Blogiversary 2007 Winner; Andean Two-Plying And Another Inevitable Change

And the winner is: Amelia, belle of the Bellweather!!! Yay, Amelia!! Congratulations! The winner of what, you ask? Check out the past post, Spinning Spider Jenny's One Year Blogiversary Contest, to be in the know AND to read all of the fantastic comments that readers kindly wrote. If a spider can blush, I'm blushing. Nearly 100 folks took the time to leave good wishes and many granted my request for questions which will be used as topics for future posts on my blog. THANK YOU!

There are many readers to also thank big-time which have made this blog and it's evolution over the year possible. E, Leslie, Tamara and Jofran and Jenna are just some of the friends who have been frequent commenters throughout the blog's existence. E and Tamara, sisters to each other, have more than once provided technical help for my blog. Sadelle was instrumental for putting the spider's logo in it's own, cosy corner of the blog. Chris and Alexander put up with me hogging the computer, tapping out the nearly daily posts written during the early months. The rest of you who have been there for me know who you are and I, in turn, heartily thank you! After all, it was only a little over a year ago that I, myself, didn't quite know what a blog was and was certain I'd have no time to even peruse other people's blogs, let alone write one of my own. Geez, it wasn't that long ago that I didn't know how to link. All you have to do is go back in my archives to the beginning to see examples of link-less-ness. And while I'm at it, I may as well tell you I've written ALL the posts on the blog with a bloody dial-up connection, uploading pics and all. There is NO highspeed connection in rural Whitingham. Soon, hopefully.

The birth of the spider's blog all began with Cara's "Spin-Out" in NYC last summer. It's there that I met Cara's friend, Ann, and after strolling over to Ann's blog once I arrived back home in VT, I then wandered over to Lulu's Petals, which was listed in Ann's blog roll. Lulu's Petals is an excellently written blog (no fiber arts content, just heartfelt, sometimes poignant, sometimes hilarious writing) by none other than frequent commenter and now wonderful friend, Lucy. Back then Lucy held a contest where we were to describe a funny memory from childhood. I wrote about The Blue Blazer. Read the actual story on the past post, Past Tense - Or Was That Future?. My tale didn't win a prize, BUT through Lucy's enthusiastic encouragement (...having Lucy in one's corner is like having a personal cheerleader), I began my own blog soon after.

Would you like to know why I chose the name, "Spinning Spider Jenny?" Well, first of all the spider has been one of my animal totems for many a year. But secondly, on Cara's blog, January One, she once posted pics of huge spiders that were hanging about on the outside of high-rise windows. The comments left on that post were decidedly negative regarding reader's feelings about spiders in general. Self-appointed Ambassador for the Misunderstood and Stomped-Upon, I said, "This bad press about spiders must be reversed! Spiders ARE spinners, after all!!" And so, after choosing and arranging the three words that were to be the title of my blog this way and that...I settled on the version which flowed nicely. I know my little crusade to rise spiders up from the Land-Of-The-Loathed worked at least a few times, because Regina said that she speaks to spiders which spin webs in her home and tells them that they can remain because...well, of course, because of her friendship with THE Spinning Spider none other than Jenny.

On to the contest...

Last night, as midnight approached, the youngest of the spider, Alexander, helped me cut up the slips with all the names of the commenters and put them in one of Chris' hats.

Drum roll, please.

The slip with Amelia's name on it was drawn.


And here's what will be sent to the belle of the Bellweather. Yes, I know I added the spindle and the book to the original prize offering. But hey, I felt embarrassed that nearly 100 people were vying for a measly 3 oz or so of naturally dyed, solar dyed Tussah silk.

The spindle is handmade by Adam Mielke. The book is second in the "KnitLit" series.

'til next year's contest... On to gardening...

Pumpkins are right up there with potatoes on my list of beloved plants bearing veggies. The brilliant yellow to orange flowers are absolutely stunning.


Take a look at this little fella above. He's going to be a big-dog Howden Field pumpkin when he grows up. He may eventually tip the scale between 25-30 lbs. I love this variety because part of the personality of a pumpkin-turned-jack-o-lantern lies in the stem (in my spiderly opinion) and this guy is destined to have a thick, sturdy topper.


Here's a new variety of pumpkin (to me) that I planted this year. It's a "Bat" pumpkin. See the bat-winged points spookily gracing the pumpkin's bottom?! Ooh, I'm getting excited for Halloween already!!

In the above pic, dear natural dyers or natural-dyer-wannabees, you will find big, banana-leaved plants called Elecampane, tucked in near the Sweet William and Hen-and-Chicks.

