"Beginning Spinning Plus" At Cornell University Cooperative Extension And More

Buckets of rain

Buckets of tears
Got all them buckets comin' out of my ears
Buckets of moonbeams in my hands
I got all the love, honey baby
You can stand

I been meek
and hard like an oak
I seen pretty people disappear like smoke
Friends will arrive, friends will disappear
If you want me, honey baby
I'll be here
~Bob Dylan "Buckets of Rain"

Oosh! Feels like ages since I last posted. Such a busy time with workshops and gardening. I'm back home for awhile and will settle in to once-a-week posting, at least through July. I am dying to just sit down to my personal spinning for THE BOOK. My fingers are itching for it...know what I mean?! I'm in good company, as I know you do know what I mean.

I spent much of last week with the most incredible bunch of folks in upstate New York. I must admit, after writing the last post about the also wonderful participants in the "Learn To Spin" class at Harrisville Designs, I really didn't plan on devoting a whole post to the "Beginning Spinning Plus" workshop. But I knew after 1/2 hour went by that this was a special group, indeed, and that I needed to introduce you to them.

First, for clarification's sake, "Beginning Spinning Plus" and "Learn To Spin" are really pretty much one and the same class...give or take a few demos and techniques practiced. Both are "3-day blitz" spinning classes. "Learn To Spin" has the possibility to be a tad more intensive, in general, and the name is reserved for Harrisville Designs only.

Interestingly, Janet A., who did a fantastic job of organizing in order to hold the workshop at the Cornell University Cooperative Extension, located in Hamden, NY, called the entire 4 days of teaching (which included an extra day of handspindling)..."Spinning School." I rather like that title! Once, when I was writing stuff on the board, Janet A. said, "You look like a regular school marm!" Indeed, I am...with my major in art education...tho' perhaps not your average marm. In fact, when I was a child, I enjoyed playing school, both with friends and as a solo act. My favorite thing was setting up for school, writing lesson plans, making up math sheets (who was kidding who there?) and even pretending that I had corkboards to seasonally decorate. For me, life is always about the journey...with the end result much less important (ie. It's more fun for me to travel to OZ than to meet the wizard!)

That said, I aim for folks in the blitz workshops to 1) have a firm grasp of what spinning is and become acquainted with some of the various techniques used to make yarn; 2) learn how their equipment works (be it spindles, wheels, lazy kates, hand cards, combs, etc.); 3) begin right at the start learning how to literally design their own unique, personally spun yarn via blending of fibers and through color use; and 4) discuss ways to use their amazing yarn once it's made. On pondering, it's really rather unreasonable of me to expect folks to learn to spin in three days, but judging by the happy faces who leave the class and the resulting correspondence over the years, much gets accomplished during those blitz workshops. Hope to see YOU at offerings in the future.

Now for a peek into the going's on of the "Beginning Spinning Plus" class at Cornell Univeristy Cooperative Extension.

The above pic is of Janet A., administrator extraordinaire. Without Janet A., there would have been no such spinning workshop offered through the Extension. THANK YOU Janet, for all your hard work in dotting all the i's and crossing the t's in order to pull off spinning magick. Additional thanks to Mariane and Judy for their contributions in seeing that this workshop ran. Do note Janet A.'s stylish, burnt orange, wool top scarf. Also note Wild Fibers Magazine issues on the table...Janet A.'s personal copies...though she didn't begin to spin until during the workshop she, herself, organized.

Oh, one more thing....Janet A. is the most Fantastic Fleece Flipping Faerie I have ever met. Folks who've taken my "Learn To Spin" and any "Beginning Spinning Plus" class will know what I mean. For the rest, you'll have to use your imagination.

And here you see the participants of the workshop. Back row (left to right): Ariel (seated), Ildiko (standing), Sonia (seated), Lorraine (standing), Catharina (seated), Janet A. (standing), Janet P. (standing). Seated on the floor in front of Sonia is Elizabeth (with red socks and Birks). Next to Elizabeth, on her knees is Linda. Behind the Ashford Traditional Spinning Wheel, all the way to the right, in the blue shirt with white tee is Alice. Directly in front, seated on the floor, is Marilynn. Next to Marilynn is her husband, Charles.

