#the100DayProject Weeks 8 and 9

I’ve joined up with #the100DayProject this year with the goal of spinning every day. Writing down a daily log of my progress is an easy way for me to stay accountable, follow though, and plan what to spin next during this project.

If you’re just joining me:
Here’s how I prepped for the project and spent the first week.
During weeks 2 and 3 I finished the first single and started spinning the second.
Weeks 4 and 5 I embraced the slog of being in the middle of something.
Weeks 6 and 7 I finished spinning the singles and started plying.

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Week 8

May 26 (Day 50): Today was the day, the yarn came off the spindle! Looks good too.

I set up my swift and put the spindle in a big bowl to roll around in while I skeined the yarn. Didn’t work as well as I wanted it too though. One, the bowl wasn’t heavy so it fell over a lot and spindle made a break for freedom under the table. Two, my spinning buddy requisitioned the bowl to fill up with rubber salad. Oh well. I ended up pulling off lengths of yarn and winding it onto the swift one section at a time. Finicky? Yes, but doable. I’ll rig up a more reliable solution for next time.

Now for the details. I skeined the yarn at a circumference of 72” and got 247 wraps. So, I have a very rough estimate of 494 yards, that’s about 452 m. It ranges in diameter from a fingering weight to sport to worsted. I’m sure that measurements will change after washing, but it’ll be enough to make my spinning buddy something cute to wear this winter.

May 27 (Day 51): While I had my swift set up, I skeined up yarn I had sitting on the bobbin from 2018! The yarn snapped in the middle so I ended up with 2 skeins totaling about 224 yards of worsted/aran weight yarn. We’ll see how it changes after soaking the twist. My spinning buddy really loved this yarn. I’m probably going to set it aside to make something fun for her. A new hat and mitts?

At the beginning on this project, I picked out 2 bumps of hand dyed fiber. The one I saved for later was dark and muted. Pretty, but not what I’m in the mood to spin now. So, I went digging through the stash and found a fun speckle dyed bump of from Hummingbird Moon. Spinning her fiber always seems like magic which is just what I want right now. There’s no discernible repeat, so I split the length of fiber in half for a 2-ply yarn. Then I split each piece into thirds along it’s length because that’s the fiber wanted to do. I’m still very much at the beginning of this new spin, but the fiber is a pleasure to work with.

May 28 (Day 52): The new fiber I’m working with is definitely taking some adjustment. The color is wonderful, the feel silky, and the wool superwash. I haven’t spun much superwash wool and it’s taking some adjustment. The fibers just don’t hold onto each other like a non-superwash wool does which means my spindle is dropping way more. I need way, way more twist.

Hmm. I was attempting to spin this fiber into a fingering or sport weight yarn, but a worsted weight might be a more achievable goal with this fiber and spindle combo. Maybe I can try spinning a fingering weight superwash on my wheel later.

May 29 (Day 53): It was long day and I didn’t get to my spindle until after my spinning buddy had gone to bed. I spent several aggravating minutes with a single that kept falling apart every time I tried to wind more yarn onto the spindle. I’d fix the break, spin more yarn, try to wind it up, and it would break all over again. After the fifth time everything fell apart, I called it quits for the night.

May 30 (Day 54): Had better luck spinning this morning than I did last night. I’m sure some of it had to do with getting a few hours of sleep, but here’s what else I switched up. One, I’m very definitely making sure that I’m twisting the spindle counter-clockwise. A week’s worth of plying clockwise was apparently enough to reset my fingers and now I need to do it again. Two, I’m aiming to make a thicker yarn than my default. The goal is a worsted weight 2-ply and I’m seeing some success already. Three, I’m spinning shorter lengths before winding the single onto the spindle. By keeping things short I can catch the spindle before it starts slowing down or hitting the ground.

May 31 (Day 55): I seem to finally be finding my groove with this fiber. The yarn turtle is growing and the spindle is dropping much less.

