Border Leicester vs Bamboo - wool wins!

We explore a variety of fibres new and old at Experimental Spinning. The last two sessions have provided a real contrast to explore.

Each year the Australian Sheep and Wool show, held in Bendigo, has a feature breed. This year it is Border Leicester.

For the last few years, the hardworking Woolcraft committee have been able to obtain donations of the particular fleece for people to try and the results have been displayed at the show. The Experimental Spinning group of the HWSG have been one of the recipients. It's an excellent opportunity to try a variety of different fleeces, most of which we wouldn't normally spin.

We did really enjoy the experience and the results have shown us that this fibre is lovely to spin and is not as harsh as you might think from a reasonably strong fleece.

I decided that I would try and spin a coil yarn. This is the latest 'in' novelty yarn and there are a number of teachers focusing on this yarn. At the guild, Janet de Knoop does wonderful yarns and is a lovely teacher who I managed to catch at Harrietville.

The yarn is really a take on the traditional bullion yarn with a couple of modern updates. The single doing the coiling is a slubby yarn and it is this slub part that is coiled. This gives a more rounded look as it changes in thickness. The trick with the slub is not to make it too thick just thicker that the regular part of the yarn. This means there is some nice twist in the slub making it neat. However, with a thicker slub it is a fluffier, lest defined coil. Fun nevertheless!

The other trick is not to use a binder to anchor the coil, as is done with a bullion yarn, but using the core yarn to wrap just before and after the coil, thus anchoring the coil. A nice twist that really allows the coil to stand out.

My version is all handspun from fleece. This makes the slub slightly harder to control and I didn't quite get it right all the time, and, it means that the core yarn is handspun, which I think gives a nicer overall look, but that's without colour!

It also meant spinning in the grease, something I generally don't particularly like. The fun however, is in the washing when all the dirt, swint and lanolin are scoured out. Well most of it and the underlying colour of the fleece is revealed.

Extremely happy!

Not so happy with yesterdays effort with bamboo.

Bamboo is one of those new environmentally friendly fibres. This does depend on the process used in production. There is viscose bamboo, which is made in the same way as rayon with chemicals breaking down the fibre and being extruded to created the fibre. The second is done in the same way as for flax, the major issue being about the use of water. This is more environmentally friendly. Bamboo, itself, is very fast growing and has some excellent properties as a textile, but again, which company doing what. There is little way of knowing what you have.

We decided that as the fibre we were using was short that this had been produced in the more traditional manner, as extrusion tends to create long continuous fibres.

In its raw state it is not pleasant to touch. Very difficult to spin and then difficult to spin evenly. I even managed to have breaks when plying. NOT happy! The final yarn is soft to the touch and is likely to take dye very well.

So, further experiments combining it with other more spinnable fibres are worth exploring. I will also be looking at some of the commercial bamboo yarns to see if I can get any hints.

And, then, what's this rubbish? Well it is. It's the stuff you get when you sort out and flick fleece. There are short cuts, dirty bits, all sorts really. What am I going to do with this? That's what I'm usually asked by beginner spinners. We'll happily throw out all the packaging we do, but wonder about the leftover from cleaning fleece for spinning!

But a challenge has been sitting there for awhile. A spinning friend did collect the same sort of stuff from one of her dyed fleeces, ending up with a bag of colour fluff that she then carded to create a really fluffy fun yarn. I'm going to take it a step further and start with the raw stuff, then dye it and then combine with with something else? A fun challenge!

I'll keep you informed!

Heidelberg Theatre Company Arts Space - find me there!

The Heidelberg Theatre Company, as well as putting on a full program of plays also has an Arts Space. I have been asked to put my artwork in this space in time for their next play: 'The Judas Kiss'.

I was a little hesitatant, however, after installing yesterday, I'm quite happy with the result. It does reflect where I am at the moment with paintings, prints and a woven wall hanging.

Thanks Leanne for the invite.

The play starts on the 8th July and finishes on the 24th July. The theatre is at Turnham Avenue, Rosanna.

Drop Spindling for fun

I know have my favourite take along project in its own little carry all.

Remember this bag I created for the Woolybutt summer challenge. It's just perfect to contain my drop spindle and current bit of beautiful fibre.

The drop spindle is just fun and I love this beautiful dyed tussah silk top from Fibreworks.

The spindle is made from Banksia and I bought it at the Australian Sheep and Wool show in Bendigo. It spins just nicely.

You can see how much I've done! Yes, sadly, yesterday at Rose St. was not very successful. In fact it was a very dispiriting day. It was a quiet day overall, however, the two other textile stalls went along OK, I just seemed to be very uninteresting with few lookers, much less purchasers. Unfortunately, it happens. That's the life in a market and I have to respond by looking at what I had and where it can be improved.

