Hand spinning news for may 2014

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Hand Spinning News The email version of this newsletter may look much better online: hand-spinning-news.com Now is the month of Maying and cute lambs a-playing. The last month has seen Wonderwool Wales and I've picked a couple of blog posts with pictures and reviews of the event.

It's the time for washing fleece it seems, and another running theme this month is spinning and using bulky yarn. That follows nicely from last month's review of Spinning and Dyeing Yarn; thank you to all who entered the draw for a copy of that new book.

Read on for this month's round up of spinning news, reviews, fun and freebies.

Photo above right: Lambing time at Kate Larson Textiles.

Contents Wonderwool Wales News and articles from around the web From Blogland Tips and tutorials Gallery Showing off some of the best images I've found this month Free patterns A selection of free patterns which will work well with handspun yarn Events Some dates for your diary Courses and tuition Where to go for a day, weekend or a week to learn or improve your skills

Wonderwool Wales Wonderwool: I came, I saw, I screamed a bit...

It seems that this chap was photographed by all who visited the show.

Our first correspondent from Builth Wells, Kate of Woolwinding took many pictures including the dragon. http://woolwinding.wordpress.com/category/wonderwool-wales/

One man at Wonderwool

Matthew of onemancrochet says that there's "something hypnotic about spinning wheels, they just kinda draw me in."

Click through for his photos from the day. http://onemancrochet.blogspot.co.uk/2014/04/yarn-travels-wonderwool-2014.html

discuss any of this

News and Blog Posts Second year blues Goldilox loves woad blue and a few weeks ago she harvested leaves from last year's plants, hoping that if she took them early, they wouldn't realise that they were second year leaves.

Here are four different fibres from the resulting dyepot. More pictures and the the method are at the link below. http://goldyspinner.blogspot.co.uk/2014/04/2nd-year-blues.html

Meet the Fleece Araignee was pleased with her purchase of two shetland fleeces until she discovered the fleece that she'd bought in September and forgotten about.

Click through to see her washing process. http://araigneestangledweb.blogspot.co.uk/2014/05/meet-fleece.html

Rub-a-dub-dub Anthea of Grandma's Yarns has also been washing fleece, her fleece is Gotland, "lovely and soft and I am looking forward to processing it". http://antheawinteburn.blogspot.co.uk/2014/05/rub-dub-dub.html

Gale's Art BFL spinning This dyed fibre is called Proud Peacock and some of you will know why that appealed to me!

Chrissy of Stitched Together loved the colours too. She wanted to maintain those colours in a striped yarn, but decided not to chain-ply. The fibre was bouncy and in order to keep as much of that bounciness as possible, she went for two-ply low-twist yarn.

It's not easy to maintain colour stripes in two-ply but she has done a good job. She comments that there is some barber-pole where the colours change, but that this may be better than sharper changes. http://www.stitchedtogether.co.uk/2014/04/gales-art-bfl-spinning.html

Happily handspun Alicia of Woolen Diversions made this yarn from her first carded batts and is very pleased with the result. She thinks it's her prettiest handspun yet.

She also discusses the yarn balance, a tool that we saw last month in Knitty's round-up of spinning tools. It's a way of measuring the length of some yarn without needing to skein it. If the yarn balance is too cumbersome, then Alicia links to a table for roughly converting WPI to yardage.

http://woolendiversions.com/2014/04/21/happily-handspun/

Celtic knot footstool I love Fran's creativity. This stool cost less than the sandpaper she used on it, and she's made the cushion herself, topping it with a celtic knot design involving crochet, needle felting, handspun yarn and naturally-dyed locks. http://wooltribulations.blogspot.co.uk/2014/04/solar-dye-jars-of-wool-with-tansyand.html

Babies The black dot in the middle of this picture is a newly-hatched silkworm.

A couple of years ago we followed the life cycle of some silk moths from egg to worm to moth to egg, cared for and blogged for us by Goldilox.

