>Okay Connie, I'll understand if you are busy, but you need to pop in on the list just so we know you are okay :) We miss you!
Dang, Dori - I didn't even know you'd commented!!! Ack! I know, I know - it's been a freakin' MONTH since I posted or anything, but life has been INSANE, lately!
I can't believe, either, that it's been a month since I last posted. I can't believe I've been that busy! No, no pics to show for anything - yet. Just half-finished, half-baked stuff-on-needles (which may get frogged).
Just letting folks know I'm still kicking. Sort of :-)
Thursday, March 5, 2009
Thursday, February 5, 2009
Well. I dunno. More work needed...
in my not-in-the-least humble opinion. It's "okay", BUT... I'm not satisfied. It's only 19 yards and it seemed to take forever to get it spun - and to stay together. One thing's for sure: Romney locks don't "stick" as well as mohair, not even to a mohair core (that's the white "string" you see on either end of the "skein". Is it even long enough to be called a skein? Probably not.). The photos came courtesy of Shelly at Twist (my dd took the photos with Shell's great camera) because - once again - I forgot to take pics.
Well - back to the carder and wheel! For what it's worth, here's the 'knewest' Knarly Knots attempt.
Well - back to the carder and wheel! For what it's worth, here's the 'knewest' Knarly Knots attempt.
Where to get the Bee!
Okay, I should know better than to write emails or post to my blog so late at night. I forgot to let ya'll know just where to get the Bee! There is a dear lady named Dori Ann who sells SpinOlution's Mach 1 and The Bee wheels (coming in March!), and their new, totally cool spindles (love those too). You can find her on her Feelin' Fibers Etsy shop. I have purchased from her several times and the shipping is very, very prompt! Plus, she has fab fibers, including Salish!
Dori Ann normally has lots of fibers for sale, but she's still unpacking from a very recent and exhausting move, so check back with her in a week or so - she's still coming up for air!
Here's a picture of SpinOlutions hand-spindles. I think they ought to be advertised more - they're cool - AND you can adjust their weight!
Dori Ann normally has lots of fibers for sale, but she's still unpacking from a very recent and exhausting move, so check back with her in a week or so - she's still coming up for air!
Here's a picture of SpinOlutions hand-spindles. I think they ought to be advertised more - they're cool - AND you can adjust their weight!
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
The Bee! By SpinOlutions
Okay, this is getting hard on me - just how many wheels do I think I "need"??? All of them, apparently. Look at this darling new baby! I WANNIT!! Forget the Ladybug - I want THIS one! Yes, I still love the Ladybug, but...! You can't do super-bulky on it. Here's what SpinOlutions has to say:
The Bee has many improvements over current Spinning wheels available on the market. Some of the standard upgrades include:
* Open Orifice – allows thread of any size to be spun.
* Easy bobbin removal – no more hassles to change bobbins.
* 7 Ratio Speed Spindle – work at your speed.
* Multiple Bearings - for smooth and efficient operation.
* Heel rests – keeps the wheel in front of you, not across the room.
* Multiple rubber feet - for ultimate stability.
* Heavy duty construction – for years of dependable use.
* American made – what else can we say.
Ain't she CUTE!? Oh, golly - there goes another $600 as soon as I can afford it. Probably not for a long, long time but...
Blogger is rather limited on what you can do to space text so I'm having to show the Bee's specs in a different way from how it's shown on their site. Problems, problems, alla time...
Specifications of the Bee:
Weight : 13 lbs.
Open
Height: 30 inches
Width: 19 inches
Depth: 13 inches
Wheel Size: 2-9 inch diameter
1.5 in thick
Folded
Height: 12 inches
Width: 19 inches
Depth: 9 inches
Wheel Size: 2-9 inch diameter
1.5 in thick
Number of Speeds: 7 Ratio: 1:5 to 1:36 (Approximately)
Material: Furniture grade Birch Plywood
The Bee has many improvements over current Spinning wheels available on the market. Some of the standard upgrades include:
* Open Orifice – allows thread of any size to be spun.
* Easy bobbin removal – no more hassles to change bobbins.
* 7 Ratio Speed Spindle – work at your speed.
* Multiple Bearings - for smooth and efficient operation.
* Heel rests – keeps the wheel in front of you, not across the room.
* Multiple rubber feet - for ultimate stability.
* Heavy duty construction – for years of dependable use.
* American made – what else can we say.
Ain't she CUTE!? Oh, golly - there goes another $600 as soon as I can afford it. Probably not for a long, long time but...
Blogger is rather limited on what you can do to space text so I'm having to show the Bee's specs in a different way from how it's shown on their site. Problems, problems, alla time...
Specifications of the Bee:
Weight : 13 lbs.
Open
Height: 30 inches
Width: 19 inches
Depth: 13 inches
Wheel Size: 2-9 inch diameter
1.5 in thick
Folded
Height: 12 inches
Width: 19 inches
Depth: 9 inches
Wheel Size: 2-9 inch diameter
1.5 in thick
Number of Speeds: 7 Ratio: 1:5 to 1:36 (Approximately)
Material: Furniture grade Birch Plywood
Wheel 'n' "Knew" Knarly Knots
As promised, the pics! First, my new wheel, named Betsy:
I can't believe how much faster it is making art yarn when you have the right equipment! I have no idea how much I've got on here, but I sure am having fun. I started out just blending some of the colors on my hand cards only a couple times to sort of mix the colors, and I liked it (yarn on right side of bobbin). Then, I made a monster batt on my drumcarder, where the colors got blended together far more (left side of bobbin). I do love the way the blend looks, but...not sure that's what Shelly wants, so I'll ask her.
