Viking Combs; Editorial BOOK Update; Silk Spinning Tips; A Tripe Story And Two More Dad Stories; Tater Plants Growing Up; And Slug Slime

It's the end of June and there has been a major change in our household. The youngest of the spider, Alexander, has flown the proverbial nest. This is the first time in nearly 29 years that Chris and I have been without a kid in our immediate midst. My brother, Bob, asked if I missed Alex? Well...hmmm...actually...um...no. I mean after all, it's not like he lives all that far from us. And at nearly 21, it's about that time for him to find his own path, don'tcha think? Quite honestly, it's rather pleasant to know that Chris and I can wear nothing but lampshades on our heads and dance the Freaky Deaky if we so choose...not to mention being able to indulge in this delightful form of entertainment at any time of the day or night. Oh, and for the record, you'd know what the Freaky Deaky was if you went to the University of Detroit in the 70's as Chris and I did. It really was an actual dance back then...

Let's continue this post with another of my "Dad" stories. Having received a lot of positive feedback via e-mail on my "Dad" stories in past posts, I'm one to happily stay on the bandwagon when it's on a positive roll.

Good thing for cropping. You really don't want to see the prop Dad's using below his belt...

Dad as Truman Capote. Note the stylish, windshield-washing, glasses. I ask you...is it any wonder that this man's daughter is unconventional?

Roasted Peanuts

My Dad gave me a gift that is priceless. He didn't gift me an object that was expensive dollar-wise or put into my hands an antique heirloom passed down from a long-gone relative. What he gave me was far more precious...my Dad showed me the ability to delight in the little things life has to offer.

Although we were decidedly lower-middle class, urban Detroiters in the 1960's, I never knew I wasn't anything but rich growing up. It's not that I lived in a fantasy world or that my parents completely protected me from reality. From simply watching my Dad find supreme pleasure in, for instance, something as simple as a bag of steaming hot, roasted peanuts, whilst sitting in the bleachers watching a baseball game, I learned my most cherished life-lesson. The glass IS half-full.

My Dad taught me the fun of fishing in an old row boat on a glorious, summer afternoon. He became excited as he showed me a candy bar that had 5 different flavors under the same wrapper. Dad introduced me to the unforgettable aroma of a humble Mulligan Stew...acting like it was a sirloin steak. My Dad insisted we get a puppy, even though money was tight, because a puppy would grow into a beloved family dog that would give years of love and companionship. I could go on and on with similar examples.

I've watched various friends and acquaintances get caught up in what they feel they must have to live their lives. I've seen how easily these friends get bored and how they fail to appreciate all the small, though never insignificant, things that I was taught to savor. I owe this positive state-of-mind to my Dad. He was a man who was the epitome of young-at-heart, never losing his child-like wonder. His life was a spirited tap dance that he performed with gusto.

Hiccup. Below are some pics of some things I've been working on of late.

A pair of EZ mocassin socks for the BOOK. Indigo dyed. Chakra inspired. Speaking of the BOOK, there's been an editorial addition. Tech Editor: Jofran Pastor. WoooooooHoooooo! We're moving forward!!!


A very textured EZ watchcap. See this past post for tips regarding the fiber prep for the novelty handspun created: Striated Blending Using Mini Combs; Slubs On Purpose; EZ's Hand To Hand Pullover; Funky Faroese Socks; Leslie's Half-Gloves; and 3 Fiberish Stories. Please eagerly anticipate the BOOK for directions on spinning and knitting.

As I was knitting the thick 'n thin watchcap above, I realized that I was short on the lightest color. Out came the fibers, mini combs and eventually I found myself at the spinning wheel again. The above pic shows how the yarn looked in its wash water. Kind of reminded me of something intestinal. Chris walked by and said it reminded him of tripe. Now dear readers this yarn looks nothing like tripe. And if someone should know this fact, it's Chris.

Attempting To Impress Your Wife By Ordering Tripe

When Chris and I were newly married in the early 80's, we used to like to bop over to Ann Arbor, Michigan for an occasional get-away from our Hamtramck apartment. To this day we feel at home in the hippie, progressive, atmosphere a college town like Ann Arbor can offer. (Alas, perhaps Ann Arbor has changed since then...Michiganders, what's Ann Arbor like now?) On one such occasion Chris decided to treat me to dinner at a fancy restaurant instead of the earthy, whole grain bakeries and vegetarian establishments that we usually haunted for a quick bite.