Once again she has some new arrivals and I look forward to watching their progress. http://goldyspinner.blogspot.co.uk/2014/05/babies.html

Spinning in scandinavia This ornate work is the carved handle of a nostepinne. Thanks to this wonderful article from Spin Artiste, I now know that intricate examples of these ball-winding tools were often made by carvers to demonstrate their skills.

Click through for some more fascinating examples. http://www.spinartiste.com/spinning-in-scandinavia-with-silja-devine-nostepinner-and-spaelsau-fleecegiveaway

Review and giveaway: Louet fibres In this interesting post, knottygnome compares and contrasts four types of wool Dorset Down, Perendale, Leicester, and Shetland.

She spins, plies and dyes the wools and comments on the results with images. knottygnome is giving away some generous samples of the fibres she's reviewed.

Her competition is open until 20 May and open to international entries. Note that you can have up to four chances to win if you use the social networks http://blog.knottygnome.com/2014/05/review-and-giveaway-louet-canterbury.html

Counting sheep One of the most popular images from last year was Kate Larson with one of her ewes as she re-seeded a meadow.

She's counting her new lambs and the pictures are adorable. http://katelarsontextiles.com/2014/05/05/counting-sheep/

Crocheting amigrumi sheep with handspun yarn Argo the crocheted sheep is even more special when made in handspun yarn and stuffed with fleece to make a pincushion (top tip from Fran; use cold-washed fleece, the lanolin helps stop pins from rusting).

As a bonus Fran relates the (alleged) story of Elinor the Sheep's theatrical career. http://wooltribulations.blogspot.co.uk/2014/05/crocheting-amigrumi-sheep-with-handspun.html

7 colors, no purling, 4 ways to wear it Not a free pattern but Tubularity is a clever idea and I do think it'll be great in handspun, maybe seven colours that you have already that go well together.

There are a number of ways to wear it, look for the 'video' link in savannahchik's post. http://savannahchik.com/2014/05/1682.htm

Twist experiment results Here's a post for experienced spinners who really like to get into the detail, or those like me who think that rules are there to be broken.

My guess is that you spin singles S (clockwise) and ply Z (anticlockwise). Either way it's normal to spin in one direction and ply in the opposite direction. Whether you knit English or continental can determine your best plying direction.

But what if you spin and ply the opposite to your usual way? Or you make 'opposing ply' yarn?

Alicia has tried these combinations and knit a swatch of each resulting yarn. She comments in detail on each. http://woolendiversions.com/2014/05/06/twist-experiment-results/

Seeking silk Anne Merrow visited a silk workshop in China to find out more about silk production.

She saw cocoons being unwound using old machinery and was surprised to learn that the fibres we spinners prize are generally waste. http://www.spinningdaily.com/blogs/anne/archive/2014/05/12/seeking-silk.aspx

discuss any of this

Tips and tutorials Stains be gone!

In the real world, clothing gets stained. If the garment is a handspun project, removing the mark can be a challenge.

Sarah Read of Interweave Crochet offers her tips for cleaning delicate or easy-to-felt fibres.

It's worth scrolling through the comments as there are more tips, and also some warnings. Someone suggests keeping your swatches to experiment on! http://www.knittingdaily.com/blogs/daily/archive/2014/04/23/stains-be-gone.aspx

Fractal spinning tutorial We've seen tutorials on fractal spinning a few times here in HSN but I think it's worth featuring again because it is a very useful technique.

My first attempts at making 2-ply yarn from coloured fibre resulted in big pools of solid colour and some randomly-distributed barber poles. Fractal spinning mixes your colours more evenly and can give some nice striping in the finished project.