June 1 (Day 56): Finished spinning the first section of fiber today which means I am a third of the way finished with this first single. Feels like this spin might be moving a little faster than the first.

Week 9

June 2 (Day 57): Managed to spin a decent bit this morning and a little in the afternoon. My spinning buddy still thinks it’s really fun to poke the spindle and make it stop moving. Silly kiddo.

June 3 (Day 58): Got in a lot of spinning time this morning which was great. I finished spinning the second section of fiber and joined the third and last piece needed for this ply!

June 4 (Day 59): I wasn’t planning on finishing the first single today, but I did! This yarn is definitely on the lumpy and bumpy side of things and that’s okay. I don’t have much experience spinning superwash fiber so I’m just happy to have figured out enough to make something that holds together.

The color of this yarn is wonderful. There’s some barber-polling in spots, but the speckles and flecks of color have generally combined into a flowing spectrum. The wound up turtle on the spindle reminds me so much of a watercolor.

It is taking all my self control not to pop the spindle apart right now and get started on the next single. Having to put the spindle in the freezer again to take it apart definitely slowed me down a little.

June 5 (Day 60): Started the second ply today! The first order of business was tying a new leader with a long tail. The long tail is important because it’s easier to keep out of the way while wrapping the spindle and easier to grab when searching for the hidden end of the single.

June 6 (Day 61): I’m more used to spinning superwash wool now than I was a week ago, so my fingers are trying to spin a fine yarn which is not the plan for this handspun. Making myself spin this single for a worsted weight 2-ply.

June 7 (Day 62): Only got a little bit of spinning done this morning before getting out of the house. All my afternoon plans went out the window when I hurt my back bending over to pick up a toy. I’m too young for this.

June 8 (Day 63): Spinning continues today so long as I’m standing or sitting up straight. Slouching is a no go. With that in mind, I’ve made decent progress. The first piece of fiber for the second ply is spun and the second joined. It’s looking good.

#the100DayProject Weeks 6 and 7

I’ve joined up with #the100DayProject this year with the goal of spinning every day. Writing down a daily log of my progress is an easy way for me to stay accountable, follow though, and plan what to spin next during this project.

If you’re just joining me, here’s what I did to prep and the first week of spinning. Weeks 2 - 3 are here, and weeks 4 - 5 are here.

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Week 6

May 12 (Day 36): Dropped the spindle a lot today, but joining the single back to the fiber wasn’t hard at all. I gave my spinning buddy the leftover bits and pieces which she had fun pulling and smooshing and balling up in her hands.

May 13 (Day 37): So often these past few days, when I stop spinning is decided not by having to do something else, but by how sweaty my hands are. Trying to spin a definitely damp lump of fiber is not fun, not easy, and not doable. So I get a few minutes here, a few minutes there, and call it good.

May 14 and 15 (Days 38 and 39): Spinning in bits and pieces these past few days. Those minutes added up too! I’m much closer to the end of this piece of fiber than I was at the beginning of the week.

May 16 (Day 40): Got a lot of spinning time in today while my spinning buddy watched Frozen and the Muppets.

May 17 (Day 41): I’ve been able to practice drafting worsted when it’s cooler and my hands aren’t so sweaty. The difference between the worsted style drafting I can do with dry hands and the woolen style required when my hands are sweaty is massive. The yarn is way less fuzzy and doesn’t need the same amount of twist. Wish I could spin like this more often, but that requires more environmental management than I care to do throughout the day.

May 18 (Day 42): I finished spinning the second single! Feels so good to be finished with this part of the project, and I am so looking forward to starting the plying process tomorrow.

Week 7

May 19 (Day 43): I was so excited to take the single off the spindle that I started right after breakfast. The only problem was that I couldn’t remove the center shaft. Putting the whole thing in the freezer for 20 minutes helped loosen up the joint. Seems like all those times it fell during the spinning jammed the pieces together a little too tightly.

