Thank you to everyone who played along!!!For the past few years I have been doing an annual giveaway to celebrate the Tour de Fleece. This coincides with the Tour de France and runs from July 4th to July 26th. Spinners around the world set goal/challenges for themselves and spin during the tour. I am usually a part of Team Golden Willow but this year I have also joined Team Canada. Check out their awesome logo! Anyways, onto the reason you are here - prizes! This year I have rounded up a couple goodies and made a few packages you could win. Spinners Prize: Winner is Lisa!A collection of some of the worlds finest fibres; 2 oz of Merino/Cashmere, a little batt of Angora/Silk (50/50), a Phil Powell supported spindle, a sample of Soak Wash in the Lacey scent and a nice little handmade spindle bag to hold it all. Book Lovers Prizes:I also have 3 books from my collection up for grabs: To be entered to win one of these prizes, please leave a comment below about what you would do with any one of these prizes. You can gain extra entries by heading over to my Facebook page and sharing/commenting on this post about my giveaway, re-posting the giveaway picture on Instagram, Retweeting my post on Twitter and pinning my TdF post on Pinterest. Easy stuff. I will be making the draws on Monday July 27th around 7:00 Sask time. Watch my Facebook Page to see if you won.
Thanks and let's get spinning!
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Maker: Wayne Capar of Natural Knot Wood Designs Weight: 12 g / .42 oz Length: 3.5" Shaft, 3" Arms Style: Turkish Spindle Material: Shaft: Walnut Arms: Olivewood I am back, and trying to dive right into my spindle reviews once again. I have lots of skeins spun and lots of spindles in line so let's get started. My sample is grey Merino from Inglenook Fibers in the Rose Window colourway. I got 12 yards navajo plyed. I have said it before and I will say it again, the teeny tiny turkish spindles have always left me raising one eyebrow and giving the half-assed response of "oh that's cute....". They have never interested me in the least. That is until I saw this little beauty at the Manitoba Fibre Festival last year. Even in my mind I was saying "but Susie these things are ridiculous, you don't even like turkish spindles and really how much yarn could you fit on one of those spindles?" Luckily I ignored my inner voice and gave these a try. As mentioned above, this spindle is quite small and I can fit it inside a little Tetley tea tin and put the lid on. Because of it's size, I was able to spin in the car during red lights on my way home from work yesterday without any difficulty. Not that I do that often, but I would not be able to sit in the car and spin with many of my other suspended spindles. The wood pretty much sold me on getting this particular one. It glows! I also appreciated that Wayne talked to me about the wood when I was buying it, it showed his enthusiasm for his work. They come in their own padded box with all the details on weight/materials etc and this shows how he takes pride in his spindles. The arms have a nice curve to them, not chunky and not dainty. You can feel they have a nice weight distribution and with the shaft wedged in place there isn't a lot of movement. The pieces fit perfectly together, like a puzzle, but not too tight. The shaft is simple but well thought out. It feels strong and isn't too pointy. The butt end is rounded and bulbous and the tip is tapered with a nice little groove in it to hold your half hitch in place. I had big issues with half hitch's when I first started out with spindles several years ago. This spindle takes the frustration out of the whole ordeal of your yarn slipping off. If you wanted, you could definitely use this spindle supported with a shallow bowl. I may try that next. I am still quite slow using turkish spindles and I had to look up how to wrap the spun singles around the arms to create a centre pull ball. (I did over 2, under 1, which I beleive is the most common method). To be honest, it was kind of refreshing to slow down a bit, think about what I was doing and enjoy the process. I was able to go faster after the first little while and even plied the yarn on this spindle with no troubles. There are a lot of different winding techniques to try and get as much yarn on a turkish spindle as you can. I would like to try a few more out to see which method I prefer. If you have any tips for me, let me know in the comments :) This spindle didn't spin as long as I was hoping but because of its weight - or lack thereof it made sense. Once I put more spun yarn on it, that helped. The underside of the spindle has the spindle makers name (written in sharpie - a pet peeve) but it is done fairly neatly and doesn't take away from the spindle's beauty. You can also see in this picture what the underside of the cop looks like using the over 2 under 1 wrapping technique. My finished yarn came out to be more of a sport weight but you could produce some very fine yarns with this spindle, and I believe that you could get some decent yardage on this tiny turkish. You can spin the spindle by grasping the butt end of the shaft or spinning the tip in your fingers, which I found easier to get better momentum. I had posted about these little spindles on my Facebook page as a Daily Inspiration the other day. While looking through others' pictures of their Turkish's, I saw a little triangle bag that someone had used to house their spindle and a bit of fibre for travel. This is on my to do list. These make great travel spindles and are very compact if you take them apart and they will only take up about 1.5" of space. Spindle rating: Length of spin: 19.8 seconds (average of three tests) Fibre storage ability: TBD but better then you might think Looks: You can't help but giggle at them but the grain in the arms is to die for Overall Rating: 9.0/10 I'll admit they are still kind of ridiculous but I'm enthralled by this one. I plan on buying a medium sized Capar spindle this year at the Manitoba Fibre Festival and think this maker has changed my view of turkish spindles. They aren't sluggish and awkward. A huge bonus is having a centre pull ball at the end all ready for plying. I'm going to take this spindle, and spin some more yarn on it and practice my winding techniques. I hope that if you haven't tried one of the few tiny Turkish spindles on the market yet, that you give them some consideration and you too might surprise yourself. I added a couple new skeins to my shop this week; Hang Ten and Earth Mother. Click on the pictures to be taken to their listing.
