fiber arts/dyeing/spinning - leilani handmade

Finding Inspiration: What to Make With Handspun Yarn

Posted on April 30, 2015July 11, 2017 by Leilani — Leave a comment

P1020648 — funky handspun becoming an infinity scarf in the wee hours (my fave time to knit)…

If you are like me, you like to comb the internet for inspiration. I consider myself a spinner, but not so much a knitter or crocheter. My knowledge of knitting and crochet is actually pretty basic. People tend to be quite surprised by this because the assumption is one starts spinning after mastering the needles.

I taught myself to spin just few months into teaching myself to knit and crochet (the beginning stages, anyway). The story as to how I got started would suit a post on its own, but the fact that I learned about making a textile from the ground up made me appreciate the basics of knit and crochet. Handspun yarn literally has a life of its own. Rather than you making it into what you want it to be, it tells you what it will be. Thus, you gain a respect and appreciation for handspun that you realize is best left to speak for itself.

P1020593 — jumbo colorful yarn chain (aka Navajo) plied from fleece seconds

Because of this, we are often left scratching our heads as to what to do with gorgeous artful textured handspun. I say “we” because I know I am not alone in this. Many of us have that stash of pretty yarns. Because of its unusualness (or its mind-blowing prettiness) it becomes a permanent fixture in the yarn bin like the wall-flower never picked to dance (and we know it really should be the belle of the ball!). Whether it is handspun or an artful commercial yarn, I know many knitters know exactly what I mean. When I started spinning the goal was to make the most even, symmetrical yarn possible. But soon I really wanted to push the boundaries of what yarn is. The problem was I wondered what I could make with such unusual and small amounts of it. I have a growing collection of yarn that I spun that I feel is “too pretty” to use.

P1020659 — core-wrapped handspun with handmade flower inclusions

So even as a spinner, I find myself taking to the internet to find inspiration. Not patterns. Patterns are no good with such a unique medium. More of a reassurance that others truly are making items out of handspun and it’s not just a pretty yarn to be hung in the studio. I also have this bad habit of over critiquing my yarns and again, a post for another day… I found this wonderful article on craftsy that really sums up what to make with handspun yarn.

P1020711 — crochet handspun jumbo yarn infinity scarf worn as a shrug with handmade flower and button detail

Since it is recommended to use larger needles with handspun and to keep the stitches simple, I believe handspun is a great textile for the novice knitter or crocheter, or, if you are like me – those who do not possess the time or patience for a long term project. I want to get back to the wheel, afterall. 😉 It may look intimidating at first. It can be comprised of many bumps, thick and thin sections and even over twisted sections, but when you realize a basic knit or crochet stitch will give you a stunning one of a kind scarf for example, one quickly realizes how how satisfying it is to use. The projects are not only simple, but since they are worked up with large needles, they make the perfect afternoon project.

P1020695 — free form crochet left-over handspun neck warmer washing machine felted

Don’t be afraid to mix your handspun with commercial yarns. I love to make the ribbing of my hats with commercial yarn and then let the handspun be the personality of the rest of the hat. What about a scarf in elogated knit stitch switching back and forth between handspun and commercial? The possibilities can truly be endless, and it is freeing to not have to follow a pattern. Free form crochet is your friend with the leftovers! I’ll be starting a series here on the blog showcasing what I have knit with my handspun. Some will be hits, and some will be misses I am sure. Many of the examples posted here are from my spun seconds pile. I really need to have the courage to tackle that pretty yarn stash. My goal is to share the journey with you so that we can grow together. The yarn is piling up here and I need a butt kick to come up with some projects with it. I do not feel comfortable selling my handspun when I myself do not know what to do with it! With that, I am off to play with that jumbo rainbow yarn pictured above.

Tabletop Fleece Picker

Posted on March 22, 2015July 12, 2017 by Leilani — Leave a comment

picked fiber (left) and wool that has been washed & dyed but not picked (right)

I have been combing and carding a lot of fleece this month. I’m actually squirreling away my pulled top. It’s the “premium” stuff so I am not sure whether I will make yarn with it, or sell them in batches eventually so others can spin/felt with it. I’ve actually been been enjoying spinning the “waste” product from pulling top – the lumpy bumpy stuff. Such interesting yarns! That’s a textured yarn addict for you. 😉 But that is a post for another day…

I realized I never blogged about my tabletop fleece picker I acquired last fall. I have written before how I like to hand pick fleece, but I finally conceded that I needed something that would get the job done quicker. I did not have the funds for what I’d really like (a triple picker!) nor the time/inclination to build my own so I found this inexpensive one. Above you can see the difference in fleece before and after it is picked with said picker. Note: the wool on the right is not the same color as the wool on the left. It is from the same batch, however.

P1020329 — note all the dirt/dust that comes off when the fleece is picked

The picker has heavy sharp teeth on the bottom as well as the top piece, that slides back and forth, teasing the fleece apart; opening up those fibers so that they are easier to comb or card. I really like that this one locks in place when not in use particularly since there are many curious little hands in my house. You could even add a pad locks to it, if you wanted to.

close up to see how the top locks down when not in use.

