Tiny Spinning

The first time I tried a small support spindle, I didn't like it much. My hand cramped and I had a hard time drafting. Then I read somewhere that they work great for slippery fibers. I have angora fiber and dog hair, both slippery fibers, so I thought I'd give it another try. Wow. What a difference! No trouble drafting and no hand cramps. I tried sheep's wool again and confirmed that it was very hard to spin on a tiny support spindle, but the slippery stuff spun like a cloud. I was so excited that I made a handful of spindles. These are made from African beads and the little dish is from polymer clay. I even made a small hole for "parking' the spindle. It really looks cute sitting on its little stand. I made some other types too but I'll have to take more pics.

I had a great time at the NH Sheep and Wool Festival this year - in spite of pouring rain. I got a lot done on my woven curtains for the demo, met some local Alpaca farmers, reconnected with a long-lost acquaintance from our Sheltie Club days and got to look at all kinds of neat stuff. My "leftover jacket" was displayed in a prominent spot right by the door!

I know I have been slacking lately. I've been working very hard on my recycled jacket and a little vest done on a rigid heddle loom. I'll post pics soon, but I'm in a mandatory class on how to use a computer...duh...how to turn it on, how to click, how to...o my...
The little vest is coming out pretty nice. It's done in strips and sewed together. The weaving went fast, but the sewing and trimming is taking forever. Now I'm almost finished but have to find some more thread to match. Always something....
I decided the jacket was too short and hangs funny so I decided to use up all that leftover yarn and make 4 panels to sew around the bottom to make it longer. I had thought of doing one long panel around the edge but the selveges wouldn't have matched.
Opps. Class is over. More later.

Hair Bear

I finally did something with all the dog hair I've been saving. I knitted a teddy bear and a big heart. The bear is all Border Collie and the heart is Border Collie and Sheltie. The bear is so huggable, just what I needed...

The recycled jacket

It's done! Well, it needs something to hold it closed in front. If it hangs open, it also puckers out in back...but, hey, it's my first piece of wearable clothing that isn't just a flat rectangle. And, 100% recycled! Hope it didn't shrink too much with washing. It's hanging in the camper and drying as I write. I did wear it for a few minutes this morning and it's warm, warm, warm, like putting on a thick wool sock.

This is the absolutely best part of weaving - Unwinding and seeing what has been done all at once! Unless you're working on a tapistry loom, you only see 6 or 7 inches at a time. The white strips are spacers to separate the two panels.












These are the two panels laid side-by-side. They will be stitched up the back and under the arms for a sort of vest, or jacket. I have short sleeves for it but not sure yet if I'm going to use them.

I really misjudged how much yarn I needed to spin. I have enough to make another one! Better too much than too little and running out before it was woven!