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. 

WIP: Knitting with Noro

Warm weather has finally reached London, Ontario (for today at least)! I took advantage of the lovely weather to stroll down to my local knit store: Knit Stitch. After browsing through their lovely selection of yarns I decided on a skein of Noro Kureyon (worsted wight, 100% wool). I picked this skein for its bold, nicely blended colours. 

While I have many other WIPs (Works in Progress), I could not resist and began knitting the Kureyon as soon as I got home. I have decided to make an infinity scarf/ snood with the wool. I am using a Debbie Bliss pattern found in the Fall/Winter 2011 edition of her knitting magazine. It is a simple yet elegant pattern. 

Debbie Bliss's Snood pattern

I am only a few rows in at the moment but I am already in love with the colours! The texture of the 100% wool combined with the variety of bold colours makes Noro Kureyon an absolute delight to knit. 

Lovely colours! I can't wait until I reach the yellows
and oranges I see hidden inside the ball. 

The first couple rows reminded me of cotton candy!

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! 

Fresh Off The Spindle - Sea Foam Merino

Fresh off the spindle is a two ply superwash merino in the colour Sea Foam. I spun the singles for this yarn AND plied it on my favourite bottom whorl drop spindle. Merino is lovely to work with - soft on the hands and easy to spin. I am currently using this yarn in a knitting project (I will include pictures in a later blog post).

 

Today's Tip: When plying on a drop spindle the angle at which you hold the two singles will effect how the yarn plies. Play around with different angles while plying to achieve different effects!