Tuesday, May 27, 2008

Rigid-heddle loom tricks

I just ordered a second 10 dpi reed and extra heddle blocks for my Kromski Harp.

Why?

Because I found this: official Ashford instructions on how to do double weave on a rigid heddle loom using a second reed and two pick-up sticks.

So you're doubling the weaving width of your loom, which, combined with the relatively easy warping of the rigid-heddle, is made of pure weaving awesomeness.

Thursday, May 22, 2008

Weaving

I'm thinking about getting my rigid heddle looms out again and seeing if I can make something. I wove a narrow scarf a couple of months ago out of handspun I liked so much I wanted none of it to go to waste. Now I'm wondering if I can do something more ambitious.

I stumbled across this technique/philosophy called Saori today. It's the kind of thing I'd be into.

I think there may be some Saori obis in my future.

Tuesday, May 13, 2008

Spindle collecting

So, I've been wondering why I haven't bought a Golding spindle yet.

I've been wanting a Golding ever since I first saw them about two years ago, but I haven't bought one. It's not the price; with the money I've spent on spindles over the past year, I could have bought a few Goldings. I've been investing my money in Bosworths, Full Circles, and Graftons actually - I have an ambition to have a small flock of fiberships in the relatively near future.

There are a few spindle makers - Golding and Cascabeles to name two - who make spindles I think of as "fireside spindles". They're big, heavy, ornate and spin beautifully (so I understand). They're spindles for spinning at home. While I do use my spindles at home from time to time, I spin with my wheels at home.


So the spindles I buy tend to be on the compact, sturdy side because I'm a spinner on the go - when I'm carrying my life on my back, I don't want to have to worry that my spindle is getting squished or weighing me down. Although Goldings are undoubtedly sturdy and well-made, I wouldn't be psychologically prepared to take it on a sailing trip or be able to sleep knowing it's in the bag I'm using as my pillow on a train.

I guess a true spindle collector wouldn't have such prosaic concerns; I guess I'm ultimately a pragmatist, which is something I wouldn't have thought to call myself when it comes to fiberart.

Monday, May 12, 2008

Pub knitting

Yesterday, I tried to take Sara and Ted out to the local GAA match to see the Ulster team play. In typical fashion, they'd cancelled the games due to Mother's Day (Irish lads love their mothers). Nevertheless, our trip into the city wasn't a complete wash, since we got the chance to do a little Irish grocery impulse-buying, I mean shopping at Roxie Market, have some pretty tasty burgers at Darla's, and spend some quality time with the local Irish senior citizenry at the Blackthorn Tavern.

Sara took her knitting out of her bag to show me the progress she's made on her spindle scarf, which has been christened the "Kathleen" by, well, I guess Sara, and I got to thinking about how I never knit in pubs anymore.

When I was living in Dublin working on my MBA, everyday life would sometimes get so difficult I'd head over to whatever pub wasn't packed to the rafters, settle in by the peat fire (most pubs had one), order a hot whiskey and knit until my fingers cramped - this usually took anywhere from four to eight hours. At the time (four long years ago) you seldom saw people knitting anywhere in Dublin, so a lot the tourists who came in assumed I was a traditional Irish colleen knitting an Aran sweater for my fisherman-husband. The fact I was in the middle of City Centre Dublin (many miles from any fishermen) didn't seem to budge their impressions, even when I put down my knitting to consult the pattern notes on my Palm Pilot.

So, next time I'm in the Inner Sunset to pick up some Irish bacon, I'll drop in on the Blackthorn with some knitting. Either I'll be completely ignored or harassed by curious punters, which is pretty much always what happened.

Thursday, May 08, 2008

More pondering: Great wheel

I realized yesterday that I need a Great wheel.

No, really, hear me out.

One of my big frustrations with working with short-staple fibers like cotton (okay, only cotton) is that I have a really hard time getting enough twist into the fiber before the flyer winds on.

That's why I bought my Bosworth book charkha, which I love to death but I can't spin anything in large quantity on it. I was on YouTube a while back, and I was watching this gorgeous video of Indian people spinning and weaving Khadi:



They're not exactly spinning on book charkhas.

Enter the Great wheel - works on exactly the same concept as the production charkha, on the same scale.

Frustration two - spinning bulky. I'm getting to the point where i want to spin big, loose singles for felting, but I can't do it on any of my current wheels. I just can't reach a low enough ratio to get the effect I'm looking for. The closest I get is when I turn the drive wheel with my hand to get a super-low twist.

Once again, the Great wheel is perfect for just this - since you have to turn the drive wheel by hand anyway, I have total control over the twist:




So this isn't just another rationalization to spend more money on fiber tools. I've actually thought a lot about it.

I'm thinking more and more about the bike spinning wheel project and how this problem can be solved fairly neatly with that, maybe.

Wednesday, May 07, 2008

The best idea ever!

I'm a frustrated DIY fanatic - given the choice and the means, I'd make everything I own and buy nothing as a finished object. However, that sort of thing requires certain resources (i.e. knowledge, workspace, tools, time) that I don't always possess, so this is a state that exists primarily in my fantasy life.

This is why when I came across this book, courtesy of TikkunKnits on Ravelry, I knew I had to own it:

Bicycle Spinning Wheel plans

A spinning wheel from an old bike? It makes so much sense! They're practically the same machine! Flip the frame over, replace the front wheel with a quill assembly using the front fork as the maidens, the rear tire with a drive band, and rig a treadle to the pedal mount and you have a reasonable approximation of a Saxony-style quill wheel! A little more work on figuring out a braking system and you could attach a bobbin and flyer. You can even use any existing gears and derailleur to approximate different spinning ratios.

Think about all those abandoned, stripped bike frames you see chained up to the bike racks at the BART station - they could be recycled into spinning wheels!

It's so punk rock, I can't even stand it.

Anyway, I feel a plan forming in my head. I found a relatively-low-cost copy of this out-of-print book in Australia that I ordered on Alibris. This may be the impetus I need to go and finally join the TechShop in Palo Alto to take advantage of their tools, space, and expertise.

Monday, May 05, 2008

Can't blog - sleepin'

Too many things have been happening. I'm in a fiber vortex of activity:

- The inaugural launch of Color: A Fiber Festival, and A Verb for Keeping Warm/Tactile Fiber Arts booth at the Maker Faire Bazaar Bizarre (both loads of fun...and work, but mostly fun).

- The completion of the spindle shawl and new ideas for the next one, including mitred square, triangle, and circular versions.

- Finished spinning the 4 oz. of Tactile ramboulliet, and the acquisition of some more fiber at the aforementioned Bazaar Bizarre.

- My new spindles came in: the aforementioned Avi Wasserman, a Cascade St. Helens, and a Greensleeves Loki.

I am exhausted. But not too exhausted to finally start spinning up the "Spice Eyes" batts I got from magicalfibers forever ago!

I see what all the fuss about Mr. Wasserman is - my new spindle is extremely well-balanced, with the majority of the weight in the whorl and not the shaft, which is a finer point of drop spindle design a lot of spindle makers don't figure out right away. Kudos to him!

I haven't had a chance to spin on the St. Helens or the Loki, but I'm optimistic.