Friday, October 26, 2007
Got a package from Knit Picks a few days ago...Yippy!! I ordered a set of interchangable Harmany needle tips. I will use these needles for making eyelash wiggy style chemo caps. If you have ever dropped a stitch using eyelash yarn it is a pain to pick up the stitches. So to avoid the dropped stitches altogether, I bought these needles to help get a better grip on the yarn...fingers crossed...I also bought a book on wraps called "wrap STYLE". If you click on the more images of this book from Knit Picks site and 5-8 tab, I plan on making "Wandering Aron Fields wrap", the green one. I wanted to use some swish yarn for this but the color I want "Lemongrass Heather" is out of stock till Dec., so I think i'll use the swish Natural undyed in the same weight and dye my own. Just think superwash wool in a worsted weight that you can machine wash. How cool is that? Hip Hip for Knit Picks... click on image to enlarge
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
Drum Carding
I did some drum carding the other day. Black/Gray Washed Corriedale Fleece....is it lovely or what? I am making a 2 ply sock yarn for kilt hose. As for the drum carder...What a wonderful piece of equipment. Mine is a Strauch 405 Finest chain driven, comes with everything you could possibly need. I like the chain driven...no slipping bands to mess with. I did buy it from Copper Moose and they threw in a book called Color in Spinning. It looks to me like they are throwing in fiber this time. The book has lots of info on blending fibers on a drum carder. click on images to enlarge
Functional Replacement
Does anybody remember when I broke a peg on my lovely Majacraft Wheel Skein Winder....oh I was so angry, I had only used it a few times. Well, I made a FUNCTIONAL replacement, it's not pretty but works a treat. I replaced 2 pegs with springs, then put nails in the center so they wouldn't bend. After I wound my skein, I carefully pulled out the nails with plyers. The springs bend and VOILA....the skein easily comes right off.