I was also very excited because I was the Wool Judge for their Fleece Show. We had 13 entries in Medium/Down wools, Long wools and Speciality wools. Surprisingly nothing in the fine category. I saw GORGEOUS coloured fleeces from jet black, to grey and soft browns. The first place winners were Shetland/Texel (Speciality), Wensleydale (Long) and a Polypay/Romney cross (Medium/Down). This is a picture of me with the Grand Champion Fleece with a score of 97% - Wensleydale and the Reserve Champion Fleece with a score of 95.5% - Coloured Cotswold. This Cotswold fleece was the most popular in the auction. Thank you to Gail and Susan who organized the event, Val for the delicious pies and to everyone who came out! I hope to see you all very soon!
I have been working on spindling the kit I got from Spin Off Magazine. The project I have in mind is the FFSSA Sheep and Spindle Fair Isle Hat by Theresa Gygi I've finished with the Falkland on my Bosworth spindle and for the first time was successful with Andean plying. Yes, my middle finger turned purple but i was proud of myself for winding all the yarn off and into a bracelet with no tangles or any issues at all. After plying I got 129 yards of fingering weight yarn. Onto the Yak which I am going to use my Malcolm FIelding Dervish for. More pics to come! Now that Sask Fashion Week is over, I have been back spinning and making yarn for the upcoming Blue Hills Fibre Festival in Carberry, Manitoba. I will be judging the wool show and selling some of my work in their market. I have been adding new yarns to my Etsy shop everyday up until next weekend. I have a lot more planned so keep your eyes peeled. You can also follow me on Facebook or Instagram to get instant updates.
In case you missed it (and all the surprises) here is the video feed from Saskatchewan Fashion Week's Friday Finale with 22 Fresh, Sova and Dean Renwick Design Studio to finish off the evening. Dean's Collection starts at about the 17 minute mark.
For the past 2 months I have been knitting like a fiend for designer Dean Renwick's Fall Collection for Sask Fashion Week. I bound off my last item yesterday and now I am eagerly looking forward to Friday May 8th for the big night! Here is a clip that was on the news today with Dean talking about what he will be bringing to the show. He has some wonderful words to say about my work :)
I have a new pattern up on Ravelry called the Cosmic Cozy. I knit it with super bulky yarn and big needles. I have been binge watching X-Files so that could be my inspiration for the shape of this bed. You can find the pattern here, and here is a link to my project page on Ravelry
The rat's used as my models are named Isabella and Grace and they were very cute little girls. I was very happy that Bryn - their "mom" let me come over for a photoshoot with little notice. My sister Nancy Morrison of Landlocked Design took all the photo's and did a wonderful job! This cozy was listed as a "Fab Freebie" pattern in Issue 92 of Let's Knit Magazine!! Jeremy and I were in Winnipeg during the Easter long weekend to celebrate his 40th birthday - and to be honest the real reason we drove all that way is because the best German restaurant in the world is there.
