New Logo, New Look

Dear readers, I'm happy to announce that Northern Delights is back from its summer hiatus! This means new blog posts about everything fiber related. 

To kick off the blog's return I'm proud to unveil Northern Delights' new logo:

Created by graphic designer Molly Abrams.
She can be contacted at abramsme@yahoo.ca

Here's a sneak peak for my next post which will center around immersion dyeing techniques, so stay tuned!

Check out the fun colours I applied to this un-dyed merino roving!

Something Old, Something New...

Hi everyone! As you may have noticed it has been a while since my last post. This was primarily due to exam season and all of my creative energy being focused on my essays. But its all done now! I have complete my undergrad! Yippee!

With my undergrad completed I now have more time to focus on my spinning, knitting and overall fiber artwork. As a graduation present I received the best present a spinner could ask for from my mother: a spinning wheel!

I am in love! Here is a picture of my lovely Ashford Traditional Spinning Wheel (I need to do a proper photo shoot for it). I was able to get it used from a fellow spinner in London. It is 20+ years old but it works wonderfully. 

My lovely Ashford Traditional Spinning Wheel

I have been trying all kinds of fiber combinations out on the wheel, including alpaca. Yes that's right, I have finally begun spinning my alpaca roving! It was not nearly as hard as I thought it would be.

Alpaca - Merino blend from Silver Cloud Alpaca Farm

My most recently spun yarn is a 100% merino wool in beautiful blues and purples. It is a two ply yarn and the colours are absolutely lovely. My spinning wheel has been invaluable and has significantly cut down on the time it takes to produce a skein. The size of the skeins that I can produce on a spinning wheel in contrast to a drop spindle are much larger. Altogether my spinning wheel has been one of the best gifts I have ever received.

Fresh off the wheel! I haven't event taken it off the bobbin yet!

Stay tuned for more blog posts! Is there a specific topic you want me to cover in my next post? If so let me know in the comment section below! Happy Spinning!

Fresh Off the Spindle: 50 Shades of Plum

After spending some time spinning thicker, bulky yarns I wanted to practice my technique for spinning thinner, DK/Sock weight yarns on my drop spindle. I worked with a lovely merino wool composed of varying shades of purple - thus I've decided to call it 50 Shades of Plum. I'm not sure if I will keep it as a single or if I will ply it.Opinions? 

A close up of the lovely merino hand-spun single!

Tip of the Day: When spinning thin yarns, make sure that you have thoroughly pre-drafted your wool. If you forget to draft before you spin it is easy to end up with thinker spots on the skein. I find working with smaller sections of roving when spinning thin yarns helps me to create a consistent thickness. 

A Tale of Two Spindles: Top-Whorl vs. Bottom-Whorl

When looking broadly at the history of spinning the spinning wheel is a rather recent invention. The first appearance of the spinning wheel dates back to 11th century Asia. Before the spinning wheel became the tool of choice, most spinners used hand spindles, also known as drop spindles. Today I will look at two popular types of drop spindles: top-whorl and bottom-whorl.

Both spindles range on the inexpensive side, between $10.00 to $20.00. This makes them an ideal choice for first time spinners. The basic difference between the two is that the top-whorl has the whorl at the top near the hook. The bottom-whorl has the whorl at the bottom of the shaft away from the hook. 

When you spin on a top-whorl your fiber will be in constant contact with the whorl and the finished fiber will collect on the shaft below the whorl.

When you spin on a bottom-whorl your fiber will not be in contact with the whorl and the finished fiber will collect on the shaft below the hook and above the whorl.

Top-Whorl Spindle

Is one spindle inherently better than the other? The short answer is no. Both spindles make great yarn, but spinners tend to prefer one over the other. My personal favourite is the bottom-whorl as I find that I can spin at a quicker pace on it compared to my top-whorl. I also find that I have greater room for error on my bottom whorl, so I have to pay close attention to what I am doing until I get into a rhythm.

Tip of the Day: I recommend trying out both spindles to see which one works best for you. Also pay attention to the weight of the spindle when making a purchase. 2 to 3 ounce spindles is a good starter point for first time spinners.

Any more questions about drop spindles? Send me an e-mail at northerndelightsfiberart@gmail.com and continue following the blog for more posts about drop spindles!