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I'm Shiela Dixon, peahen on Ravelry, I blog at Stitchin' Bints and Shiela Dixon on Facebook. Here you will find information, news and supplies for spinning, dyeing, felting and weaving.
News
Send spinning-related events, news and siliness to news@handspinner.co.uk.
Top-whorl drop spindles - Rosewood
I've taken delivery of these beautiful-looking spindles which spin beautifully too. In four designs, some with inlaid brass, the wood is Indian sheesham wood, an old member of the rosewood family.
Made by a small family firm in India. The 'oily polish' finish is a family formula. It has an exquisite shine and is waterproof.
Postage increase
You won't have failed to notice that the Royal Mail has today (30 April) put up its prices.
I've had to revise my prices accordingly. I've tried to be fair and as always I aim to either draw even or make a loss on the actual cost of the postage and the packaging / printing materials. If the postage charged is significantly above the actual cost then I usually spot this and refund the difference.
For larger items, I've not altered my scales - £5 postage for orders £58 -> £150 and free postage over that.
You can see my postage prices if you click the link which is just below every 'add to basket' button.
Hand Spinning News for April 2012
Hand Spinning News for April is out.
As well as the new name, some polish and its own web domain (hand-spinning-news.com) you'll also find more content, new features and more giveaways.
Yarnmaker, issue 9 (January / February 2012)
Yarnmaker magazine is a UK-based magazine for spinners. Each issue is packed with articles on all aspects of spinning such as wheels, spindles and other equipment, art yarn, dyeing, sheep breeding, patterns, as well as letters, directories of guilds and businesses, news and events.
I stock Yarnmaker for the cover price of £4.90 with free postage.
Handspun for cross-stitch?
I'm sure the vast majority of us either knit, crochet or weave with our handspun but does anyone spin very fine yarn for needlework?
Liz, who describes herself as an 'odd duck' spins fine thread using her traveller. It is 100% BFL wool, some is hand dyed or painted and all is ideal for cross stitch, embroidery and needlepoint. Liz also runs a Thread Club Stitch-A-Long.
I had trouble choosing a photograph for this thumbnail because the photos of her work are so varied and numerous. Use the link below to see a selection of photos and the shop / blog are at http://www.handspunthread.blogspot.com/
Wool's Carbon Footprint Up to 80% Smaller Than Previously Thought
The Wool Carbon Alliance has estimated the carbon footprint of wool as being 60 to 80 percent lower than previously thought. They find that wool is part of the natural cycle of water and carbon and could be part of carbon reduction targets.
I'm afraid I've lost the name of who shared this, so thank you if it was you.
Blogpick: What a difference a ply makes
Here Cathy aka lazykate shows us the results of spinning and plying the same dyed fibre in two different ways. First as a chunky 7wpi thick and thin, and then as a finer and more even 14wpi.
She says that she likes them both, but it's fascinating to see how different techniques can produce such dramatically different results.
Blogpick: Wear test
David of Southern Cross Fibre made a pair of socks in 2009 with differently-plied yarn for each sock, to test which method makes more resilient socks
He's recently published an update and says that they're both holding up well, but what I find more fascinating is the way the socks look in the original photo. A good demonstration of how navajo plying will maintain colours in stripes while 2- or 3-plying gives that flecked, heathered look.
Handspun for socks?
Anne Merrow of Spinning Daily answers: Absolutely!
I don't usually feature anything that needs paying for (this blog post focusses on the latest Soccupied e-Mag, $4.99) but in the post Anne does give us three good reasons why you *would* want to use your precious handspun for a project that you will walk on and wear holes in.
Assertive rabbit
This is Champis, the sheep-rabbit. In this video, the bunny lives in Sweden and hops around herding a flock of sheep.
Thanks to Shearer's Girl who shared the video and thinks that rabbits have the ideal temperament to makes them great sheepdogs.
blogpick: Handspun Cladonia Shawl
gotthebutton says that she has been inspired by Monika's knitting and her colour choices, but her own version of this shawl looks beautiful in the colours she's chosen.
She spun fibre that she'd bought from different places and did a little dyeing herself too, and together it all looks great.
She is in love with her shawl, and it's not surprising.
blogpick: Orange colorwork sweater FO
I've been looking out for this finished object since I spotted the cast-on cuffs on the blog last year.
Rather than knit a whole jumper in handspun, Joyuna has used some of her own homespun shetland in natural colours and orange-dyed for the colourwork sections, and some orange mill-spun yarn for the plain sections.
It's her first stab at colourwork. She says that the pattern, which uses slipped stitches rather than stranding, is deceptively simple.
Skip back to November 2011 on her blog to see a close-up of the cast-on cuff (or possibly a swatch).
Blogpick - Old Forge
Monika of Smokin Hot Needles may win an award here for the most yarn spun in one blog post.
She's bee spinning and dyeing for a knitted blanket / throw, which she's already cast on. Do follow the link through to the pattern; Monia has chosen brighter colours and like a lot of others, I can't wait to see the result!