How well does it work? You ask. It is adequate. For the price I had really low expectations so I was pleasantly surprised at how well it works. It still requires a bit of elbow grease and it’s no triple picker, but it certainly aids me into getting fleece picked faster than I could do it by hand. But someday, triple picker – you will be mine! 🙂

Introducing: My New Mach III Spinning Wheel by SpinOlution

Posted on February 27, 2015July 12, 2017 by Leilani — Leave a comment

close up of the front of my new Mach III

The best gift ever. DH got me a Mach III Spinning Wheel – by got me, I mean, he said “go ahead and order that spinning wheel you want”. Ha ha! So I ordered it in the New Year, and 3 weeks later, my Mach III by SpinOlution was shipped from California and on its way to my dealer in Vermont.

lendrum (left) and Mach III by SpinOlution (right)

We drove down to Burlington to pick it up, and after arriving home and removing all the pieces from the box, the initial overwhelming feeling of “how am I going to put these pieces together?” was short lived. It was actually really easy to assemble! With the exception of attaching the strap to the front (which helps you move the 35lb studio wheel from one end of the room to another) – it was in a new, but totally obvious place. Thanks to Leah for helping me out with that! Putting it beside my Lendrum was almost comical – the difference in size. This Mach III is a beast and I mean that in the most affectionate way!

I got all the bells and whistles with my Mach III, including the largest bobbin/flyer – 32oz – you can make up to 2 lbs of yarn with it!

Take a peek at some of the other accessories:

Mach III lazy kate (left) vs. lendrum lazy kate (right)

The lazy kate is genius as it attaches to the wheel as well as free standing.

This is a pretty nifty attachment. You simply treadle and the yarn winds. I need a lower chair though as I find it does brush my thighs while rotating. And, I really like my 2 yard skeins, so I still use my niddy noddy more than this. I do find with yarns with large inclusions this is a really handy tool to have.

and here's what approx. 2lbs of handspun yarn looks like! — and here’s what approx. 2lbs of handspun yarn looks like!

For the first few days I had the wheel I simply played around with it. Like buying a brand new car I really like to sit and get acquainted with a new piece of equipment. I tried out different tensions (settings) and fibers before settling on a kid mohair to make into my first skein of yarn (the orange you see above). The first skein took me only an evening to make – approx. 4 hours in total. The large 2lb skein took me 2 evenings – about 3 hours each night. I was determined to fill that large bobbin and I was surprised at just how quickly it took. This is an easy wheel to use and the biggest hurdle was to get used to the bigger rotation of such a large bobbin as well as treadling much slower. This wheel is very smooth and will get going quite fast much more quickly than I am used to.

I’m currently working on a core wrapped yarn with large flower inclusions. I put the flowers together with left over handspun, felted in place and tied with a pearl bead. Very fun and so easy to do with the hook attachment & open pegs SpinOlution is known for. I really want to try the many different techniques of textured art yarns I have grown to love so that I become comfortable with the Mach III. Thus far it has been an easy wheel to fall in love with.

If you are looking for a dealer for any of SpinOlution’s products on the east coast/New England, I highly recommend Leah Rosenthal! She was on top of things giving me updates by mail and she really knows her stuff. You can find out her details on the SpinOlution website under Vermont, and be sure to checkout her blog.

Adventures in Yarn Dyeing: Low Water Immersion Technique

Posted on January 20, 2015July 12, 2017 by Leilani — Leave a comment

acid dye applied in stripes to dye mohair handspun yarn

Here’s a closer look at the dyeing process from the post Handspun Bouclé: A Closer Look. This is only one technique I use for dyeing animal fibers. This one is super easy/quick with minimal set up or equipment required.

color applied in stripes except for the black with was dotted on randomly

This is my technique for dyeing small amounts of fiber, & it worked well for one skein of yarn. I use an old glass corningware – dedicated to dyeing only, not food – that fits my smallish studio microwave. This microwave is dedicated to crafting only – never used for food. In fact, we don’t even own a microwave for food!

color applied in a swirl (spiral) pattern working from the outside - in. — color applied in a swirl (spiral) pattern working from the outside – in.

The term “acid dye” sounds really toxic and menacing. But it actually refers to the product used to bond the dye to the fiber. A mild acidic agent is used, normally citric acid or good ol’ kitchen vinegar. Acid dyes are non-caustic and very safe to use. You can even buy dyes such as “Greener Shades” that guarantees no heavy metals, although I have heard criticism that that is a rather trumped up claim since acid dyes normally don’t contain heavy metals. Either way, the piece of mind is there and I have used Greener Shades in the past and enjoy their color palette.

thick and thin swirls — color applied all over then thin turquoise in a spiral pattern. Fuschia is randomly dotted on

I prefer using citric acid over vinegar. I have found that the color seems to absorb and adhere better to the fiber than vinegar. Which means more vibrant colors and less dye down the sink during the rinsing process. Although admittedly I am getting a better feel for vinegar, due to the fact I had run out one day. It is more readily available in large quantities – you can buy it in bulk at Costco. My citric acid I order online in bulk for the best price.

