#imbolcspin

~ day 42 of ImbolcSpin ~

The 'Valley Green' roving from a local fiber shop has a slight compression due to age. (This blended roving is old enough for a driving permit.)

Rather than pre-drafting or re-combing, the best tool for rough-wool: Blackfoot Spindle

The Niitsitapi tool for spinning animal fibers into threads & yarns has a high mid-whorl.

The spiindle is perfect for making cordage to sew the traditional Niitsitapi (Blackfoot) leather & hide garments then decorating the surface with quills, shells, bone, teeth, & beads of various size.

The twist enters the fiber off the point of the spindle and the shaft is rotated horizontally. It's similar enough to a great wheel spindle head that some spinners use that technique. Although - the original process is more of a park & draft.

Both methods use a dual cop for storing the spun yarn - a distinctive feature of this tool.

Due to their history, these spindles are rare in a craft that is already uncommon.

Blackfoot Spindles were reintroduced to the Midwest spinning community in 2011-2012 by fiberist & author Marilyn Wright, and by woodsmith, Dave Kolars. Later - Wright offered her experience in the Summer 2013 issue of Spin-Off magazine.

Day 44 & 45 [One Day More]

Angora Rabbit Fiber

These puffballs of fibercraft grow the softest, silkiest, fluffiest spinnable fiber.

There are several varieties of angora bunnies differentiated by fur kind & quality. Most of the angora top sold is white but the Bunnies come in a diverse neutral color range.

All fiber plucked off these rabbits has a loft & satin hand-feel that adds quality & halo to blended batts or braids.

IT'S JUST SO FLUFFYY!

I love using my handspun angora to highlight a pattern

and I spin it as required if for projects. (It's easier for me to keep angora top pristine rather than a ball of fuzzy, fluffy yarn that attracts my cats like a moth to a flame.) Spun with a Turtle Nano 3-D Turkish - I make only what I need.

It is a glorious yarn to wear & feel against your skin. It makes a colorwork pop. It is not , however, a yarn for new knitters. If tinking, frogging, or tanking becomes necessary on an angora project? You will learn a new level of patience.

But🐇I 🐇mean🐇really🐇cute.

ImbolcSpin Update:

Day 13

When you begin spinning you begin the glorious journey of fiber acquisition. It becomes known as The Deep Stash™ and it can hide things - like - fiber. And my stash was hiding -

MORE🧶GREAT🧶PYRENEES

Swinging back & forth from Rosie-fluff to Southdown today

There are 3 days remaining in

and I've gotten far more fiber spun than originally planned.

This Merino/silk blend came into the queue on day 7. It filled the gaps between other fibers.

There's a lot more spinning for this spindle before plying day.

And River is willing to help.

Taking a break on day 7 with wool pulled from the recesses of Ye Olde Eternal Stash.

Exhibit A

Exhibit B

Spindles by Greensleeves

Mini Cards by Clemes&Clemes

Wools as noted in photos. The Southdown was stored in a ziploc -not recommended for long term storage- and requires a quick carding to prepare for spinning. The finished yarn will be textured with slubs popping out randomly - a common feature with dyed Southdown.

And ~ ~ ~ we are back to finish the last of the Rosie fluff.

Yeses! Yes we are! Who's a good girl? Who's a fluff ball?

This, despite the patron saints of lambs & wool being St. Agnes & St. Blaise [respectively. ]

It is a festival of new birth & beginnings. It is first Spring. It is crawling out from under the dark slumber of January & into the light, making new from the soil & sun's past production.

It is spinning the fibers harvested from the ewes birthing the next generation.

Imbolc Spinning Project 19

The double roving alpaca is from a local small farm. It's called Great Northern (Common) Loon and is aptly named - that barberpole twist will turn into the speckled colorway of the iconic bird once plied and knitted.

Additionally, spinning a dual/two-tone roving makes it easy to actually see your twist angle while learning the process.

Today, I spun for 2 hours on one of my four wheels - on my rocinante - so to speak.

It was a productive day. It was remembering wheel spinning & local farmers & St. Brigid & making new things from old in the light of first Spring.

There's -maybe- 2 days of Great Pyrenees fiber remaining in my stash. (Time to brush the Rosie!) Today was a plying day.

Approximately 128 yards spun turns into 64 yards of self-ply. Here, on my PVC niddy-noddy, is five days of spinning at least 15 minutes/day. Getting there.