I am still fiddling with chain plying today and there really isn't much new or exciting to report on that front, yet. Surprise, surprise it is harder to do than it looks. Instead I will reveal my problem spin from a while back. Keep in mind I wrote this post about a month ago so references to time are off. And enough time has past that you might not find the topic too maudlin either. (I know, I just revealed the fact there is self-editing going on behind the scenes for this blog!)
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Last week I did try to spin with wet roving. I have no good explanation for why I thought there was a remote chance this might work. We never did anything like this in the class I took last Fall. Of course the main problem was poor planning on my part. The roving wasn't washed with enough advanced time to dry.
I should really start by giving you a description of the roving I used. First there was the 25 grams of yak and camel I picked up at Birkeland Bros. last Fall. Then there was some of Mike, the cat's, fur. Now before you completely flip out over the idea I have stored some of Mike's fur, let me explain.
In a previous life over 25 years ago, I lived with a golden retriever, her name was Kachina (her AKC name was Lady Kachina of the Sheyenne Basin). She lived with us for 15 years and gave us over 30 AKC puppies. As is one of the characteristics of her breed, she shed a lot, most heavily during the spring, but constantly. For years I would sweep up that hair and pondered if it could be used because there was so much of it. At the time I had an antique spinning wheel used only for looks. I thought I might be able to spin her fur; there was even a failed attempt or two to spin it. So 20 or so years later when Mike was shedding a ton the same idea occurred to me. In fact I started collecting his fur in 2011 and wrote about possible ways to recycle it here.
The Mike fur collection is relatively small and when it is washed it looks even smaller; however, it is a finite commodity now. So last week I thought I'd put the yak/camel and Mike fur together as a spinning project something I have been thinking about since I asked about it in the spinning class I took last Fall. Last week's attempt failed because his fur was not dry.
This week it is dry and ready to use. I carded the three furs together (Mike, yak and camel) but as you can imagine the staple of his fur is very short and the staple of the combined yak and camel are also relatively short. This means one has to be on their toes when spinning because the roving will pull apart rather easily.
Within a relatively short time I created this yarn. I like the tweedy look.
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This is where my thinking went way off course, BTW. Well you decide, maybe the entire idea was not well thought out.
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I decided I wanted to wear this yarn as a bracelet and set out to knit it in the linen stitch which gives the illusion the item is woven. However, as I knit it the cat fur really started to pop and the stitch characteristics are lost. Truth be told, the cat hair is falling out of the knitted work and it is as if Mike's here shedding again. Then as I put on the bracelet on my wrist I find it a bit scratchy. Perhaps I need to block it again to soften it. I did just that and more fur came out.
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The second swim for the bracelet was a disaster. Cat fur came pouring out of it, note the dark pants above.
And this is where I stopped writing because there was nothing more to say. I do not wear the bracelet because of its two faults: dropping fur all over and scratchiness. It has spent the last month sitting on my dresser along with the other bracelets I've made. Lesson?
There is a reason why one never sees another person wear something made with cat fur, its staple is too short to spin and thus it doesn't work.
I will keep the thing I created for its sentimental value, and there is plenty of fur left in a special jar I will also keep. At the end of the day some of the ideas I come up with are simply not designed to succeed, but that won't keep me from continuing to try them.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Last week I did try to spin with wet roving. I have no good explanation for why I thought there was a remote chance this might work. We never did anything like this in the class I took last Fall. Of course the main problem was poor planning on my part. The roving wasn't washed with enough advanced time to dry.
I should really start by giving you a description of the roving I used. First there was the 25 grams of yak and camel I picked up at Birkeland Bros. last Fall. Then there was some of Mike, the cat's, fur. Now before you completely flip out over the idea I have stored some of Mike's fur, let me explain.
In a previous life over 25 years ago, I lived with a golden retriever, her name was Kachina (her AKC name was Lady Kachina of the Sheyenne Basin). She lived with us for 15 years and gave us over 30 AKC puppies. As is one of the characteristics of her breed, she shed a lot, most heavily during the spring, but constantly. For years I would sweep up that hair and pondered if it could be used because there was so much of it. At the time I had an antique spinning wheel used only for looks. I thought I might be able to spin her fur; there was even a failed attempt or two to spin it. So 20 or so years later when Mike was shedding a ton the same idea occurred to me. In fact I started collecting his fur in 2011 and wrote about possible ways to recycle it here.
The Mike fur collection is relatively small and when it is washed it looks even smaller; however, it is a finite commodity now. So last week I thought I'd put the yak/camel and Mike fur together as a spinning project something I have been thinking about since I asked about it in the spinning class I took last Fall. Last week's attempt failed because his fur was not dry.
This week it is dry and ready to use. I carded the three furs together (Mike, yak and camel) but as you can imagine the staple of his fur is very short and the staple of the combined yak and camel are also relatively short. This means one has to be on their toes when spinning because the roving will pull apart rather easily.
Within a relatively short time I created this yarn. I like the tweedy look.
 |
| Up to this point everything seemed to be going smoothly |
This is where my thinking went way off course, BTW. Well you decide, maybe the entire idea was not well thought out.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
I decided I wanted to wear this yarn as a bracelet and set out to knit it in the linen stitch which gives the illusion the item is woven. However, as I knit it the cat fur really started to pop and the stitch characteristics are lost. Truth be told, the cat hair is falling out of the knitted work and it is as if Mike's here shedding again. Then as I put on the bracelet on my wrist I find it a bit scratchy. Perhaps I need to block it again to soften it. I did just that and more fur came out.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
The second swim for the bracelet was a disaster. Cat fur came pouring out of it, note the dark pants above.
And this is where I stopped writing because there was nothing more to say. I do not wear the bracelet because of its two faults: dropping fur all over and scratchiness. It has spent the last month sitting on my dresser along with the other bracelets I've made. Lesson?
There is a reason why one never sees another person wear something made with cat fur, its staple is too short to spin and thus it doesn't work.
I will keep the thing I created for its sentimental value, and there is plenty of fur left in a special jar I will also keep. At the end of the day some of the ideas I come up with are simply not designed to succeed, but that won't keep me from continuing to try them.
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