How to make plying exciting, an illustrated guide

Step 1: Wind a plying ball.


becomes


(Nope, this is not the exciting part, just a necessary prep. Fine to do while watching TV as long as you keep the threads aligned).

Step 2: Go hiking with a friendly photographer.



Step 3: Ply off of every cliff you run into while said photographer is busy taking pictures.






Gives a nice long make to even out the twist and adds a bit of excitement to the process. Before you know it...

Tabachek Deluxe Purpleheart Top Whorl

Christmas present from my wonderful mom. Great go-to spindle, steady spin longer than my make no matter what I throw at it.

Purpleheart whorl and hickory shaft
40.0g/1.41oz.
whorl diameter, thick
shaft length , below the whorl
Shaft diameter
Tip to tail

Lovely detail on the purpleheart whorl. Like all Tabachek Deluxes, simply decorated with rings and a gentle slope so it ends up being rim-weighted---the underside is hollowed around the shaft and with a gentle slop to the nicely-rounded edge. The top has an inset, shallow dome carved with concentric rings. The rim slopes sharply in and has more concentric circle detail on the very edge. Altogether a subtle blend of modern and traditional. The purpleheart is a lovely burgundy colour with lighter flecks from the edges of the grain.

Sturdy shaft with just enough grip. Smooth grain running the length of the wood, carved circles and a decorative finial at the bottom. Pleasant to finger-flick and spins like a tornado with a thigh-roll. Lots of room to pack on the yarn. The finial means it would be a pain to use as a bottom-whorl and you can't slip the cop off.

The hook is brass-coloured metal, quite sturdy but if one happens to, say, drop it hook first onto cement it does bend. Easily adjustable with pliers. There are four evenly-spaced shallow grooves around the whorl. Do a fine job of holding the yarn without being at all obtrusive.

The balance and spin are amazing. Has quite a steady spin for longer than my usual make. Great for high-twist yarns of varying thicknesses. Makes a lovely whir with a good thigh roll and is resistant to wobble.

In use:

The Time Will Pass

I would like to stop freaking out about the passage of time. Several times a day I catch myself thinking "crap, it's already 10:30/2/7pm/midnight?" Near any big event I can't believe it's already here, already past. And regularly you can hear me marvel: "Where did the summer/winter/semester go?" (Okay, not so much on the winter. Usually the winter lasts long enough that I think its time has come long before it's over.)

Being aware of the passage of time is not a bad thing, but freaking out over it is. Yes, it's already 10:30am. You know what? It will be 9am again tomorrow. The issue isn't what time it is, the issue is whether or not in this moment I'm doing what I mean to be doing. Sure, time matters---deadlines, meeting times, big events. But there's always more of it until the moment there isn't, and nothing I can do will save it or store it or even make it pass more quickly. The only real solution is to savour what I have. That includes refusing to mourn time poorly spent---that's time that's past, and there's a wealth ahead of me to experience.

The prodigal returns

Joel has come back to me after a successful whirlwind trip to the mountains. He saw a grizzly with three cubs, and a pine marten. Both new things.

At one point this evening Mickle was at the door meowling her disappointment. She came when I called to her and jumped on the couch, but she didn't really settle in. I was knitting and thus my lap was unavailable. I suspect her of missing Joel, who is the prime cuddler.

Both cats went trotting to the door when they heard the key in the lock. Now they're sprawled near by. All is well in the household.

Tracy Eichheim Nhewt's Dragon Spindle

The dragon spindle---huge whorl, surprisingly light, fantastic for plying. Bought in a destash from sinnamongirl.

Baltic birch whorl with walnut ring, spindle construction details here.
Baltic birch shaft (pretty sure).
2oz (need to weigh once emptied)
4 1/8" whorl diameter (10.5cm), 1/2" (1.3cm) thick
Shaft 11.5", 10.5" below the whorl (29/26cm)
Shaft 3/16" diameter (9mm)
12 1/2" tip to tail

Beautiful dragon motif cut by scroll saw in two wafers of baltic birch plywood to form a truly rim-weighted whorl. The dragon cut-out means you can see your fibre through the whorl, which is always fun. The wood has a lovely golden hue and the walnut detailing around the rim is a nice touch. Plain, no-nonsense shaft with light rings at the bottom for group---would probably still allow for moving the cop off.

The hook is relatively tiny---still plenty big enough to secure the yarn and easy to slip in and out of. It is very secure. There's a very subtle groove in the whorl, not even 2mm deep. The whorl is so large that for 4 ounces of fibre it didn't come close to slipping out. Will be interesting to see how it works with a larger batch.

Well balanced, has a small brass pin on the underside for balance. Spins fast and long. With a good thigh-roll will spin much farther than I can reach, especially when plying. Makes you want to find a handy cliff.


Detail shots:



In use:


Live action:


More Flickr pics
Tracy Eichheim Spindle Shop

Threads Through Time Medium Turkish

Bought in a destash from Knitzphat. Beautiful, good spinner, but darnit, I can't get the hang of the turkish. Destashing.

Bloodwood shaft, tulipwood arms.
1.6 oz (45 g)
4" arms (10.5cm), 7" (18cm) shaft length

The tulipwood arms have beautiful pinkish-red figuring against the peachy-yellow wood. The bloodwood shaft has a rich, even colour. The shaft tapers gently from the below the whorl and ends in a cone with a slight lip. The shaft is about 1/2"/1.3cm at the widest point to 3/16"/3mm right below the cap. The bottom tapers with a blunted point tip on bottom that I suspect means it could be used supported. The shaft is sturdy overall.

Fairly centre-weighted spin with good balance. The inset arm is quite thin and the middle of the bracing arm is relatively thick. Everything slips together and apart easily, but seemed to stay secure once a few wraps were on. The lip of the cone on top holds yarn secure while still being reasonably easy to flick the half-hitch off.

I spun white BFL and a merino/silk blend on it. Couldn't figure out how to flick it fast enough for my satisfaction. Too bad, because it's a beautiful little spindle.

Bare:


In use:


Original Etsy listing
More Flickr Pics

July Blogfest

In honour of Camp NaNoWriMo I am declaring July blogfest month. A blog post a day, at least on one of the blogs. You will notice from this epic inaugural post just how half-assed I am allowing myself to be. But we have to start somewhere.

To the blogosphere and beyond!