibers, Finn Sheep's wool (my personal favorite wool), alpaca, llama, and other wools that I can't remember. I was just using up naturalish left overs.

Believe it or not I finished knitting this vest over 2 years ago! But I couldn't find the deer antler buttons that I wanted to use for it. I finally found the buttons! So I sewed on the buttons and blocked the vest. Nothing fancy for sure but I like it. It's a Shetland/Finn wool blend. If I were to do it again I'd knit it tighter on smaller needles. The buttons came from an antler I found in the woods. A fellow spinner had her husband cut it up and make buttons out of it. Love it!
Here's a close up of the buttons:

That's it for now. Happy spinning and knitting!
Mary

Angora...Heaven Spun!

Cute Angora Rabbit


Snow day today! I'm going to spend part of the day working some angora into some of the Maine Island Sheep fleece that I've been carding. I'm carding and spinning this full fleece for a sweater I will knit. The process so far has been a lot of fun. The other day as I was spinning I decided that when I finally do knit this sweater I want to knit a wool/angora band around the bottom edge and sleeves. That means I need to spin a few skeins of an wool/angora blend. To do that I need to card some angora into some wool. I just think a few bands of this blend will feel nice and look pretty. Angora makes a nice "halo" of fluff. I won't put it up by my neck. Don't need extra warm fluff there! I considered blending angora throughout the entire sweater but it'll make the sweater way too hot. Angora is a lot warmer than wool. Great for hat, scarf, or gloves/mittens... but a bit too warm for a sweater, at least for me it is.

While searching how to card angora I found a great website. It's got some great basic information on just about everything regarding spinning including quite a few video clips. I enjoyed the clips on the different spinning and plying techniques. There was a bit about using a drum carder, which is what I was looking for when I stumbled onto this site. http://www.joyofhandspinning.com/whoweare.shtml

Harvesting and spinning angora fiber. I had mixed feelings while I watched this harvesting but I know from friends who have rabbits that if you didn't harvest angora's fiber the rabbit would get sick. Something that helps me as I watch. I must say this woman is quite a spinner! Beautiful job and on a very basic wheel.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4oUw5YqYSRI&feature=player_embedded **Scroll down to see this video clip.

That's it for now. Off to card, spin, and knit. I may even order some seeds for some dye plants. I was going to make this an indigo blue sweater but have decided to go for more colors. Much more on that at a later date. For now, carding, spinning, and knitting sounds like a pretty fun day to me!

Drive carefully if you're on the road today and if you're home, happy spinning and knitting!
Mary

Qiviut -"kiv-ee-ute"

Ever since I was a kid I have loved the imagery of "The Far North". The desolate beauty of snow covered tundra and the wild animals that live there. While the Boreal Forests and Rocky Mountains of central and western Canada are the furthest North I've been I still dream of visiting Northern Canada and Alaska. When I get to northern Canada my goal will be to see, up close and personal, polar bear, Ursus maritimus. Hudson Bay is where I will go.

But when I get to Alaska, one of the first places I will go is to the Palmer Musk Ox Farm. I'll post their website home page's description because it says it so beautifully: "The non-profit Musk Ox Farm is dedicated to the domestication of the musk ox (Ovibos moschatus), an Ice Age mammal that once roamed the earth alongside saber tooth tigers and woolly mammoths.
Known to native Alaskans as “Oomingmak”, which means “The Bearded One”, this once-endangered animal produces an annual harvest of qiviut, the finest wool in the world."
You can visit their website here: http://www.muskoxfarm.org/ They also share some nice natural history about the musk ox here: http://www.muskoxfarm.org/themuskox

Then I will go to Anchorage to visit the Alaskan Qiviut Cooperative. This is a cooperative of Native Alaskan, mostly women, who make the most beautiful hand knit items from this delectable fiber. Qiviut, which comes from the underbelly of these ginormous creatures and happens to be so soft and warm. Some say the softest and warmest fiber known on Earth. I'll second that! I don't know about you but I like to fantasize about what it would look like to gather this luscious fiber. I visualize people scampering up to the unsuspecting giants, grab a hand full of fiber from their belly, and run fast as heck away. Only to repeat the whole process countless times! But in reality the way this fiber is harvested is that folks go around the Palmer Farm (and maybe other musk ox farms)in spring and gather fiber left behind on bushes near where these creatures shed.