Elecampane's flower is as bright and cheery as a Dandelion, if a bit straggly. What I've been told is that its roots will dye blue after a few years of growing. I've not tried dyeing with the roots yet. Have you? Even if I get blaah beige, the plant is worth growing as a delightful garden specimen.

Yesterday evening Leslie generously gave each of the above friends a copy of this pic. Because you encounter them so often on the blog, it's nice to have a pic to share of all of us together. Thank you, Leslie!
From left to right: Jenna, Jenny, Leslie, Maureen and Elizabeth (E!).

In the pic above you'll see the handspun I've been spinning of late. Both skeins are Navajo 3-plied. Please go to the past posts, Tencel: Terrific To Natural Dye & Spin, and Navajo 3-Plying, A Look At Ingeo & More, for more on this naturally dyed and solar dyed Tencel.

Here are three center-pull balls which will all be used in the same project. The magenta and green balls are the Tencel mentioned previously. The gold yarn is spun from Bamboo and is a plain vanilla 3-ply. For more info on the naturally dyed and solar dyed Bamboo, head over to the past posts, Fiber Of Gold & Leslie's Sock Solution, and Sunny Bamboo Handspun & Tips For Spinning Fine Yarn.

On to some great e-mails from readers:

From delightful Drea:
Here's a picture of Drea's ZEN spinning instructor, Pam. Drea, featured on the recent post, Joining Unspun Fiber To Spun Yarn; Navajo 3-Plying Revisited; Drea and The Knittingsmith; Plus Another Visit To NYC, wrote this: "I snapped two pics of Pam on her front porch in Beacon, NY. She's holding two skeins of some yarn she's spun - the darker stuff is going to be made into a coat." Of Pam, Drea fondly proclaimed that it's kind of like having Yoda as a spinning teacher!

Then there's this lovely letter from Monika:
Dear Jenny,
"After your very helpful advise I've spun and knit my first 3-ply yarn. I've included two links to blog entries about this experience: Moni's Nature Socks and My very first 3-ply handspun sock yarn!."

"Here's some information about me. I've started spinning in May 2007. First I spun on a drop spindle for a month (every day), and I was glad I did. I got a real good feeling for fiber and how it works. I'm talking of wool fiber of course, since there's so much I haven't even tried yet. My wish and goal was always to spin for lace knitting and sock knitting. I don't have to spin spider web fine for lace, and I'm happy that I already knit a shawl with my own handspun, and have yarn waiting for another two shawls already. For lace knitting I'm fine with a 2-ply yarn."

"For socks I want at least a 3-ply and that's what I worked on the last weeks. My first pair of socks are done, and I'm very happy with them. I used 100% Corriedale wool roving. I'm on the lookout for some wool/mohair/nylon blend to spin for socks, for warmth and durability. I have a lot of merino roving, but I don't think they would stand up to wear and tear very well."

"I'm not a very technical person. So, I don't have numbers to share of the spinning process. I'm spinning on my Ashford Traditional (double drive, single treadle), with the faster whorl for the singles. I use the Jumbo set for plying, so I can get it all in one hank. When I ply I use the slower whorl. There's a lot I still have to learn and it will be a process over a long time. I'm enjoying spinning so much, I would never have thought it. Right now I'm spinning a wool/mohair blend for 3-ply and for socks again."

"Thanks so much for all your help, directly or with information on your blog. I'm still kind of afraid of Navajo plying, since I've tried it two times, and it was always very stressful. Since spinning is supposed to be fun, I'll concentrate on 3-ply right now."

All the best,
Monika
Smoking Hot Needles

And here's a question from Amy, who commented on the Blogiversary post:
Happy Blogiversary! Has it only been a year? Great stuff in your blog--I like the personal stories. When you solar dye, do you have to worry about animals (ie, squirrels, cats, raccoons, skunks, foxes, etc) getting into the structures you set up?
Amy

Spider replies: Thanks, Amy! So far...and fingers crossed...the only critters who I've seen hang out by my Terry's Tubs are the chipmunks. And that's only because water collects on the plexiglas when it rains and makes clean-ish drinking water accessible to the chippies.

Any other solar dyers have furry or feathered friends mess about with their dyeing set-ups?

Now on to two different examples of Andean two-plying... I first learned to Andean ply in a spindle class quite a few years ago. I'm afraid I can't remember who initially taught me. Also, I'm not sure of the exact history of Andean plying but the name obviously suggests the technique probably originated in South America. Can any readers share info about Andean plying's origin and history?