On our way back home we stopped in to visit Gerry Oliver and her glorious sheep. She is the woman I am working with in All Things Wool. We met at the Manitoba Fibre festival in 2013. Her flock consists of Cotswold, Romney, Wensleydale, Polypay and crosses within. She raises sheep for their superior fibre quality and the dispositions of her animals is also testament to the care and love she puts into her farm. I took a few pictures while I was there so I will shut up and just let you check them out :) I enjoyed this slow process. It was very gratifying when I finished spinning and was able to start plying. To make my plying ball I wound the yarn from each spindle into my ball winder. I used my spindle bowl and help my spindles carefully to get all the spun singles off. I plied this skein on my brand new I Love Spindlez spindle that my friend Kat's husband made. I've already been thinking about my next spindle project. I'm leaning towards a gradient :D
I've updated my logo slightly. I wanted a more natural look, and the colours in the Venn diagram are of actual sheep - including the blackish outline. This also creates a more unisex label to attach to my handknits. The font was and always is the hardest part. After looking through hundreds and hundreds of fonts which start to make "Knit Natural" look misspelled I think this one looks good on all accounts. I was going to use my own handwriting and make it into a font, but who wants to read that chicken scratch? I originally decided on the Venn Diagram because it encompasses everything I was looking for. By definition, these circles represent a collaboration of ideas or concepts which as a whole can come together or not. I am a spinner, knitter, crocheter, weaver, designer and more and I incorporate parts of these skills in each item I make. It is also a simple and clean image and much like my designs or projects I like to keep the "beauty in simplicity" moto in the back of my mind. I am very lucky because my sister Nancy is my graphic designer. Her company is called Landlocked Design and she has done all my graphic work from my banners, tags, stamps, stickers and advertising. I am very lucky to have her expertise on my side. She also looks pretty damn good in Knit Natural! If you are looking for some work done from a simple ad to a full blown redesign of your business this is your girl. She can even tolerate my flip-flopping over every little detail, with re-assurance or new ideas. I am happy to see my business progressing forward and this updated look feels fresh and more centred around a natural theme.
Knit Natural will be on the runway at Sask Fashion Week again this year! I am working with THE Dean Renwick on his Fall 2015 collection. I have chosen the yarn I will use and have started knitting some swatches to get what I am picturing in my mind out and in wool. I have been making my calculations and scraping ideas, making new ones and madly jotting things down. I have less than a month and a half and can't wait for you to see what will be walking down the runway this May. I love knitting for fashion designers. To go from a sketch to a finished piece, creating at every step is very satisfying and to see all my hard work on the runway feels really amazing! I will be casting on this weekend and if you're looking for me - I will be in my studio, focused on my stitches and working with wool. If you have ever thought about seeing what Sask Fashion Week is all about, why not check it out this year? Its quite a show!
For the last 2 months, I have been taking a weaving class put on by a fellow Regina Weavers & Spinners Guild member. I have woven before on my Kessinich Jack loom - but only plain weave. My other handwoven scarves I have done on my rigid heddle loom, but I wanted to learn more in depth about drafts, warping a loom, and designing projects. Our instructor is an amazing weaver and she has woven some wonderful pieces. I was excited for the experience. There were 8 of us in the class and we met at our instructors home for the first 4 classes. When you walk into her living room, she has a beautiful loom set up and we all gravitated towards it. She had her loom warped and was midway through a shawl. Our first class was an intro - parts of the loom, terms etc. Our second class was about yarn and how to design a project. We were shown how to pair yarns to achieve the result we were looking for and which yarns make good warps etc. We were also asked what kind of project we wanted to to. I had no idea. At this point I was thinking tea towels. Our instructor showed us how she organizes her stash by colour. This is the easiest way for her to plan a project. She also lumps fibre types together, but keeps in mind the materials when choosing the right fibres for her design. The most in depth class was on colour. We did this on a weekend so we had decent light. I found this class very hard. There is a lot involved with colour and I felt overwhelmed. We learned about a ruby beholder which helps you pick out colour values. We were able to look through inspiration pictures, magazines, stashes of embroidery thread and books on colour to seek out what we were looking for. She showed us how she wraps yarn or embroidery thread around a card to help visualize her project. I found this picture because I liked the colours. This was WAY too many colour choices and our instructor helped me narrow things down a bit. When I was picking these threads and wrapping them, I was feeling a bit defeated. I still had no concrete idea what I was going to make - at this point I was thinking a scarf maybe, hand towels? Next was our lesson on drafting. I enjoyed this night. I think it's really cool how a