Chopsticks!

They are just great to have around for dyeing. I found a bunch for five cents a pair and I use them every time I dye fiber. Those plastic spoons from take out food are pretty good too.....

Drum Carder Motor

shaft coupler

I have a new to me Pat Green carder and I really wanted to add a motor to it. After looking around, I saw someone using a pasta machine motor. Brilliant!!! So, I bought one and found a coupler that would join the shaft of the pasta machine motor to the shaft of the drum carder handle (had to remove the handle proper so that the shaft could be accessed). The problem? Well, the pasta machine motor won't go in reverse nor does it disengage so the carder drum can roll backwards for batt removal. Thus, you have to loosen the set screws and remove the coupler. Ugh. That's much worse that having to hand crank the carder; especially the Pat Green because it is so well balanced.

Then, I tried a power drill. It would have been great except for the fact that those things run at a super high rpm (duh!!!) So,  I did a  little more research, and for those who'd like to try it, a sewing machine motor and pulley system should work (take the drum carder handle off and attach a pulley). The pasta machine motor works but taking out those little screws is much harder than than just turning the crank.  I'm letting this project go for two reasons: first, the Pat Green carder is super easy to crank and second, moving the carder to an ergonomically correct height has minimized the discomfort (make that, pain) that I had been getting with the machine on a lower table.


If you want to try either of these ideas, a couple of notes are in order. I'd recommend getting your drum carder on an appropriate table before attempting to motorize it. You may find, as I did, that a higher table makes all the difference.  Also, if you need to buy a coupler, be sure to get one that is intended to transfer torque, usually called a shaft coupler. There are myriad couplers but not all are intended for an application like the one described here.

Mini Spinner Dust Cover

I have been meaning to make a dust cover for my Hansen mS for a dog's year.....I finally pulled out a sewing machine yesterday and got to work. This was an easy project. I made a paper pattern for the ends of the machine and just eye-balled the the rest. I did make the cover wide enough so that the cords and foot pedal can fit too which does make the table look a little neater. I'd say the whole thing took 30 minutes; that doesn't include the hour that it took me to get the needle threaded...........

Dyeing a Multi-Colored Yarn: Stovetop Method

I thought I might try to do some dyeing in mason jars on the stove. I love the look of hand- painted top that has been wrapped in plastic and steamed or micro-waved but I don't like using all that plastic wrap. The yarn that I used is a 2 ply Corriedale that I spun last week. It was such a pretty white that I decided to leave some showing.

First,  the yarn was left to soak in water with a glug of vinegar until  it was thoroughly wet(about an hour) and removed from the pot. Then, using two mason jars, I made a dye bath of brown and for the two with warm water, dye and a glug of vinegar  (stir well to make sure the dye dissolves). I added a  little violet dye to the pot for a third color.  Using a spoon (dedicated to  dyeing), I squished one end of the hank into one jar and the other end into the other jar. The remaining yarn was allowed to drape over the sides of the jars and into the pot. Next, I very slowly added water to the pot until it reached just under the lips of the jars; I wanted as much violet as I could get. The whole thing was covered and allowed to simmer for about 30 minutes.  

After it cooled, I hung the yarn to dry and here is a picture of the final product:

Overall, I'd say this worked well. It was less messy than laying out large sheets of plastic and it would translate to top or roving easily. A bigger pot would allow for more jars thus more colors. This also would work well to use up dye from other projects. It would be fun to try this with dry fiber. I used both Jaquard and Greener Shades dyes in this project.

Threading a Needle with Yarn

Whether you knit, crochet or do crewel work,  threading a needle with thick, fuzzy yarn is a necessity. Here's a little trick that my Grandmother taught me:



1. Wrap the yarn around the tip of the needle,




2. Pull the yarn into a tight loop over the point of the needle,

3. Pinch tightly and slide the yarn off the tip of the needle,

4. Thread the little loop through the eye,

5. Pull the short end through and,

Did you know...

why you should never cut yarn? If you do, the cut edges will poke out when you try to weave in the ends. Always break yarn so that the rough and ragged edges will disappear into your work.