Andean two-plying is a technique whereby a two-ply yarn is created from one singles yarn package...as opposed to plain vanilla two-plying which is made by combining singles from two, separate packages such as 2 bobbins, 2 balls, etc. Just as some folks like to make a two-ply from a center-pull ball, Andean two-plying is made from a center-pull package. The difference, however, is that Andean plying has something which acts as a core for the center-pull package, keeping the yarn coming from the inside of the package from tangling with the yarn coming from the outside of the package. That something most often is one's own hand.

But first I'd like to show you a handy-dandy tool that Leslie's fantastic husband, John, gifted me with.

The above pic shows John's Andean two-plying hand-held (or even leg-held) device. It's wonderful to use because you never have to worry about strangling your middle finger. 'course you wouldn't want to wind so tight you'd stretch the yarn anyways. But at least your finger will remain the color it was born with. The "finger" of the device fits into a hole at the top.

The "finger" can be removed once you've wound all the singles on and you're ready to ply.
Most spinners I know do not have removeable fingers on their own hands.

Begin by winding the beginning of the singles around the handle near to the horizontal top. Secure the beginning so it won't come loose while you're in the process of winding.

Here's the suggested route for the singles to travel:
(A) Bring the singles from behind the device and guide the singles back to the front again, working on the right-hand side; bring singles up and around the finger and down the front of the device to the same right-hand side. Bring the singles behind the handle (close to the horizontal piece) and...

(B) ...back to the front again...but this time you're working on the left-hand side of the device. Go up and around the finger with the singles, then head back down to the front on the same left-hand side. Bring the yarn around the back of the handle again and repeat (A) and (B) until all singles are wound onto the device.

Of course you can also start winding on the left-hand side and then go to the right-hand side...just try to stay consistent on the path you take.

Which direction you head up and around the finger is up to you. I generally go from left to right around the finger on the right-hand side and right to left around the finger on the left-hand side. I'm not sure that it matters much, but it's probably a good idea to keep consistent with the path you set up for yourself. Any readers who Andean two-ply find that the direction you wind around the finger itself makes a difference?

More singles wound on. The above pice demonstrates the cross. The singles coming up to the finger on the right-hand side are separated from each other by singles that are coming up to the finger on the left-hand side.


Above you'll see how the back side (not the cross side) looks whilst winding.

And finally, the above pic shows how the finger is removed and the singles yarn is gently brought like a bracelet around the handle, ready to ply. Where the singles were initially, but temporarily, wound on to the handle before winding proceeded, is the inside of the center-pull package. Of course the outside singles strand is the last that you wound on. You could gently place the bracelet on your wrist for plying, but see below *** for an explanation of the bracelet's makeup in order to understand just how gently you should proceed.

I Andean two-plied with the device's handle held between my legs. I suppose it looks like a rather obnoxious pic if one didn't know what I was doing! Ha! The neat thing is that the device itself keeps the center-pull package from collapsing on itself and tangling. I had no real problems plying the inside of the singles with the outside of the singles in this manner. The two-ply shown IS rather thick and thin, but that's because the singles were not spun consistently smooth to begin with. The fiber in the yarn is the Ecospun/wool blend that Ted sent me. Please go to the past post, BLING; Spinning From The End and Knitterguy's Fibers, for more info on that particular yarn and blend.

Now for a demo showing my hand as the core utilized for Andean two-plying.
In order to Andean two-ply with my hand as a core, I have to wind the singles from the original package (be it from a bobbin or hand spindle or...) directly on to my hand.

Because I'm always ready to try something new or something I've not seen, I've actually wound the singles with the cross (what helps keep the singles coming from the inside of the package separated temporarily from the singles coming from the outside) on the palm side, rather than the back-of-hand, which is the most common way. Firstly, I wanted to see if this was even feasible. Secondly, I wanted to see if it was more comfortable than the usual mode.

Speaking of comfort, I guarantee you will NOT be comfortable if you wind the yarn on your hand too tightly, in particularly around your middle finger. Your finger may even turn an unappealing shade of blue if you do not wind loosely. Anyways, I wanted to see if I'd be less inclined to strangle my middle finger (poor tall man!) if I wound with the cross on the palm. If you'd like to try this, follow what you see below. If you'd rather be more conventional, make sure the cross is worked on the back-of-hand.

I slipped a hair bungee on my wrist and wound the beginning of the singles around the bungee to get started. IF you want to wind conventionally (ie. the way it's usually shown in most directions and the way it's usually done my most spinners), secure the singles on the back-of-hand side instead and make the actual cross on the back-of-hand.

In the case above, I started on the left-hand side of the center-pull package (ie. my hand).

Sorry for the blurry pic. Similar pics were even more blurry and this was the best of the bunch. I figured you could still see pretty clearly the route the yarn has to travel.

