Bruce tells me that around August 15 there is a change in nighttime temperatures that herald the fall season in New England. It has stayed hotter and dryer this summer than usual, but last night the temperature dropped below 60 degrees F. (15 C). That has me thinking about knitting sweaters and hats that I put down over the summer. We are entering my favorite time of year.
What to do during a summer of staying away from other people
For many people, this photo would illustrate a wonderful vacation. With my Scottish/German pasty skin, it’s my idea of torture (even with quarts of sunscreen). Just as well, then, that I had a different idea. As many of you who are regular readers know, I determined to improve my spinning skills, and gave myself 3 months to make that happen. I set aside at least an hour every day (sometimes as many as 3), and worked very hard to make better yarn. I am very proud of what I have accomplished both with the wheel and a variety of spindles.
We have to go back in time some to see where this started. Since my mom was a great spinner, I decided I didn’t need to learn. Even after I inherited her wheel I wasn’t really moved to invest the time, although I made a couple of stabs at it after my friend Suzanne got her wheel. What really got me started was taking a class at my local yarn store as part of my Expert Knitter certification. You see here the results of that effort. I stated emphatically that I hated spinning and wouldn’t do it again.
I’ve been urged to call this “art yarn,” and have been told I’ll never be able to spin this way again. In some ways that’s a good thing since I can’t figure out what to do with yarn that ranges in diameter from the size of human hair to the diameter of my little finger.
Yes, I often eat my words. I needed to take another non-knitting class for my certification, and wasn’t in the mood to do something more time-consuming like weaving. I also hadn’t really enjoyed crochet enough to extend that experience. A second dying course wasn’t an option, so I settled on another spinning class. When the second level of wheel spinning was cancelled, I went for the drop spindle. That class was taught by Ashley Flagg (I wrote about her recently here). She is an amazing teacher and offers so much information in her courses that it is sometimes exhausting. I didn’t leave with perfect yarn, but some things about drafting “clicked” in my brain, and I began to understand more about drafting and judging twist.
Early results on the drop spindle. The bobbin just to the right of the spindle shaft shows a pretty nice, fine yarn after several weeks of practice.
The class I took with Ashley used a kind of clunky spindle (slow and heavy). I had a different one packed away in my studio that had belonged to my mom, and knowing she always bought very good quality tools, decided to give it a spin. Hers is actually one of two Golding spindles I own, and I love them both. They are lightning fast, light, and have a very long spin. After dropping my mom’s spindle on the floor several times, I got the feel for it, and suddenly frustration turned to joy. It didn’t hurt at all that I was spinning an amazing fiber from Inglenook (more about that later).
As usual, life happened, and spinning got put on the back burner. I was much more interested in knitting at that moment, and in the design process, and after my first trip to Sweden was off in new directions. But Sweden also brought me back to fleece and spinning. I credit (or blame) my friend Sandy of Swedish Fibre and her friend Elin (here with a very small selection of her rare breed fleece) for being the first ones to really get under my skin with the idea that I would just not be able to resist spinning the more time I spent learning about Swedish wool. Ok, Ok, OK! They were right. But aside from some random attempts, I really didn’t make a concerted effort to get on with it until this summer. I now have two whole fleeces to process, and a ton of processed fibre from Sweden that is just sitting in my studio begging to be used. There also is quite a lot of other fiber that just somehow found its way into my studio. I think it was the knitter/writer Stephanie Pearl-McFee who said once that she had enough yarn in her house to use it as insulation if the need arose. It wasn’t my original plan, but somehow I seem to be in competition with her!
My other big influence has been Josefin Waltin, friend, co-author on the book, and extraordinary spinner. In evaluating many different breeds and yarns over the past year, hers were the ones I loved the most. She was able to achieve things with wool that the commercial yarn makers could not, because she was able to select specific fibers and match them to spinning techniques that produced exceptional results. I don’t expect I’ll ever make yarns of her quality, but it is a goal to strive for. That is what led to my summer of spinning, and when my book manuscript sailed off to the publisher. I sat down, made a plan, and started to spin.
Sweet Georgia Polwarth/silk braid 
Polwarth/silk plied with Falklands Merino 
I started the summer with 2 pounds of Falkland Islands merino (I have a bit less than 1 pound left), 8 oz of the mixed color BFL left over from my classes, and a braid of Sweet Georgia Polwarth/silk blend. These were the main contenders for time at the wheel. I realize that I would have had more equally comparable results if I’d stuck to one fiber, but we all know that I’m poorly disciplined. And, as much as I really enjoyed the merino, I wanted COLOR. All in all, I’m pretty happy with what you see. I know that the merino is over-spun, and the mixed fibers too loosely plied. Still, I’m proud of how far I’ve come, and am especially proud of the BFL skein.
I’m also reasonably happy with my progress spinning with support spindles. I get quite a bit done in the evenings watching movies with Bruce, and have almost completed enough of the Inglenook Narwhal to begin plying that.
Inglenook Fibers is known for their lovely blends and jewel-like colors. They frequently use sari silk in their blends, giving them lovely texture. These batts are challenging (for me) to spin, but not out of reach for a practiced beginner. They also are wildly popular, and I’ve never been at the head of the line to get a new release. But after the shark-feeding frenzy, I usually can find something to fall in love with. These hand-blended fibers are produced by the Greek Orthodox Christian nuns of the Holy Nativity Convent near Boston. The nuns also collaborate with the Goldings to produce their laser engraved spindles. In fact, that’s how I learned of Inglenook. My engraved Celtic Cross spindle (pictured above) came with a small sample of a limited release fiber blend called Emperor of India (named after the stunningly beautiful butterfly). I’m not usually drawn to greens, but this one took my breath away. I have enough fiber to make “something,” but like others that are special, this is waiting for me to figure out what it wants to be as a knitted garment.
Emperor of India 
Tibetan spindle from Andrew Kimmey
Of the various support spindle types I’ve tried so far, this one from Andrew Kimmey is my favorite. He has quite a few lovely spindles in his Etsy shop, and they are very reasonably priced.
Meanwhile…
I’ve much more show-and-tell from this summer’s project, but I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention what I’ve been knitting. The Capstone sweater is coming along. The back is finished, along with one sleeve, and I’ve started the right front. I wanted this to be simple. I wanted it to be straight-forward. NOT! The back (plain as vanilla ice cream) is the only part I’m satisfied with. The sleeve needs to be redrafted (top too narrow), and I made several mistakes drafting out the design for the right front. More to come on that.
So summer is drawing to a close, there is a hint of cool weather to come in the night air, and the Perseid meteor shower has made its annual visit to the north sky. I have a strong desire to sharpen #2 pencils and buy new shoes — the school routine of many years ago. In a time when so little can be predicted (like the start of the school year), it is nice to have the Perdeids to let us know August is almost over, and the next adventure is about to begin.
Brocken Inaglory’s 2007 photo of the Perseid meteor shower and the Milky Way.