For this particular technique I use low-water immersion. Meaning, there is just enough water to barely cover the yarn. I add either diluted/dissolved citric acid in water or add vinegar to the water. The skein of yarn is carefully placed in the glass bowl, either in a spiral or accordion fashion. I already tied off the yarn in 4 places with ribbon to discourage tangling. Then, I apply the dye via salad dressing bottles bought from the dollar store. The dye comes in powder and I mix it with water ahead of time. I literally squirt on the color!

The yarn was soaked ahead of time in warm water with a little synthropol, which is a liquid soap that helps open up the yarn fibers to receive the dye. I then cover with saran wrap and will microwave on high at 5- 7 minute intervals (I’ve gone up to 10 – 12 minute intervals for bulkier amounts of fiber).

swirls, stripes and tiny dots of turquoise

If by 10 minutes the color is not entering into the fiber I will add a little more vinegar or citric acid to the water. Then microwave again. It depends on how many times this happens. The goal is for all the color to be absorbed into the fiber leaving behind clear water.

Upon doing this several dozen times, I noticed something interesting. When the water was clear the saran wrap was sucked down into the bowl like an air tight vacuum. The first time I witnessed this I had a heart attack thinking the plastic had melted all over my fleece. But instead it was a perfect dye – water was clear in bowl and no dye escaped when I rinsed it under hot water with a little Dawn dish detergent. Now I continue to microwave in intervals until I see this phenomenon. Then, I let it rest for another 5 minutes before taking it to the sink to rinse.

Dyeing seems like an incredibly daunting task until you do it. Then you are amazed at how incredibly simple and satisfying it is. Still, I have a lot to learn with just one year of dyeing fiber under my belt. I need to work on knowing the best combination of colors so not to create a “muddy” color, which I dislike (see the pic above – brilliant oranges and reds, but I was not happy with the turquoise/greens – very dull/muddy. I did remedy this somewhat with a quick overdye to the darker areas. Perhaps another blog post on that technique is warranted). The good news is it is a terribly satisfying practice where the possibilities are as endless as your imagination. And if you don’t like the results, you can always over dye – which gives you a whole new set of results and colors that could blow you away.

Handspun Bouclé: A Closer Look

Posted on December 23, 2014July 12, 2017 by Leilani — Leave a comment

P1020381 — Mohair bouclé on commercial cotton – hand dyed gracing the studio walls

Back in November I blogged about spinning bouclé yarn for the first time. I loved the technique so much it lead me to experiment with other fibers other than mohair to see what the end result would be. Here are some closeups of the finished products.

The above photos are all mohair. I dyed these after the yarn was spun, and will do a post about the dyeing process soon. I am really growing to love dyeing both fleece and yarn.

So this was interesting. I spun some silk and then looped it as a bouclé on some handspun alpaca. After it was finished, I washed and fulled it (a process of shocking the yarn with hot/cold water so that it felts a little bit) and regretted it! I loved how it looked straight off the wheel, but thought it really lost a lot of its character and looked rather clumpy after the fulling process. Now that it has been hanging up in the studio for awhile, I am intrigued with it. Hopefully over winter break I’ll have a chance to knit it up & see what it looks like.

Alpaca makes a really nice bouclé, too – very similar to mohair. I finish plied this with handspun silk and it looks so yummy against the dark alpaca fiber. I just wish I could have gotten a better picture of the entire skein, it was hard to do since it is so dark. I’ll definitely share once I have it knitted up in something.

I’m definitely bouclé hooked. So many ideas! I’m taking a break from that to do some core spun yarns which I will share more about in the New Year.

Spinning Bouclé Textured Yarn

Posted on November 8, 2014July 12, 2017 by Leilani — Leave a comment

I’ve dabbled in the past spinning bouclé, but I never liked the results and I felt it was too time consuming. I realized after reading up on the technique that I was missing the most important element: mohair.

From my research, I found out that mohair (from the angora goat) gives the most perfect little loops. It cards to a straight slippery fiber and because of this texture the loops stay round and don’t collapse on itself like sheep’s wool would. Also my research stated it works best if you spin it in a fatter single and ply it on a thinner yarn.

So I got digging in my bins and found the perfect fiber to experiment with: some mohair roving I had bought from an individual at a wool show a couple of years ago as a destash. I couldn’t believe the price for the roving (cheap!). After spinning it, I wished I had bought more!

I ended up with 6 bobbins full of mohair singles. I had some commercial cotton that I picked up at a thrift store making it the perfect (and affordable) base for this yarn.