Here's what's going on on the side that doesn't have the cross.

More winding on the cross-side.

More winding on the side without the cross.

***The singles around the middle finger need to be slipped off and downwards CAREFULLY. What you see above may LOOK like a bracelet, but in reality the loops (which were formed as the singles traveled around your middle finger) are interlaced together due to the cross you made and the bracelet is not permanently closed...think of it as being temporarily held or stuck together. IF you pulled on the bracelet, it WOULD open up and be a horrendous mess of tangles. At that point, it would cease to be a bracelet. Once you ease the singles off your finger, push the glump of loops gently downwards, towards your wrist. In other words, the glump of loops need to hang out with the singles already on your wrist. Locate the inside of the singles (wrapped around the hair bungee) with the outside of the singles and proceed to two-ply, keeping your wrist as the core of the center-pull package.

One big advantage of Andean two-plying is that all the singles are used up in the final yarn...there are no leftovers. In addition, you need no extra equipment such as lazy kates to ply from (unless you want to make John's device as shown earlier OR buy a similar commercially-made Andean two-plying tool available from various vendors.)

One disadvantage of Andean two-plying, especially if you choose to use your hand as a core, is that if you have a lot of continuous singles, it's possibly uncomfortable to have all that fiber attached to your hand as you ply. That said, it's perhaps not practical to wind a LARGE amount of fiber on one's hand in the first place. And let's not forget the whole strangling of the middle finger problem... It's really easy to wind tighter, and tighter, and tighter...

Readers: Any tips you can give regarding Andean two-plying and/or added advantages or disadvantages would be most welcome. Thanks.

I'll end this post with ANOTHER INEVITABLE CHANGE that needs to take place from here on out. Starting now, I will only be able to write a once-a-month post...at least until I finish THE BOOK. It's my goal to complete THE BOOK by the end of 2008. I mulled this decision over and over until I finally settled on this schedule. At first, I thought maybe I'd just write small, even miniscule, once-a-week posts. Who was I kidding?! I'm incapable of tapping out mini posts, as I want to share as much as possible each time I sit down at the computer. That said, around mid-September you will find the next post. Look for the same format as what I've been doing these last months...a bit of life, a bit of techie spinning/dyeing, perhaps a feature about a fellow spinner/dyer/knitter/fiberist/shop, addressing a question or two that you readers have posed, etc.... Please consider the once-a-monther-posts in a similar category as a newsletter. And please don't forget to go back into the archives 'cause if you haven't seen all the posts, you may have missed some interesting spinning/dyeing info. You can do a search right on the blog for a topic you're looking for info on...you just may find it. And if not, be sure to comment with your questions. Eventually, we'll try to get to all the questions. IF your question is urgent, and believe me, I HAVE gotten a few of those, please be sure to say so and I'll e-mail you back asap. Thanks so much for your understanding and for your loyal readership.

Joining Unspun Fiber To Spun Yarn; Navajo 3-Plying Revisited; Drea and The Knittingsmith; Plus Another Visit To NYC

Summer rocks! Summer '07 has been for me a delightful mixed bag of slowing things down to a snail's pace with peaceful trips to the beach or public gardens and spicing things up by visits to new or well-loved and usually citified destinations. In between and threaded throughout there's, of course, my fiber work and lots of pondering and writing...tho' not always showing itself on this blog. From reading many of the comments on the last "contest" post, I'm so pleased that you approve of what does land on the pages of this blog and that my tappings have helped more than a few of you in your own spinning, dyeing and maybe even knitting . Thank YOU for your support! It's you readers who really make this blog vital and alive. Thanks for all the comments so far and please do keep 'em coming...including you folks who've come out from the Land of Lurkdom. We don't want you to become invisible ever again! You're opinions, ideas and questions help us all and will be used as seeds for future posts.

One recent excursion I took was to New York City to spend time with my David, oldest of the spider, and Regina, friend of the spider. While David and I utilize the subway to get around the city (which I love to use, btw), we also do our fair share of walking, usually until our feet balk at taking yet another step. Thank goodness there are a multitude of wonderful parks tucked in amongst the steel and concrete where we can rest our weary toes.
Above you'll find a pic of me wearing my Mexican dress in Central Park. That dress is absolutely lucky and maybe even magickal. Many wonderful things have happened wearing it; not the least of which when I sported the dress for an interview years before at Black Creek Pioneer Village in Toronto, Ontario, Canada and landed a much-needed interpreter job.

