“Are you alright?” Lori’s eyebrow had shot up with the question, a look of concern on her face. She was visiting the city and we got together for supper. I mentioned that I’d cast-off a shawl (I’m not thrilled with it), and there was nothing on the needles. And my wheel is empty. So are the spindles, as I’d wound off the cotton I’d been spinning to make wrist distaffs.
It is, I suppose, odd for me to have nothing on the needles or on the wheel or spindle, and I could see Lori might be concerned by this break in my normal behaviour. There are, of course, some UFOs hanging around, but nothing is catching my fancy. Perhaps a Malaise has set in.
It’s been an odd week. It’s been an odd couple of weeks, come to think of it. For some reason, I’ve not had the time or focus to sit to spin or knit. (I have, however, been eating way too much ice cream. This is not good.) It’s been complicated in that I’m having problems with my low back and hips: if I sit for longer than 15 minutes I start feeling like someone is driving a spike into my pelvis through my groin. I also know exactly where my right SI joint is, because I have the same pain there. (Hands up, those of you who’ve guessed that eating way too much ice cream and low back pain suggests that the stress load is relatively high right now.)
However, after supper with Lori, I thought I should pull up my socks. I dug out the spindle I’d started working with at the Men’s Knitting Retreat. Turned out I didn’t feel much like spinning there, so I got about a half-dozen yards spun and then I went back to my knitting. I dug out some fibre that I’ve ear-marked to be spun for a shawl, and set it beside the wheel.
A recent exchange over on Ravelry about spinning, wheels and spindles got me to look at my spinning output this week. The discussion went around the usual stuff about spindles and wheels. A guy can’t spin because he’s waiting for the wheel to be delivered to the shop. I noted that this is why every spinner has a spindle somewhere. The production spinners will say that spindles are too slow and wheels are so much faster. Others complain that a spindle is always dropping and rolling under a piece of furniture; that’s never a problem with a wheel. People don’t have the “patience” to spindle-spin, whatever that means.
So here’s my week’s work on the wheel.
To compare, here’s my week’s work on the spindle. (Subtract from this the half dozen yards done at the men’s knitting retreat.)
What’s that? Oh, you’d like to see the spindle and the bobbin side by side. Sure.
This week past, the spindle lived on the kitchen table. When I was restless, I’d pick it up and spin off a few armlengths. When I was waiting for the tea water to boil, I’d spin off a few more. If I had a few minutes before heading out the door for work, a few more still. When I needed a few minutes to gather my thoughts, tell myself that life was okay and that there was no point in awful-izing and catastrophizing over a variety of things, I would spin even a few more. When my back was hurting I could stand and spin, and stretch, and rock back and forth.
Once I finish this length of top, I’ll wind off the singles and set them aside. Yesterday morning I told blogless Jim that I have a couple of Abby’s batts in my stash, and he replied (forcefully) that well-prepared batts, unlike cheddar cheese and many wines, are not intended to be aged: they should be used while fresh. I dug the batts out of the stash. (I hope that aging them was not detrimental.) The color is called “Orchid”. Here’s a picture taken in the shade, and one in the sun. The sunlit picture doesn’t really do the fibre justice: Abby has carded some sparkly nylon in with the merino and silk, so the batt actually glitters. Quite amazing.
And while hunting through the stash I also found some less-than-prime fibre and made felt balls. When I wind balls of singles or odd bits of yarn, I use one of the felt balls as the core.
In Other News
Jason has received his scarf in the Fibre to Scarf exchange. I’m always surprised by how these multi-coloured merino tops look when spun up. I don’t think I’ve ever worked with one that disappointed me. Scarf is “Campus” by Fiona Ellis, in Scarf Style. Picture of scarf by Jason, since I forgot to take any.
On my computer, the scarf looks greenish, but the yarn really much warmer in colour: more yellow and reds. More pics and write-up here.
That’s it for now. Have a good week.
I spent the first nine months of learning to spin on a spindle. I wanted to learn how to spin properly and felt that the spindle was the least expensive and fastest method to do so. I have a few spindles laying around, but since buying a wheel, I've only used the wheel. Thanks for putting the spindle & wheel in perspective.
Posted by: Rosa | June 22, 2008 at 05:40 PM
I'm one of those sad and sorry souls who can't spin on a drop spindle to save my life. It's always the wheel for me but my sister loves using her spindles and produces tons of lovely yarn with them. She finds it very relaxing and she can take it anywhere and spin any time. I can't say the same for my wheels no matter how "portable" they might claim to be.