I'm not keen on the colours used in this tutorial from Schacht but they do serve to demonstrate the technique. http://blog.schachtspindle.com/2014/05/fractal-spinning-tutorial.html

Spinning and Dyeing Yarn by Ashley Martineau Thank you to everyone who put their name into the hat for the review copy of Spinning and Dyeing Yarn. Dee's name was chosen, so congratulations to her. http://hand-spinning-news.com/images/spinningdyeingyarn.jpg

Choosing a wheel for spinning art yarns If you feel inspired by to try some of the exciting art yarn techniques such as those covered in the book above (eg coil spinning, mixed media) then a wheel with a wider orifice, larger bobbin and slower ratios will be helpful.

This article on Craftsy from the book's author Ashley Martineau compares a number of such wheels and lists their pros and cons. http://www.craftsy.com/blog/2014/05/spinning-art-yarns/

Inside-out The sock in progress here isn't being made in handspun (although that gradient is jacob-like). What caught my eye was a tip included in the post. Why not knit the sock's sole smooth-side-in and purl-side-out?

Ana of Toil & Trouble says that her pattern will be available soon, so look out for

that, or try making this change to your favourite pattern. http://www.toil-and-trouble.com/2014/04/pattern-progress.html

3 options for blocking The method that's usually given is to soak the finished garment before pinning out.

But here Robyn gives three methods with suggestions of which to use for various fibres. http://www.crochetme.com/blogs/how_to_crochet/archive/2014/05/08/discover-3options-for-blocking.aspx

discuss any of this

Keeping this wheel spinning Your news here Are you a teacher, pattern designer, supplier, dyer?

Would you like to reach the growing readership of thousands of hand spinners and at the same time help to support Hand Spinning News ?

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Gallery Sometimes just a picture is enough

The Great Wave This month's sexy spindle was photographed by Rahardjo at her local knit and spin group. It's a Golding spindle featuring the painting The Great Wave off Kanagawa. http://rahardjoknits.tumblr.com/post/83787032781/114-365-spinning-in-public-at-kpon-flickr-i

Currently spinning There's not much of the Turkish spindle showing here. Maya of Intermission is spinning Polwarth / Alpaca from Picperfic and winding a very neat cake. The spindle must be getting very heavy! http://www.intermission.nu/currently-spinning-3/

Handspun evenstar shawl No apologies for posting another image from rhardjo, she's been posting images of this shawl in progress for a while and I've been impatiently waiting to see the finished item.

As is her usual style, she's spun the very fine yarn by spindle. She's spun 1262m from 100g of Polwarth / silk. The project has taken 5 months to spin and 4 months to knit.

The lovely selection of images show the spinning in progress, the tiny beads and views of the fantastic finished item. http://rahardjoknits.tumblr.com/post/85336281153/handspun-evenstar-shawl-pattern-by-susan-pandorf

Spinning singles low-twist singles can be soft and puffy. This skein was made by kerryhill using picperfic luxury fibre. http://sheepyspinning.blogspot.co.uk/2014/05/spinning-singles.html

Speedwell Sothia Shawl Chriss has made this large shawl from gradient-dyed BFL. The graduated blue with white border is a lovely effect. https://www.flickr.com/photos/96818350@N00/13973830787/

Socks I like the colours here and the way that they've played out in Micki's 3-ply yarn. The fibre is superwash merino, dyed by Blue Moon Fibre Arts and is intriguingly called Stink Eye. https://www.flickr.com/photos/thing4string/14117123504

Summer Grass handspun yarn Gigi has her own cheerful and distinctive style, but the especially interesting thing about this singles yarn is hinted at in its name. It includes flax and nettle fibres. https://www.flickr.com/photos/93047024@N06/13952885385/in/photostream/

Handspun Oaklet I've featured the Oaklet shawl before in the free patterns and gallery. It's an easy and quick but very effective design.