When David and I visited the American Museum of Natural History (won't let me link!) in Manhattan, a stylish young woman said, "What a pretty dress!" Geesh, I'm in one of the fashion capitals of the world and get a compliment on a dress I bought 15 years ago for 50 cents at a used clothing store in Albany, NY. Not a bad run for my magickal dress.
David particularly enjoyed the large, taxidermized animal exhibits. I have to admit they creep me out somewhat. When asked where he'd like his pic taken, he replied, "With the Water Buffalo." And so it was done.
Another park...this time Washington Square. Above is a pic of David sharing with the birds a bit of our must-have-each-time-I-visit-NYC treat procured from one of the gazillion street vendors...big salted pretzels.
One evening David and I made our way to Coney Island beach where we saw a great break dancing show on the midway.
As evening fell, the beach on Coney Island cleared out and we made our way back to Dave's apartment. But not until we had a meal at Famous Nathan's...filled with all sorts of fried, earthly delights.
The next day in NYC I headed towards Grand Central Station (what a beautiful building!) and met up with Regina (what a beautiful friend!!) She got us round trip tickets to the Bronx, where we spent several hours in one of her favorite spots, the New York Botanical Garden. This is a not-to-be-missed destination if you're even near NYC. Thank you, Regina, for spending your day with me.

I'm indebted to Cara of January One for introducing Regina and I at the Spin-Out last summer. Thank you, Cara. Readers, check the Spin-Out link for info on this year's great event happening in September.
Astilbe and Hydrangeas at the Garden in the Bronx.
Regina took a pic of me next to a massive Redwood tree.
Chris came in to NYC on the last day of my trip, Sunday. Regina suggested our family should be sure to experience a knish joint to beat all knish joints...Yonah Schimmel's, located on the Lower East Side.
Above is a pic of Chris and David, waiting for their jalepeno/cheese potato knish and a red cabbage potato knish, respectively. Me? I went with the red cabbage version, too. I had never eaten a purple knish before this. Good? You bet!

An important announcement: Be sure to check out my Chris' new website. Let us know what'cha think, please. Oh, and be sure to take a look at Chris' YouTube video on the home page of the site...not to mention rating it...thanks!

Back to Vermont we went, just in time to take pics demonstrating a spinning technique that seemed kind of urgent for a few readers. So urgent, in fact, that I've interrupted our regularly planned schedule to cover it and another recently asked for "revisit" of Navajo 3-plying. That said, look for ratios and Andean plying on a future post.

JOINS. Boy, aren't joins important in spinning?! A really bad join can actually mean you have NO yarn for your spinning efforts since the fibers drift apart leaving you devoid of anything that remotely holds together. Please consider the following: it ain't yarn if you can't get it onto the bobbin for storage...and even if you're successful there...it ain't yarn if you can't get it off the bobbin to make into a skein or to ply...and even if you're successful there...it ain't yarn if it falls apart in your finished piece.

Let's say it another way: Your yarn is only as good as your joins.

Or how about...In your finished yarn, you shouldn't see where you joined at all.

Below I'll demonstrate two of my favorite ways to join unspun fibers to spun yarn. There are undoubtedly OTHER ways to join unspun to spun in spinning, and I do not claim my techniques are the best...it's just that they work dandy for me. I'll leave it to you spinners out there to share your favorite methods in the comment section, please. Thank you! What has worked for you and what has not worked for you regarding joining?

Fluff On Fluff is my usual method for joining. I can't remember who first showed me the technique and I'm not sure if it was me who coined the name, but 9 times out of 10, it's the method I turn to and it's what I teach students soon after they've made a few inches of yarn. Above is a pic of some Tencel top (combed, commercial fiber prep) that I'm spinning at my wheel. Please note that the Fluff On Fluff method works for wool or any other fiber you're spinning, too. You can use it when spinning carded or combed fibers, fleece...you name it. The pic shows yarn coming from my wheel, but before I join, I have to fluff out the end of the yarn with my fingers. If you try to join on to spun yarn without fluffing the end, you'll put a coating of fibers on the surface of the already spun yarn that can peel off easily and not be stable. You need to make sure that the fibers from the spun yarn are incorporated together in the twist with the unspun fibers.
Here's a pic of the unspun fibers in the top I am using (left) and the same (as in the pic above) fluffed end of the yarn coming from the wheel (right). Note how the fluffed end of the yarn wants to twist up again...don't let it!
Pinch at the point-of-contact on the yarn (the area of the yarn that's spun and is twisted, but is directly next to the unspun ~fluffed~ area) and catch a few fibers from the unspun top in the pinch. As you do so, you're overlapping the fluff of the spun yarn with the fluff of the unspun top.
Begin treadling and incorporate the fluffed fibers from the yarn with the fluff of the unspun top. Please be sure to maintain your established yarn size, if you're looking for a consistent yarn. As you continue spinning, now attached to the unspun top, check where you joined to be sure that YOU CAN'T tell where you joined...how's that for some rather odd advice?! It's a good idea to occasionally, firmly, go back and forth over the yarn at the joined spot with your thumb and pointer nails to see if any fibers are prone to peeling off the yarn, leading to a glumpy mess at that spot. If fibers ARE peeling, you'll know you've not done a good job of incorporating both the fluff from the yarn and the fluff from the unspun top. In that case, untwist that area on each end of the join, just beyond the average staple length. Rejoin! You'll be happy later that you didn't leave that unsound join in your yarn, where it could wreak havoc in your skein or finished piece.
The above pic shows a second method of joining called "Forking." This technique is especially helpful when you just can't seem to fluff out the end of the yarn that you want to join on to.
Insert the unspun top into the forked section and be sure, once again that all fibers are incorporated into the twist as you spin. Watch carefully that you maintain the size of fiber you had been spinning. Below I've included joining onto fibers when you're spinning from the fold.
Pinch the point-of-contact of the fluffed yarn, and while doing so, catch a few fibers at the fold itself, overlapping the yarn's fluff on the side of the folded fibers as shown.
As you spin, it's your job to be sure all fibers...the fluff from the yarn and that of the folded fibers...are well-integrated into the twist whilst spinning.