Posted by: Jane | June 23, 2008 at 02:12 AM
I recognize that merio top - Ashland Bay's Sandlewood color way. I have spun 2 pounds of it and have six more pounds to spin. Then, I'll throw the two-ply yarn onto the loom and weave fabric for a suit (which explains why I'm spinning so much.) The scarf in it look beautiful! Don't you just love the depth of the color? Anything goes with is and it is such a lovely thing to behold (and be holding since it is merino).
Posted by: Benita Story | June 23, 2008 at 08:47 AM
Wheels are faster by the hour; spindles, faster by the week--right? I started on a spindle, and it was more than a year before I got a wheel. I love both, and need to adopt your habit of leaving a spindling project in a readily accessible place.
Abby's batt is lovely. Every fiber prep of hers that I've seen has been glorious in color and fiber selection. Some day, I will buy one of her batts for myself!
Posted by: The Other Kristen | June 23, 2008 at 11:56 AM
Do you ply as you're spindling, or do you wait and ply it later, if at all?
Ted notes: It varies. Sometimes I wait til I have all the singles spun off, or sometimes I "ply as I go". It will also depend how much there is to ply. If a large amount, I'll wait and likely wheel-ply. (If I can ever sit comfortably again!) When I was doing the distaffs, for example, I'd spin as much cotton as I figured I'd need, wind the singles onto my nostepinde to form a centre-pull ball, then wind 2 plies --using both ends of the ball-- onto a felt ball, and then spindle-ply. Some people can spin a 2 ply yarn from a centre-pull ball, but I get a lot of snags so I prefer to wind into a ball and then ply.
Since I was doing a 4-ply cabled yarn, I'd wind off to the nostepindle and onto a felt ball and spindle-ply again. It was surprisingly fast.
I prefer to spin all the singles I need (or will make) and then ply. That's just me; others do it differently. The thing about the spindle, though, is that you can spin singles and wind off to balls for storage, accumulating a surprising amount over a period of time.
Posted by: Dave | June 23, 2008 at 12:56 PM
phew... you did have me a bit worried. [eyebrow back to regular scowly position now ;)]
hope your back [and other] aches are on the wane... I blame some of the zoodley energy of the last several weeks on good old Mercury retrograde (again)... thankfully now direct.
the spinning looks awesome, btw.
Posted by: lori | June 24, 2008 at 11:23 PM
Major sympathy for the back pain; mine was never that bad, but I remember the frustration and the pain.
As for spindles vs wheel: I like both, but judging by how much I spin on which, I prefer spindles. I somehow feel more involved with the process, perhaps because of the more pronounced rhythm of spinning and winding on. As you say, spindling takes advantage of all those spare seconds or minutes, wherever you find them. My current travelling project (laceweight merino) walked the West Highland Way with me, taught someone how to spin on the train back to London, returned to the Torridon, lured the (late) return flight into the airport (I know that my found time will end within a minute or two if I start pre-drafting a length of fibre). I was very pleased to discover security didn't question the Bosworth and wool in my belt pouch. I just wish I'd remembered to take the sewing kit out of my backpack.
Posted by: sarah | June 25, 2008 at 07:34 AM
Thank you for a wonderful scarf, Ted! It's fabulously soft and drapey. And I think the color is great on me. Now we just have to wait for the weather to cool a bit. :-) Sorry for the bad pictures.
I am going to follow your example and leave portable projects near my desk. Something to knit, something to spin. I need to stop letting stress take away all that fiber fun. After all, spinning and knitting help me de-stress. I am reminded of that every time I pick up a project.
Posted by: Jason | June 25, 2008 at 01:30 PM
What a beautiful pink. Makes me want to try drop spinnign. Almost.
I too, know exactly where my right SI joint is. Five years ago, I didn't know SI joints existed. I belive I have ankylosing spondilitis. At the start of June my doctor put a referral in for a rheumatologist in Brampton. I got my apt. notice this week....Nov 25. Sure, our healthcare is 'free' but at what personal cost?!
Posted by: TracyKM | June 26, 2008 at 07:11 PM
Hey Ted,
Sorry to hear about the back pain--hope you're feeling better. I just wanted to tell you that both Trina (my neighbour and retreater from last year) and I were remarking today how we feel like we're sort of between projects. I mean, there's a bit of this and that on the go (and let's not even visualize the UFO bin) but I'm not "working on anything" per se. I suspect this too shall pass.
Oh and yes, spindles rock. I love my wheels, but they will never nudge my spindles out of the way.
Posted by: Lorraine Smith | June 28, 2008 at 08:02 PM