loom warped

I feel as if I've hit a milestone with this project - I have all 480 ends of the warp on the loom and threaded through the heddles. Plain sailing now? Hopefully. Time for a round-up of pictures so far. The warp is cream cottolin, the weft is the merino / silk mix that I'm spinning by hand spindle.

knitting progress - opulent raglan

A quick look back through this blog says that it was last September that I started this jumperand there's not been a huge amount of progress since.

I find spinning indoors difficult, particularly in the evening and particularly black yarn. An alternative to waiting for the spring would have been to repair or replace my broken craft lamp... But anyway. Spring is here and we've had some gorgeous afternoons, during which I've made some progress on this project.
This is some of the zwartbles fleece that I collected from Yew Tree Farm last year. It's beautiful.

Some calculating, some guessing, some assembly. And spinning using beautiful spindles

I spent quite a while on my bathroom curtains project without getting as far as starting to make the warp. This is the secondhand 4-shaft table loom I bought for the project (my Katie being too narrow)

It's the first time I've unfolded it since it arrived. I found that it would have just about sat on my coffee table but I came to the conclusion that I'm now a little old for working bent double, so spent time putting together a stand / treadle kit.

After some measuring up, a guess at a fullness ratio and some scribbled calculations (as if I knew what I was doing!) it seemed that I needed the full width of the loom and another 50 heddles on each shaft.

I have spun about 50g of the weft. There are two spindles here because the maker asked me to try both of these designs and of course they both spin as beautifully as they look. I'm getting this done very quickly because I can't resist picking up one of these spindles every time I walk past!

curtains for you

Very very excited about some lovely spindles that arrived this week from the same maker who makes these polished ebony and rosewood hooks and needles . I only have a couple of samples, but they're so gorgeous I hope to have lots in stock soon.

Back to the story of that fibre. When I opened the box and saw those spindles and desperate to try one, I got straight onto the drum carder. It's been a long time since I made some sample fabric for the curtains in my freshly-decorated bathroom. I have been thinking that it would be even nicer to spin the wool / silk mix with a drop spindle.

This is the mix - 3 parts white merino, 1 part dyed 'cheesecake' merino and a little silk.

The drum carder that I recently refurbished is doing well - it's the first time in a long while that I've used one without a packer brush fitted and it was a fluffy experience:

It feels very good to be using a spindle again, I'll enjoy spinning this blend for my curtains. As per the sample I made, the fabric will be woven using cottolin as the warp and this wool/silk mix as singles for the weft.

Replacing the carding cloth on an Ashford drum carder

Seen here posing on its original box is an old Ashford carder following some restoration.

I bought this one unseen, and regretted it because the teeth were rusty rendering the carder unusable.

Replacement cloth is available but replacing it is very involved, time consuming and difficult. Not a job I want to do again. The cloth is available via your Ashford dealer (look no further) and the instructions for dismantling the carder are available for download from Ashford's site.

The original cloth is held on by industrial-strength staples. I stopped short of buying the staple gun after I spoke to a UK maker who uses strong double-sided tape to secure the cloth (plus the doffing strips of course).

As well as replacing the cloth and drive belt, the doffing strips came up like new using a spark-plug cleaning brass brush, and the wood looks good after a teak-oil and wax polish (this one doesn't seem to have been lacquered as per the current model).

I'll use it for a while and make sure that the cloth stays put.

Book review: Hand Spun by Lexi Boeger

New Spins on Traditional Techniques

Contents:

1. Fiber Preparation: Dyed in the Wool
2. Spinning Techniques: Learning vs Discovery
3. New Twists: Expanding Traditional Techniques
4. Permutations Gallery: Putting it all Together
5. Projects: Keeping it Simple
6. Appendix: Interview You!

Having Alison Daykin as a teacher might have steered me in the direction of art yarn, but I find that the yarns I like making most are thin, smooth and even.

Despite this I find Lexi Boeger's work outstanding. A while ago I featured a selection of her photographs in my newsletter.

The first section of the book covers preparation and carding of your raw fibre and contents of your 'treasure box'.

The techniques follow. I was expecting the usual: thick/thin, slubby, core and coil, but this is a big book and the techniques go on and on with techniques and many variations that you may not have seen before.

I think of art yarn as yarn which looks beautiful as yarn. The term 'art yarn' is used in the book, but far from wanting you to make yarn that you only admire in it's own right, Lexi intends that you use what you make. she proposes keeping the stitching very simple, allowing the yarn to speak for itself. The twenty projects - yes twenty - include a fly-fishing dry-fly. That may be a first!

I have to be honest and say that while I find almost all of the pictures of the yarn really appealing, only a few of the projects grab me. However, it goes beyond knit & crochet and they serve to demonstrate some imaginative ways to use your yarn.

In addition to all of this, the book has an enjoyable introduction from Owen Poad of Majacraft, a gallery, some profiles / interviews with artists and Lexi's tips.

The jacket says that this is a 'well rounded' book and it certainly is. Nicely-designed, well-illustrated with sufficient and accessible text. it covers the subject very well, from preparation through to finished projects.

I was doubtful about whether to order this book but when it arrived, I was immediately drawn in and although I didn't have the time to sit down and read it properly straight away, I couldn't walk past it without picking it up and flicking through it.

Check out pluckyfluff online http://www.pluckyfluff.com/yarn.html to see what Lexi does and if you like those images, then you'll love this book.

160 pages, paperback, £16.99

crochet chocs for valentine's?

There have been loads of Valentine's day patterns around, many heart-shaped and almost all pink or red, but this is by far my favourite.

Rather than make the box and all the chocs, I've only had time to make a few and find a nice sweetie box.

I'm thinking a nice table-decoration for our forthcoming holiday which is to celebrate two birthdays and an anniversary!