I'm also going to experiment this time and ply it with something special - see what happens. If I don't like it...oh, well - then I'll know. Hopefully, it'll look really cool. DD seems to think it will!
I can't believe how much faster it is making art yarn when you have the right equipment! I have no idea how much I've got on here, but I sure am having fun. I started out just blending some of the colors on my hand cards only a couple times to sort of mix the colors, and I liked it (yarn on right side of bobbin). Then, I made a monster batt on my drumcarder, where the colors got blended together far more (left side of bobbin). I do love the way the blend looks, but...not sure that's what Shelly wants, so I'll ask her.I'm also going to experiment this time and ply it with something special - see what happens. If I don't like it...oh, well - then I'll know. Hopefully, it'll look really cool. DD seems to think it will!
WHOOT!
My Ashford Country Spinner came in!!! Woo-HOO!! Yarn Barf, here I come!
Actually,she came in yesterday and ds put her together for me (bless the dear boy!). I spun quite a bit last night, but it was stop and go a lot b'c I didn't have a batt to spin from. I blended the colors on my hand cards rather than using my drum carder, so it was sloooow going.
I finally got a big batt made up late tonight of the dyed locks Shels sent home with me, so it should go quite a bit faster (I hope). No, I haven't got pics yet, so you can go here to see what one looks like. Mine is stained darker than I like, but who cares?!? I was so happy to get it for a bit over 1/2 price (wow!!) that it could've been painted pink with purple polka dots, for all I'd care. Of course...I'd have stripped that off PDQ, but...
Actually,she came in yesterday and ds put her together for me (bless the dear boy!). I spun quite a bit last night, but it was stop and go a lot b'c I didn't have a batt to spin from. I blended the colors on my hand cards rather than using my drum carder, so it was sloooow going.
I finally got a big batt made up late tonight of the dyed locks Shels sent home with me, so it should go quite a bit faster (I hope). No, I haven't got pics yet, so you can go here to see what one looks like. Mine is stained darker than I like, but who cares?!? I was so happy to get it for a bit over 1/2 price (wow!!) that it could've been painted pink with purple polka dots, for all I'd care. Of course...I'd have stripped that off PDQ, but...
Saturday, January 31, 2009
...and so it goes
Well. Got to Twist. Had my wheel. Spun four minutes. Tops.
*sigh*
Oh, well.
Let's talk about something wonderful, shall we?
That's what I'm calling her, but her real name is Melissa. Even though I had no time to spin, at least another new knitter has gone home armed with new knowledge and more faith in her ability to do whatever she wants to do with needles and yarn. And that's so great! The regular teachers weren't there and the shop was swamped, so the poor girl got stuck with moi.
I love teaching (smart people, anyway) and this young gal was sharp as a tack. She only had to be shown most things once. Boy. Wish I could say that about myself when I was learning. She wasn't at all afraid to tackle big things. Things like a loooong skirt knitted in the round - gracious me! She'd just learned to garter, didn't know how to read knitting terms yet (!), couldn't read a pattern; yet, there she sat, determined to knit this lovely skirt!
When I got over the shock of realizing she meant to knit it right away, I realized she had something I never had as a new knitter: sheer guts.
She "knew" she was a "slow-learner" (I'd love to know who convinced her of that load of hooey) but she still wasn't afraid of anything that could be knitted. If she's "slow", then I'm dumber than a freakin' post.
If she keeps going like this, she's going to be a phenomenal knitter. She's really cool, too; I liked her a lot. I really hope we see more of her at the shop.
*sigh*
Oh, well.
Let's talk about something wonderful, shall we?
A "Fearless Knitter"!
That's what I'm calling her, but her real name is Melissa. Even though I had no time to spin, at least another new knitter has gone home armed with new knowledge and more faith in her ability to do whatever she wants to do with needles and yarn. And that's so great! The regular teachers weren't there and the shop was swamped, so the poor girl got stuck with moi.
I love teaching (smart people, anyway) and this young gal was sharp as a tack. She only had to be shown most things once. Boy. Wish I could say that about myself when I was learning. She wasn't at all afraid to tackle big things. Things like a loooong skirt knitted in the round - gracious me! She'd just learned to garter, didn't know how to read knitting terms yet (!), couldn't read a pattern; yet, there she sat, determined to knit this lovely skirt!
When I got over the shock of realizing she meant to knit it right away, I realized she had something I never had as a new knitter: sheer guts.
She "knew" she was a "slow-learner" (I'd love to know who convinced her of that load of hooey) but she still wasn't afraid of anything that could be knitted. If she's "slow", then I'm dumber than a freakin' post.
If she keeps going like this, she's going to be a phenomenal knitter. She's really cool, too; I liked her a lot. I really hope we see more of her at the shop.
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