I’ve been thinking about how I wanted to ply these singles for a few weeks. I considered spinning them directly from the turtle, but didn’t want to have to fix breaks on a seconds notice or untangle knots. Also on the list was winding them both to bobbin from my wheel, putting said bobbin on a kate, then plying on a spindle. I didn’t want to have to deal with moving even that much of a setup. Eventually I decided to fall back to old favorite, the plying ball.

I wound both singles together onto a ball which was accompanied by most of the major plot points in Frozen. The final ball ended up about the size of a softball or a grapefruit. The singles only broke in two spots at the my joins which I’m calling a win. I was also reminded of one of the reasons I love working with a plying ball. You get a lovely sneak peak of how the colors are going to mashup in the finished yarn. There are some really beautiful sections waiting in there.

The second single was much longer than the first so I cheated and held the end of the second single together with the end of the first and kept wrapping. No leftovers here. I don’t always fake a ply like this, but it’s a good trick to have.

May 20 (Day 44): Plying continues! It is so fun seeing the yarn finally come together after 43 days of work. There has been one hiccup though. It is taking conscious effort to make the spindle spin clockwise for plying. Feels so weird making my hands move in a slightly different direction that I have to double check it’s twisting correctly. Thankfully, it’s very evident in the yarn when I’m twisting the plies in the wrong direction.

May 21 (Day 45): The ball is about the size of a medium onion. Of course I had to take a photo for scale. My spinning buddy has been way more interested in the plying ball than the unspun fiber. She’ll pick up the ball and carry it around the house while I’m trying to ply which somehow has worked out without any hiccups or breaks.

May 22 (Day 46): Today’s adventures in plying saw my spinning buddy leading me around again , not by the nose, but by the plying ball. Whenever I put the ball and basket on a low table, she’s going to grab the ball and take me on a merry chase down the hall and back. No yarn was harmed in the process. It was pretty fun chasing after her while keeping the spindle spinning. :)

May 23 (Day 47): Day 5 of plying and my old tricks are coming back to me. The reason I like a top whorl spindle for plying is that I can use my feet to give the spindle a kick start when the yarn needs more twist or a restart. This has been especially handy because my spinning buddy thinks it’s funny to poke the spindle until it stops moving. I like hearing her giggle which means I’m not complaining in the least.

May 24 (Day 48): Not much spinning today, but I did get in a few minutes here and there while my spinning buddy was playing outside.

May 25 (Day 49): I broke my own rule tonight - the one about not spinning after my spinning buddy goes to bed. This thing is that I really, really wanted to finish plying this yarn before the halfway mark, day 50. So that’s what I did. It took about an hour to get the last of the singles plied and on the spindle, and it was a trying process. The spindle was much heavier, absolutely packed, and there wasn’t much of a spot to grab to get things moving. I did it though. Here’s the spindle with my next 4 oz of fiber for scale.

There’s still the finishing work to do - skeining, washing, drying, and measuring - but I can do that in between spinning up the next yarn. While this first yarn isn’t technically complete, it still feels good to have bulk of the work done so I can start fresh for the second half of #the100DayProject.

#the100DayProject Weeks 4 and 5

I’ve joined up with #the100DayProject this year with the goal of spinning every day. Writing down a daily log of my progress is an easy way for me to stay accountable, follow though, and plan what to spin next during this project.

If you’re just joining me, here’s what I did to prep and the first week of spinning. Weeks 2 and 3 are here.

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Week 4

April 28 (Day 22): Usually the videos I take of the day’s spinning capture just a second of what I do. Today’s video caught just about everything. The only part it missed was the single breaking and the spindle hitting the floor. The first chance I had to pick up the spindle was after the day’s chores were done and my spinning buddy was in bed. My reserves were gone and I didn’t have the energy to try again when the single broke in the first 20 seconds of spinning.

I tried, that’s good enough for today.

April 29 (Day 23): While I’m enjoying the fiber I’m working with, I don’t want to spend all of May spinning it. So, I’m aiming to spin more than I have the in the last few days. Shouldn’t be too hard considering I only spun for 5 - 10 minutes at a time. Today’s spinning time probably clocked in at around half an hour, and the spindle looked much different when I was done. Feels good.

