Buttons and Clouds

I wanted to post some pictures of my succesful handspun yarn to date.  The first yarn I made was with buttons.  I was really obsessed with this idea for some reason.  So, here are the fruits of my labor of love.  After I finally got the button idea out of my system, I moved on to super thick and thin yarn.                     

                                          

What Lost Buttons Dream Of...

2-ply, 5 ounces, 70 yards.  One ply has a core of crochet thread with buttons pre-loaded before spinning.  The Other ply is slightly thinner and was spun normal, no core.  Spun and plied on Penguin Quill Wheel Jun 27-29, 2008

Partly Cloudy

Handspun yarn, 2-ply, Corriedale-cross. White single has very large fuffy sections with no twist alternating with very thin with heavy twist. Blue single was Kool-Aid dyed with a little bit thick and thin. Unbalanced plying, alternating between the two. 63 yards, weight is 2.9 ounces. Dyed, then spun and plied on a Penguin Quill Wheel. July 10-17, 2008 

I have made other singles, quite a few, nothing that really jumps out like those two, so far.  But I am hoping that shortly, I will have another one to add, already named "TigerLilly".  Stay tuned.....

the big update

My bad!  I know, I know, I haven't posted for a very long time, but I hope to be better about it from now on.

Well, let's see.....I did finally get myself a spinning wheel in June of 2008.  It's a Penguin Wheel.  That means it looks like, well, a Penguin!  It is a quill wheel with no flyer, more in common with a Rio Grande or a walking wheel, then a typical wheel most people use nowadays.  I decided to go this route for several reasons.  First and foremost, since there is no flyer, there is no restriction to what I feed my wheel.  One inch across buttons,  giant weird clumps, felted flowers, the limit is my imagination!  It's been a lot of fun so far.  

And now, drum roll please.....TaDaaaah!!!!

Penguin Quill Wheel, number 258. Manufactured between 1972 and 1974 in Sunshine Canyon, Colorado. Black walnut veneer with pine upright. Single treadle, direct drive with no belt. Spindle wheel sits directly on drive wheel with an adjustable spring to tension the spindle head down onto the drive wheel. 

Still looking for a wheel

I am about out of my mind trying to pick out a spinning wheel. Damn, every one that I am interested in has been discontinued. I have found one that I like, but it's a quill or spindle wheel only, it would be able to spin anything, in theory, basically limited by the ability of the operator. I would be the operator, and I'm not sure what my level of ability is anymore. Quill spinning is tricky, not everyone likes it or is able to do it. I am not sure which category I fall into....I wish I could track someone down locally so I could "give it a whirl" on their wheel and try before I buy. I've had several people tell me that it's not that hard, just slow going. But, for the yarn I think I'm going to be making, it might be the only way for me to go. i want to make the super chunk funk with all kinds of stuff spun right into the yarn. I don't think I could compete with all the other beautiful yarns being spun out there and I have to find my "niche market."

You spin me 'round

I might take the plunge and buy a spinning wheel.  I used a Majacraft Suzie some years ago, but I wasn't able to work on it for various reasons. That really upset me and it's something that I put out of my mind for a long time. But now, I think it's something I want to get into. There was a really nice group of people in the local guild and I would like to get involved in some group activities. I really don't do much outside of the home other then helping out my Mom and some social contacts would be good. So, we will see, budget is always an issue, it may just be a big pipe dream.

Baby come back!

Well, well, look who's back? Or should I say bad? Yes, I've been very bad for a long time about posting to this, or any blog. No matter, times have changed and so have I, as the song goes, so it's time to get back into the swing of things.

Many changes have taken place. The boyfiend and I got married, we bought a second home, we have a hamster, turtle and another dog. It's funny because the house I'm in now is about half as big as the other one that I just visit, but there are twice as many lifeforms here. The second house was a necessity as my mother's mobility is declining and I really needed to be near her. She did not want to move near me, as the regional hospital with all the specialists are near her. So, we bit a really big bullet and got a small second home for me to live in to help her out. She isn't to the point where she needs to live with someone full-time either, so this situation is working out. Down the road, I feel we can always sell this house as it's small and would be good for a single professional person working at the hospital, or elsewhere.

So, in case you didn't pay attention, we are up to three small dogs, Barney, Blossom, and Teddy, one hamster, Franklin and one turtle. The turtle, Fang, being the most recent addition.

As for yarn, well, I took some time off from it. but now I'm back, with some new ergonomic hooks and a gleam in my eye.