Now it's time for a revisit of Navajo 3-plying, as asked for by several readers. I highly recommend that you please first head over and reread my original post on the subject, Navajo 3-Plying, A Look At Ingeo & More, before checking out the pics below, as I won't be starting the technique from beginning to end again. Instead, below you'll find different "views" of Navajo 3-plying...from the top (with Chris standing behind me and shooting down) and from underneath (with always-willing-to-help-the-cause Chris, sprawled on his back, on the floor, shooting up) and from the side.

Readers...especially spinners who have no one to physically show them the methods and are on their own, armed only with pics and text...have exclaimed that it's hard for them to understand what's going on in Navajo 3-plying, despite checking out various write-ups on the web, in books and in magazines. I'll admit, it IS much easier to learn Navajo 3-plying from another spinner or spinning instructor than it is to decipher what's going on in print (geesh...you should try writing about it!) Trust me...Navajo 3-plying IS easy, once you get the hang of it. And know that I appreciate all you readers telling me you need MORE info or pics on a subject. This kind of plea will only help me to write a better BOOK, not to mention making the blog more useful, so I thank you all.
OK...here we go with a pic taken from behind and above me. The strand in the middle is the one I'm pulling up to make a new loop. Somtimes I pull up with my middle finger, but in this case it looks as if I'm using my pointer.
A second view from the top...this time actually using my pointer and thumb to hold a very long loop open (loops can be short or long...just don't strangle your hand with too small a loop), with my middle finger scooping up the third strand in order to bring it through the loop...which will then make for the next loop...and so on, and so on...

Note the plain vanilla 3-ply-back that I'm using to compare my Navajo 3-plying to, in order that I don't overdo or underdo the plying. Usually, the biggest problem I've seen with Navajo 3-ply yarn, especially with beginners trying the technique for the first time, is overtwist. This is understandable, since your hands are learning something new and your feet keep on treadling regardless. If this is a problem for you, try to slow down those feet and/or use your largest whorl, which will give you less plying twist per treadle. If, when Navajo 3-plying, your yarn keeps breaking or shredding, look again at the info above regarding the making of good, sound joins. Excellent joins will save you a lot of frustration.
And yet another view from the top.
And now for something different, a pic from below. Sometimes I keep the loop open with my thumb and pinkie. In this case, I'm using my thumb and ring finger.
Another view from below.
And finally, an interesting view from the side. Note how my pointer is drawing up the strand that will soon become a new loop.