But until I go I have to settle for purchasing my qiviut at a local fiber fair. And that's what I did. This week I will take breaks from carding and spinning Maine Island Sheep fleece to continue de-hairing my qiviut. De-hairing is tedious to say the least. This is when the long guard hairs are removed by hand from the luscious downy fiber. I'm about 1/2 way done and hope to finish the rest this week. Ambitious! So we'll see how far I get. My goal was to make a "nachaq". This word means hat or hood in the Eskimo language. It is also known as a "smokering", I'm not sure why but I suspect it has something to do with the lovely smokey brown color. It is seamless and scarf like that can be worn around your neck or head. It's lacy, warm, and soft! But in reality I don't think my 1 ounce will be enough so I may instead make a nice neck warmer or scarf. Here's a pic of the qiviut before being de-haired:

Now back to my new spinning wheel that I am loving very much!
Happy spinning and knitting!
Mary

The Schact LadyBug Spinning Wheel

My New Schact LadyBug Spinning Wheel

Spinning fiber is just one of the most fun things to do. The amazing variety of fibers allows you to just keep finding and trying new ones. And their properties! Some are so soft, some have a marvelous sheen, some so elastic while others aren't. But it's the softness I enjoy the most. Common for spinners I'm sure. The funny thing is I've been spinning for almost 10 years and today I'm feeling like I'm experiencing this for the first time!

Several things have occurred to allow this feeling. Several weeks ago a close friend of mine allowed me to borrow and than barter for her Louet Drum Carder. Here's my drum carder:

I love using this carder. So much so that I traded my gorgeous antique Canadian Production Spinning wheel for it. The drum carder allowed me to begin carding some Maine Island Fleece that I've had for two years! I bought the fleece from the Common Ground Fair 2 years ago. I washed it when I purchased it and it's been waiting for carding all this time! Then a week ago I went to Halcyon Yarn and took a spinning workshop with Joli Greene. She is a great spinning instructor! I went with a friend. This is my friend Lesley playing her banjo at our Outdoor Pizza Oven spin last summer:


The workshop was wonderful. I learned that I underspin just about everything! My instructor, Joli, taught me a few simple techniques to correct that bad old habit of mine. Here is her website: http://www.greeneleaf.com/about.php (What a talented lady!) I also learned to loosen the tension all the way before I begin to spin and then S-L-O-W-L-Y increase it to just the point it gently pulls on the fiber I'm spinning. Genius! I also learned to consider the project before spinning. Buying fleece and fiber with a project in mind. I must admit that I like this idea. I have usually bought a little fiber here and a little fleece there. Spin them up and now I have tons of single skeins of yarn. Not much good for a big project. There are only so many hats one can have after all! But the most important thing I learned was when Joli said...."You don't like your wheel very much do you?" I was quite surprised by her observation because she was right on. I never have liked my wheel. I had a Lendrum. Many women in my spinning group have Lendrums and love them. I never have. It's funny how some can love a spinning wheel and you don't. I always felt like I must be doing something wrong. Anyway, she had me try out all the spinning wheels at the shop and I fell in love with the Schacht LadyBug. She said,"Sell your wheel and get the one you like." Novel idea! Sometimes it just takes another viewpoint to point out the obvious. That lead me to the third and most important thing to lead to my renewed interest in spinning.

Yesterday I woke up and decided to sell my Lendrum and an old Ashford I've had. I contacted a friend, Lesley :), and we went up to Newport to the annual Maine Registry Spin-In. Joli told us that there would be lots of spinners there and if there was a place to sell a wheel that was it. She was right again! I sold both my Lendrum and Ashford the first hour I was there. So Lesley and I hopped into the car and drove down to Halcyon Yarns in Bath and I bought my wonderful LadyBug.

When I first saw this wheel I was not impressed! That, what I thought then, godawful red plastic drive wheel. But when I sat down and started to spin...oh my gosh! I fell in love. It spins like butta! It's small enough and light enough to take to spinning groups. Not as portable for traveling like my Lendrum but the balance, stability, and ease of use make up for the lack of portability. Another cool thing, (gimmick actually)is that every LadyBug wheel has a tiny little ladybug on it. So you have to look for it. Mine is on the base so I can look at it as I spin :) Ahhhhh, cute!

When we got back to Lesley's we put the wheel together and started spinning. I was not going to be disappointed! The next morning I figured out how to put the Lazy Kate on and so now it's complete. I had a hard time getting the rod collars on. But when I loosened the little screw on each rod collar they both went on simple. I didn't see the little screws on them last night. They are really tiny but they are there. Putting the Lazy Kate on was a bit tricky but I got it and it is now holding two bobbins. I've read online that some people don't like the Lazy Kate. I love it. At first it takes a bit getting use to because it's in front of you rather than over to the side or behind you. But with a little shift in holding and feeding the singles it works great. Definitely glad I got it. Here is a nice, short YouTube review of the wheel. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=01_y-Kd9ACk


Wondering about this wheel? Don't take my word for it read this too: http://www.knitty.com/ISSUEfall08/KSladybug.html

Here is my first skein of Maine Island Sheep carded on my drum carder and spun and plied on my new Lady Bug spinning wheel!

So this is the beginning of my new phase of spinning yarns for projects.
Mary