As I was pondering the menu, Chris made up his mind rather quickly. "Tripe," he said confidently. Tripe? What the hell's that? Chris said he heard it was a fabulous delicacy. I ordered something less exotic. Something I was already familiar with.

When the meals arrived, the tripe looked like that sheet of foam-like plastic that you put under the lid of your laptop when you close it.

My meal was lovely...even tho' I can't remember all these years later what exactly it was that I ate. Chris had a look that I seen repeated many times over the course of our marriage when a meal he had ordered was less than appealing. Yep, Chris has a penchant for ordering crappy meals. I've seen this so much that I've ceased to pity him on this count.

Tripe (according to Wikipedia): Beef tripe is usually made from only the first three of a cow's stomachs, the rumen (blanket/flat/smooth tripe), the reticulum (honeycomb and pocket tripe), and the omasum (book/bible/leaf tripe). Abomasum (reed) tripe is seen much less frequently, owing to its glandular tissue content. Tripe is also produced from sheep, goats, and pigs. Unwashed (or "green") tripe includes some of the stomach's last content, smells very unappetizing and is unsuitable for human consumption, but is a favorite of many dogs and other carnivores and is often used in dog food. It is called green, although its colour is often brown or grey, because of its high chlorophyll content from undigested grass. For human consumption, tripe must be washed and meticulously cleaned.

Heaven only knows what kind of tripe Chris ate.

I'm guessing there are some of you out there who like tripe. If so, feel free to sing its praises in the comment section on this blog. Or not.

I'm knitting a jacket with the naturally dyed handspun above. If you go to this post, Four-Ply Cabled Yarn & Improvising, you'll find out what fibers the yarn is created with.

Janelle, the BOOK's illustrator, is going to create an icon to alert readers when they come to the spider's life "Ponderings" sections. Janelle needed a pic to help her with her drawing for such an icon and what you see above is Jenny The Thinker. Janelle got the spider thinking about a phrase Janelle is fond of: "Don't chap my ass"...meaning, "Don't piss me off." Janelle knows Jenny likes sayings...especially the off-color ones she's never heard of. The spider has been known to jot down blue Yiddish sayings said by students in her workshops... Just look in her teacher's notes-to-self if you don't believe this. It's my love of words, I tell ya!
(My editors are gonna love how I change tenses and even my own name throughout a paragraph...heh, heh)

Hiccup. Those Lunar Ladies have been at it again. This time, sadly sans Leslie, they met at the Brattleboro Food Co-op in Brattleboro, VT for dinner and chat. Jenna wore a snazzy hat made by a friend of her's (Jenna...let us know the particulars of how folks can get their own cool hat, please...).

Jenna, blinded in her delightful hat.

E donning Jenna's hat.

Maureen, forever hiding her face...BUT showing off a pretty ring...and wearing Jenna's hat.


And the spider...cleavage, Jenna's hat, and all...

Hiccup.

The fiber prep techie portion of this post will deal with two breeds of wool, white-ish CVM (California Variegated Mutant) and dark grey Shetland. Viking combs (2-pitch to be exact) are the featured fiber prep tool.

Above you'll find greasy locks of CVM gifted to me by a student who was in my first ever (back in '98!) Harrisville Designs "Learn To Spin" course, Peg Sorensen. A very nice article that spoke of Peg and her sheep can be found here: California Variegated Mutant Sheep by John Hibma. I am about to scour the locks keeping them in lock formation. Please see past post for info on this scouring technique: Scouring Fleece To Keep Lock Formation.

CVM wool fleece scoured, but still wet. Note the very light grey fibers running like a band through the locks.

Dried CVM on the left and dried Shetland (more on the Shetland wool in a bit...) on the right. The fleeces dried in plant trays lined with towels.

Viking combs, shown below, are fiber prep tools that come in a pair. They are simple, often hand-held, combs with very sharp tines. Please do not use these combs around kids, cats or parakeets. Always lay combs down flat (tines parallel to table) when not using one or the other. Always store such combs away safely. Do not comb with Viking's if you are tired or weary or out-of-sorts...those tines are deadly and need your full attention.