Now one of the things that blew me away at this particular workshop was that not only were many of the participants fiber growers and farmers, but they were unbelievably talented in the culinary department. Each day lunches were comprised of pot-luck specialties, with an incredible array to choose from. Normally I can't eat much, if at all, when I teach, so I stuck with Janet A's delicious homemade bread and Alice's homemade goat's cheese. But on the last day, I threw caution to the wind, and feasted on ALL the goodies...holy cow (well, goat) it was good!

The above pic (l to r), in the lunch line: Charles, Linda and Alice.

Now here's a delightful couple, Marilynn and Charles, that came all the way from Pennsylvania to join us. Marilynn is, in my opinion, the NIDDY NODDY QUEEN to beat all niddy noddy queens. You'll have to ask her why... Oh, Marilyn is also an avid sock knitter.

Marilynn told me the second day of class, after my intro to spinning using the hooky stick and low-whorl spindle, how she asked her daughter (living in NJ, I think) to call the father of Joan Sheridan Hoover of Heritage Spinning and Weaving, who makes the "Sheridan" spindles I use in class. Unfortunately, the location of the shop was mixed up a bit...instead of Michigan, the maker of the spindles was searched for in Denver, Colorado. What follows is from Marilynn's own writing:

"Following our first class on the hand spindle, I spoke to my daughter and asked her to check for information on Thomas L. Sheridan Wooden Hand Spindles. She couldn't find anything specific, but did ultimately find a phone number for a Thomas L. Sheridan in Denver, CO. My daughter called the number. A woman answered. My daughter asked if this was the residence of the Thomas L. Sheridan, the maker of fine, hand crafted wooden spindles? The answer: "Are you kidding? My husband can't do anything. Is this a joke?"

A pic of Charles seated by his Ashford "Joy" spinning wheel. Charles had never spun before this workshop (tho' his wife, Marilynn had). By the end of the workshop Charles was plain vanilla 2-plying and if memory serves me right, he even Navajo 3-plied, as Marilynn did, as well.

Above you'll see Lorraine. Lorraine is an amazing woman. We've got a lot in common. She first learned of Barbara Walker for her books NOT related to knitting. Lorraine really took to spindling and chose to concentrate on that during the workshop. Her yarn was great!!

Another pic of Lorraine in her hand knit poncho. Her hat is the icing of the cake, creating a fabulous outfit.

Sonia (left) and Elizabeth (right) engaged in a deep discussion. Sonia is tying off her very first handspun yarn on a niddy noddy.

And after tying off her yarn, Sonia (originally from Spain) is showing what a heady fashion statement such yarn can be. Here Sonia (left) is, with Ildiko (right).

Ildiko (originally from Transylvania), too, knows high fashion when she sees it...or wears it. Here you see her highly energized yarn turned into earrings and a choker, which she later dyed herself.

Ariel came to the workshop already an accomplished spinner, with a head for fashion and business. She's pictured with some of her unique and exciting handspun yarns.

A close-up of Ariel's yarns, labelled "Dela Yarns":

The first skein Ariel ever spun is third from the left. It's a 2-ply that is 50% Romney, 25% Angora rabbit and 25% silk. Ariel said, "This skein was the start of my love affair with fiber and spinning."

Second from the left is a natural 2-ply angora rabbit skein, from her own Giant Angora doe.

Fourth from the left is a very fine singles from a sheep in Ariel's flock, which are Finn/Dorset/Fresian crosses. Her aim was to spin a yarn to be used for knitted lace.

Ariel LOVES to design novelty yarns. First on the left is "Lunacy": a skein comprised of Alpaca top with dashes of colored wools. "After Party" is 5th from the left. It is a 3-ply made of 2 commercial yarns and one string of sequins. "Sealight," 6th from the left, is a 3-ply with metallic thread.

Ariel's plan is to continue to develop her own line of handspun yarns to market to yarn shops. To inquire about Ariel's wonderful yarns: Ariel Delacroix Dax; South Kortright, NY 13842; (607) 538-1799; e-mail: tempest@dmcom.net

Bravo Ariel!! All the best with your fibery endeavors.

