Spring forward

Newsletter from handspinner.co.uk for March 2010

This newsletter was published in March 2010. For the current newsletter, please visit http://handspinner.co.uk/newsletter_march_2011.html

Whether you believe that spring starts at the beginning of March or at the equinox on 20 March, we can be pretty sure that the worst that the winter can throw at us (and certainly has this year) is behind us now.

It's a colourful month - we will see crocuses and dafodils. And don't forget that the clocks move forward one hour on Sunday 28 March 01:00 GMT

Read on for this month's round-up of spinning news, reviews, blogs and some siliness.

Events

An early date for your diary - Wonderwool Wales, the Wool & Natural Fibre Festival, takes place on the weekend of 24 & 25 April 2010 at the Royal Welsh Showground, mid-Wales. There will be plenty fo exhibitors and woolschools. If it's a long way to go, how about making a holiday of it as there are plenty of local attractions and places to visit. Parking is free on the site. Camping facilities for tents and caravans need to be booked in advance.

For lots more information and a fab website, visit
http://www.wonderwoolwales.co.uk

News from handspinner.co.uk

Gift vouchers

I do speak to a number of non-spinning partners or husbands and it feels good to help them to buy gifts for the spinner in their life.

An alternative to a wish-list (or more usually specific instructions about the desired item) is a gift voucher. You can buy a voucher online and either email it to the recipient or print it off on nice paper for posting or slipping into a greetings card. The spinner can shop online as normal at handspinner.co.uk for a single item or a number of items and simply enter the voucher's code at the Paypal checkout.

You'll find the 'buy gift voucher' button on the left of all pages at handspinner.co.uk

February prize draw

The February prize draw was based on order numbers; if you bought anything during February, you were in, and if you ordered more than once, you had more than one chance of being drawn.

Our winner, chosen by random number generator, is Suzanne Hayes aka Lush Tush. Copies of two of my favourite books, In Sheep's Clothing and Spin Control, are on their way to her.

March / April giveaway

This newsletter was published in March 2010 and this competition is closed. For the current newsletter with a similar competition, please visit http://handspinner.co.uk/newsletter_march_2011.html

I wanted a spring themed competition this month, so I've found a beautiful photograph and I'm inviting you to make some yarn inspired by the photo. As it'll be more work (but hopefully more fun) than previous competitions I'm extending this one through March and April, and doubling the prize.

It's a freestyle event - do whatever you like, dye the fibre, mix bought dyed or natural fibre, use animal, vegetable or synthetic, straight or funky, whatever you like. Have photos of your work ready by the end of April.

Entries will be visible on Flickr and handspinner and if you win, as chosen by an independent yarnmistress, you will receive a £40 gift voucher to spend on or put towards anything you like at handspinner.co.uk

(I'll be taking part, but will obviously be exempt from the prize!)

The daffodil picture is at the top of this newsletter. Visit http://www.flickr.com/groups/handspinnerspringcomp/ to access a bigger version of the photo and to post your entry. Post as many photos as you like, but please only one type of yarn per spinner.

More offers

I was delighted to hear that Yarn Forward magazine rate handspinner.co.uk and are featuring it in their next issue, out during march. I thought it would be good to introduce some of their knitting readers to spinning, and so have decided to offer the Spin-it starter kit (spindle, book, fibre) at a special price for readers. If you do take the magazine and would like to take advantage of this offer, see the website's home page or 'Spindles' page for instructions.

New products

New book - The Ashford Book of Hand Spinning - Jo Reeve

Jo, the author of the excellent Ashford Book of Carding, has twenty-seven years of spinning experience and will show you how to spin from the beginning through to advanced techniques. Includes five easy projects to use your handspun yarn.

Read more about The Ashford Book of Hand Spinning: (my review coming soon)
http://handspinner.co.uk/spinning_books.html#reeve2

From around the web

How can a potato help you choose a drop-spindle? This article isn't suggesting that you make a spindle from a spud for long-term use, but it might help you to decide whether you want a top or bottom whorl and establish the ideal spindle weight for your project.

http://abigailscraftshowto.com/2010/02/how-a-potato-can-help-you-choose-a-drop-spindle/

Is there room or need for any more social networks?