Mom from Simply Notable had made the gradient yarn a year before (there's a link within the text of this post) and was waiting for the right project to show off the gradient and the limited yardage. The Oaklet is perfect. http://www.simplynotable.com/2012/better-late-than-never/

woollyelly's Blossom shawl Once again, a beaded shawl in fine handspun. It's well worthwhile clicking through to see the detail in this lovely shawl It looks a beautiful colour in the pictures, but some colours are difficult to show accurately with digital photography. woollyelly says "it's very difficult to capture, blue and green in there somewhere!" http://www.ravelry.com/projects/woollyelly/blooming-stitch-shawl

Free patterns A selection of free seasonal patterns which will work well with handspun yarn.

Viaduct by Beata Jezek Nupps are so much fun to make! Viaduct is a new free pattern and designed with handspun in mind. Like any shawl you can adjust needle size to suit your yarn and you can see from the images that it looks lovely in a varied colour. http://blog.hedgehogfibres.com/2014/04/viaduct.html

Thick 'n' thin crocheted newborn bonnet by by Janaya Chouinard These cheerful and attractive bonnets will be so quick to make from super bulky / thick 'n' thin yarn and a 9mm hook http://charmedbyewe.com/free-crochet-pattern-thick-n-thin-newborn-bonnet/ discuss any of this

Events 2014 Woolfest Friday 27 June and Saturday 28 June, Cockermouth, Cumbria Woolfest 2014 - the 10th anniversary!

Woolfest was founded to provide a showcase and a celebration of the best of wool and wool crafts.

The event is all about creativity and design with beautiful quality, amazing colours and skilled craftsmanship and this was recognised in 2012 when Woolfest won the Cumbria Tourism Award for Event of the Year. www.woolfest.co.uk

Northants Rare Breeds Survival Trust fleece and poultry sale Sunday 29 June from 10.00am until 1.00pm at Elm Tree Farm, Oxford Road, Evenley, Brackley, Northants, NN13 5RX An annual event to raise funds for the Northants Rare Breeds Survival Trust. As well as rare and not so rare coloured and white fleeces there is also a poultry sale, a cake stall and a plant stall plus the RBST stand with bits for sale and, of course, cakes and refreshments to help you get over the excitement of securing a lovely fleece.

Enquiries contact Carrie on 01327 857195 and if there is a special fleece you're after, please contact Chris beforehand on 01327 830 523

Fibre East 26 and 27 July 2014, Redbourne Community College, Flitwick Road, Ampthill, Bedford MK45 2NU The fourth Fibre East, those in the Eastern, Midlands and Southern Regions an opportunity to join in an event which aims to encourage and promote British wool and natural fibres.

The second year at the college which is an indoor venue. www.fibre-east.co.uk

Yarndale 27 and 28 September Skipton Auction Mart, North Yorkshire For you if you love yarn and are passionate about all things woolly. It aims to celebrate the beauty and diversity of wool, cotton, linen and silk fibres in all their forms yarndale.co.uk

Courses and tuition Please let me know if you are or you know a tutor with a calendar of events.

Cornwall: Audrey Durrant is heavily involved with the Cornwall Guild and works with the Rare Breed Survival Trust. She teaches spinning, basic weaving, is a hand dyer and gives talks and demonstrations.

Find out more at www.hawthornfibres.co.uk Cumbria: Learn to Spin: Beginner's Workshop at Cartmel Handspun. Course materials and equipment provided, includes coffee, healthy home-made lunch and tea. Courses are run at week-ends in the autumn and spring. For more details, contact Elaine Ware, email cartmelhandspun@live.co.uk, phone 015395 33443. www.cartmelhandspun.co.uk spinningandweaving.weebly.com Derbyshire: Alison Daykin offers week and weekend courses and also has a less formal groups three evenings a week: spinningandweaving.weebly.com Dumfries and Galloway: Sue Macniven offers Residential Courses or one to one workshops in Twynholm or at your own venue http://www.handspun-exotics.co.uk/workavail.html Hampshire: Spinning and wool workshops at The Old Dairy, Westover Farm, Nr Andover. For more details go to www.urbancottage.co.uk/courses or call Nichola 07905167922 Hampshire: Spinning workshops at fibre craft studio Beaker Button, the Fairground Craft and Design centre, Weyhill. Free spinning taster sessions. For more details contact 07738 534164 or http://www.beakerbutton.co.uk Lancashire and North West: Spinning workshops at yarn shops North West England. All materials included for ÂŁ50, contact Cathy (lazykate) on 07415 725193 or cathy.lazykate@gmail.com for dates.