I ran the commercial cotton through the spinning wheel once in s-twist (spin to the left) to add more energy. This is so that after the final ply, spun in the opposite direction (known as z-twist), you end up with a balanced yarn. I know spinners are mixed on this practice. I don’t always do this but after examining the cotton it just felt like the best course of action.

So fairly soon I got a rhythm with making loops. You basically hold the 2 plies loosely with one on either side of you (2 lazy kates in other words on either side of your chair) and start pushing up the mohair onto the base yarn until they make loops. Once I got into it it was so much fun and I didn’t want to stop. 🙂

The loops will still move around, until the final step of plying, where you take a thin thread and ply in the opposite direction so that the loops stay put. You can see in the photo above I used a purple cotton thread to do the final ply. The next step is to dye the skeins. I ended up with 6 skeins all together – and the dyeing stage will be discussed in an up-coming post.

UPDATE November 23rd, 2014: since spinning these I have also experimented with making bouclé with alpaca handspun singles as well as handspun silk singles. The results are totally different but the lover of textured yarns I am, is totally digging it! I’m glad I got the technique down with mohair first, now the possibilities are endless…

Rhinebeck Bounty 2014

Posted on October 22, 2014July 12, 2017 by Leilani — Leave a comment

7 bags of fleece-y goodness :) — 7 bags of fleece-y goodness 🙂

You are looking at this year’s take from the NYS Sheep & Wool Festival (aka simply as “Rhinebeck” – as in the town it takes place, Rhinebeck, NY). 3 bags of alpaca, 1 bag of mohair, 2 of cormo (excited about this, since I have not worked with it before) and 1 bag of icelandic (sheep). I need this much more fleece like I need a hole in my head! I have gotten so behind in fiber production since keeping (contentedly) busy with engraving jewelry. That said, I regret *nothing* and this has only boosted my passion for hand processing fleece from raw.

I still have some merino to finish dyeing that I picked up in Maine this summer, and then I will dive into scouring the cormo. I will most likely blog about each fleece as I go, but until then take a look at the crimp in this alpaca! I took this photo with my macro lens so perhaps it is too detailed…in any event, it is so soft, and the color is drool worthy. Caramels and creams seemed to be the color of the season this year, I even picked up some dyed silk in a similar colorway. I’m thinking my next art batts will be named after desserts! 😉

Adventures in (Faux) Tailspinning

Posted on October 15, 2014July 12, 2017 by Leilani — Leave a comment

experimenting with variations of tailspinning locks handprocessed/hand dyed fleece

I’ve been experimenting with variations of tailspinning locks of fleece (in this instance mohair locks). This would actually be classified as a faux tailspun as I sandwiched each lock in between 2 plies of handspun via my spinning wheel and then re-plied it with metallic thread for added strength/definition. Typically tail spinning is characterized by spinning the locks around a core. I like to play around with different ways of doing things and this came about simply because I have a bunch of one plies done that I am bored with plying together to make traditional 2-ply or 3-ply yarn.

This sample skein would make a nice scarf all on its own.

Once spun the sample skeins went into the dyepot. The orange sample had locks spaced approximately 3/4″ to 1″ apart, while the purple sample had locks sandwiched approximately 3 inches apart. Although I like the overall fullness of the orange sample the purple was fun to knit up as well, and honestly they don’t look that much different in the end. It’s all about the size of needles used. The orange skein would make a fab scarf on its own, don’t you agree?

This is the orange knitted with a #17 needle. I had my macro lense on my camera so this may be a tad too much detail. I went with a larger needle size to let the locks spread out. You could easily use a smaller size as well if you want a tighter knit.

Purple faux locks adoring the studio wall

Here’s a quick shot of the purple sample. I used a #10.5 needle. The locks are more spaced out in this sample. I should also mention I knit every row in both samples.

So what to do with this? I could see it as a beautiful scarf, trim for a hat, or I was thinking the shoulders of a shrug. What about a stuffed animal friend? I really appreciate yarn hat resembles the animal it came from – it is probably why I am so drawn to artistic textured yarns. I’d say the experiment was a success. Definitely more of this on the horizon…

Combing Fiber with St. Blaise Carding Combs

Posted on September 23, 2014July 12, 2017 by Leilani — Leave a comment

St. Blaise combs and hand processed/dyed sheep fleece

I’ve been combing fiber like mad while we’ve been here in Nova Scotia. After watching Robin Russo’s DVD Combing Fiber I was convinced to give it a try, and purchased her St. Blaise combs the next time we were in Vermont.

Of the interesting tidbits I found out in this DVD, like St. Blaise was the patron saint of wool carders (who knew there was a patron saint of wool carders!!), I also gained a greater understanding of the difference between woolen & worsted yarn. It goes beyond how the wool is spun which I naively thought, and also about how the fiber is processed. In a worsted yarn, all the fibers are aligned in the same direction prior to spinning. Half of the fiber is discarded as waste product leaving only the smoothest best quality fibers (aka: top). This is what gives that smooth even texture many knitters and crocheters enjoy.

