I think the only thing keeping me sane is spinning at least 5 minutes a day on my Jenkins turkish spindles!
Tuesday, September 13, 2016
30 Day Challenge day 5-11
After a very full weekend of extra hours at work, we had an electrical fire scare which kept me up way too late on a Sunday night without power. That led into a week of my (almost) normal work load. (This morning I'm going in an hour early so I can get some extra work done).
I think the only thing keeping me sane is spinning at least 5 minutes a day on my Jenkins turkish spindles!
I think the only thing keeping me sane is spinning at least 5 minutes a day on my Jenkins turkish spindles!
Thursday, September 8, 2016
Zoom Loom: A Review
My parents gave me a gift card to Paradise Fibers for my birthday earlier this year. I tend to hoard gift cards until I know exactly what I want the most and what I think I can get the most use out of. Well, with all the fiber sampling I've been doing, I decided that a Schacht Zoom Loom would be a good addition to my tools. I want a way to store my fiber sample library with yarn information, but also have a little sample of knit or woven fabric to see how the yarn behaves in a piece of fabric.
The Zoom Loom is a pin loom that measures just over 4 x 4 inches. It seems very well made, but comes with a couple replacement pins just in case. It's a simple design, but the pin spacing really helps the user remember which pins to loop the yarn around. There are numbers and reminder hints on each corner of the loom too, which is really nice! I've made a few squares with different weight yarns and I can say with certainty that the loom can handle a bit of pulling and man handling on those pins! The last couple rows can be difficult to weave if you're using a heavier weight yarn.
To be 100% honest, this isn't something that I would have spent money on if I hadn't had a gift card. Even now, once I've gotten it and had a chance to use it, I probably wouldn't have gotten it if I hadn't received a gift card for my birthday. It's a very nice tool to have, it'll definitely get some use, and I'll enjoy having it in my tool repertoire, but I just don't think that it's something I would suffer for not having. Not like a niddy noddy or a ball winder.
The Zoom Loom is a pin loom that measures just over 4 x 4 inches. It seems very well made, but comes with a couple replacement pins just in case. It's a simple design, but the pin spacing really helps the user remember which pins to loop the yarn around. There are numbers and reminder hints on each corner of the loom too, which is really nice! I've made a few squares with different weight yarns and I can say with certainty that the loom can handle a bit of pulling and man handling on those pins! The last couple rows can be difficult to weave if you're using a heavier weight yarn.
To be 100% honest, this isn't something that I would have spent money on if I hadn't had a gift card. Even now, once I've gotten it and had a chance to use it, I probably wouldn't have gotten it if I hadn't received a gift card for my birthday. It's a very nice tool to have, it'll definitely get some use, and I'll enjoy having it in my tool repertoire, but I just don't think that it's something I would suffer for not having. Not like a niddy noddy or a ball winder.
Tuesday, September 6, 2016
Monday, September 5, 2016
Breed Study: Romney, A Continuation
I'm still working through the medium grey Romney fleece. I'm totally in love with this fleece! It's soft, it has wonderful luster, and it's so easy to comb and spin!
I've made quite a bit of progress, even though it doesn't really look like it. I've been combing, spinning on my wheel, and combing more to refill the basket.
I have a plan for this fiber that I can't wait to see completed!
I will pair this finished yarn with my Princess Bride yarn, design and knit into a circle shawl. I'm envisioning garter, lace, and a small bit of color blocking. I only need about umpteenmillion yards, right?
Question for you guys: how do you spin for consistency? This will only be my second spin over multiple bobbins worth of singles. The first one was a traditional 3 ply, which definitely helped even things out but this one will only be a 2 ply!
I've made quite a bit of progress, even though it doesn't really look like it. I've been combing, spinning on my wheel, and combing more to refill the basket.
I have a plan for this fiber that I can't wait to see completed!
I will pair this finished yarn with my Princess Bride yarn, design and knit into a circle shawl. I'm envisioning garter, lace, and a small bit of color blocking. I only need about umpteenmillion yards, right?
Question for you guys: how do you spin for consistency? This will only be my second spin over multiple bobbins worth of singles. The first one was a traditional 3 ply, which definitely helped even things out but this one will only be a 2 ply!
Saturday, September 3, 2016
Studio Tour
To call my space a studio might be stretching it a little bit, but my wall of crafting is coming along! After a little bit of reorganization in the kitchen, we moved the bookcase from the kitchen to my space!
I share my crafting space with the couch and TV, as well as Ty's computer and gaming corner. It works for us! And, as you might remember from an earlier post, we don't have a huge floorplan in our house. The living room is where we spend most of our time while we're inside. Well, that or in the kitchen! Along my craft wall there would normally be a doorway into the kitchen, but some remodel done years ago removed that doorway.
The space I have to work with is about 4 feet wide and follows the whole length of the room. This is what people see when they walk in through the front door. It certainly gives people a good idea of what I do for fun! I'm making that wall into a gallery of beautiful and meaningful pieces of artwork. To have such an inspirational backdrop for my creative area is important to me. Eventually the whole wall, even up to the ceiling, will be full!
We're working on making my space a usable and pleasant to look at area. What this means to me is getting rid of or limiting the use of plastic storage bins. It won't be entirely possible to do away with all plastic storage (there's really nothing easier to store yarn and fiber and be sure it'll stay reasonably dog hair free, as well as dirt free). I have my converted kitchen table lifted up about 5 inches so I can work from my table either standing or sitting. That height also allows me to store a couple plastic tubs stuffed with yarn and fiber under the table. It's from that table that I record all my podcasts, write up blog posts, and interact with all my peeps on Ravelry.
What does your studio space look like? Is it long and skinny like mine? Do you have a whole room to work with? Or just a basket set beside your couch? I'd love to hear what kind of space you have to work in!
I share my crafting space with the couch and TV, as well as Ty's computer and gaming corner. It works for us! And, as you might remember from an earlier post, we don't have a huge floorplan in our house. The living room is where we spend most of our time while we're inside. Well, that or in the kitchen! Along my craft wall there would normally be a doorway into the kitchen, but some remodel done years ago removed that doorway.
The space I have to work with is about 4 feet wide and follows the whole length of the room. This is what people see when they walk in through the front door. It certainly gives people a good idea of what I do for fun! I'm making that wall into a gallery of beautiful and meaningful pieces of artwork. To have such an inspirational backdrop for my creative area is important to me. Eventually the whole wall, even up to the ceiling, will be full!
We're working on making my space a usable and pleasant to look at area. What this means to me is getting rid of or limiting the use of plastic storage bins. It won't be entirely possible to do away with all plastic storage (there's really nothing easier to store yarn and fiber and be sure it'll stay reasonably dog hair free, as well as dirt free). I have my converted kitchen table lifted up about 5 inches so I can work from my table either standing or sitting. That height also allows me to store a couple plastic tubs stuffed with yarn and fiber under the table. It's from that table that I record all my podcasts, write up blog posts, and interact with all my peeps on Ravelry.
What does your studio space look like? Is it long and skinny like mine? Do you have a whole room to work with? Or just a basket set beside your couch? I'd love to hear what kind of space you have to work in!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)