Let's see, not enough variety in the neckwarmers and I suspect all the 'fashionable black' wearers were not interested in dots of bright colour, so more 'subtle' colours are required. Not enough fingerless mittens and I suspect the lovely young ones who did stop by are a bit more price sensitive, so some more of my new design, the lace up fingerless mitten. And more shawls! I really made these for the summer, but they seem generally popular.

So there's my to do list for the next to weeks, when I try again at the Craft Victoria's Craft Hatch in the city library.

Found the camera at last!

I really did think that we could get through this house renovation without much disruption. Yes, I am a glass half full (well, three quarters full!) type person. Subsequently, I'm now in a state! Part of this resulted in my misplacing the camera. Needless to say, I've finally found it!

I've been busy today, sewing on buttons on my latest batch of fingerless mittens - 60, to be precise. I'm off to Rose St. Artists' Market tomorrow, hopefully the rain will hold off for us.

So, I thought I would just show you some of the work of the past two weeks.

These are the articles I finished for last weeks Ivanhoe Makers Market.

1. Blue fingerless mittens made from the beautiful wool roving I bought on my weekend away at Tarndwarncoort.

2. New design of fingerless mittens, very simple but laced up down the back of the hand. Just using the yo,k2tog at the beginning of each row and using the resulting 'loop' to lace up with a twisted cord.

These both sold last week!

3. A funky simple beany using three different yarns together.

4. A black and white, feather and fan scarf, knitted lengthwise. This is the first of the upmarket footy scarves. Know a Collingwood fan out there?

These are the mittens I've just finished.

1. Two more mittens using the last of the Tarndwarncoort rovings. All that handspinning is just wonderful for my sanity.

2. The purple mittens use the pattern 'Stars and Stripes'. The grey mittens use the pattern 'Twist and turn'. Both these patterns are from the No.5 Vogue Stitchonary on Lace, that I just recently received. More on my purches in another post!

3. The hat is using some hand-dyed 12 ply from Morris and Sons. I managed to make their sale and picked up a few more cream wool packets. There's a little feather and fan pattern and the rim is stocking stitch which rolls up. I've got a hat like this and it's fun using the natural curl of stocking stitch.

All I have to do now is put the price tags on and I'm off tomorrow to market!

I know why I spin!

As I was gathering all my latest spinning up to wash it and let it relax and set, I just looked at it and thought how wonderful to have these yarns that are just mine! Thought I'd share them with you.

Tarndwarncoort

'Tarndwarncoort' is now indelibly marked in the hearts of the six of us (Snb Rosanna) who ventured to the Western District to stay at the National Trust Property, Tarnwarndcoort. The property has been in the Dennis family for around 150 years and Wendy, Dave and Tom Dennis are wonderful hosts.

We stayed in the historic homestead, where we could sit on the verandah and knit, taking in the view and the sounds that surrounded us.

From our kitchen, breakfast room we sat and

knit around the fire with the most wonderful view of the shop! It was a real trial to make the trek across the yard and decide what purchases we 'needed' to make. Made worse by staying from Friday afternoon till Sunday afternoon, by being able to go back and make that 'extra' purchase.

As this was mostly self catering we managed to provide a wonderful feast each night and the 'leftover' lunch on Sunday was magnificant. We even managed to make S'mores - Graham crackers, Hershe chocolate and toasted marshmallows. Even my sweet tooth could only take two! But we did giggle.

Here are my purchases!

And, I did manage to get some spinning done. I finished the extra yarn from the puff yarn, spinning a single and navaho plying. It now goes into the stash to wait with its' partner for inspiration!

The blue is some Wendy Dennis rovings, plyed with blue cotton.

I must admit that both were plyed when I got home. I was tired and on a roll!

It's so busy!

I'm sure I'm not the only one, but isn't this year strange? I can't seem to get on top of everything and then there are all the weird changes that seem to be happening......my favourite shop changing hands, people selling houses, us building....the list does go on.

So that's where I've been, worrying about building (getting up early and moving the car for the builders!), all my classes, starting a new market (the Rose St. Artists' market) and just getting on with living.

Rose St. Artists' market is a work in progress. My second market was a distinct improvement, but there is a way to go. I realised that much of the difference comes down to not having a group of wonderful regular customers/friends who either buy something or bring their friends and family along. That's what happens when you've been at a market awhile. So I just have to perservere!

I did want to show you what I did yesterday! In a class called 'Workshops', we have guest artists who come along and show us a technique or way to work. For two weeks we have the wonderful Junko who is teaching us Japanese calligraphy techniques. Quite obviously the tip of an enormous iceberg.....she practiced bamboo for six weeks, we did and hour and a half. However, it was lovely. A very different approach, the actual painting is quick, but because it is about single strokes, you really need to focus on what you are going to do and the act of carrying it out. It's very meditative.

As part of the course we have been given these wonderful tools.

And here is my first bamboo!

Oh! and here's the house without the last couple of days, they've been bricklaying and electrifying!