Holy bees I'm alive
Mar. 2nd, 2014 10:40 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
infryqThis weekend I:
- cleaned the rollers, bushings, and filter on the roomba
- vacuumed all the carpets upstairs. still todo: 2nd floor hallway, 1st floor (robot), stairs (human).
- cleaned the main floor vanity & mirror. still todo: 3rd floor tub
- finished a 2oz skein of yarn
- finished 2 spinning samples for study group and deftly avoided snark on the group forum.
- added undercuts to the daisy spindle. still todo: final texture layer, assembly, finishing, hook adjustments
- completed calculations for a niddy noddy, and parts list for 2 of 3 configurations. still todo: I made a math error when shifting from the calculations to the parts list, so I have to do it over. :( it'll be faster the second time, though, now that I have the visualizations already in my head.
- organized footage and completed a video about spindle spinning for my dad. (it's unlisted on youtube, pm me for the link) (also omg making videos is pretty awesome)
- made a google map for all the fiber festivals near pittsburgh we're willing to drive to, made plans for Great Lakes Fiber Show in may, and possibly the Ann Arbor Fiber Expo in october. Joined respective ravelry groups. Next year may include Waynesburg and Connecticut, and/or the finger lakes.
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Date: 2014-03-03 06:23 am (UTC)you prefer a niddy noddy to a swift? measurement?
well, perhaps for creation of the skein in the same fashion as my other favorite tool...
the Nostpinne :D
mostly, as a consumer of skeins, i swift -> nostpinne.
yeah. so a wheel is on my list, as is a loom.
later a wheel. i live near an alpaca farm...
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Date: 2014-03-03 02:59 pm (UTC)I don't own a swift, and they have moving parts = more complicated to build than a niddy noddy. Since I'm spinning rather than consuming purchased skeins, I need something to (a) lay the yarn out loosely but tidily so I can tie it up for finishing (hot soak) such that the wool fibers have enough space to expand, and (2) measure the length, yes. I've been using the backs of two chairs and am ready for something a bit less athletic... and I'm a lot more confident in my ability to keep a single under tension with a niddy-noddy than with a swift, one-handed. My plan is to make a modular niddy noddy that can do 1yd and 2yds and come apart for storage. There's tons of places online that small small wooden craft parts, and most of them also sell nicely turned spindles[2] for repairing chairs and banisters and things, with a standard sized tenon; and wooden beads in various sizes, which will work for connectors. The connections won't be dimensionally stable and eventually it won't hold together anymore, but once that happens I can just glue it. Or swap in new connectors. Actually, that's a much better idea. ::takes notes:: It's also an excuse to dust off my handiness skills; it's been a loooong time since I've built anything substantial.
If I ever get a swift, I'm holding out for a weasel -- they're built to make a click/clack sound once every revolution so you can measure length by listening. (and now you know where 'pop! goes the weasel' comes from)
I use a nostepinne (er, a chopstick) for bobbins (to hold singles when the spindle gets full before I'm ready to ply) and for making skeins into balls. I haven't yet used them for plying balls yet, I think because andean bracelets work so well for me, and if I'm not doing andean I'm using a makeshift mug-handle kate.
[1] spindle, a weighted stick which, when spun, imparts twist into fiber, producing yarn, which is then stored by wrapping it around the stick.
[2] spindle, a decorative stick used in series to connect two crossbars, produced by spinning a dowel or post on a lathe and carving it into lofted curves.
(I am dreaming of spinning wheels... and saving up for one, maybe in the fall or early next year. Study board: http://www.pinterest.com/infryq/spinning/ -- I'm currently fascinated by castle types, as well as the sortof reverse lateral-treadle of olympic spinning wheels. I'm picky about style though -- while the schacht sidekick and the hitchhiker have the same configuration, they don't appeal. not sure why. i'm also compelled by the idea of building one ... perhaps as a second wheel. these plans are fairly straightforward: http://www.spinningdaily.com/media/p/9016.aspx but beg for some aesthetic adjustments which then eliminate many of the forgiving qualities of the design that make it accessible for novice builders. and yet, I'm totally fascinated by building a treadle mechanism, and I think I'd enjoy really knowing how a flyer works... hence, second wheel.)
(Given my short but already acquisitive history with spindling, I think if I got into weaving I'd be the sort to collect looms. And it is a big house, but not *that* big)
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Date: 2014-03-03 08:42 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2014-03-04 02:45 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2014-03-04 04:37 am (UTC)oh that's right... i seem to have recalled you had bespoke drop spindles. nice. i have a couple heavy ones, nothing elegant. was going to do a couple cd-dvd spindles, but haven't gotten around to it yet. heck, i just found my felting bag when unpacking the good yarn last week. only a few missing things to find ;P oiy. room by room search as i purge. less stuff is good.
mmm, making a noddy, i seem to recall some plans that use PVC, easy to work with, can be colored/decorated, and it's CHEAP stuff but tough so probably won't wear like wood might. course, not as nice as wood, but options. there's also aluminum or copper for fun. good to know: noddy for easy of making, swift for unmaking :D
chairs and athletic winding. heh.
mmm, weasel: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spinners_weasel didn't know that! thanks!
mug-handle kate? is that like a lazy box kate?
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1018/1353500085_18b9ae96da_o.jpg
course, while you're making a noddy, you can get some nice chair spindle. heck, i think i have an old chair that's perfect as a donor :D though i do like the tiger maple one i grabbed years ago for $20. fun. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YKsO6niZbkI - those Kromski guys make some nice stuff - they have a good video on the noddy too.
"andean bracelets" - mmm, is that like navajo? i'll have to look that up, i remember trying it, but haven't fiddled with that in ages.
checking out the pinterest, so many pix: whoa! http://www.pinterest.com/pin/247064729532110022/
oh hey, didn't want to sign up for spinningdaily, so:
https://www.google.com/search?q=Dodec+Spinning+Wheel+Plans+pdf
that found a LOT of cool other links. like youtubes. yay!
it's always interesting to find someone that wants to make the supplies, and someone that can consume them. :> not everybody does the whole spectrum is seems.
i've toyed with drop spindles, and have a good hand last i tried with a couple decent models (one with double foot boards and double-drive - it was awesome). i'm not sure i'm cut out to be a spinner, except for custom stuff for weaving. certainly not for knitting, ESP machine knitting.
i work with a lot of dudes from India, who go home frequently; trying to see if they can score me a non tourist Charkha :D table-top or pocket. we'll see.
(Given my short but already acquisitive history with spindling, I think if I got into weaving I'd be the sort to collect looms. And it is a big house, but not *that* big)
yeah. hah. i have a LOT of space now. there's a whole room i plan on making a studio for "many things"... slowly but surely. first though, i need a workshop. then i can make a variety of things, esp if they're easy, or i can clone them - some looms are easy, but having one as a template - good.
okay, time to sample a Scootch, and sift through the many links you've found for me :D thanks!
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Date: 2014-03-04 10:39 pm (UTC)P.S. bees are cute.