April 30 (Day 24): Got a nice chunk of yarn on the spindle while my spinning buddy enjoyed the daily showing of Frozen and Frozen II.

May 1 (Day 25): Long day today running errands. Spinning was almost an afterthought, but I got in a few minutes before calling it a day.

May 2 (Day 26): Spinning was an afternoon activity when I realized I hadn’t spun during the morning. I squeezed in a few minutes while my spinning buddy rearranged the living room.

May 3 (Day 27): I got to spin outside today while my spinning buddy dug holes and covered the patio with chalk. It was a nice change of pace. Had to cut my spinning time short though to add my own chalk scribbles. :)

May 4 (Day 28): Surprisingly, I got a lot of spinning done today. My spinning buddy wanted to snuggle up and watch Frozen so that’s what she did. At the same time, I got to make yarn. A lot of yarn.

Week 5

May 5 (Day 29): I am so close to joining the last piece of roving! Probably could have done so today if my afternoon time hadn’t been eaten up my other things. Definitely tomorrow.

May 6 (Day 30): Okay, so I haven’t started on the last section of fiber yet, but I’m getting close. There’s just a few inches left. Definitely tomorrow, for real this time.

May 7 (Day 31): Yay! I finally made it to the last length of fiber for this single! Getting to this point has been a bit of slog at times, but I’m still making yarn a few yards at a time.

I wasn’t sure when I started how much yarn I would end up making at the end of the 100 days, but I did have the rough idea of a skein a month. Here I am, a month in to 3.3 month project, and I’m not even plying the first yarn yet. I’ve never been the fastest spindle spinner though. Ah well. My goal was never to spin all the yarn or clear out my fiber stash (that’s the work of years at the rate I’m going). The goal is to spin yarn and get back to doing something I love that got lost in the shuffle of motherhood. Even if this yarn turns out to be the only skein I finish, #the100DayProject will still be a success.

May 8 (Day 32): More spinning today during the daily showing of Frozen, and in random bits here and there.

May 9 and 10 (Days 33 and 34): Not so much spinning this weekend, but I still turned more fiber into yarn.

May 11 (Day 35): The only real rule I’ve been sticking to for #the100DayProject is doing it every day. I don't set a 15 minute timer. I don't do daily updates on Instagram. I don't take photos every day.

What I have done is make this project work for me. I keep my spindle and fiber out where I can see them. When I have a free moment, I make yarn. Some days that means I spin just a minute or two and some days I get 45 minutes. Instead of daily photos and Instagram posts, I take a quick video and compile them with the 1 Second Everyday app. The video isn’t even a minute long and covers over a month of spinning, but it’s something that I can come back to easily. And I keep this log, more or less daily, with no pressure to care about how an algorithm might share it. That’s the most freeing part.

#the100DayProject Weeks 2 and 3

I’ve joined up with #the100DayProject this year with the goal of spinning every day. Writing down a daily log of my progress is an easy way for me to stay accountable, follow though, and plan what to spin next during this project.

If you’re just joining me, here’s what I did to prep as well as my first week of spinning.

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Week 2

April 14 (Day 8): Yep, still spinning. In an attempt to make drafting a little easier, I fluffed up the roving by pulling it out to the sides. It’s still all in one piece, but isn’t compacted. Way easier to work with now.

April 15 (Day 9): Had the thought that, if I was working with my wheel, I’d be plying right now instead of still drafting the first single. That’d be in a perfect world though with no interruptions. In this world, past experience has shown that I wouldn’t be spinning at all. I have a new found appreciation for all those women who made a living spinning yarn and knitting garments and keeping the home going while taking care of children.

April 16 (Day 10): Spent most of my spinning time with a lovely section of teal. Well, I like the color. The single kept snapping and pulling apart which I’m not sure was on me or the fiber. Maybe a little bit of both. Today probably takes the cake for the most breaks and joins (not all successful) since Day 1.

