Things that make me super happy

Those fibres are gorgeous! I feel scared spinning them, as my spinning skills can easily ruin such a beauty!

Spindles

Question: How many spindle would be enough?
Answer: Maybe 42?
I bought two and I want more, because I am in love!
Mistral and Sirocco support spindles from Hipstrings. They are fabulous!
First using sample that came with the spindles to test them.

Now spinning cotton punis I hand-carded myself (that’s why they look so ugly).

Bamboo spinning

It took me years to spin 9 grams of bamboo fibre. Not fond of it.
But now... I have a spare spindle for something new.

Spinning wool

Finally removed blue wool from the spinning wheel. It was sitting there for almost a year. Somehow it did not work for me, although the yarn is very nice and soft. Maybe some time later....
Started spinning some old sliver from KnitPicks. It may became a garment one day...

Spinning finishes

Although it took me a couple of years, I fanally finished spinning
a) Pima cotton  - 24 gram
b) Rami (nettles) - 9 gram
Started at different times but finished almost simultaniously.
Next I'll try to spin some silk.

More cotton

My third cream coloured easy-to-spin cotton piece from CottonClouds sample kit is ready.

Now I am working on hand carded (by myself) Pima.

Tour de Fleece

I cannot actually participate in TDF as I am not such a confident spinner and have not much to spin. But most of all, I have no TV channels to whatch Tour de France.

However, I can spin while everyone is TDFleecing. 

For this I've picked my first hand carded locks. I bought 3 oz. of Rainbow fleece to accompany my first cards, separated locks by colour and carded them. I have some doubts that I did everything right but at least I did my best.

Beautiful!

I tried to spin them picking up at random using what I think is long draw.

Not entirely happy. I was planning to make singles but it seems that I am spinning them too thin, again! 

And the yarn is kind of itchy. Will see...

The problem with spindles

I've been spinning for only a couple of years and got addicted, especially to cotton.
The main problem now is - not enough spindle.
But... I guess I found a solution - kebab skewers and beads. At least this is my first attempt.

Spinning frenzy

I have no idea when I will be able to spin it all but anyway...
Hemp to the left, nettle to the right and soy, bamboo, tencel, seaweed - centre bottom.

At the same time somewhere in the leaving room...
Wool

Yak

Cotton

Spinning study

I am done with my fibre studies.  First of all I need to say that this fun became possible only because I managed to buy several types of fibres at one place in very tiny 5g amounts. 

Flax
I bought all this staff at a felting store and I guess the flax they have is the one used for felting but not spinning. The fibres were rather short and torn. But I enjoyed spinning it and hope this will help me in spinning real linen.

Hemp

It was a bit like the flax above but softer and nicer and easier to spin into a unified thread.                   

Nettle

This was such a pleasure to spin, so silky and smooth.

Cotton

This was combed cotton. Not as easy to spin as the easy-to-spin cotton I used to work with, but the result is really nice, smooth and shiny.

Overall, this was a very pleasant experience and I am already thinking about buying all 30 colours of cotton and hemp and maybe even 10 gram of each. And than weave a stripy something out of them...

 

Spinning

What I like about spinning is that if you have fibres you can pick up a spindle and start spinning - no preparation needed.

Yesterday I treated myself with a bunch of "exotic" fibres to play with.

Cashmere...

To be plied with Mulberry silk later

Coloured cotton

Flax

Hemp

And nettle

Green results

It took me just :) three months to finally produce 10 gr of cotton. But what a result - I did not believe till the very end that it would become green after boiling, and it did!

I wonder, how much more cotton I need in order to start weaving towels...

Second batch - brownish easy-to-spin sliver. Ten more grams to go!

Time to ply

I've managed to spin four tiny bobbins of green cotton. Now it's time to ply. 

I am supposed to get something similar to 8/2 or 10/2 cottons. Looks about right...

Besides, now I am a lucky owner of two lightweight spindles. I am planning to use them for yak and silk fibres I already have. 

Can you have enough spindles, I wonder?...

Spinning

Spinning Wensleydale yarn turned out to be less fun than expected. I know now I am too young as a weaver to cut corners and... taking your wool everywhere in hot weather may have some negative consequences.

And with my cotton spinning project brining so much pleasure, finding extra time for wool spinning can be rather difficult.   

A long way to towels

I bought this kit from CottonClouds.
I am supposed to spin all those cottons and weave towels out of them... one day.
I wonder how many years it will take for me to finally see a towel.

New knitting projects

I am done knitting my pink shawl and have already started two new projects:

- Slippers from my fist spun alpaca yarn

- KnitPicks' wool coat

September WIP

Nothing new... Just processes...

Cotton spinning. Part 4

I was right, easy-to-spin cotton slivers are really easiest cottons in the kit.
Pima sliver in process.

Cotton spinning. Part 3.

This time I was spinning the other cloud of ginned cotton.
I defined the first one as Acala cotton, so, this one must be Pima.
It's creamy and kind of dirty with plant matter but... it's spinning like a dream.
Cannot believe that I managed to make a single that has a sewing thread thickness.
I spun just a tiny cloud, I think I need to buy hand carders to make the process even more pleasurable.