Being combs, the Viking variety produces "top"...which is a fiber preparation that removes the crud and short fibers, and leaves only the longest fibers. These long fibers lie parallel to each other, and because you are producing the top yourself, there's lots of luxurious air left around the individual fibers (as opposed to commercially prepared top which may be condensed due to packaging). Home-prepared top can make for a truly fantastic spinning experience and resulting yarn. Just thinking about it is enough to make me drool!

For some of the other types of combs that have been discussed on this blog, go to the past posts: English Wool Combing; Navajo 3-Plying On A Spindle; Leslie's Onion Skin Dyed Cardigan; Bobble-Cuff Socks; NYC Peace Of Mind, and Striated Blending Using Mini Combs; Slubs On Purpose; EZ's Hand To Hand Pullover; Funky Faroese Socks; Leslie's Half-Gloves; and 3 Fiberish Stories.

Two-pitch Viking combs, shown above, have two rows of tines. I also own two pairs of one-pitch Viking combs...one pair with the tines set close together and one pair with the tines set farther apart. The two-pitch tend to do a more thorough job than either of the other pairs I have, and can handle quite fine fibers...but they also produce more waste because of it. The closer the tines are, the easier it is to do a good job with finer fibers. Therefore, the one-pitch Vikings with the tines set farther apart are good with coarser fleeces. The one-pitch with the tines set closer do a decent-ish job with the mid-range fleeces...those that are not too fine, nor overly coarse. Do you need the three pairs that I own? Probably not. If I had to do over again, I could probably cut out the one-pitch that are close together. That said, it's nice to present all three for use to students taking my fiber prep workshops.

I've been told that these combs are considered "Viking" style because something like them was found in a bog said to date back to Viking times. The joke that's often told is that the originals didn't come with directions, so we'll just have to do the best we can...

All of my Viking-style combs are made by Indigo Hound. You can find them at many of the major fiber equipment suppliers. Indigo Hound's Viking combs are generally reasonably priced, not as aesthetically pretty as other Vikings perhaps, but well-made and able to withstand much use.


The above pic will give you an idea of the average lock length of the CVM that I'm working with.

This first set of pics will show me demonstrating the Viking's as hand-held combs. I tend to like to alternate lashing on the butts of the locks for one layer and the tips with the next layer, etc. Or I sometimes don't pay attention to locks and butts at all, especially if I haven't scoured keeping lock formation. If you DO like to keep all the butts going one way or t'other, then scouring keeping lock formation will help you to stay on track. When I lash on, I try to let only a wee bit of fiber stick out beyond the tines on the handle end. In other words, the bulk of the fiber will hang off the end opposite of the handle.

Above I am lashing on the butt ends for the first layer.

Now I'm about to lash on the tip ends for the second layer. Etc...

Usually I don't like to put more than 1/2 of the height of the tines worth of fiber on the Viking combs. Any more than this and combing will become difficult and unwieldy. In fact, with this very highly crimped CVM, I would have liked a tad less fiber...you'll see what I mean below...

For clarity's sake, let's call the comb that's holding the fiber the "stationary" comb and the comb that does the actual combing, the "working" comb, eh? Otherwise, the combs are exactly like each other...in other words, you can use either one for either job as you set out...unlike a situation where a spinner likes to label and use their hand cards as "right" and "left," possibly with each hand card having their own, specific job(s) to do.

Before combing, I like to raise the fiber off the base of the comb a bit, in order to make the process easier.

A gentle spritz of plain water cuts down on static. Beware of too much water or it'll feel like your combing a wet, drippy, sheep.

The combing process begins...first, a top-view showing how the tines of the stationary comb holding the fibers need to be perpendicular to the tines that are "working" (doing the combing). Begin by going through just the tips of the fiber with the working comb. I've used this analogy before, but it's worth repeating: If you were to comb through a child's hair, you wouldn't start at the root, would you?!!! No sireee! You'd surely begin with the ends/tips. As you continue combing, dig deeper...a little at a time...into the fibers. The fiber on the stationary comb will transfer to the working comb as you continue combing.

Here's a side-view as the combing proceeds. Note that you should NOT comb towards your body at any point during the procedure, but that the combs MUST be perpedicular to each other in order for all to go smoothly.


