Guest post : Indestructible yarn from old pillow stuffing

The following post was created by Hand Spinning News supporter Barbara Longley, who adds, 

"I love making something out of nothing even though I have plenty of the proper yarns. I would say that the right pillow stuffing is almost as good as the recycled white plastic milk carton fibre I bought. I have made (baggy) socks from  it and you just cannot wear them out."

 Don’t discard your old pillows. A very useable strong hardwearing but soft synthetic yarn can be made from the stuffing and it's fun to do. I washed the pillow in the washing machine first then dried in the tumble drier.

 This is the carded synthetic pillow stuffing. This drum carder was given to me by a friend whose father actually made it for his mother in the 50s. This is about half a pillow’s worth.

 Another tip... I used my knitting needle gauge as a dizz using a the thicker needle holes  to pass the  fibre through.

 Next I added some World of Wool  Nylon Tricolour Rainbow just to jazz it up a bit. You can add anything you like or leave plain.

 I started spinning it up on my Ashford electric spinning wheel. I did have a proper Elizabeth type spinning wheel but sold it when I found this so much better for me.

 Another view of the yarn. You can get a lot on the big bobbins.

 Plying the yarn. It  comes out slightly thicker than DK, but of course it rather depends on how thin you spin the singles in the first place.

 Transferred to my wool winder. If you didn’t wash your pillow first, then you might be better skeining it up and washing it at this stage.

 Finished yarn. One thing to mention is that if knitting in rib, being synthetic it does not retain its elasticity. I have used it to knit socks but for myself, I prefer a slightly baggy top!

 This weighed about 5 ounces and was about 1/2 to 3/4 of the pillow stuffing... and free!

~ Barbara Longley

Current exhibitions of textile-related art

 I've been producing Hand Spinning News monthly for around 17 years. It's evolved a little over the years but one area that's growing is the textile art section, headed 'But is it art...?' 

 I try to keep HSN focussed on spinning and handspun yarn but I do allow that section to broaden out a little, simply because I'm particularly interested in it. 

 Beautifully and skilfully made functional work is 'craft' and that has a firm place in my heart but so does art.

 I'm trying to travel less but in the last week I've found myself in the Midlands and in East Anglia, and it seemed opportune to visit a couple of exhibitions that interested me. 

 I've recently listed two separate exhibitions at Yorkshire Sculpture Park; Rise by L R Vandy and Time’s Scythe by Nicola Turner.

 Nicola has netted raw, unprocessed sheep's wool (possibly processed wool too) to create tendrils that cascade from the balcony of the chapel down into the main space as well as outside, like a growing, living thing. Possibly sinister / hostile. Hand shears add to the effect. 

 The smell is a familiar one if you've processed raw fleece. Some people don't like it but I find it pleasant. It was subtle, not as overpowering as you'd expect. There are samples of the materials available for handling.

 L R Vandy's exhibition also featured tools and materials that were once a symbol of labour and trade. She has intentionally turned them into objects representing leisure and pastimes such as dancing. 

These mandalas feature weaving shuttles, mostly containing thread 

 She has also used rope, mainly for dancing figures and a large maypole, but this makes me think of a drop spindle. 

 I didn't become aware of the Norfolk Contemporary Crafts exhibition soon enough to include it in the last newsletter but this is one reason for the Patreon page, where paying and non-paying readers can sign up. For free members, there will be a notification when each new free edition is published, and everyone can receive timely information like this. 

  HSN Patron Tracy Myers is excited to be showing her Saori and rigid heddle weaving as a guest with the Norfolk Contemporary Craft Society at their Summer exhibition, St Margaret's Church, St Benedict's Lane, Norwich. The show runs until the 28June

Tracy's shawls pair beautifully with these ceramics. Others are on display in their own right. 

The standard of the work on display is very high. I also particularly liked Penny Evans' felted work:

And how about dried flowers woven into work:

St Margaret's is perfect for such a show:

Panopeia from Expression Fiber Arts

 I haven't been very good at updating this blog recently, so I have a couple of updates.

My Madriga wasn't going so well last year. I'd made a mistake somewhere and had more stitches than I should. That would involve some backtracking. I put it down and didn't feel motivated to sort it out. Does that kind of thing get you like that too?

So I was very glad when Mum asked me to help out with her Panopeia.  The stockinette section is simple. The lace section looks simple - it's a simple repeat of k2tog and yo. However, there are many varied ways to go wrong, and one wrong stitch can cause a jog in the pattern which is very obvious. After ripping back a few times (the yarn didn't make this easy) Mum handed it over and asked me to finish the lace on the part she was doing. I ripped back the other part too and re-knit it, because although the pattern wasn't too bad, there were some unintentional increases and 'fanning out'. 

The yarn is a one-of-a-kind (be sure to buy enough for your project) indie-dyed 4-ply sock yarn from Rainoftheroses.  I think it's millspun but small-scale. It had a handspun feel. 

I thoroughly enjoyed this. It's a straightforward pattern but requires a lot of care to avoid going wrong. I didn't take any pictures while I was working, but here's a cropped picture of the top being worn over a sleeved top: