The SABLE zone

[Photo: funny fibre - for SABLE]

 I came across this term 'Sable' recently. I  had thought she, that-woman-who-encourages-me-to-increase-my-stash, was talking about sable, as in fur fibre. But no, she was, as per usual, as she terms it 'enabling' me, or in plain language, once again, convincing me that l needed to  buy more wool or fleece, or... sable.  Sable? Who spins sable? Although, this same 'enabler' once sold me some Canadian Blue fox fibre  which  now resides in my 'stash.  So I just assumed that I would soon be adding Sable fur to the stash. 

The 'enabler' peered at me over her glasses with raised eyebrows and saw that I had not understood her.   

'S.A.B.L.E' she paused knowingly.

'Stash Acquisition Beyond Life Expectancy'. 'Sable!' she declared. 

Her husband knows what SABLE is.  He lives with it.   He accepts it. For Christmas he even gave her some funny fibre to enhance her stash, to keep her in the sable zone. 

He gave her a fabric, drawstring bag with a blue yarn end dangling from it. She showed it to me and started pulling the yarn out of the bag. Every foot or so a blue $5 bill was attached to her yarn.   Maybe next year she will receive a red-toned funny fibre. Now that would put her into the super sable zone! 

Versatile patterns

[Photo: Spiralucious ]

As a new knitter, I am keenly aware of my lagging knitting speed. I am a tortoise. Although in an attempt to boost my confidence and in my own defense, I am pretty quick in some respects. Quick to make mistakes, quick to rip it all out again, quick to re-knit it and quick to once again make a new mistake(or same old one yet again) and quick to repeat this process. Luckily I sometimes forget to make a mistake and the object of such devotion slowly progresses and emerges despite all the speedy mistakes. Where was I going with this? ...
Oh yes, so what I am trying to say is that I am not exactly producing a lot of objects. A scarf a year, although this year I am hoping to double that.

[photo: Wendy with cowl]

[photo: Wendy As sunflower]

But it struck me that I may be able to knit multi-use objects, versatile ones, like a shawl that doubles as a cowl or hoodies or small blanket. One article, four uses. So I now resolve to hunt up a few of those patterns that make me seem like a knitter who can produce. I may even be able to get away with making something for my (spoiler alert Mom, stop reading here) Mother's birthday and Christmas. One object, two gifts (but Mom, it's as much loving work as an efficient knitter knitting two objects and anyway, you weren't supposed to read this).

[photo: Wendy with La cowl]

So, I was delighted to come across a pattern that does this and more. It is a cowl,

[photo: Wendy as rooster]

Spiralucious byAnne Hanson. The one in these pictures is knitted and modelled by Wendy, a good spinner, knitter and a very good sport.

Wool combing

[Photo: the
governor-scene from a stained
glass window from the area
of Soissons (Picardy, France),
early 13th century.]

I am still having a few computer issues (the new tablet which is not totally compatible with blogging tasks) hence sporadic posts. So here is one that has been in editing limbo for almost a month....
It was totally coincidental that the Mid Island Weavers and Spinners Guild held a Wool combing demo on St. Blais's Day, the patron saint of wool combers and throats .Yes, throats. Body parts had patron saints. Go figure! 
Legend has it St Blais either died from being combed (ie. his flesh was ripped with honking big sharp iron combs) or comb torture was just the warm-up to being beheaded . No matter how he died, he is remembered by those who use those combs.  
As I was saying, it was almost on St Blais's day that Karen Braun came to show us how to use those honking big combs but in a very gentle, well intended way. 
The large combs may have 3 or 4 or 5 rows of tines while small ones have one or two rows. Such powerful tortuous looking tools are used in a graceful gentle manner to produce soft, perfect fibres, all straitened and parallel with each other, without nips, noils, or foreign bits. Just pure lengths of perfect fibre. When pulled and stretched out, it is known as 'top' or' combed top'.

[Photo: large combs]

Karen's gentle technique was to separate the locks, lay them on a towel, all with the tips pointing in the same direction. Then she spritzed them with a little water and olive oil. Some people use hair conditioner. Whatever you use, the idea is to add a little moisture to keep the fibres slick and smooth and to cut down on static electricity.