Lancashire: Carol and Pete Leonard run a three-monthly workshop for hand and wheel spinners where students can either follow the 'topic of the month' or work on their own project guided by Carol and Pete.

They also run a residential weekend each year. These are held at Alston Hall, a conference and adult education centre based in the Ribble Valley close to the M6 motorway. For further information please email spindlers2@aol.com or visit their website spindlers2.com London: Weaving, spinning, dyeing, tapestry weaving, and other yarn and fibre crafts workshops at The Handweavers Studio & Gallery. See the website for dates and details. www.handweavers.co.uk/shop/Workshops_Classes.html Manchester:Spinning courses with Dee Sayce. also sewing, felt making, weaving, dyeing, batik and silk painting (external link to beetlefelt) http://www.beetlefelt.co.uk/workshop_spinning.html Northamptonshire: Long Draw Spinning Tuition with Pam Austins, Spinning School. Pam is on a mission to teach longdraw. Most classes are held in Stoke Albany. http://www.spinningschool.blogspot.co.uk/p/calendar.html (external link to Spinning School's calendar) Nottinghamshire: Spinning courses with Juliet Hill www.handspinning.org.uk (external link to Juliet Hill Handspinning) Norfolk: Single-day spinning courses www.norfolkyarn.co.uk/Homepage/News/tabid/77/Default.aspx(external link to Norfolk Yarn website) Norfolk: Spinning workshop for beginners http://www.spottypigfarm.co.uk(external link to spottypigfarm website) or call 07930 605578 Norfolk: A programme of spinning and weaving workshops is run by the Worstead Guild of Weavers, Spinners & Dyers. For details, please email jennyrose@freeuk.com or call 07854 701807 Scotland - Perthshire (and Italy): workshops on spinning (beginners or more advanced), fibre preparation and blending, felting, dyeing and knitting. See the Workshops tab on http://www.perfectweatherforspinningandknitting.blogspot.com/ for updated details of forthcoming workshops by Deborah Gray e-mail deborah.gray7@btinternet.com Sheffield: Tuition and Demonstrations by Diane Fisher, the Murmuring Wheel http://www.murmuringwheel.co.uk/events.html (external link to Diane Fisher's calendar) Sussex: Weald and Downland Museum in Singleton sometimes has courses on spinning http://www.wealddown.co.uk/Traditional-Rural-Trades-and-Crafts/Textiles/ (external link to Weald and Downland Museum's calendar) Mid-Wales: Workshops with HilltopCloud's Katie Weston mostly focus on colour blending, full details at http://www.hilltopcloud.co.uk/workshops Yorkshire: Spinning courses with Ruth Gough, various workshops for individuals or groups, at Wentworth or your venue http://www.winghamwoolwork.co.uk/content/15-courses (external link to Wingham Wool Work) Yorkshire: Rivers MEET Craft CafĂŠ, Methley, Leeds, West Yorkshire is now running beginner's workshops, as well as spinning wheel demonstrations and a spin-a-long on most Thursday mornings. For more details email: Feltandspin@yahoo.com, 01977 279729 or see www.riversmeetcraftcafe.co.uk discuss any of this Happy spinning and don't be a stranger!

Shiela Dixon - Editor / curator shiela@hand-spinning-news.com If you're reading this newsletter on the web and would like it delivered to your email inbox for free every month, just fill in your email address in the box somewhere up there on the right. If you've reading this in your inbox and would prefer not to receive any more, just use the Mailchimp 'unsubscribe' link at the foot of the email.

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