LOOK at that gorgeous 100% Romney, naturally grey, wool fleece, from workshop participant AND fiber grower, Alice. If YOU would like to purchase one of Alice's superb fleeces or inquire about her milking Devon cattle or her Alpine Dairy goats or her incredible, personally-made goat cheeses, do contact Alice at: "Highland Hollow Farm," P.O. Box 7, 501 Moxley Street, Jefferson, NY 12093; (607) 652-7973; e-mail: alicesing@aol.com

A nicer woman than Alice you could not find.

Here is Catharina (originally from Sweden) and her lovely hand knitted and hand fulled, Swedish-style, "Lovikka" mittens and hats and ear-warmers. These pieces are exquisite with a capital "E."

A close-up of some of Catharina's beautiful work. To contact Catharina: "Promisedland Farm," 2714 Houghtaling Hollow Rd., East Meridith, NY 13757; (607) 436-9095. Think gifts folks and warm, fibery treats for yourself!! And don't forget to ask Catharina about her flock of Finn sheep.

And speaking of treats, here's Janet P. with one of her Canadian goose creations.

Janet P.'s delightful mama goose and gosling are hand crocheted and can be made, if desired, from Janet's own handspun yarn. Janet also creates Snow Geese, Cranes, Whistling Swans and sheep of various genders and sizes. Be sure to ask her when her Creche figures will be available for purchase. Contact her at: Janet Povlock, P.O. Box 214, Unadilla, NY 13849-0214; (607) 369-9389; e-mail: sukpov@yahoo.com

Again, think of all the people you know who would love to receive these little gems.

Linda is shown above handpainting her handspun skein, spun in class. Linda began her spinning journey before she came to my workshop (spider says: Forgive me Linda, your previously-spun yarn pic didn't turn out!), but dyeing was new to her. The "Plus" in the "Beginning Spinning Plus" workshop is a tad of dyeing technique. For many participants, this dyeing experience is eye-opening, showing how the world of color is at their fingertips (literally! With gloves, of course!!)

Linda is the proud mother of 7, home-schooled, children. In addition, she raises Alpacas (4 males so far, one pictured above) and offers their fiber for sale, as well as the capability of fiber production/processing into yarn and finished products. Linda says, "We'd like to grow our business to process other Alpaca owner's fleece ~ particularly small amounts." Contact Linda at: "Abundant Blessings Farm," 1666 State Hwy 7, Unadilla, NY; (607) 369-4341; e-mail: jacksonwa@citlink.net

That brings us to the end of the Cornell University Cooperative Extension "Spinning School." Thank you to all involved, for making the week very, very memorable and special.

But wait...this post isn't complete yet...

I received this pic via snailmail from Caroline in England. Caroline took my 3-day "Silken Fibers" workshop at Spin-Off magazine's SOAR (Spin Off Autumn Retreat) last fall, in CA. Participants of that class were given my personally solar and naturally dyed Tussah silk fiber to spin for a scarf, using a pattern of their own choosing. Some folks even started the knitting or crocheting in class, whilst others spun the fiber in class and completed their scarves once home.

Caroline kindly wrote: "I spun the silk on my Lendrum just as it came and filled 2 bobbins and then plied them together. The yarn was 22 wpi and I used a Fiber Trends pattern, "Faina's Scarf." The pattern is quite close knit, but I wanted a more delicate and lacy look, so I used larger sized needles than suggested (pattern says 3 1/2 mm but I probably used a 4 1/2 or 5 mm). The weight of the scarf is 2 3/4 oz."

Caroline continues: "I am really pleased with the result. I have thought about putting some beaded fringe on it but haven't found anything yet that looks right."

Caroline finished by saying, "I have to say that my class with you at SOAR last year was one of the best I have done. Silk is really my favourite fibre to spin and you had dyed the fibre such a lovely colour. I do hope you teach at another SOAR sometime. Look forward to seeing you perhaps in the future."

Thank you, Caroline, for your kind and much appreciated letter and photo. The scarf is so beautiful I encourage you to consider entering it into any contest that comes your way.

In another correspondence, Meg, a friend and spinner, e-mailed me about a woman named Joanna Gleason who sold unbelievably gorgeous fleece. When someone as discriminating as Meg tells me about such a fiber grower, I stand up, take notice and happily pass the info on to you.