Onward to some pics featuring my new friend, Drea. Oftentimes, folks who are readers of this blog e-mail me personally. Sometimes, we become friends, especially when we find out we have quite a lot in common. Nice! Drea is an accomplished knitter who is still pretty new to spinning, although learning FAST. Drea's friend, Pam, taught her to spin. Drea wrote of Pam: "...she's a real card - a master crocheter - great knitter - can't believe she's only been knitting for a year - and great spinner. Pam once said, "Of course it's a balanced skein, Drea ... I've been doing it for 30 years! Be patient!" Drea continued, "Pam just gives little tips here and there. She's a very 'zen' teacher - you have to figure it out for yourself - which works for me, actually!" After 1.5 weeks of spinning, Pam pronounced Drea's yarn - "Not too shabby for a beginner!"
Drea...beautiful sapphire-colored eyes and all.
Some of Drea's lovely wool singles on an Ashford Kate. She spins on an Ashford Traditional. Drea wrote, "The top is Romney - that's the first semi-decent stuff I spun in my first week. The bottom grey is greasy Corriedale that Pam gave me to learn on. I actually do better with 'dry' but can do greasy-ish stuff. The middle is the Romney - but done during my 2nd to third week of spinning - and yes I'm proud of it! It's been hanging a bit so the twist is sleeping a tad - but it twists back to heavy dk."
Some of Drea's snazzy thick 'n thin novelty yarn. Drea explained, "Also a simple hat - Dale of Norway- 100% wool - washable - doubled up - done in the round on size 9 circulars - then on size 8 double points as I reduced - just a simple open rib with closed ribbing in between - I didn't follow a pattern - just made it up as I went."
Drea's modeling a simple sock that she's knit for her Goddaughter, Valis. Drea wrote," I'm about to turn the heel on it's mate. She wanted a short sock - variegated yarn from Denmark - 80 stitches - 0 dpns, k2p2 rib for 3 inches then only the rib on the instep - the back of the ankle and heel and sole are stockinette. Ends with a 40 row round toe that I picked up from the Victorian Sock book (I hate the typical way socks are done toe-wise - with the k slip psso and k2 tog- then kitchener - it's so pointy and square - I hate it so I don't do it much anymore) - I didn't use a pattern - I never do for short row heeled socks - I just make up my own (I'm almost finished with Gentleman's Fancy socks from Nancy Bush's book - and I followed the pattern exactly - didn't take pics of those - its a nice honeycomb pattern - k2p2 rib - then k two rows - then p2k2rib for 8 rows - then k 2 rows - then k2p2 rib - then k 2 rows - etc etc - with a French heel and wide toe - kitchener end to the toe. It has lovely shaping. I'm using the honeycomb pattern for socks for me - but no shaping - just simple with a short row heel and I'll do a 'pointed swirl toe' from the Vic Sock book - looks like an ice cream custard swirl ..."
The Knittingsmith...a wonderful shoppe which Drea frequents. You'll no doubt find her showing customers a variety of knitting techniques...including recipes for her fab "snocks"! The Knittingsmith is located, as Drea says, "...in beautiful Cold Spring, NY in the wonderful and hysteric - I mean historic - Hudson Valley."

You can visit the Knittingsmith at: 35 Chestnut Street, Cold Spring, NY 10516; phone: 845-265-6566. The website is Knittingsmith.
The owner of the Knittingsmith is, says Drea, "Penelope Smith - a master seamstress who picked up knitting 10 years ago - she used to design and sew wedding gowns and other-wear for years. Penelope is a very nice, very lovely lady."

Drea continues, "I should mention that Penelope has a knack with all sorts of patterns - Penelope recently figured out and wrote out a pattern for a woman from a PICTURE of a jumper (sweater) from way back. That's pretty impressive! Penelope also has a few 'signature' patterns that she's written herself. She helps people customise existing patterns with her "Sweater Wizard' computer program. (So a gal with football shoulders and big biceps like moi can customise their set-in sleeves - which ain't as forgiving as raglans.)
Drea described her sweater above, "Me with the thick and thin basic raglan sweater - old Coats and Clark pattern - the yarn is single ply - hand painted - on size 17 needles ( I hate big needles - I prefer thin yarns - small needles - doing socks now on 00s and loving it).
"There's me in my first knit in the round top down jumper - very simple but warm. It doesn't call for stripes - I just decided to throw those in for fun - I loved that acid green colour with the chocolate brown."

On the topic of socks, Drea wrote, "I don't teach at the shoppe - I just sit in and knit there and buy tons of yarn and yack away! Although I have shown people how to do short row heels and how to kitchener stitch but it's informal - "Drea - PLEASE show me how to kitchener!" says Lauren. "K - bring the snock over next week. It's all in the chanting you know!" (knit slip purl, purl slip knit, knit slip purl, purl, slip knit and contrariwise for grafting garter!) "Drea - even when I wrap I still get holes" - "Here - you have to double wrap". "Drea how do you cast on so fast?" "I cast by knitting on - and you get a gorgeous knitted row so if you're knitting straight you can start with a purl row - here - let me show you" Things like that. Or - we have a great Aussie gal, Anne who knits pencil style - veddy english. Penelope, the shoppe owner, knits continental but loves how Anne knits. Well - I did a little experimenting and "Hey Penelope! I can show you how to pencil knit like Anne - but ... hold the yarn on the LEFT!" I love doing that kind of crap."
"The smiling lady with the hat is the famous Dr. Susie - The Sweater Doctor who can fix ANYTHING!"