I'm not sure, but I like this spinners' network. There are some great photos of wheels and yarn being shared, reviews and discussions.

http://handspuncollective.ning.com

From the blogosphere

Keeping knitters and spinners up late during February was the Ravelympics - a knitting olympics running on Ravelry.com in parallel with the Vancouver winter olympics. Teams were formed, projects were tagged and a couple of thousand knitters cast on at the same time as the opening ceremony. Most events were knitting events, however, spinners were catered for.

As the opening ceremony took place at 2am UK time, some waited until the next morning, but others stayed up to begin knitting.

Here are a few of my favourit blog posts from around the time of the big cast-on to sum up the excitement buzzing around the blogosphere:

and the Knitting Olympics Pledge: http://www.yarnharlot.ca/blog/archives/2010/02/12/waiting_for_the_torch.html

... and as the finishing line drew near, I particularly enjoyed this from Yarn Harlot in commentary style:
http://www.yarnharlot.ca/blog/archives/2010/02/26/full_coverage_at_eleven.html

Blogpick - hand-dyed lace shawlette - 198 yards of Heaven

A weekend away cancelled due to illness meant that Guzzisue made this shawl instead from hand dyed and spun tops. The pattern looks great - she says it's one you have to concentrate on. Or concentrate even harder in my case.
http://travelfibreandthread.blogspot.com/2010/02/sniff-sniff.html

Blogpick - not for the broody

Here's one that we can all go ahhhh at - yes, it's lambing time and some anthropomorphic fun.
http://farm-witch.blogspot.com/2010/02/babies.html

How sleeping beauty managed to prick her finger on her spinning wheel

An early ancestor of our treadle / flyer spinning wheel is the great wheel. This lovely video shows how the yarn is spun from the end of a charkha-like spindle driven by a big wheel turned by hand. First one way as the spinner walks backwards, and then the other as she walks forwards and winds the yarn onto the spindle. The qiull is pointed, which explains how our fairy-tale princess managed to draw blood.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yrrJLAXwUBU

On the other end of the scale size-wise, but using the same principle is the Charkha. Here's a video showing the charkha being used:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aiPLUVHSomc&NR=1

And here's some amazing footage of Ghandi himself spinning using a charkha

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zebmRYaAYhY

If you fancy trying this ancient method of spinning, you can buy a 'quill spindle' to fit to your Ashford wheel: http://handspinner.co.uk/flyer_kits.html#quill

Dear Auntie Shiela

And in a new feature for our newsletter, I will be doing my best to help slightly fictional spinners / knitters in distress.

In the postbag this month is a letter from a spinner unsettled by her hubby's behaviour.

Dear Auntie Shiela

My marriage seems to have gone a bit cold. He doesn't pay me compliments any more, he looks right past me at the dinner table and he doesn't change his pants as often as he used to. Has he got cold feet?

A: Oh dear. At least he's not having an affair, his personal hygiene would certainly be better.

Try knitting him a pair of socks to keep his feet warm. Every time he puts them on, and feels their hand-knitted toasty warmth, and how lovely the fibre feels against his feet, he'll think of the hours that you put in knitting them especially for him.

To invest more of yourself in them, spin the sock yarn yourself.

Suggestion: Elemmaciltur's variation on the Boyfriend Socks pattern - Drunk Boyfriend Socks:
http://numenna.360fashion.net/2009/04/belated-february-socks.php

The original Boyfriend Socks pattern is here:
http://slippedstitch.blogspot.com/2006/08/boyfriend-socks-written-up.html

Failing that, your wheel is a good friend and losing yourself in hours of spinning will provide unconditional comfort.

Kind regards, Shiela

Coming soon...

I hope to shortly have silk, cashmere and other fibres available on the site, and a range of 'sheepish' greetings cards, bags and other gifts.

As usual, if you know anything spinning-related, please let me know.

Happy spinning!

Shiela

http://handspinner.co.uk

shiela@handspinner.co.uk

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