Here's the details in an e-mail from Joanna:
Dear Jenny, I have attached a photo of the two original Australian Bond rams we imported in May, 2000. Also a lock "wheel" of some of our fleeces. The Bond breed is close to the Corriedale breeding in that it too was a Merino X Lincoln, but with more of an emphasis on a finer, longer staple. From the OSU Encyclopedia of Sheep Breeds: "Bonds evolved in Australia in 1909 as a dual-purpose breed, using Peppin Merinos and imported Lincoln rams. The Australian Bond Sheep Breeders' Association has existed since 1984. It now has 30 registered studs that sell more than 3,000 rams annually. Wool selection for Bond sheep is for big, bulky, long stapled bright 22-28 micron fibers. Bonds are renowned for long, lean, fast growing lambs. Their robust constitution means they are capable of coping with extreme climatic conditions. Bond sheep are mainly found in the southeast portion of Australia. Being a new breed, numbers available for export are limited." We are extremely pleased with the Bonds and the Corriedale crosses. The fleeces produced are dense; heavy, long stapled, and have a very soft handle. The character of the sheep themselves is quite appealing and pleasing; an important inducement to spending time with them while caring for them year round and lambing. On the whole, importing the Bonds has been a very good experience and has greatly improved our flock genetics.

Joanna Gleason
gfwsheep@gfwsheep.com
Gleason's Fine Woolies: Australian Bonds & Corriedales ...

You'll find two of Joanna's rams above. Aren't they handsome fellows?

In another e-mail, Aurita asked if I knew how to use the above spindle? In an even earlier e-mail, Aurita wrote:
Hi Jenny, I found your blog while trying to find information about a hand spindle that I bought over the weekend in a wool fair in Wooster, OH. The lady was spinning yarn with it, holding it horizontally in the air. It was not a top or bottom spindle and neither was it one of those Navajo spindles that get supported on the floor or on the leg. She was just twisting it with one hand while controlling the yarn with the other, holding the whole thing horizontally in the air. She said it will be easier to learn using one of those spindles so I bought one and I am not sorry...I just can not find any information on how to use it. Can you orient me? Thanks, Aurita

Before Aurita sent me the pics of the spindle shown above, I figured it was the same or similar to the Akha cotton spindles used in Thailand. However, once the pics came in, I noticed that there was no carved hook at one end of the spindle, enabling the spinner to indeed use it horizontally, as once described in Lynn DeRose Mason's article in a long, out-of-print, Spin-Off issue, Spring, 1995. Lynn mentioned that the Thai spindle could be used as a light-weight drop spindle, as well. I'll show a pic of the Thai spindle on next week's post. Regarding Aurita's spindle, the whorl is not located near the middle, as is the case with the Thai spindle.

Here's the whorl-end of Aurita's recently purchased spindle. No hooks or notches at this end of the tip of the shaft. However, do note the notch in the whorl.

There also is a notch (at the other end, Aurita?) on the shaft. If it is at the other end, this indicates the spindle could be used as a low whorl. But take another careful look 2 pics above, at the notch on the whorl...it sure does look like it's more oriented to being a high whorl given that notch is there at all. But how to spin with it? Any readers with ideas about using this spindle? And how on earth did the person who sold the spindle to Aurita spin with it by holding the spindle horizontally? Forgive me, I'm clueless. Or it could be that I'm finishing this post at 1:00 am in the morning....Either way, what's YOUR ideas regarding spinning on this spindle? Thanks for anything you come up with!

I'll finish this post with some helpful hints if you're experiencing "undertwist" problems when spinning your yarns (ie. your yarn drifts apart and just can't even be called yarn at all...) Again, some of the info below is in "The Spinner's Encyclopedia," by Enid Anderson, David and Charles Publishers, Great Britain, 1987.

To help with undertwisting:
a) Try decreasing your brake band tension (be it Scotch tension or be it Irish/German tension)...the yarn may be going on too quickly and not able to gather sufficient twist. If you're using a double drive wheel, try decreasing the tension on the drive band.
and/or
b) Hold back on yarn a bit to allow twist to enter
and/or
c) Treadle faster

Have a great week everyone!!

Life is sad
Life is a bust
All ya can do is do what you must
You do what you must do and ya do it well
I'll do it for you, honey baby
Can't you tell?
~ Bob Dylan "Buckets of Rain"