More combing. Here's where I wish I would have had a little less CVM wool on the comb to begin with... Eeesh.

Please make sure you make a complete pass after each time the working comb digs into the fibers of the stationary comb.


Nearly all the fiber is now off the stationary comb and onto the working comb. Please note that it doesn't matter whether the stationary comb is in the right or left hand. Just stay consistent.

Look at that furrowed brow of mine! This is serious business!!! But fun!!!

Crud (not much) and short fibers left in the stationary comb.

To continue combing, the working comb now becomes the stationary comb 'cause it's holding all the fibers. And the beat goes on...

More combing...

And another top-view.

Here's what the CVM looks like after two, complete run-throughs. I could continue or stop here. If I continue, there will be more waste and less short fibers/crud. Your choice. I stopped here in order to get on with showing you how to take off the fibers from the comb.

I don't have another pic of this, but begin by lifting the fibers off the base of the comb a bit for ease of removal.

Holding the comb firmly in one hand, gather the fibers 'til they look like a goat's beard. Be sure you get all of them, leaving no stray fibers hanging outside of your grasp. First, pinch with your thumb on top and draw out about 1/4 - 1/2 an average staple length of fiber.

Next, pinch the goat's beard with your thumb on the side and draw out the same as above.

Thumb on top again...

Thumb on side again... Etc., etc., etc..... Lookee that top hanging down off the comb...woo-wee baby!

Once the top is off the comb, I like to pre-draft (keeping hand separation just a bit beyond an average staple length...see length between thumbs).

Then I might split the top in half (not vertically...but actually the halves being a top and bottom). If you do this, take the two halves and hold them together and pre-draft again.

Hand-picking out a nep (short fiber) left behind. If I had combed more, I could have removed the few that were left.

The combed CVM top!

Winding a CVM nest.


The finished CVM nest for temporary storage. If you're interested in more detailed info on how to wind a nest, you'll find it here. Yes, I know that I linked to this post already twice this time 'round, but hey...there's a whole lotta info in each post!!!!

Hiccup...but still using the same, 2-pitch, Viking combs. This time, a different fiber will be combed...Shetland...along with an additional "helper" tool...the Pris Pad.


The Pris Pad is a wooden slab that holds the Viking "stationary" comb without using your hand to do so. I'm told it was named after Priscilla Gibson-Roberts who developed it. The Pris Pad has two dowels that keep the Viking comb from moving sideways and a metal dowel that fits into the hole of the handle. A cork or stopper is placed over the metal dowel in order to keep the comb from flying off the pad. A C-clamp, preferably two (I could only find one in the house for some reason!), will hold the Pris Pad in place.

The pretty Shetland that's loaded onto the comb above is "Avocado," from Kathleen Meek's Maybelle Farm. Avocado was a fleece that was divided up amongst members of the
River Spinners in Brattleboro, VT. I scoured my portion of Avocado keeping lock formation, as shown with the CVM earlier. For more information on the beautiful Shetland fleeces available at Maybelle Farm, contact Kathleen at: maybellefarm@hotmail.com or call 802-896-6218.

When using the Pris Pad, load fibers just as you did when hand-holding the Viking combs.

Before you comb, consider lifting the fibers off the base a bit. Doing so will make the combing much easier.

Proceed to comb as previously explained when using the CVM. Remember to keep the tines perpendicular to each other!

Digging deeper into the fiber as the combing continues.

Once all the fiber is off the stationary comb and onto the working comb, there will be waste (short fibers and possibly crud) left on the stationary comb. Take the short fibers and any crud off. Save it, if you like, for a textured yarn. Or use as mulch, stuffing for toys, etc. You're choice.

Now here's where the combing technique when using a Pris Pad can part company with that of using the Vikings completely hand-held. If you'd like, you can leave the stationary comb as is on the Pris Pad. To proceed, the working comb (now holding all the fiber) will continue combing by laying the fibers onto the stationary comb in a vertical fashion. This is exactly what was shown in the past post using English combs: English Wool Combing; Navajo 3-Plying On A Spindle; Leslie's Onion Skin Dyed Cardigan; Bobble-Cuff Socks; NYC Peace Of Mind.