Robin reviews the different types of combs and their pitches and what fleece is combed with each. In the end I was convinced her own designed St. Blaise combs that are made in her studio in Vermont would be the best option for me as a well-rounded go to comb.

I definitely was not disappointed, and thanks to her instruction via the DVD, I was combing fleece like a pro in no time. Although I own a drum carder I wanted the combs for working with a fleece requiring a little extra TLC. The combs do a stellar job at removing VM (vegetable matter) and are a must-have for separating the longer/coarser strands found in fibers like icelandic sheep or llama. The other plus is that they are portable, so now I can continue processing fleece while we are in Nova Scotia and leave the drum carder behind in the studio.

Maine Fiber Frolic 2014

Posted on June 10, 2014July 12, 2017 by Leilani — Leave a comment

Last week the fam & I had the privilege of attending the 2014 Maine Fiber Frolic. It’s been on our list of shows to check out for a few years now, but the timing has never lined up. We love Maine and love a chance to go visit, and this year we just so happened to be in Portland on the same weekend of the show. So we drove the hour and ten minutes out to the Windsor fairgrounds to check it out.

The show was absolutely charming. Totally chill and laid back like I would expect in Maine. It wasn’t at all as big as I had imagined, and I say this in a good way. As much as we love to immerse ourselves in the thousands of folk at Rhinebeck, We’ve always enjoyed a slower paced laid back show where we are free to take our time and linger looking at animals, exhibitors & vendors without feeling like we’re in the way.

Of course I enjoyed the fleece sale barn the most with the food vendors being a close second. 🙂

The family was in agreement – Stone Fox Farm Creamery is the *best* ice cream we have ever tasted – and best of all no egg, which my children are allergic.

P1020103 — Making friends with the goats – oh how I wish I could have these little darlings!

Although I did not get a ton of fleece this show (The NH Show was just in May and I came home with 6 big bags of fleece and roving from that one) I did nab 2 bags of raw merino to play around with. I love a challenge especially when it means I can get my hands on Merino at bargain basement prices. 🙂 Takes a little more elbow grease on my part but I love to see the progress from a dirty fleece to a clean one. 🙂

If we happen to be in Maine same time next year, we will certainly be checking out the show again!

2014 New Hampshire Sheep & Wool Festival: New Goodies

Posted on May 18, 2014July 12, 2017 by Leilani — Leave a comment

Last weekend, my family & I attended the New Hampshire Sheep & Wool Festival in Deerfield, New Hampshire. This is our 4th year in a row attending the festival, and has become a tradition that we spend Mother’s Day weekend at the show. We saw many furry friends, but my absolute fave was Praxis, a white alpaca who posed for pictures for me. If you look closely it looks like he is smiling. 🙂

P1020069 — Praxis after haircut (love that they kept his mohawk :))

In all I came home with 6 bags of wool: 5 raw to be processed from the fleece sale & 1 bag of roving of various colors. I think this year I am most excited to find a supplier of some (new to me) acid dyes courtesy of the good folk at Contented Butterfly Farm.

P1020083 — I had to rearrange the dye cupboard to make these fit – 13 new colors I am “dying” (ha ha) to try… 🙂

Looking forward to next year!

More Handspun Confetti Yarn: New Colors

Posted on February 10, 2014July 16, 2017 by Leilani — Leave a comment

More handspun confetti yarn has been added to the website. I like to call this light & lofty yarn “confetti” because before I spin the roving, I card it with bits of leftover wool, silk & angelina fibers (for sparkle!). 🙂

One of the first yarns I made & knitted projects from evolved into what is now confetti yarn. Currently it is mostly made up of roving from a small mill in Maine that I re-card adding my own bits of fiber throughout. The dyeing/overall color has to be credited to the mill. Now that I am dyeing my own fleece confetti yarn will most likely evolve into a product designed completely from raw, but that still remains to be seen. So long as I can obtain the base roving at a decent price I’ll continue to buy it. Plus I could never replicate the colors seen here (nor would I try!).

If you enjoy a thick yet light feeling yarn like I do, you would most likely enjoy this series. I love to knit a winter hat or a scarf/cowl with this. It also makes a nice trim for projects. I normally us a US9 knitting needle.

I love to process my fleece from raw but there is something so satisfying about drum carding roving and being able to spin virtually right away. I used to spin this particular roving straight out of the package but I like to spread out the fibers even more on the drum carder as well as add my own flair.

As this is a wool mix and spins up quickly it is one of my least expensive yarns for sale. I can give a sizable discount if bought in person since I do not incur any shipping/packaging fees.