I love these kind of little gems that my Mom, Aunts and Grandma shared with me. I'll try to post them as I think of them. If you know of a trick or tip but would like to the "why", let me know and I'll try to find out. 

A Place for Everything

Coat rack for project bags

And everything in its place. Well, I've made a few more steps in my seemingly endless attempts to organize.  Organize might be too strong a word, declutter might be a better description. In any event, I can't work when there is a mess around me. Here a few of the things I've done to confine the clutter; maybe you can use one or two:

Metal shelves for bags of fiber and yarn
(Yeah, in the dining room)

Rolling table for the mS

Joining a Driveband

Don't be afraid to make your own drive bands and belts for your fiber equipment. Drum carders and many spinning wheels use a poly cord. These stretch over time and can become brittle from exposure to light and airborne pollutants. (When not in use, it's a good idea to store these bands in zip bags and in somewhere dark.) These bands can pretty expensive so buying a length of cord and joining it yourself can save you money.

How to? It's easy. First, get a accurate measure of the drive band you need to replace. Then, cut the band to the desired length. I don't leave extra because these bands do stretch.

Next, hold the two cut ends side by side and heat with a candle or a lighter until you get a good bead of melted material on each end.

Now, press the two ends together. I rest the ends on the kitchen counter so that I can be sure that they ends meet evenly. Hold tight for about one minute. If the join is uneven, pull it apart and try again. Let the join cure for at least an hour or two.

Finally, trim around the join with some nail scissors and all done. And, if you do a little creative searching, you can find various kinds of belting material for very little money.

Solutions

Sometimes the smallest inconveniences are the biggest annoyances. My new to me wheel doesn't have sn on board orifice hook and yikes, what a pain. So, I bought a threader and got some coated copper wire from the toolbox; then I fashioned a hook/ hanger around the rear maiden. Voila.

Who says?

Who says that a cold water wash won't help wash raw fleece? This is some of the Jacob's fleece that I bought last weekend. In case you can't make it out, the fleece is in the mesh bag and that black water is what remained after I let the wool soak for about six hours in just plain cold tap water. The waste water has gone to the garden and the wool is getting its final rinse. This is the first time I have tried cold water and I'm pleased. (I did wash the wool in the usual hot water method after the cold water but it took at least one fewer soak in hot water and dish soap.)






Who says that Jake isn't cute? Jake is cute.

Lavender

I have a wonderful friend named Dee who makes the prettiest lavender sachets on the planet. She sent me some for my last birthday and they are just too pretty to put in a drawer. She embellishes them with buttons and lace and wonderful designs and given all the wool in this house, I'd like to have about 100 of them. 

Since I can't have hundreds of Dee's sachets, I came up with a way to get some lavender around all my fiber. The scent of lavender is so wonderful and the fact that moths don't like it; well, all the better.  I bought some lavender oil and saved a few pill bottles. Then, I put several cotton balls into the bottle, added several drops of the lavender oil to the cotton and put the bottle in with woolly stuff. I know that the lavender won't completely protect my stash from moths but the wool sure will smell good. And even better, the sachets that Dee made for me can be hanging out in the open where I can enjoy looking at them.

(don't forget to protect all of your animal fibers; moths like alpaca and......)

Fake Rolags

Spinning longdraw is my favorite method and to really, truly spin woolen longdraw in the purest way, you need rolags; lots of rolags.  Rolags are traditionally made using hand cards but there is a way to make them using the drum carder. Lots of folks make them right of the drum. I don't like that method only because no matter how hard I try, I end up poking my arms and hands on the pointy bit and it hurts. So, I remove the batt from the carder and:

Split the batt into thirds across the batt (as opposed to long ways);





Grasp the sides of the  fiber and pull it apart; it separates like the pages of a book. My goal is to get something close to the size of handcards;





Roll the fiber loosely around a dowel and,

Viola!



It is essential for easy spinning to keep the fake rolags a reasonable size and to keep them light and airy for a light and airy woolen yarn. The ones pictured here are made from some yummy alpaca from Great Rock Alpaca; the staple is a little long for rolags (for my taste) but they spun like a dream.

