First of all, the good news is that since deciding to make a swallowtail shawl, I've been spinning more 'wheatfield' yarn, and achieving a very consistent and fine yarn (20 wpi). I've been using my drop spindle for this, as I think it gives me more control, and I've found the return to the drop spindle most enjoyable. The cute centre-pull ball in the picture I wound using my new nostepinne - I'm so grateful for this lovely gift from my sister who, among other things, now turns wood.
But back to concentration. I'm not sure whether you can see from the picture, but I've made a cock-up in the pattern (on the left in this picture). I've pulled out a couple of rows and tried to continue from there, but it's still not right. I've got to pull out again and go back a bit further.
I suppose two steps forward and one back still = progress!
3 comments:
You have my sympathy! I'm crocheting a shawl at the moment and recently discovered I'd made a whopping mistake a few rows back - what made things worse was that I was using lace weight mohair which bluntly refused to be ripped back. In the end I had to resort to cutting out the offending rows - it was heartbreaking!
On a more positive note, your wheatfield yarn does look rather gorgeous - I love the subtle colour variations. I'm stockpiling onion skins at the moment and hope to have a try at dyeing very soon. Yay! Do you mind me asking what weight / make spindle you're using for the fine yarn? I'm trying to spin some fine stuff on my spindle at the moment and am struggling a bit as my spindle is too heavy. Thanks and good luck with the shawl!
Thanks rebecca - I'll be interested to hear whether your colour comes out similar to mine or not - do post about it!
I have a couple more spindles now, but the one I use is the one I was given when I learned - I assume it's not very expensive, but it has worked well for everything I've done. It's 50g / 2oz. (It's the one I'm using in the video on handspinner.co.uk)
I have seen (but not used yet!) spindles which sit in a little bowl as they spin - I think you spin it a bit and then draw your fibres while it rests.
I don't think you'll need to go that far. I've found the yarn much less likely to break if you keep lots of twist in it. Try that.
Thanks for the advice - great video by the way! I think my spindle is identical to the one you're using in it - although I haven't actually weighed mine yet. I'm getting more comfortable with spinning the fine yarn now - although I think it might be easier with a lighter spindle. I'm off to a wool festival next month and plan on keeping an eye out for a nice light spindle.
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