I have spun more yarn than I can ever use so I’m happy to share it for those interested in purchasing it. That said, I’m also happy to squirrel it away & wait for the inspiration to hit for a new knitting project. 🙂

New Alpaca Handspun Yarn Listed

Posted on January 24, 2014July 16, 2017 by Leilani — Leave a comment

I have several skeins of natural brown alpaca handspun yarn listed on the website. My first completed batch of alpaca yarn spun from raw. Unlike sheep wool, alpaca does not need to be prepared ahead of time to spin: shear and go! The fiber does not contain any oils and is relatively straight, so it can be easily spun without carding ahead of time. After this batch however, I have decided to give my alpaca a quick soak to remove excess dirt or mud as well as give it one quick round in the drum carder. I found it quite dusty, and find it a huge time savings if I can get most of the fiber going in the same direction. The batch I’m currently working on was pretty muddy underneath, to boot!

This is a 3-ply probably best suited for a US#4 knitting needle. This batch of fiber was obtained from a small producer in Upstate New York. Being alpaca it is on the pricey side, but I can offer a sizable discount if you can buy in person, since I don’t have to incur shipping fees.

As usual with my yarn I am reluctant to let it go, however, I have spun so much of it I’m happy to offer it for sale if someone is interested in taking it. Otherwise this will turn into a wonderful project for me down the road. 😉

The Dye Binder: Recording Fleece Dyeing

Posted on December 17, 2013July 16, 2017 by Leilani — Leave a comment

Last month when talking about the dyeing experiments I was conducting in the studio on raw fleece, I meant to post a photo of my dye binder. We went through 3.5 bags of sheep fleece: horned dorset, finnish landrace & half a bag of grey-white romney, to see how the dye would react on darker color saturations, as well as small batches of mohair I had on hand. I am so glad I took notes because thinking back now without them I would never remember how to duplicate them! Needless to say i am *dying* to card & spin all the 200g samples, but the holidays has me totally locked down jewelry making & I still have a 3lb. bag of brown alpaca to spin (not that I am complaining about either!). 🙂

Some photos from our dyeing fleece experiments

Posted on October 28, 2013June 19, 2014 by Leilani — Leave a comment

We’ve been experimenting with dyeing fleece with Greener Shades acid dyes & I wanted to post some pictures of how it turned out. We’re doing mostly water immersion in a crock pot but I also did smaller batches in mason jars as well as a bit of low immersion dyeing.

I honestly don’t know why I was so intimidated about dyeing fleece. Once I figured out the dye-to-fleece ratio, it is *super* easy. And ridiculously addictive! My 6 year old has volunteered to help me, and she asks every day if we are going to dye fleece.

I really like using a crock pot, as I can literally set it and forget it. It’s nice & stable and contained which fits great in the studio, and I don’t have to worry about little fingers getting burned as opposed to using a pot on a burner. I like it so much I want to start scouring thrift shops for used ones so I can do several colors at once.

I think the most important thing is to write everything down so I know how to replicate the color later. I’ve started a binder which has a sample of the fleece, the kind of fleece & the process used to obtain the color. We’re concentrating on doing 2 colors at once to see what shades and effect can be obtained.

This is washed fleece but not yet carded. My mind would glaze over carding plain white fleece over & over! I find it easier to wash the fleece, then dye it. Carding takes place after. We (my oldest & I – her second favorite thing to do these days is to turn the crank on the carder) carded a sample of dyed fleece & I’m happy with the results. For now I see no advantage of carding to batts or roving first before dyeing. Especially since I plan to blend colors before spinning.

I am going to keep a binder as well of what the fleece looks like carded, as well as “recipes” of the fleece types and colors blended so if I want more in the future it will be easier to replicate.

Writing everything down is a big deal for me, because I am such an “on a whim” kind of spirit. But the binders will definitely keep my sanity! Let’s face it: art yarn is one of a kind so I will never be able to make a totally identical replica. But if I like something and want to spin it again this will be a good way to get at least a close second. 🙂

If you want to watch a great video on getting started dyeing fiber, I recommend “Dyeing in the Kitchen“.

The Fleece & Fiber Sourcebook: Invaluable

Posted on October 25, 2013June 19, 2014 by Leilani — Leave a comment

The Fleece & Fiber Sourcebook has been absolutely invaluable in my studio. It is my fleece “bible”. I go to it every time I buy a new fleece before I even start to process it.

I love the knitting examples that also are provided, & hats off to the authors, this must have been crazy to compile, not to mention fun! 🙂 Fiber geeks: you need this book!

Knitting Handspun by the Fire…

Posted on September 29, 2013June 19, 2014 by Leilani — Leave a comment

I’ve been going at a pretty steady pace lately. Jewelry making/orders, pricing my handspun yarn, working on packaging for yarn & stitch markers…oh yeah and running my busy household on top of it all. It’s no surprise it all came to a slamming halt as soon as we arrived at our Nova Scotia residence.

I’m trying to work. Reeeeeally I am. But there is just something about the atmosphere of the Annapolis Valley – I grew up here so I know it all too well. It’s not that I’m not motivated, it’s just the pace is slower, and I came to realize just how tired my brain really is. So I’m curled up by the fire, knitting my handspun. This is a mohair/wool blend, and I’m loving the feel/texture. Officially hooked! Must put mohair at the top of my shopping list for the Rhinebeck wool show next month…now if you’ll excuse me… 🙂

Campfire Knitting

Posted on August 31, 2013June 19, 2014 by Leilani — Leave a comment

I don’t know what it is about fire that makes it so perfect for knitting. Campfire in the summer…fireplace in the winter.