Drea wrote, "Dr. Susie is a retired physician. She's been knitting since she was a little girl. She FIXES things. I mean anything - she fixed a mothhole in a cashmere shawl so fine she had to wear magnifying lenses like a surgeon. She fixed my mother's Aran jumper that Mother bought 50 years ago in England and YOU CAN'T TELL! And this is the most pattern-rich Aran you'll ever see - I wish I had taken before pics to show the amount of destruction on this thing - because it's amazing!!!! I've seen her fix huge swathes of the finest woven angora - ripped up cables - screwed up trinity stitches - fixing them so that you cannot tell!"
"The lovely lady in the glasses is Lauren - our 'class clown,' snappy dresser and 'bon vivant.' Lauren sports Penelope's circular shawl that Lauren's turned into a skirt, Penelope's lacy scarf, topped with a lovely skein of hand painted mohair! If you look closely, you can see that Lauren's trying to teach her stuffed llama how to knit - see?"

Drea continued, "Lauren - our lovely character just retired from Estee Lauder - she hasn't been knitting long but she's doing very well and isn't afraid to try anything! She originally hails from Louisiana and has a great sense of fashion and colour."
For her Goddaugher, Valis, Drea knitted, "...a 14 foot long scarf, hat and mittens all in the same green and blue striped colour pattern - easy peasy."

"Valis - just finished her first year at Ryder University - with honours! She's just learning crochet and lurves our group!"
"That's Pat on the floor looking through chunky Malabrigo hand-dyed skeins - trying to sort out those with the most 'like' colour values ..."

Drea wrote, "Pat - is a speech teacher/therapist - she teaches in the Bronx - mentally disadvantaged kids and is also a yoga instructor."
"A pic of some of Penelope's lovely yarns - she has a huge selection from straight-ahead Dale of Norway (washable!) and Cascade' to 'decadent Malabrigo, Soy sock yarns, Lamb's Pride yarns - pure silk - cottons - funky funky homespun from local spinners and really neat hand-dyed stuff as well - there's so much to choose from for the knitter/crocheter, including one-on-one classes and seminars. Every so often Penelope has '20% off anything with ________ - whatever colour she chooses - usually something seasonal."

THANK YOU, Drea for sharing your wonderful yarns and projects, your fantastic pics and for introducing us to some of your great friends at the Knittingsmith.

Oh, one more thing...a few plugs from Drea:
"I've gotten a beautiful fleece and FABulous coffee brown roving from Robin Nistock of Nistock farms. I ordered a raw fleece from her which is coming next week - it's her sheep 'Cecelia' - a black sheep - medium length wool . Robin seems like the nicest person and it's been a pleasure doing business with her - Pam hadn't heard of her but looked at her website and pronounced her prices "reasonable". Pam will show me how to process raw fleece. 'It's a pain in the ASS!,' says Pam. Bring some beer and c'mon up and we'll do it in my back yard!" Here's the website for Nistock Farms.

And: "Oh and my Zen Spinner Friend's Travel Agency (she books really cool tours - she's doing a knitting - yarn trip to Iceland over Thanksgiving if she can generate enough people ... but her Egypt tours - 5 star luxury all the way ... and she personally goes with each group and takes care of everything ... she even spoke to one vendor and said, "Look - can you just NOT haggle when I bring a group in? Let's you and me negotiate fair prices on everything for my people, okay?" And he did it - for no one else but her!"
Website for Duso World Travel.

That's all this time folks! Hope you're all having a fab summer (or winter, depending on which side of the equator you're on!)

Spinning Spider Jenny's One Year Blogiversary Contest

Just a quickie post to announce that the spider, or at least her blog, is turning one year old this month...blogiversary is August 25th to be exact. To celebrate, I'm holding a contest. All you have to do is comment on this post. Only one comment per person please. The winner, if he/she IS a spinner, will receive about 3 or so oz of my personally solar dyed, naturally dyed, Tussah silk for your spinning pleasure. If you are not a spinner, and I know some of my faithful readers are not, I'll pick something special for you. You have until midnight of August 23rd to get your comments in. I'd love it if some of you would ask spinning/knitting/dyeing questions for future blog fodder. I'd love it if you tell us about yourself. I'd love ANY comment you'd care to make...nice ones, of course! Once everyone's comments are in, I'll make a slip with your name on it, put it in a hat and let Alexander, youngest of the spider, pick out the winner. It's that simple. Thank you to ALL who have been readers of my blog over this past year and I welcome ALL you newcomers to the blog.

Look for one of my famously LONG posts next week sometime.