draft is made and how there is so much info in one little table. It was fun because it felt like we were solving a puzzle. I was thinking about using a herringbone twill pattern - maybe I should weave a shawl! So many projects were swirling around in my mind. I knew for sure I wanted to include handspun. I spun this Corriedale into yarn and went through my stash to find something suitable for weft. My bud Marjorie came over and she helped me make my warp. I miscalculated somewhere because I was only half down my warp when I ran out of yarn. I then found this purpleish, blue wool in my stash that went pretty good so by letting the yarn speak for itself, this project was going to be a scarf. A very long scarf with 4 yards of warp haha. I chose some grey alpaca as my weft to soften up the scarf a bit. I borrowed a table loom from the guild library and we set up to wind our warps on Saturday. It took all day, but I got my loom warped and threaded to weave a herringbone scarf the next day. And then, I changed my mind again. Maybe the grey wasn't the best choice... it would dull the nice colours in my warp. When I went home that day I checked my stash again to see what would be more suitable. After weaving a small bit, and trying out the yellow and grey, it was obvious, which route would show the pattern best. I went with the golden yellow. Things were going too well. My threading was perfect, not a mistake in the pattern. I was weaving along loving every minute of it until I realized that the reed on the beater was shearing my handspun :( We were shown how to fix a broken thread and on I continued. Until it happened again. My beautiful scarf was destined to become a mouse pad. I didn't want to keep going on, replacing threads every few inches so, I cut off my warp. I have the rest of it saved for a different loom - one with a bigger dent. It was still pretty devastating though, after all the work of making the yarn, winding the warp, threading the heddles, sleying the reed and tying everything up. I am not a technical person when it comes to anything. I would rather just jump right in a create. This class was good for me because I learned the ins and outs of weaving, stuff I knew little about and now know more. I was happy to learn different ways of doing things like warping and how every problem has a solution. I enjoyed seeing what other people dreamt up for projects and their colour choices. It was a great experience and I am grateful to our instructor who took on 8 beginner weavers and had us working together making cloth. I will try again, and use the time honored skills I have learned to create something beautiful.
This sumptuous skein has just been added to my shop. it's SW Merino/Cashmere/Nylon. SOooOo soft you will want to wrap yourself in it - and with 514 yards worth, you can! It's colourway is called "Bling" because it encompasses all that word has to offer.
Maker: Twisted Grain Weight: 34 g / 1.25 oz Length: 11" Style: Russian Spindle Woods: Gaboon Ebony She's a beaut! My sample was shipped with this spindle so I am unsure of its contents but it has sparkle :P I saw these spindles online and thought - wow, that's unique looking! I quickly joined the Twisted Grain group on Ravelry and poured though the many pictures of her work. Really. Beautiful. Stuff. I contacted Adrienne, on her Etsy shop and made a custom request - I really wanted an ebony Thorn. She did not disappoint. The first thing you will notice is how freaking cool this spindle looks!!! So very evil looking but in a good way. The barbs are to help with yarn management and they serve their purpose well. You can build your cop quite easily along these ledges. The tip has been sectioned off to make sure you are giving yourself enough room to flick the spindle into motion but if you are packing on the fibre, then this is just one more step you must climb. The tip is quite pointy and I do protect it when not in use. The ebony wood isn't as hard as some others and I don't want to cause any damage. The shape of this spindle is really nice. It is a quick spinner and it turns smoothly as if it were dancing on air. It is very well balanced and is probably one of the fastest spinning support spindles I own. Where it lacks in spin time it makes up for in speed. The spinning point isn't as sharp as the other end of the shaft but that's good because it wouldn't stay that way for long. It has been nicely tapered and is symmetrical all around. The increments of barbs help with the gumption this spindle possesses. They all work together building up that much more weight to balance everything out. Super cool. You can also store spun fibre this far down the shaft if you are spinning a large skein - the barbs will help keep your singles in place. The length of this spindle is a bit long for me but it is still comfortable because it is light and skinny. Spinners with larger hands than mine would love this taller spindle. (I'm looking at you Michele :P) Spindle rating: Length of spin: 6.86 (average of three tests) Fibre storage ability: Excellent Looks: Evil with a trick up it's sleeve Overall Rating: 10/10 If you ever get the chance to try one of these out - DO. I would love to add more Twisted Grain spindles to my collection and soon won't be fast enough. These spinners are amazing and joy to spin on! Adrienne was super friendly when it came to custom orders and she was very fast in making the spindle up for me. I love this spindle. Two brightly coloured skeins have been added to my shop. Super squishy Merino is beautiful pinks and purples, just in time for Valentine's Day - Colourway is Less Than 3 (aka <3) and a big, beautiful bulky skein of Falkland called Turnip Truck.