This is a self striping yarn I spun – Navajo (chain) plied – really bulky. Wool/silk mix. It wasn’t my favorite spin, that is for sure. Yet, it worked up rather well, I’d say. The finished hat is rather thick, but hey – winter in Québec is just around the corner…

Icelandic Handspun

Posted on August 22, 2013June 19, 2014 by Leilani — Leave a comment

Last year at Rhinebeck I bought a bag of raw Icelandic fleece, a wool I had only minimally worked with in the past. This was my first try at Icelandic handspun yarn. I absolutely adore the Icelandic Breed of sheep, they are small in stature and have both a long straight overcoat (tog) and a short curly undercoat (thel). I washed, carded and spun/plied/set/fulled several 2-ply skeins, keeping some for my own personal use and setting some aside for sale in the near future.

Yarn always looks a little sad to me when it is wet after being washed/ fulled. It’s amazing to see the yarn plump up again after it dries…I immediately get “the itch” and want to start knitting it.

Check back regularly to the Yarn/Fiber section of my website, I’ll be adding yarns as they become available. It’s all done by hand so it’s a labour of love, making this yarn. I spin for me first but will always have more than I could ever handle since I am officially addicted to spinning. 🙂

Angora Rabbit Fiber

Posted on June 17, 2013June 19, 2014 by Leilani — Leave a comment

I still cannot believe that this is from a bunny rabbit…an angora rabbit to be precise. I can’t help but feel bad for this breed. Cute looking, but having this much fur must really suck!

I’m starting to get a better handle on spinning angora (not to be confused with angora goat, whose fiber is known as mohair). I’m getting the hang of spinning this by itself…usually I blend it with wool. I have found it slippery and at times hard to draft, but like any fiber you get used to the feel and how it needs to be handled in order to get spun. It is very light and lofty. My Himalayan cat’s fur is similar. Many people like the feel of angora in hand but can’t wear it on their head/neck as it tends to tickle/feel itchy…and I can totally see that. I would like to ply an angora yarn on its own though just to see how it works up. I’ll share the finished product whatever I decide to do… 🙂

Spinning Singles

Posted on June 16, 2013November 20, 2013 by Leilani — Leave a comment

I’ve gone back to spinning singles lately…the “traditional” idea of spinning where you spin thinner singles to ply together to make the finished yarn. I am hoping these are the start of yarn for sale…I again am at a loss at pricing because if I take into account the amount of time put into prepping fleece from raw to spinning/plying my price point would be simply too high for consideration. I’m liking the barter idea, so that may be the way to go. In any event I need to finish these into something before my mind gets away from me. I have angora rabbit, icelandic sheep fleece & my “wool soup” (taking odds & ends fleece/roving/batts – running it through the drum carder to make one of a kind batts for spinning) so far spun. Either way, I simply enjoy the process of creating the yarn – more so than knitting it into something! I get far more satisfaction in feeling the fluffy fleece between my hands become a wonderfully soft textured yarn. Not that I don’t enjoy knit/crochet, I simply enjoy carding/spinning more…so yes: when these are completed I must work on finding them new homes. 🙂

Drum carding with the Brother Drum Carder

Posted on June 3, 2013June 19, 2014 by Leilani — Leave a comment

Back in January, I started a thorough search for a drum carder…I had massed a decent amount of fleece and really was not looking forward to hand carding it all. If you have ever looked for a drum carder for equipment you know that they do not come cheap, and do I ever drool at all the different kinds out there on the market. I have spent a small fortune on jewelry making equipment over the years, I can`t really justify $900+ for something that is at the moment, solely a hobby. So I started my search for a used one on ebay…and was I shocked to find one in the $300 range…brand new.

Yep, Brother Drum Carders are a no-frills economic made in the USA drum carder. I ordered one straight away in January from their website (they also sell on Etsy & Ebay). I must say, I am impressed having zero expectation & zero experience with a drum carder. I’ve used it to blend roving/angelina fibers/silk, and also to process my own fleece that I have washed.

It is hard work cranking that thing by hand…I do dream of a motorized one if I ever get busy enough to warrant it. And the medium coarse carding cloth I chose doesn’t work very well with my alpaca or angora rabbit fibers…I will have to buy a cloth with teeth appropriate for fine fibers for this (that does make me wonder if a more expensive model could handle all/most types of fleeces) but can I really complain at the price point? I simply feel very lucky to have this tool at my disposal at such an affordable price!

Washing Raw Fleece…

Posted on June 2, 2013June 19, 2014 by Leilani — Leave a comment

In the beginning, I was really leery of washing sheep wool. It seemed like a really time consuming (& potentially icky) task. But spinning roving started to bore me, I wanted more control over my creativity & I started to gain much respect for this wool fiber, the animal who gave it & the process from start to finish.

