World of Wool Advent Calendar arrived in November -- this is my third year with one of these boxes. This year in addition to the daily ritual of tearing into that day's wool, I decided to spin a sample on a different spindle from my collection.
Day 1: this is a Corriedale-Suri alpaca blend.
This spindle is a spiral-cut spindle and whole from niddynoddyuk -- I have a few of these as they are my go-to for spinning when I'm demonstrating in public. This particular one is a bit stained on the tip from spinning with it shortly after I managed to cut open my index finger...early December means that it's the end-of-semester, so I've got quite a bit of marking and stuff over the next few weeks, so I don't see myself able to spin 50g of wool every day -- but handspindles are such a nice way at least to try everything out straight away!
Day 2: superwash merino + Stellina + cardboard because Tiny Toast was rabbit-kicking her cardboard shark whilst I was taking photos (to be fair, this warm spot at the top of the stairs is her domain). Biggie also got in on the action.
The spindle is a plain stick from Caroline Hershey, and the amber whorl was made by @puku_b. The combination of the fine spindle stick and weight of the whorl = super fast spinning and a nice fine thread.
Today's spindle is an antique one from Ukraine, hand-carved (rather than turned), maybe 60-80 years old.
Not pictured: Tiny Toast batting it like the furriest victim of the Pit and the Pendulum.
Day 4: Merino, alpaca, mulberry silk, and Manx.
Antique (19th-century) French spindle with an unusual head.
Day 5: Today's fibre is a rich green blend of Merino, alpaca, and Tussah silk. Perky stuff for a windy and rainy evening. The spindle was hand-carved by Krag Buck of Njörðr's Wanderers out of holly, with a soapstone whorl. You can follow their adventures here. I had great fun spinning, weaving, and nalbinding with them last spring at Frederick Fiber Fest and Maryland Sheep & Wool.
Day 6: bit of merino, Lleyn, and stellina sparkle.
This blend still has a very Sheepy smell which makes me think of my own now long-gone sheep. It's a lovely colour, a pale blue with hints of white. Sampled here on a small Turkish spindle made from millennial old bog oak made by IST Crafts.
Day 7: Not exactly a Blue Hen, but this little bird spindle from Woodland Woodworks seemed appropriate for Day 7 spindle sampling.
I think the intention is that this is a supported spindle (and it works well that way!) I spin with it as if it were a French spindle. This is a blend of alpaca, llama, Merino, and mohair in natural colours -- super soft!
7th December 1787 was the day that Delaware seceded from Pennsylvania and became the first state of the Union. I grew up there, and I did indeed go to the University of Delaware.
7th December also coincidentally happened to be the first time I saw the Beatles' mad 'home movie' The Magical Mystery Tour when it was shown on PBS back in 1983. I had a general science final exam the next morning and had a choice between seeing this film or studying -- I chose the film, because I figured, in 40 years, what difference would it make. I ended up pretty crap at the metric system, but I still like the Beatles, so there you go.
Bonus Tiny Toast who was not impressed with the proceedings on this blustery morning.
Day 8: The wool is a blend of Gotland and bamboo -- in natural light, you can see subtle strands of blue and red bamboo shot through the rich natural grey of the Gotland.
Another light-weight spindle stick from Caroline Hershey, with a tiny bone whorl that dates from between the 2nd and 4th centuries AD. There is still some red paint/colour on the top of the spindle, and wonderful spirals and circles carved into its rim.
Both allow for very fine spinning (and it takes a smidge of weight on the spindle really to get going, but once it does, the combo spins very quickly and smoothly.
Day 9: another potpourri of fibres - Merino, alpaca, BFL, Polwarth, trilobal nylon, flax, and Tussah silk. It's a green-grey blend with flashes of green sparkle.
The yarn sample is spun on one of my Bosworth spindles; this one is a 'Moosie' which is made from naturally shed moose antler by Jonathan Bosworth.
Tiny Toast was not at home to having any competing fluff placed on her person, so my Victorian faux-Roman birdie ring distaff is doing the honours today.
Day 10: a robust mix of Shetland, BFL, and Cheviot in a colour blend of red, black, and white.
Spindle stick of the day is nothing special, but the whorl is about 1,000 years old. A black-clay spindle decorated with simple line hatchings. I was given it as a gift a long ways back when I first started hand-spinning from someone who had bought it during their own adventures in North Africa. It's very heavy, so I use it as the whorl on a support spindle, otherwise as a suspended spindle, I'd be spinning only a thicker-weight yarn.
Tiny Toast is pretty mellow about my sampling, spinning, and weaving sessions, since they put me in her gaffe at the top of the stairs. She's purring her head off & relaxed despite having a very tempting toy placed on her magnificent tummy-tuft.
#spinning #spin #handspinning #spindle #whorl #history #yarn #wool #fibre #adventcalendar #cat #cats #weaving #handwoven #crafts #history #livinghistory #handmade
More to come!
Comments