Towards the end of 2010, I decided I wanted to try spinning coils. There had been an article in Spin Off, and the yarn in it looked like a lot of fun. So, I pulled out the roving that I had from a fleece I had sent off to a mill, since I had a lot of it. The first attempt was kind of pathetic. Couldn't really tell what I was doing, and the "coils" looked like thick and thin yarn. The second attempt was only a little better.
I then switched what I was using for the yarn that is spun thick and thin to make the coils. I don't think this made any real difference, I think it was the experience that was the key. Here's a picture of my last two attempts:
The coils on this look almost like the coils in the pictures that I liked so much. I think a few more practice runs and I will be able to produce something that looks vaguely like what I'm aiming for. Of course, I've gotten sidetracked and am spinning other things at the moment, but I'll get back to this eventually.
I'm finding that I want to spend more time knitting than my shoulder can take. I've had to start a couple of projects that are knit using the continental style so that I can knit a bit more than usual. I'm also pushing it in terms of what my shoulder can take.
Here are the results of some of my recent spinning efforts:
A little blurry, but such is life. The white is yak and the brown is baby camel. The baby camel is what I was spinning in the picture I posted last week. Both are spun find and then Navajo or chain plied.
Working on some socks and a couple of sweaters in knitting. I spun some coils recently, and maybe I'll do another post and show what I ended up with.
Other than that, not much to report.
...on a Saturday morning.
Sat down to spin and watch a show and the cat decided it was lap time. With the dog and some tea, it was a perfect Saturday morning.
I'm spinning some baby camel from a variety pack that I bought a couple of years ago. I'm spinning from the stash these days, and this seemed like just the thing for a slow Saturday morning.
I managed to finish spinning the baby camel over the weekend. I'll ply it in the next couple of days and post a picture when it's done.
But sometimes life gets you like that.
I had an unexpected trip back east, and that threw a monkey wrench into any plans I had for posting. I've been back for a week and a half and I still feel like I'm recovering.
I have made a lot of progress on the knitting and spinning front. I finished one pair of socks, though I don't have a picture of the finished objects...they were for my father and I finished them while I was with my parents, so I left them. Here's the picture that I had of them farthest along (which isn't nearly as far as I thought, I think there may still be a picture on the camera...):
I've also done some spinning. I went to a spin-in last weekend and I managed to get most of the second strand done for the cotton that I'm spinning. I just have a bit more to go and I'll have a second skein of cotton. Just two more skeins to go and then it'll be time to figure out what I'm going to make.
I'm almost done with a vest from Interweave Knits that I started a while ago. I really just need to sit down and spend some quality time with it and I can knock it off. I'm working on two pairs of socks (well...one is really slippers), and I'm definitely feeling like I need another project. But I'm trying really hard not to start anything until I finish the vest. I'll let you know how that goes.
I pulled out my trusty Majacraft Suzie on Sunday to continue spinning some of the cottolin that I've been working on lately, and, much to my dismay, I found that the wood piece on the front of the flyer was cracked in half. And as soon as I touched it the little thingy (that on an Ashford I would call the orifice, but isn't really an orifice on a Majacraft) fell right out.
I decided to check with Majacraft to see if the thing might still be under warranty by any faint chance. As I was composing the email to them, I realized that I've had the wheel for more than 5 years. I'm not actually sure anymore exactly when I bought it, but I know it had to be more than 5 years ago. My how time flies when you're having fun. Needless to say, they don't extend their warranty for that long on the flyers.
Never fear! I was able to find a somewhat local dealer that can order me one and have it within a few weeks. I really like the fact that I can find out easily from Majacraft's website where their dealers are and that there is one relatively close.
Back to knitting and weaving...or maybe spinning more on my drop spindle. I kinda quit doing that for a while, so maybe it's time to pick it back up...
As I alluded to in my last post, I managed to accomplish a lot in the last six weeks or so. I've managed a 
num
ber of knitting FOs:
In no particular order, these include a hat that I knit to include in a Christmas giveaway that my company did, a pair of socks knit using the Naive Socks pattern, a moebius cat bed from A Second Treasury of Magical Knits by Cat Bordhi, a pair of coriolis socks based on the coriolis architecture from New Pathways for Sock Knitters, and a moebius scarf that was from a half skein left over from a shawl and a skein that I got as part of the swag from the Floating Knitting Retreat (and I can't remember what it was...).
I particularly like the color blending in the moebius scarf, and it suddenly became my winter scarf. I'm not known for wearing scarves in the winter, but this one just grabbed me and shook me, so I adopted it.
Technically, the cat bed isn't finished, since it still needs to be felted, but I'm counting it since the knitting's done.
I still have several things in progress, including a pair of socks for my father:
These are out of Tofutsies, and I'm using one of the other sock architectures from New Pathways for Sock Knitters.
I also have a bag that's destined to be felted still on the needles (but only have pictures of it when it was barely cast on) and a vest (that also is, sadly, only pictured as a wee cast-on item). At some point I'll get pictures of them farther along.
I've managed to also do a bit of spinning. I've been spinning some cottolin that I picked up one year at Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival (probably 2-3 years ago). I've spun and plied one skein:
I've spun the first single of the second skein, and will begin on the second single this weekend. This is a pretty basic two ply...and I can't find the skein or the card where I have the details recorded, so I can't tell you much more about it at this point...
And I finally finished threading, tying on, etc. and started weaving the placemats that I started a looooong time ago:
There's not much to say about these. It's a summer and winter design, but I'm not completely happy with it. These were destined from the beginning to go into a charity auction anyway, so as long as they look ok, I will be happy with them. It was an interesting exercise in designing summer and winter, and since then I've read more about designing summer and winter, so I will definitely take that learning into account when I do the next design attempt.
And now, onto my reward for all this industry. I'm going to play a game for a bit!