April 17 (Day 11): The single on the spindle looks so different from day to day! Even on days where I only get a few minutes to spin, the color and wrap changes so much that it’s like picking up something new to work on. This is not to say that I don’t occasionally get bored and wish the process was going faster. I do. So it’s definitely a good thing I picked fiber with a bit of variety or I’d seriously be thinking about switching things up right now.

April 18 (Day 12): I kept looking at the quickly shortening length of roving and wondering if today would be the day I spun it up. Nope.

April 19 (Day 13): Yay! I finished spinning the first single for the 2-ply this morning. I probably should have paced myself and spun in smaller chunks throughout the day because my shoulder hurts now. Most of today’s spinning was accomplished while sitting cross-legged on the ground which doesn’t leave much height for a lengthening single. So I held my drafting arm way up over my head, and that’s not the most ergonomic of positions. But it’s done. I’m taking a break for the rest of the day. Prepping a leader and removing the spindle can wait until tomorrow.

April 20 (Day 14): I needed that mini break last afternoon and night. My shoulder feels better, but still a little tender. Fine to draft more yarn though.

Pulled the spindle apart and out of the cop, which took more effort than I expected, and finagled the leader out of the center. The cop looks good and is mostly holding together besides from a few fly away strands from the last wraps. I’m hoping it’ll hold up to being a center pull ball during plying...and that the joins will hold up too.

I put the spindle back together and tied a new leader using sock yarn. Then I spun a few yards and only a few yards. The bulk of today’s crafting time went to finishing a last minute baby knit that I need to get in the mail ASAP. Kept the streak going though.

I feel like this would be the time to say something profound about completing another week of #the100DayProject. I got nothing. All I’m doing to making it easy for me to spin in bits and pieces every day without adding too many rules or expectations. It helps that kiddo is my spinning buddy now.

Week 3

April 21 (Day 15): Spent half the time I would have been spinning sewing buttons on a baby sweater. Turned out so cute. I did get a few more yards wound on the spindle in the afternoon.

After spinning the past week on a very full spindle, the last two days have been an adjustment. I have to be way more careful to keep the spindle turning because it doesn’t have enough weight on it to keep spinning as long as it did with an extra ounce or when it gets jostled by a stray toddler foot.

April 22 (Day 16): I got to spin for a few minutes outside today while my spinning buddy dug holes in the dirt. Good times.

April 23 (Day 17): Twist, draft, wind, twist, draft, wind... I am feeling very firmly in the middle of this project. Not the halfway done middle where you have the ending to look forward too. It’s the beginning is over and the end is still a long way off kind of middle. The same could be said for this half spun fiber. If the past few weeks are any indication, I have at least another week of work spinning this single before I can start plying. One day at a time and it’ll get done.

April 24 and 25 (Day 18 and 19): Doing all the things these two days - from grocery shopping to virtual hangouts to lots of cooking - tired me out and didn’t leave much space for spinning. I got a few turns in each day and called it enough. If the single broke, the single broke and I was done.

April 26 (Day 20): Places you can spin - social distancing edition:
1. At the kitchen table while your spinning buddy finishes breakfast.
2. At the kitchen table after lunch to get a quick video.
3. While sitting in the bathroom waiting to assist in grouting tile.
4. Pacing through the living room while your spinning buddy creates sculptures of rubber food.

April 27 (Day 21): Got a few minutes of spinning in today. Just enough to say that I hadn’t skipped a day. It’s going to take me way longer than a week to spin the rest of this single at the rate I’m going now.

#the100DayProject Prep and Week 1

I’ve joined up with #the100DayProject this year with the goal of spinning every day. Writing down a daily log of my progress is an easy way for me to stay accountable, follow though, and plan what I want to do with my next spinning projects during this time.

Last week of March: Decided to do #the100DayProject and committed to daily spinning around the kiddo. Set a few rules for myself to make things easier too.