I obtain my fleece from scouring fleece sales at various wool shows in the North-East. Although I get taken in by the wonderful alpaca fiber from time to time (which doesn’t need washing before spinning – which is a nice perk), I generally stick to the piles of passed over inexpensive bags of sheep fleece…the extra-dirty or not-so-well-known breeds. I don’t even entertain merino…it’s a lovely wool, but highly over-rated for experimentation purposes. 🙂

I add the fleece by the handfuls in my basket here in the laundry sink, that I had installed in my studio specifically for this purpose. I pick out as much VM (vegetable matter) or poo/manure tags that I can from this stage…I can’t say that I have ever skirted any wool in the traditional fashion, maybe I *should* but I have never found I needed to at this point (or perhaps I am blissfully ignorant).

After reading and trying out slightly different variations of washing fleece here is the method that I use:

Soak in hot, hot water with a 1/4 to 1/2 cup of dish detergent for at least 3 hours – sometimes I even leave it to soak overnight if there is a lot of lanolin or dirt. I generally find this soak 3 times gets the majority of the dirt off. It is a really pleasant surprise to find a yellowish fleece is indeed a lovely white color after a couple good soaks in hot water & dish detergent!

I then soak it in the hottest water possible 3 times for about 30 min. each time. The last time I add 1/4 cup of vinegar to remove any remaining soap residue. I am careful to keep the temperature consistent while washing as, hot/cold water plus agitation will felt wool. I also do not manipulate the wool much, just gently push down into the water with rubber gloves.

The basket is fantastic as you need to drain the water several times – and I found when not using some sort of basket the fleece would just clog up the drain. These are old fixtures from a Zellers store that closed locally last summer. Bonus is that the square baskets have a lip for hanging on a display rack – and they fit perfectly onto the edge of my laundry tub when I want to lift it out to drain the water.

The Zellers fixtures also make wonderful drying racks…in the summer, these move outdoors to dry naturally n the sun shine. 🙂

Catnaps & Art Batts…

Posted on May 25, 2013July 18, 2013 by Leilani — Leave a comment

With the amount of time my cats spend either cuddling up to or attacking my sheep fleece, rovings & batts, I often wonder how they would react if I owned actual sheep… 🙂

This is her, annoyed-that-you-are-bothering-me-stop-taking-my-picture look (I seriously think this cat is a close relative to Oscar the Grouch ;)).

Latest Textured (Art) Yarns…

Posted on May 16, 2013November 20, 2013 by Leilani — Leave a comment

I am terribly behind on posts, and doubt I will bother to catch up. Earlier this year my hard drive failed and we have not yet had luck recovering the data…there is ways but very time consuming and for the self-employed parent time is limited. So I guess you can say I lost interest in blogging. I’ve also lost faith in WordPress & will be switching most likely to Drupal hopefully this fall. It’s just been one thing after another, and I apologize for any inconsistencies or problems viewing this site.

But to begin anew here are the latest yarns I have made. These were a total experiment but I love the end results. I took the first two art batts I made earlier this year & turned them into these two skeins of yarn. Here you see them freshly fulled and hanging outside to dry (I love this time of year!). I’m also washing my newest fleeces obtained at this year’s New Hampshire Wool show (below you see a bit of it peeking out, also drying in the fresh open air).

Both skeins are bulky one plies with beads spun in. I love how fast bulky one ply yarn spins up, but am always afraid of an unbalanced yarn. These are not bad, as you can see they hang fairly straight. The one on the right was from an art batt I made & named “The Fog of War”. I don’t always name my projects, but if a name pops in my head right away I figure there is purpose there. I’ve had these wood beads kicking around forever – probably a closeout I bought from a wholesaler. They never made it into the “for jewelry” making pile, and I am so pleased to have them integrated into this yarn.

The second skein, “Pink Candy Crush” has tiny 4mm pale pink crackle (glass) beads spun within. I loved the effect of the smaller beads just as the large ones. Far more cute & subtle but it works for such a happy colored yarn.

“Fog of War” is a blend of many different wool leftovers…I call these kinds of batts/rovings wool confetti as it is very light, fluffy & airy with tiny pops of color within. “Pink candy crush” has merino, tunis & a purple wool of unknown breed (odds and ends again) along with banana fibers . Both also have angelina fibers for added sparkle. The beads are attached with a Habu stainless steel thread.

These were really fun to make & I’m already on my 3rd. Spinning is my zen. Jewelry making is exciting; new designs make my heart race, while spinning keeps me calm & happy no matter how sore my back may get. 😉

I know people have asked if I will be selling my yarns…I hope to add fiber product of some kind to the website by the end of the summer. I am having a hard time deciding how to price my yarns. I’m thinking of selling my yarns by barter exclusively rather than by exchange of money. I think that feels more fair to me…