How many people have seen this image on Etsy? As a knitter it makes me snicker but this 3 armed sweater is a real thing - it actually exists! I listened to a presentation from Moishe Lettvin at the Etsy Summit this week. He is one of Etsy.com's computer engineers. He writes the code to build the website/apps and everything underneath. He told us that when he worked for Microsoft, if someone made a mistake in code which cause an issue with the product they were working on they would get this item they would have to display on their desk as a mark of shame and ridicule. Only until someone else made a bigger mistake would you give up this item and pass it onto the next person. At Etsy if an engineer makes a mistake they get this 3 armed sweater (and he said it is like 5' tall) except the difference is that this isn't a mark of shame - the 3 armed sweater is a badge of honour. It shows that it is OK to make mistakes and you aren't getting anywhere unless you make mistakes along the way. I thought this was very refreshing. Etsy has a real community feel and I like that. He said that moving from Microsoft and Google to Etsy, he has felt like he has come home. He uses code as craft and he said there is lots to be on the look out for Etsy.com.
Maker: Enid Ashcroft Weight: 24 g / 0.75 oz Length: 10.25" Shaft, 1 5/8" Whorl Style: Tibetan Spindle Woods: Bocote & Beech Shaft This beauty packs a lot of punch! She may be slight but shes a very hard worker. My sample is a Merino fibre and I got about 19 yards n-plyed. I'm going to be honest and admit that I hadn't heard much about this spindle maker until recently. Looking at her Etsy Shop and the thread on her spindles in the Spindle Candy Group on Ravelry, I see I have been missing out! I had seen one of her spindles go by in a destash (it sold long before I even had a chance to consider it) and it was so beautiful looking! A few weeks later I was at an Open Fibre Night with my awesome fibre friends and there just happened to be a destash going on. (We are all very, very bad enablers). I saw this little Enid and thought I would give it a try. I spun for a couple minutes and was quite enthralled. To start, I just spun the spindle around on the table without any fibre and its spin time was lengthy. I had a batt of fibre of Kim's from The Wacky Windmill and spun for a while with it. The woods are nice and contrast-y and the weight of the spindle was nice and light. I decided to take it home with me - my first Enid. The first difference I noticed compared to other tibetan support spindles I own, is that the tip is elongated. It's nicely shaped and not incredibly pointy, yet there is just a very fine portion of the wood that actually touches the bowl. It is amazing because she has been able to create such a small surface for spinning yet the tip isn't needle sharp that I am afraid of damaging it. It is a very neat looking, very symmetrical yet simple and stunning all at once. I think she spent a lot of time on this section of the spindle to make sure it was perfect. On the other end, she has tapered the last inch or so of the shaft for a finer tip for spinning off the point. It acts kind of like a template to place your fingers in the exact right spot for flicking the spindle into motion. The rest of the shaft is pretty much uniform in width except she has carved a groove near the whorl for yarn management and interest. The wood used in the shaft is a nice, hard wood, so neither end is too soft for their purposes. The shaft has been sanded smooth, but not highly polished as to make it a slippery surface when winding on your spun yarn - there is some grip there. The length of the spindle is quite nice. Its proportionate to the style of the spindle and I can sit comfortably while spinning.
I very much enjoyed spinning my sample on this spindle so much so, I am planning to use this spindle next in my rolag spinning challenge I am doing. I can fit a decent amount of yarn on this shaft and I found that the more I spun the more each part of the spindle worked in unison to make the process easier. The spindle spun with little flicking effort, it spun for quite a length of time because of its weight and the rim shaping on the whorl. The tip had hardly any contact with my bowl so there was less friction to slow it down and this my friends, is how a spindle should be. Spindle rating: Length of spin: 32.6 (average of three tests) Fibre storage ability: Quite Good Looks: Dainty with attitude Overall Rating: 10/10 The spin time with this spindle was very close to that of the Mirkwood with the ball bearing tip - that surprised me. I believe there will be more Enid's in my future. She has a unique style and the craftsmanship is remarkable. She is more than a woodworker who makes spindles, it's clear that she is also knows the history and mechanics, the tradition and the physics and she makes a damn good spinner. You need to give these a try.