April 3: Got my spindles off the shelf and picked the Jenkins Turkish Swan to spin on. Also sorted through my more recent fiber purchases and picked out 2 bumps to start with.

April 4: The first half of the fiber is in the bag with the spindle and the other is waiting on the shelf. Ready to go!

I prepped 5 oz of hand dyed Polworth to spin. I couldn’t find any discernible repeat to the colors so I split the roving in half lengthwise. Then I pulled those bumps in half at the midpoint.

The colors are even more varied now that I can see more of the individual fibers. Staple length is around 3” which leaves lots of room for color variation even in that space. So the plan for this fiber is simple: Leave the roving as it is and spin 2 singles for a 2-ply yarn. I’m curious to see if the colors will turn muddy or transcendent.

April 5: I know I’ve picked the right project because I am so excited to start. Waiting eagerly for April 7th over here.

April 6: Put my eager energy into baby gift knitting. So much closer to being finished with that baby sweater.

April 7 (Day 1): Day 1! I was actually somewhat eager to get out of bed because I knew today was the day! I pulled out my spindle and fiber after getting breakfast for kiddo. She was really interested in what I was doing. When I asked her if she like watching me spin, she gave me an enthusiastic “yes!”. That was awesome.

It is very obvious to me that it has been a long time since I’ve spun on a wheel or a spindle. The first hiccup was that I forgot to prep a leader to get started. That sorted, the good news is that my hands still know what to do, but it took me a few yards to find my grove. The spindle kept dropping because I wasn’t letting the spindle spin enough to add the right amount of twist to the single. Might by over twisting now, but we’ll see soon enough. Oh, and kiddo made sure to point out the discarded bits I pulled out to save my sanity. Not helping kid.

I did make one split second decision about this project which was to try to keep the cops pretty as I wind them. Makes the wrapping slow going, but I’m in no rush nor have I really attempted this before. Good thing it’s photogenic.

April 8 (Day 2): Ugh. I’ve hit my first real obstacle in spinning reasonably consistent yarn and enjoying the process: sweaty hands. It’s not even hot outside and my hands are already damp. This makes the fiber gets damp which prevents the roving from drafting smoothly. They get caught on one another and bunch up or pull from farther back in the roving instead of the tips. It’s not enough to felt, but it makes the single lumpy and fuzzy. This problem was easier to deal with when spinning on the wheel because I had a little more leeway to dry my hands. Not sure what the fix is going to be now.

On the upside, kiddo was interested in the spinning again today. She watched me working during her snack (but was was more interested in her cereal). Later, when she wasn’t in her high chair, she came up and gently touched the single as it hung and twisted. So cute!

April 9 (Day 3): Still spinning along. Kiddo’s been way more interested in the spinning today. She made a grab for the fiber so I pulled out a piece from the end for her. It held her attention for all of 3 seconds because the big chunk mom was working with was way more interesting. Later, after I’d finished winding the cop, she wanted to take a closer look. Seemed like she enjoyed it because she laughed and smiled all while poking the yarn and spindle. I had to keep her from scratching at it though. Now if only I could keep her from walking straight into the spindle while I’m spinning.

April 10 (Day 4): Not as much spinning time today, because I had to figure out a comfortable face mask and go grocery shopping. The few minutes I did have sitting in the sun later with my spindle were pretty nice though.

April 11 (Day 5): Finished the first piece of fiber! Now I’m halfway through the first single for this yarn.

April 12 (Day 6): I’ve been giving the kiddo the random bits of pulled out fiber. She’s way more interested in what mom’s doing than what mom’s making.

April 13 (Day 7): One week finished! With 93 days left to go (about 13 weeks), I’m really happy I picked spindle spinning. It’s versatile enough to let me spin when I can in bits and pieces throughout the day, and the kiddo likes watching me spin too. It’s a win for everyone!

Here’s what one week of spinning looks like. It might not look like much now, but it’s going to keep growing.