It's important to understand that...instead of the scenario above... you could just remove the empty comb that's now on the Pris Pad and replace it with the once-working comb that's presently holding the fiber (this comb with the fiber will become the new stationary comb and obviously the other comb will become the new working comb). In this way, you can continue with horizontal combing, eliminating vertical combing altogether.

It's hard to see the vertical combing in a pic (as opposed to the action of a video or in-person), but the working comb that's holding the fiber is actually laying fibers onto the stationary comb by travelling from top to bottom (not horizontally as when the fibers were on the stationary comb).

More vertical combing.

Short fibers and crud left from two go-throughs (one horizontal and one vertical). Again, I could have continued combing, with this next time travelling horizontally again, but know that if I did there would be more waste. I felt the fiber looked pretty darn good and figured it was time to draw off the top. When to stop combing really is totally up to you!

Because I'm using the Pris Pad to hold the stationary comb as I draw off the top, I have chosen to use a diz (a concave/convex disk that has a hole or slot in it). The diz above is decidedly not lovely...it's made of ucky pvc plastic. There is a rather large-ish slot in the diz and I have chosen this diz because I want a thicker...rather than thinner...top this time. I chose to make a thicker top because I'm thinking about eventually spinning a thicker, bulkier yarn with it. But more on the spinning in a future post... To see more detailed info on the use of a diz, see the past post : English Wool Combing; Navajo 3-Plying On A Spindle; Leslie's Onion Skin Dyed Cardigan; Bobble-Cuff Socks; NYC Peace Of Mind. Yes, yes...am linking to this post again... The diz slot is sooo big, I don't need anything, no crochet hook or bent paperclip or anything, to help me get the beginning of fiber through it.

Beginning to draw off the Shetland top. Draw out 1/4 - 1/2 of an average staple length.

Gently nudging the diz forward, towards the stationary comb, after drafting the 1/4 -1/2 of an average staple length. Continue...alternating with the drafting and the nudging..

Drawing off the last of the top.

Ooops! A thin spot caused by drafting out beyond 1/4 - 1/2 an average staple length. Not necessarily a major problem tho'. You can always break there when you pre-draft the top or break and rejoin when you're spinning.

Pretty "Avocado" Shetland wool top!

You can proceed, if you like, by pre-drafting the top...or not...do as you wish.

A nest of Avocado.

There's a good chance that the CVM top and the Avocado top will be spun into a yarn for a knitted head band. Hmmmm. We'll see...

Hiccup.

On Ravelry I chatted a bit about silk spinning and I thought that maybe my blog readers who didn't see it might find the info useful. Here goes. Know that some folks were talking about putting lots of twist into their silk yarns... I responded by writing:
I'd like to give an alternate opinion on how much twist is needed for silk yarn, be it spun on a spindle or a wheel...not wishing to confuse or be contrary, but coming from the standpoint that I've seen an awful lot of waaayyyyy overtwisted silk yarn grounded on the well-meaning advice that silk needs a lot of twist. It's a fine line between silk having enough twist and having too much...and a high ratio whorl size can put too much twist in, *quick as a wink*, before the beginning or even more advanced silk spinner realizes it's being done! As a lover of spinning silk for handknitting I can say that I use oftentimes the largest or second largest of my regular whorls for most of my silk singles that will be plied for knitting (depends on which wheel I'm using but it may be anywhere from 7:1-11:1 at most). Silk has surprisingly strong individual fibers and the twist added increases this strength. Silk for handspinners is usually cut long of staple (but not always...check average staple length prior to spinning...sometimes it's cut quite short when blended in sliver with a fiber that's short, such as yak or camel down). Twist can indeed enhance the luster of silk, but too much twist will turn the yarn into hard, super-strong rope that's NOT attractive. Yes, silk can be defined as slick and even slippery, but the key to easier/better spinning is not necessarily going down to a smaller-groove whorl size (ie. a higher ratio), *but adjusting the take-up so that you can comfortably spin it without the wheel pulling the singles in an uncomfortably strong fashion before enough twist can build up for stability*. Consider sampling in order to find the whorl size that will put in the amount of twist that will suit the yarn you're dreaming of for your chosen end product...silk yarn for a little purse or bag might have a decidedly different amount of twist than silk yarn used in a scarf. Also, there's that ol' general rule of thumb where the finer the yarn the more twist needed to make a yarn stable; the thicker the yarn the less twist to make a yarn stable...holding true for silk yarns, as well as for other fibers. I like to consider my whorl choices as "comfort" tools, which will help me to put in the amount of twist I need into my yarn...considering whorls in this way is directly related to how fast a spinner likes to treadle and how fast a spinner's hands comfortably work to draft and perform whatever technique the spinner chooses to do. In order to test if a silk singles has enough twist to make it stable (ie. not drift apart), tug just beyond the average staple length or more with both hands going in opposite directions. If you feel slipping of the fibers, add a bit more twist. Also, if the singles are to be plied, do ply-back samples to see if the amount of twist you put into your singles will give you the plied yarn that you are hoping for.

