a little bit of everything

So a little free time this morning, the youngest is to her playgroup, and the eldest is in school. I could start on ironing or cleaning, but somehow that feels as a waste of those 2 hours... so i better write a new blog to show you what i've been up to.

Last week was filled with all sorts of things, on tuesday there was a big fabric market overhere. And i have a wonderfull old chair, my mom got from a beautifull hotel. I found an older picture online of a bedroom in the hotel with  chairs like mine! I love this style chairs, and they are really comfy!

Once before i changed the fabric on the chair, but our cat decided it was the perfect place for his claws.... so on the fabric market there was a man selling last years collection for 10 euro's per meter.
I preferred a flower design, but that wasn't for sale. So i finally choose something else with a little help from my youngest. And it took a little time and mussle power...

but now the chair looks great again... untill i will find the most beautifull floral fabric.. and yes we do need to tell the cat he can't put his claws in it again. But luckely i have 2 little volunteers who are very keen on telling hem NO!!

I also did some spinning. A little while ago i got an order in with nunoco, a beautifull etsy shop filled with batts and blends in amazing colors!!
They also sell harmony packs, color themed, filled with tops, silk noil, silks, blends, firestar. Perfect for playing with blendingboards or carders.

I orderd a harmony pack in the colorway mizzle. It contains soft purples, grey, magenta, and also a linen blend.

 

 

the right one on the picture, the left one is a rockpool colorway merino pack.

 

So one night i spend with my blendingboard making rolags. And after that started spinning. I used the spindles my dad made me.

 

 

I tried to spin a bit thicker, not really worked out..

So i ended up with a big plying ball, i don't enjoy plying on spindles at all, so i got my spinningwheel.

After plying i decided it was still to thin for what i wanted so i started knitting with 2 strands.... what i was knitting? Well somehow i managed to wash both of my handspun hats in the washingmachine, they probably played hide and seek in the dirty laundery, or they were helped by a little 3 year old?
Anyway i got 2 warm winter hats which probably will fitt one of the dolls in this house....
So i'm knitting a new hat :) very warm and soft and long enough to cover my ears :)

And i really like, but i'm not sure which side i like best....

So goes for the cardigan i'm knitting, i'm always more of the stockinette knitside, but this time i think i like the inside better...

 

 

Yesterday the girls and i were enjoying some crafty time with polymer clay, the eldest made beads and the youngest made some ''dolls''. I however made some new spindles. Just simple ones made of a short double pointed knitting needle and a piece of clay. They spin very well!

 So last night i started on a batt from nunoco. A so called batt dropping, i really like those. You never know what you're going to get, they are made from leftover bits and pieces. And suprises in the mail are always great fun! I really like this one, black wool fiber mixed with soysilk and silk noils!

coming weeks i'm going to make 2 packages, in about 2,5 weeks the annual meet of the dutch spinners group is taking place. It's actually a whole weekend, but i'm only going on saturday. A wonderfull day filled with fiber, spinningwheels, workshops, a market and offcourse lots of spinningfriends!

And with a little group we're doing a fiberswap. You make a package with 4x25 (or 5x20 grams) samples of different fibers and you'll recieve a similar package of someone else. Great fun to try new fibers, and new colorways. A bit like phat fiber but in a free version.

So now i'm going to drink a cup of tea... hopeing you'll have a wonderfull day!!

more spindles....

Monday i told about my dad, he is really getting into the whole woodturning thing. He has loads of tools, which makes woodworking a lot easyer. All i own is a saw and a hammer and a couple of screwdrivers.

I shows him some pictures of spindles. And he thought i he could make spindles which have wood combinations for the whorls.
He glued multiple types of wood together and then turned them into spindles, and i really have to say he has done an amazing job!!!

He made me 3 spindles, 2 light ones, and one a bit heavier. They all spin great, no problem with the balance.

I can't tell you all the different kinds of woods he used in the spindles, but i do recognise oak, cherry and beech! 


Here we go, number one, a slightly heavier spindle, oak cherry and a shaft is beech. Spins like a dream. Very fine single noticable on the shaft. 
I really like the shape of this spindle!

oh in case you're wondering the fiber is from the Enchanted Knoll Farm, it's a merino tussahsilk blend, in the colorway cleopatra. Supersoft and a delight to spin it!! I got it from a friend from ravelry!

Here are some more pictures. I do say we just got a new camera, and we don't get along very well yet. It's very different from my old one... all the pictures were made at the same time... although the pictures don't show that!

The second spindle, this is a very light and very fast spinner, with a little beehive whorl, it's made out of 5 different sorts of wood. Again cherry and oak and beech.
I really like the fast spin on this one!!

woohoo that fiber really pops off the screen, doens't it? I got it from another ravelry friend Marvelknits, we are both in a fiberswap group.
The idea behind the group is, you have in the USA the phatfiber box, in the U.K you have the fiberholics box. Both are great, but add the shippingcosts and from the USA the possible extra custom fees, those are quite expensive bits of fiber. So i started a small group on ravelry, and we now did 2 rounds. Everybody tells how many packages they want to make with 4x25 grams or 5x 20 grams, and then the swapping begins. Batts, top, roving, rolags everything can be in there. The last time was great fun because we were all present on the annual day of the spinning guild here in the Netherlands. So we all recieved great presents.  one of mine was this fiber. Something i would never buy, due to the neon colors. But i must admit, i really like it!!! It's so much fun spinning those bright and happy colors, with cool colors changes. And those sparkles make it even more fun! I'm guessing it's BFL.
It's dyed by another ravelista, her etsy shop is no longer open, so i can't link her.



But oh wait i was supposed to show you the spindles...

 

 

 

 



And last but not least, a no fuss spindle, with a good balance, nice woodgrain in the shaft. Also a light spindle, just how i like them!!



I'd say my dad has found a good new hobby as spindlemaker!! And i can tell you he is planning to make so more with tulipwood!! I will keep you posted!

Lathe

I guess two years ago i really wanted to try to make my own spindles. I started out with some branches and special knife. the results weren't very good because the balance was hard to get right.
So when i was browsing, there was a show model lathe with a discount. I decided to buy it.

I really enjoyed the whole process, learning  wood turning. I made quite a few spindles. But it turned out that a family with small children en wood turning don't go well together.
The lathe was in our small shed, so no heating, no place for powertools, so i was limited in my options. And it does produce noise, so turning after the girls went to bed wasn't a very good option either.

So a few months ago i decided to sell my lathe.
But i did learn i can turn wood, eventhough i never had  a class or anything. And it's really cool to see something form into shape with every move of your hand. And safer for my fingers... with the special wood carving knife i actually cut into my finger, and the feeling is still gone on one side...

But when i told my dad he immediately told me he wanted to buy the lathe.
That was a nice surprise, knowing it would stay in the family!
So the lathe, all my wood and tools went to my parents house.

My dad told me he would try to make me some spindles..... and he did!!!

 

unknown white fiber with sparkle

 

 

Soybean top dyed by Mandacrafts colorway peacock

Aren't they great!!! He glued 4 different kinds of woods together, before cutting them. They both spin good, i can spin thin singles on them.

He also helped me out, with another thing.
A while ago i contacted a talented spinning top (the toys) maker, if he could make me a supported spindle. We emailed back and forth about sizes. It tooks weeks but finally a package came. And he clearly didn't understand cause they were HUGE!!! And heavy, with a hook?! Not the idea of a supported spindle.

What to do next?! I asked my dad to downsize them, the wood was really nice, it would be a shame to not try t make something from it.

And look

He made a little copper point, and they do spin really fast!

So quite a lot to add to the collection off spindles...