#the100DayProject 2020

I thought up a few different ideas for 2020’s #the100DayProject. Drawing every day. Learning to play the ukulele. Daily journaling. Consistent pattern design work. Recommitting to my other preexisting daily projects. In the end, I decided to go with the very first idea I had: making yarn everyday.

Spinning has been sorely neglected around here. I spun my most recent skein of yarn in 2018 for Tour de Fleece. I’m writing up the first draft of this post in the lull of cooking cauliflower for dinner and can’t remember if that skein ever made it off the bobbin to set the twist. Ugh. So, April 7th is the day I start spinning again.

But not on my wheel, on my spindles. I need a project for during the day that I can do around the kiddo. I need to be able to pick it up and put it down quickly. It needs to fit in a bag that can go on a shelf out of her reach. So the spindle wins over the wheel. Plus, kiddo needs to see mom doing something that isn’t staring at her phone/screens and that thing should be something mom likes to do.

There was one other big deciding factor as well. There’s not enough time during naps or after she goes to bed for another project. Those hours are full, and I do have to sleep sometime. It’s also a big help that I already have the tools and materials too.

So I’ve picked out my favorite spindle, a 33g Jenkins Turkish Swan, and a few bumps of fiber that have caught my eye. First up is 5 oz of organic Polworth that I picked up at the Handweavers of Boulder Guild Show and Sale last year (I think it was last year). Looks like the second project will be 4 oz of heathered BFL from Greenwood Fiber Arts.

Aside from making yarn everyday, I haven’t attached many constraints to this project. I’m not spinning for a project (at least right now), and I’m not using it clear the stash (though it will). Mostly, I’m just hoping to make spinning a part of my routine again and refresh my muscle memory. As for the posting every day on Instagram part of #the100DayProject, nope. I’m thinking about doing a weekly check in to hold myself accountable and show off my progress. Something simple so that it doesn't feel like a chore.

I took the opportunity on Saturday to prep my fiber and spindle. So I am ready. Are you tackling the project this year? It not too late to join or start, even if it’s way past April 7th when you’re reading this and social distancing is wearing thin.

Simple DIY Wrist Distaff

It was Saturday and I was following my usual springtime routine of staying inside to avoid as much foul pollen as possible while also enjoying the internet. My routine may be simple but it works for me. During one of the many internet enjoyment portions of the day, I was catching up on Twitter when someone linked to a blog post about basic spinning vocabulary from Clean Cup, Move Down. Reading through the post, which is solid and worth reading if you’re new to spinning or need a refresher, inspired me to pull out a neglected spinning project. 

I had no problem with the single, the spindle, or the wool except that I put them away and promptly forgot about them. The spinning was wonderful and kept me inside and away from the pollen which is always a bonus. Also, I like to pace while I’m spinning and the roving was still long enough that I had to be careful not to step on it. I know I could torn off a chunk but I don’t want to join any more than I have too. It was at this point that I remembered such a thing called a distaff exists and I went back to the internet to figure out how to make one work for me. Distaffs, at least in relation to spinning, are cleft staffs which hold large quantities of wool or flax ready for spinning with a spindle. Not quite what I needed. Turns out that what I was looking for was a variation, called the wrist distaff, which is worn on the arm opposite the drafting hand. Most wrist distaffs hold just a few grams of fiber though and I wanted to have room for much more. The solution was simple.

All you need for a simple wrist distaff is a drawstring bag with ties long enough to fit around your arm. The bag should be large enough to hold a few ounces of fiber and the spindle. I’m using a Pretty Cheep project bag but any drawstring bag will work. Just put the roving or top into the bag so that it can easily feed out a little at a time. When it’s time to spin, take the fiber and spindle out of the bag, hang said bag from your arm, and get spinning.

Now you can pace to your heart’s content or go spinning in public. Plus, when you’re finished spinning, just put the spindle in the bag are you’re good to go. 