Above you'll see a proud display of my '08 potato and pumpkin plants as they grow and thrive. A few potatoes from last year saw fit to grow in this year's pumpkin patch. Go figure.

Second-year weld...looking oh-so-beautiful. Weld is great to use for natural dyeing, producing a clear yellow with an alum pre-mordant.

Slugs haven't bothered any of the above plants, but they do like to slime up my marigolds if given half the chance. I don't have anywhere near as many slugs as I once had...thankfully...and those that do appear are promptly picked off and thrown into the nearby forest. But what to do about that awful slime that won't wash easily off the hands? I've found that one of the best ways to get the gook off is by rubbing my hands on a dry stone. Works like a charm.

Speaking of gardening, I've been spending one day a week doing a bit of professional gardening. Depending on where this is done, I'm either an under-gardener or a weeder. Jenna says that since I am also now professionally reading Tarot, I'm "a writer, a reader, and a weeder." Say that fast a few times...

Chris said recently it was a bit mysterious what I'm doing gardening-wise. When he picks me up I look like something the cat dragged in and I can't keep my eyes open for more than a minute into the trip home. Let the pic above be proof that I'm no slacker.

Above you'll find a private veggie garden I helped put in. That's Druid in the foreground. She's a peach of a dog, but when she doesn't want to do something, there ain't no budging her. Jenna, head gardener, is in the background dealing with one of those big posts for a fence that will keep the neighborhood dogs from stomping on the peppers, tomatoes, etc.

Hiccup.

I'll end with a situation that Jenna and I found ourselves in recently. We had gone shopping together at the Brattleboro Food Co-op. We were both carrying all sorts of heavy stuff to the car, which was in the parking garage a street over from the Co-op. Jenna was carrying, among other things, a big-dog squash. A man approached us for any spare change we may have. The street we were on was deserted except for the man and we (make that "I") felt it best not to engage in any talk with him since we were about to enter an equally deserted multi-storied, dark, unattended (ok, the police do video-monitor it) parking garage. The man proceeded to follow us closely and badger us, saying very unsavory things. Me...originally from Detroit started to make a bee-line outa there. Jenna, I could feel, was gonna have a bloody conversation with him. I motioned her to follow me. It was hotter than hell and we had to go all the way around the block...uphill...the long way...with the freakin' squash in hand.

Half way 'round the block, we stopped to rest. Here's Jenna with that damn squash.

Jenna asked what I would have used to defend us, if need be? I held up some facial toner and the Emergen-C box. 'course there was also the snapdragon next to me... Geez, I wouldn't want to meet ME in a dark alley looking like that...

Ooosh...almost forgot my second "Dad" story promised...

Who To Put First

Sometime during the first year of my marriage, my Dad gave me some unforgettable advice, that I pass on to others to this day. Having come from a situation where he and Ma lived the first five years of their marriage with my Ma's mother, he said, "You don't EVER want to live with an in-law if you can help it."

Dad went on to say, "Put your husband first. Then your children. Then your relatives." 'course he assumed I'd make sure all was well and good with me to begin with. I found his advice puzzling at first. He clarified his words by saying, "Don't let your children overly manipulate the two of you. As a team, a husband and wife can make the best choices for the family's well-being. If your relatives, including your Ma and me, don't like it...think over whatever choices you've made and if you still feel in your hearts they were the best choices, ignore us!"

'til next time. Happy 4th of July all you USA folks! Happy Canada Day Oh Canadian friends!!