Saturday, May 14, 2011

Spinning Sock Yarn

After dividing the Blue Moon fiber into three equal portions based on the color repeats, I am faced with the problem of how to spin the top as prepared.  I am doubtful that I can control a large handful of top as I am controlling the size of the single.  So, I decided to predraft each "color" in the sequence as I go.


I will update the post as I go, but I am confident that I can spin the fine single as I have sampled.  By the way, I put the three-ply sample and the singles on an index card, punched a hole in the corner, and have it hanging from the wheel to use as reference.

Now the Indian Market event.  SD Fiber and spouse attended the 28th Annual American Indian Art Market and Film Festival today.  We watched the Yellow Bird Dancers from Mesa, Arizona, perform the Hoop Dance as well as some women's dances.  They were spectacular.  The family of dancers and musicians is joined by a young man playing the guitar who was awesome.  They performed for an hour flawlessly, and combined the skill and excellence of dance with interpretation of Native American themes such as reverence for warriors and the eagle.  I found the tribute to our American veterans particularly moving.  

SD Fiber purchased a kelp bulb rattle from Rosemary Castillo, a Chumash artisan.  Ms. Castillo took the time to explain at length the contents of the rattle as well as the use of several types of traditional artifacts on display.


Ms. Castillos uses traditional Chumash rock art and basketry images on her rattles.  I like how she left the top knot on the rattle.  The entire stem is hollow and contains a variety of materials to produce a particular sound. Perhaps more on the rattles later, this is a subject for another time.

2 comments:

  1. On spinning the colors: I used to pre-draft, but now I have grown lazy... But I almost always break the colors into sections as I spin it. Sometimes I cut it into sections with scissors. (I know, gasp...) To allow for more control later... Missed you at the Indian Fair, we walked down to Balboa Park from the house, & enjoyed many places in the Park including the gardens and burned out early. we missed the dancers this year. Kevin and I did see the dancers two years ago and it was truly spectacular! Especially love the hoop dance. Also, love the rattle........

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  2. I tried to spin it as one large section of top, but could not control the very thin yarn I need for the 3-ply sock yarn. So I am predrafting it a bit as I go. The Blue Moon fiber is so well prepared that it spins very easily. However, since it is superwash, it does not cling to itself if that makes sense.

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