I am excited to be planning an Etsy Made in Canada Sale this year in Regina on Saturday Sept 26th. This is a day where there are many pop-up markets happening in cities all across Canada. Etsy is making a name for itself in Canada and it has been helping many people in the handmade business for quite some time. There are two markets in Saskatchewan this year - Saskatoon & Regina. This sale is open to all Canadian residents who have an Etsy Shop. If you would like to attend as a vendor, the applications will be going out in the spring. Please sign up for this mailing list to be notified when the applications go out. If you are in Saskatchewan, you can join our Etsy Team Saskatchewan group and get in on the discussion and support. If you don't have an Etsy shop and have been thinking about it, this is a great time to open one up! You can really get your creative works out to the entire world. (here is a link to help you get free listings). Participating in this sale will also let your community know about your Etsy shop and give you an opportunity to sell face to face with your customers. I had a table at the market last year in Saskatoon and that sale was very well received. We had over 800 people though the doors and many lined up down the street waiting to get in before the doors even opened. I will be flying to Toronto with Etsy at the end of this month to attend their Leadership Summit and obtain lots of insight into making this sale as successful for the participants as possible. My sister is coming with me to hold my hand on the plane as I am terrified of flying. There will be sight seeing and maybe a yarn shop or two ;P It was a bit difficult to find a venue as I was looking for a classy place with lots of natural light. I have found what I was looking for in the Research and Innovation Centre at the University of Regina. Their Atrium is nice and open, and has character. Another interesting thing is, Christie Mechanical (where I work during the day) did all the mechanical for this building. I still have a lot of work to do, but I am happy to have found such a lovely place to hold this sale. If you don't have an Etsy shop, you should still mark this date down on your calendar. You will be able to shop local while buying fine craft, and supporting your community and handmade businesses. This will only keep getting bigger and better.
I just ordered a hard to get, limited edition wool wash from Soak. I have been trying to get my hands on this stuff for a very long time.
Unleash is a Soak Wash inspired by all things Ravelry. This sweet and spicy pomegranate and green apple scent. The fragrance is light, fruity, fresh, and crisp. Coming soon in 8.4 oz bottles for $12.95. I also stocked up on the popular Fig scent which I ran out of this week. If you would like either of these scents before I list them in my Etsy shop let me know! I am working on a new spindle challenge for myself. I have these wonderful rolags I got from Natually Knitty on Etsy and I am spinning one a night. As I mentioned on Facebook, I am using this time to unwind and relax after a long day of work. I have 5.5 oz of fibre and it will take me about a month to complete spinning all the rolags. The fibre content is Shetland, Merino, Falkland and Polwarth - what a great blend! I started out using one of my Glindles which I reviewed in this post, and I have 9 rolags spun on this spindle so far. 22 more to go. I have been taking pictures every night and posting my progress on my Facebook page. Its hard sometimes because night pictures are never that great, so I thought I would post an weekly update on my blog here. At the end of spinning, I will 2 ply the singles and I'm not sure what I will do with the yarn ~ project wise. Probably a shawl :P I have been inspired by a couple people and their spinning to shawl projects. Rolags are great to spin with, they are easy to transport and spin on the go as you can throw a couple in your spindle bag - no need to bring them all. They are easy to spin from and will create a nice woolen yarn. I found this spindle bag at the Fibre & Finery sale I participated in last November. It was made by Kathy Woodcock, who is well know in the city here for her unique hand stamped bags with flowers from her garden. She is a fellow guild member and an amazing weaver. Her bag fits my spindle and rolags perfectly. So far I am quite enjoying the process which is different for me as I am usually a product spinner. It feels nice to take it slow. What spindling projects are you working on? Maker: Mirkwood Weight: 53 g / 1.86 oz Length: 10.5" Shaft, 2.5" Whorl Style: Tibetan Spindle Woods: Bird's Eye Maple, Hard Maple (shaft) I have been eyeing up these spindles on Ravelry in various Support Spindle groups and they are quite stunning to look at. My sample was fibre that came with the spindle from Wild Hair Studio in the colourway "Gandalf the Grey" which is a blend of natural coloured wool and pygora fibre from thier farm with luxury add-ins. I don't know why the Pippin style called to me out of all the beautiful styles Mirkwood has available. I even looked on Ravelry before purchasing this one to see how the spindle looked both bare and with fibre on