Getting To Know Each Other

Now that the commission yarn is finished, I’m taking the time for a little selfish spinning. I raided the stash and pitted the fiber against each other until there was a clear winner. I pulled them apart just short of felting. What came out on top was a lovely polworth/silk blend from Gale’s Art appropriately named Indian Corn. I had the loose idea of spinning a worsted weight 2-ply yarn. The colors get to do their own thing since the real purpose of this yarn is for me and my Jenkins Swan spindle to get to know each other. I’ve only spun a tiny little mini skein so far and it’s time that changed.

When I started spinning this single, my hands were still in lace weight mode and it took me a while to reset my fingers, so to speak. The spindle kept dropping but at least the singles were getting a decent thickness. As I was working and adding more singles to the arms, the spindle started to spin differently. It would still spin for a long time but at a much slower speed than when the cop (Is the collected yarn on a turkish drop spindle still called a cop or is that just on whorled drop spindles?) was smaller. I’m going to chalk this phenomenon up to the extra weight on the spindle from the singles and physics. Blast you, you increasing moment of inertia!

I really need to figure out how to build a cop upward on a turkish spindle instead of just outward. Any pointers?

A turkish spindle is comprised of 3 separate parts: the shaft and 2 arms. I knew this and, yet, didn’t expect the arms to get stuck on the shaft because of how many times I dropped it. A high number that. Anyway, when I was unwrapping the spindle for the first time, there was a little slip of paper from Jenkins Woodworking that came to my rescue:

Ed’s Unique Compression Fit Shaft: Vertical slits for releasing pressure if the shaft becomes stuck when dropped. If the shaft seems impossible to remove, place the entire spindle in a plastic bag and place in freezer about 30 minutes. 

So, that’s what I did except I was distracted by the internet and left if in for another 15 minutes. The spindle still popped apart without any difficulty and none the worse for wear. 

Compression slits, you are both gentlemen and scholars.

I’ve only just started spinning the second half of my fiber but I’ve already learned so much. How building a cop affects rotation and speed. How much fiber I can comfortably pack on. How to rescue my singles if the spindle ever acts stubborn. What might be most important is that the pair of us will be spinning yarn together for a long time. Hmm, I think he needs a name now. 

The Jenkins Turkish Swan Spindle

I’m not going to lie. Once I decided that turkish drop spindles were amazing things and, having repeatedly heard good things about Jenkins Spindles, I frequented yarntools.com. Once I decided I wanted one for my birthday, I stalked that site. I compared the different models, weights, and woods. There was always a tab open in my browser. I was constantly refreshing the page whenever there was the slightest chance of an update. So, when a spindle popped up that met all my requirements, I wasted no time clicking “Buy Now”.

Check out what arrived in the mail yesterday: a Jenkins Swan Spindle made from cherry and weighing in at 33g. When I first got a look at the pieces, I could tell the spindle was something special.  It was obvious that everything was made my skilled hands. The spindle had spirit and energy and power. Sounds silly, I know, but it’s true.

I was content to wait until I crossed a few things off my to-do list and finished another spinning project before settling down try this handsome devil out; however, included in the package was a few grams of BFL and some already started yarn. Who am I to resist such an invitation? The yarn was just tied right to the shaft. Why have I never thought about tying a leader on to a turkish spindle like that? I’ve usually settled for making a big loop and setting it underneath two of the arms before making a half hitch at the top. Just tying a knot at the bottom seems so much simpler and balanced.

So, I paced back and forth across my back porch and spun up every last bit of fiber. The spindle was balanced, long spinning, and acted as a single unit instead of three. It spun like a pro.

When the fiber was yarn, I pulled out the shaft and the arms. I didn’t have to push or pull to free the single which is a massive improvement over my last turkish spindle. Then there was plying after I let the twist set and briefly got back to my to-do list.  12 yard mini skeins are insufferably cute. I’ll knit you up one day. 

I could sum up everything I’ve written and do a formal conclusion but I’m going to keep things simple. Never before have I used a tool, spindle or otherwise, that felt like it was made just for me and me alone. Looking forward to spinning lots of yarn together.