Dyeing Fiber in the Oven: Another Technique

Here is another "how to" dye some fiber. This is an easy way to get some dyeing done quickly and without a lot of mess. This process is for acid dyes.

Get an aluminum turkey roasting pan and line it with waxed paper. The waxed paper isn't 100% necessary but some dyes will react with the aluminum and give an unexpected result. Then, put the pan in the sink and fill with cold water and a big glug of white vinegar. Put your roving or top or loose fiber into the water bath in some orderly fashion if you want to "paint" it.  The standard pan holds 4 to 6 ounces of fiber pretty well. Let the fiber soak for at least 1/2 hour. You may have to push the wool into the water to get the air out.

After the fiber has soaked, drain out all but about 1/4 inch of water and add back another glug of vinegar. Select your colors and using a spoon (I use plastic, dedicated only to dyeing), add dye onto the fiber and squish/ mush/ press the color into the fiber where you'd like it to wind up when you're finished.


Cover the pan tightly with aluminum foil and bake at 250F for about an hour. Check after an hour and if the water is clear, remove the package from the oven. If the water isn't clear, add about 1 cup of water with about 1/2 cup vinegar to the pan, cover it and return it to the oven; increase the oven to 270F. Recheck in 30 minutes.

Transfer the pan to somewhere safe and leave it be until it is completely cool. (I am bad about messing with the hot fiber. Mess with it and you probably won't get that pretty top back; instead, it'll look bedraggled and shaggy. Worse, you could wind up felting the wool. If you plan to card the wool, this might not matter). Rinse the fiber well in cool water and dry. 

Here's the fiber drying in the (cold) sunshine (notice the icicle). 

More Fiber Storage

I sure wish I remembered where I read this tip because I owe a big thank you.  Check out this bag:

It is a blanket bag from Cleaner's Supply.  The brown fiber is some pretty alpaca (about 1 pound) from my friend, Kate, owner of Great Rock Alpaca. The bag zips closed, is rectangular for easy stacking and is ventilated on the sides. I got 12 for for about 12 dollars. In addition to clean fleece,  I'm storing all my yarn in them.  Assuming this winter ever ends, we are also going to put our winter sweaters in them for storage. This one is the smallest size available.

 Here's the link:http://www.cleanersupply.com/

Dyeing Fiber in Mason Jars: Oven technique

I was reading an article the other day about sun dyeing wool in Mason jars and I wondered whether or not I could use the oven to get a lot of colors done quickly. About the same time, the Greener Shades (dyes) forum on Ravelry was doing a dye along using alternative heating techniques, one of which was using canning jars on the stove. (http://www.ravelry.com/discuss/greener-shades-dyes/2831339/1-25) I decided to give the canning jars a try.

Because I like to use my drum carder to blend various fibers and colors into batts, I decided to add different fibers to each jar. I added Border Leicester locks, some combed Merino and some commercial white roving to each jar along with a glug of white vinegar and cold water. The fiber soaked for about an hour, and I added more water occasionally as the wool absorbed the water.

After soaking, I poured out the water and added some dye to each jar directly on top of the wool. Then, I quickly added a glug of vinegar and topped off each jar with hot tap water. I sealed each jar and turned them upside down and shook them around until there was dye throughout each jar.

I used a water bath (bain marie) in an aluminum roasting pan and let the jars "bake" for about 90 minutes at 220 degrees F.  

Here are the jars fresh out of the oven and below is the finished fiber, waiting for the spin cycle. I'll use this method again; it was super easy and mess free.

DIY Lazy Kate

DIY Lazy Kate:

I have three spinning wheels (more about them later) and each wheel has multiple bobbins. The only lazy kate that I own only has room for two out of many (at least 12) bobbins so I've been stewing about a solution.  Not only is storage a problem but it sure would be nice to have a lazy kate that could hold more that two bobbins. I've seen folks use a shoebox and a knitting needle but I needed something a little more elegant.

So, a trip to the craft store, two pair of size 7 knitting needles and a basket later and voila:

The bobbins spin easily and the set up is heavy enough that it should work well enough for a lazy kate.   It definitely is a great storage solution for spinning wheel bobbins and all for only about six dollars!