it. There is quite a variation with the styles, shaft length, woods used, weight and price. I decided to go with Pippin. Bird's Eye maple is cool looking and this spindle was one of the lower priced options. You can choose between a pointed tip - which is what I am used to seeing/using or you can opt for the "crowned" tip. I of course chose this alternative. This means I also had a choice from about 30 crystals that would be placed in the tip of the shaft. I love this kind of thing because you can add a more personal touch to your spindle by choosing a birthstone or a coordinating stone based on wood or just picking your favourite colour. I liked the peridot stone, I thought the colour was nice and thought it would look good shimmering on top of the spindle as I spun. This crown didn't make it any more difficult to spin from the tip. The stone is placed within the shaft very neatly. It is not sticking up and it doesn't have glue squishing out around it. Tibor has grooved down into the shaft to place the crystal in just the right spot, so you don't have to worry about your yarn snagging on it and losing it. This is the only spindle maker that I have seen do this. It's a nice touch. The other originality of these spindles is at the opposite tip ~ the ball bearing point. This gives the tiniest point of contact between the spindle and your spinning surface, which is to make sure there is less friction and more ease of movement. I like this idea, but I don't think it is "better" than other styles of tips. Spinning on a non-wooden spinning surface was definitely smoother. The ball bearing is also carefully placed into the whorl without any mess. You can see here that my Bird Eyes in this maple are almost non-existent :( Kinda dissapointed with that. When I purchased this spindle I know I chose the "Made to Order" spindle and knew as a result that I may be waiting a bit longer than those who bought the "Ready to Ship" spindles but I couldn't find anywhere how long the wait might be. It wasn't in the listing and there is nothing written in the shop policies etc. After waiting a couple weeks, I headed over to the Mirkwood Spindle group on Ravelry and asked how long do these usually take. The response was 6 - 8 weeks (!!!) I messaged the seller on Etsy and was told my spindle would ship within the next week or so. From the day I ordered my spindle until the day I received it was 10 weeks. I was not very happy about that and I'm not sure it was worth that amount of wait. Especially since other spindles were being listed in the Etsy shop and I had already paid for my spindle. Once it arrived, I was happy to see that it was packed carefully and the included fibre is always a bonus. The craftsmanship that goes into the Mirkwood spindles is apparent but when I pulled this spindle from its box, it felt a little clunky. The whorl is a solid block of wood with not much detail - this isn't a bad thing. It is one of my heavier supported spindles and as a result it is a slow spinner. Once I had some spun fibre on the shaft, it did make the spinning process much easier and I am very happy with the yarn I spun using it. The spin time - OMG this spindle spins and spin, and spins! This now holds the record for longest spin time for any support spindle I have reviewed so far. Even longer than many drop spindles. This is mostly because of the ball bearing but also because of its weight. Keep in mind that the spin tests for the support spindles are done with no fibre on the spindle.
Spindle rating: Length of spin: 37.6 (average of three tests) Fibre storage ability: Quite Good Looks: Kinda plain but the crown adds beauty Overall Rating: 6.5/10 Mirkwood has some very beautiful spindles. They have done a great job of providing a unique niche of spindles that centralize around the Hobbit & Lord of the Rings. I don't think I would want to wait another 10 weeks for one but I wouldn't hesitate about giving another one a try. They are a bit different to get used to but they would make good travel spindles and they are very well made. When looking at the different styles, I would pay close attention to shaft length and whorl shape so that you know your spindle will cover your needs/wants and work the way you are expecting. It is fun to choose a crystal for the crown and Tibor does come out with some very fancy designs. Keep your eyes on Mirkwoods, there is a spindle style for everyone. New handspun added to my Etsy Shop today. It is Shetland fibre, plied with Corriedale. Both these wools combined create a very versatile, durable yarn that would be awesome for outerwear like mitts, hats and sweaters. I quite like working with Shetland, and have added more if it to my fibre stash so be on the look out. I also have these beautiful, vibrant braids which I purchased from my favourite dyer Kim, from The Wacky Windmill. I can't wait to spin these into yarns as see what they become :D I've just listed some handspun skeins that I spun over the holidays. There is a nice mix of wool from Shetland, Merino, Falkland, Polwarth and Masham just to name a few. You can find descriptions and other information about them in my Etsy Shop.
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