Spinning cotton and flax

This week I have been working on recalling my cotton spinning skills.  I have a new support spindle and bowl from Hipstrings, which I love! This came with a sample of variegated green Upland cotton.

I also have a video purchased from Taproot Video, Joan Ruane's "Cotton Spinning with the Takli."  I've been watching that a little bit at a time for the last couple of days, trying to work on cotton spinning skills I know I possessed at one time!

Then I went on the Interweave.com website and purchased the downloadable versions of two more videos - Stephenie Gaustad's "Spinning Cotton", and Norman Kennedy's "Spin Flax and Cotton: Traditional Techniques".

Ah, yes, cotton is not the sole focus of this current obsession!  I signed up for an all-day workshop on June 30 at Aker Fiber Farm in Enfield, NH on growing, processing, and spinning flax.

I was down in the basement this morning looking for a stash of handspinning cotton that I know I have, and came across proof of prior cotton spinning efforts.  These were done probably 10 years ago, most likely on a charkha (I do still have a charkha as well).

Besides these quills holding handspun cotton, I located two Akha spindles, one with cotton still on it.

And I managed to round up my Takli spindle collection.

I still have a few things to fill in.  The purple Takli is from John Galen.  He has another spindle or two I'd like to add.  I also plan to order a cotton sampler pack, and I have some cotton handcards on order to learn to make my own punis (cotton rolags, ready for spinning).  

In the meantime, it is only a few days until I leave for Stitches United, for my band weaving classes with John Mullarkey!  So excited!  After that, I'll be counting down to NH Sheep and Wool in May!  I am also planning at this point to attend the Fiber Revival in Newbury, MA in August, NY Sheep & Wool Festival in October, and the Northeast Handspinners Gathering, in November, in Nashua NH!  Joan Ruane is one of the teachers being featured there.  Class lists and registration are not available until June 1st, but I'll register as quickly as I can, and hope to get her class.  Abby Franquemont, another favorite instructor, is also listed.  I'm going to take advantage of a bit of flexibility while I'm not milking any goats, as long as hubby continues to be agreeable.  Looks like a fun year ahead!

Tablet weaving news!

We've been pretty busy around here lately, and it mostly feels like putting out one fire after another (figuratively, thank God).  There hasn't been much time for weaving.  I did manage to finish off the Rosepath Plaid towels on the loom, and got them hemmed and washed.

I then started warping for a Goose-Eye Twill baby blanket, in Sugar & Cream worsted weight cotton. The draft & instructions are in the Nov/Dec 2017 issue of Handwoven magazine.

I haven't gotten very far.  The draft calls for 286 ends, and I think I ended up with 260-something from the cone I bought.  I'll make do with what I have.  I have about 100 ends threaded through the heddles so far.

I also cut the scarf off the Structo, rewound that warp (smoothing out the paper separator much more neatly), retied, and restarted weaving.  I'm much happier with that one now.

In trying to get back to my tablet weaving project (which is on the tablet loom in the living room), I decided I was unhappy with the 2-inch cards from Palmer Looms (nothing wrong with them, I just wanted something a little bigger) so I decided to cut off the beginning of that project and rethread on cards from Malarky Crafts.  This photo shows the size difference between the two cards.

And I started making some cards of my own, using materials I've been saving for that purpose!  The ones on the left are made from oatmeal box lids (I'm also considering lids from coffee canisters and raisins).  The ones on the right are from gift cards, store loyalty cards, etc.  The left ones are 2-1/2", and I used the Malarky Crafts cards as a template.  The ones on the right are about 2-1/4" and are the height of the plastic cards cut square.

I got my cards changed out and restarted the Santas band.  Unfortunately I also discovered that one part of my loom had come unglued.  I blame our cold winter, with its low humidity levels.  The glue just dried out, I'm sure.  So now it is glued and braced.  I may decide to drill a small hole and put a nail in there to keep it in place.

And the Santas are looking good!

In other tablet weaving updates, I ordered Kris Leet's tablet weaving theory video, "It's Not Magic, It's Mechanics" from Taproot Video.  It comes with online streaming for 30 days (until the DVD arrives, I assume).  I'm already learning a lot from this!  I saw that she also has an Introduction to Tablet Weaving video as well.  Even though I think I may finally be inching my way beyond the raw beginner phase, I may need to get that one as well.  There's always something new to learn!

Speaking of something new to learn, I signed up for two tablet weaving classes with John Mullarkey (of Malarky Crafts!) at Stitches United!  These will take place Thursday and Friday, March 22 & 23, in Hartford, CT.  I even get to stay overnight, two nights!  I am so excited.  We rarely go on vacation (last one was Colonial Williamsburg, 7 or 8 years ago now).  I got to go to Rhinebeck Sheep & Wool 2 years ago, and last year I went to Pennsylvania to go to the IOLI Convention - another unprecedented move, although I didn't get to take any classes.  I am grateful that we can afford the time and money so that I can attend these classes.

The first class is Thursday - Tablet Weaving: Ram's Horn and its Relatives.  I was just obsessing over a particular Ram's Horn pattern the other day!  

And this is the pattern I came across, and wanted to find a draft/instructions for.  Maybe after this class I'll be able to figure this one out.  

I took a screenshot of this band from this YouTube video.  

And the second class, on Friday, is Tablet Weaving: Two-sided Delights. 

I also signed up for Franklin Habit's lecture Thursday evening!  

I am so looking forward to this!