For Size Reference
How about this cute idea for using up handspun scraps?
chavala has made these tiny mitts as holiday ornaments.
Pattern is Mini Mittens by Leslie Ann Bestor: http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/mini-mittens-4 (Ravelry link)
Blogpick - Spinning newspaper
Diane of The Murmering Wheel has been blogging her 2011 workshops and spinning activities, and this is my favourite.
I know that she takes on spinning commissions which sometimes include pet hair, but this has got to be the most unusual so far. She was commissioned to spin 5kg of newspaper yarn.
It sounds like it was a demanding task and the blog is a fascinating read.
The yarn has been made into finished pieces, but tantalisingly, we're not allowed to see the result yet. I'll pass on more information when I have it.
Blogpick - Tip of the Month, changing your sett after you've warped
Alison aka Willington Weaver gives us a weaving tip of the month. For February she explains with step-by-step pictures how to change your sett after you've warped by securing your cross with the aid of two spare cross-sticks.
Hand Spun by Lexi Boeger
Having Alison Daykin as a teacher might have steered me in the direction of art yarn, but I find that the yarns I like making most are thin, smooth and even.
But I find Lexi Boeger's work outstanding. A while ago I featured a selection of her photographs in this newsletter.
I think of art yarn as yarn which looks beautiful as yarn. The term 'art yarn' is used in the book, but far from wanting you to make yarn that you only admire in it's own right, Lexi intends that you use what you make.
Read my review and buy the book at the link below.
Join the flock
FLOCK is a large public art project creating a large art installation made up of thousands of woolly pom-pom sheep. The finished work will be on display in Cumbria in April.
If you'd like to make and send one or more pom-pom sheep, then you can download the free pattern and find out more using the link below. They are aiming for 5000 sheep and helpful people have so far donated 1800.
Thanks go to the lovely Kate of Rosliston Forestry Centre's Environmental Education team for sending me this link.
Spinning cotton, free eBook
Have you spun cotton? Did you know that it grows in natural colours as well as white?
Gisela Evitt says that with practice you will find spinning cotton "relaxing and intoxicating"
This free eBook from SpinningDaily gives us some history, some tips for spinning the very short fibre with some patterns.
In sheep's clothing
Thank you to everyone who wrote back to me during the advent, and who wrote lovely things with their prize draw entry. Without a doubt, the advent calendar email which provoked the most feedback / biggest response was the old film about spinning on Sheltland, which shows the fascinating Rooing process.
It's often said that sheep don't moult and need shearing. But on my walks I've seen sheep with fleece dropping off of its own accord, and here is the explanation. Shetland sheep (and I guess some others?) naturally lose their wool (by forming a break in the fibre). Pulling off and collecting this wool is called rooing.
Thank you very much to the KnittyBlog for highlighting this amazing film from the Shetland Islands in 1932 which shows not only the rooing process, but some spinning and knitting as well.
Watch the video at http://ssa.nls.uk/film.cfm?fid=1129
Selvedge magazine, November / December 2011 issue (number 43)
Selvedge magazine is a special and collectable magazine, covering interior design and contemorary textile art.
The November/December 2011 issue (number 43) is now available and is an 'Peace' issue - with a theme of linen and lace, and as usual, Packed with information, stories, events and wardrobe inspiration.
Read more about Selvedge magazine and preview this issue.
I also have Selvedge backnumbers 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41 and 42 in stock
How-to: felted piggy-ears
Go on, admit it, you're as curious about knitting for felting as I am but share my apprehension about trying it...
Blogpick - why ply?
There are several reasons for plying, but knitting with singles is arguably still very effective.
In this interesting guest blog post on Knitting Daily, Toni explores the topic further.
Blogpick - MOTs for rams
After reading this one, I filed it under 'too much information' and wasn't sure about whether to share it. But it is a fascinating read in a 'through-the-fingers' kind of way.
Shearer's Girl is passionate about her vocation and it is interesting to learn more about what goes on behind the scenes as our raw material is reared.
Blogpick - Handspun Friday - Lithos
I look forward to Monika of Smokin' Hot Needles' Handspun Fridays. She posts pictures of the dyed fibre together with pictures of the finished yarn and I'm still fascinated with how the colours play out.
21st century protection for wool
It's great news that the new wealthy of China are taking an interest in British wool and an even more amazing story that to provide the necessary guarantees, an American company has set up a lab in Huddersfield to provide genetic fingerprinting services for cloth!
Thanks to Devon Fine Fibres for the story
Blogpick: Double marl
Knitty have given us articles about marling before, but in this post Jillian tries using strong and contrasting colours marled together for her singles, and then plies two of those singles for really mixed-up colours.
Tutorial: Core spinning
Jillian at Knitty has been writing a series of blog posts about core spinning. In this entry she's spinning some colourful BFL around some commercial yarn as a core.
She includes tips and a number of useful pictures showing how she holds her hands
Explore the blog for more posts in this series.
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