[Photo: Small combs]

Locks, enough to half fill the tines, were then placed on the tines on the comb fixed to the table, cut end in the tines and the end tip out in front. The free comb then combed the fibers until most of the fibres now clung to the free comb. What was left on the fixed comb was tangles which are removed. Deftly, switching angles, one combs the fibres again between the combs and the fibres attach back to the fixed comb (you had to be there).
A few passes between combs and the fibre is perfect and ready to be drawn through a diz (a button hole will do) so a long length of parallel fibres is created.
The lengths are made into soft nests, ready for spinning.
I know this sounds crazy, but honest to gawd, this is one of the most satisfying sensory experiences. Almost a saintly experience, spinning the ultimate perfect preparation. No wonder there were Guilds of people who just combed wool. And no wonder they had a patron saint. Try it. Life will never be the same.

Staying on top of the stash

Remember when I mentioned Priscilla-the fleece-less-sheep-who-lords-over-the-guest-bedroom-looking-for-her-fleece? Well, she can have it. I want to give it back. She can have it. She can have them all. Every fleece I have. What started with one fleece has turned into, umm, 8, no, err, ten or is it 12? And we aren't even counting the rovings, the batts, the bags of smaller batches, and yarn...well let's not even think about that. Well, it is too many fleeces and life is too short. Besides, too many fleeces can be way too daunting. How can one choose which one to spin when you have too many? Then there are the standards each fleece needs to meet: cleanliness; purity, colour; handle; crimp; etc. . The bar rises higher with each fleece added to the hoard. Each new fleece gives you more reasons not to use the older ones. But the new one is too precious to use. It should only be used for the special project that just calls for the perfect matching fleece. So each fleece gets added to the guest bedroom. It goes in but never comes out. 

[Photo: a pearl perfect Bluefaced
Leicester fleece - setting the bar]

I know all this but I think I have a plan to keep the fleeces going in but also coming out. I will, from now on, only buy the very best fleeces. This will mean each fleece is excellent, I will just have to match a fleece with a project. So, with that in mind, I just bought the most beautiful Bluefaced Leicester fleece from Lorrie on Saltspring Island. Bluefaced Leicester is silky, lustrous, springy and pearly. Yes, the plied yarn will resemble a string of pearls. You can see the pearls in the picture. This is a fleece that Priscilla-the fleece-less-sheep-who-lords-over-the-guest-bedroom-looking-for-her-fleece can't have.

Distaff Day 2013

It is that time of the year when all good spinners are called on to once again, pick up their spindles or get back to their wheels on the 12th day of Christmas. European tradition gives spinners the time off at the end of the year and the start of the new one. Distaff Day is the start of a new spinning year. Named after the spinners tool the distaff (think of a free standing hat stand, or a lamp stand without the lamp) which is used to hold the flax strands fanned out in a vertical oblong balloon shape. The distaff sits next to the spinner with the bottom ends of the flax strands about shoulder to waist height making is easy to pull the fibres from the balloon bunch and draft them into linen yarn.
the Tzuhalem Spinners and Weavers Guild once again hosted an excellent event. This year we were treated to a real distaff being used by a talented Brenda. It is hard to see in the photo but just below the fibre balloon and at elbow height is a small wooden ring around the distaff pole. Inside that ring is a grove holding a sponge which in turn holds the water used to dip your fingers (almost like the bowls of water at the entrance of churches) to keep the fibres damp as you spin them. Ingenious!
Brenda is part of the Linen Project, part of Transitions which aims to revive ancient skills and in the case of the Linen project, that means planting flax and processing it into linen. if you live in Victoria, BC check it out and get involved.

[Photo: Angel outside
St. Peter's Church] 

The whole day had a slightly spiritual feeling. The dipping of the fingers, the location St Peter's Church Hall and the site-- one of the most beautiful Gary Oak meadows which surrounds the church and hall. Truly a spiritual event for us spinners.

Knitting and the Art of War

Beginners lace scarf      

As I learn how to knit, I am beginning to see the art of knitting along the lines of Sun Tzu's ancient Chinese treatise The Art of War or some 'conquer-your-inner-fears' self-improvement book. Knitting can be a battle, it is 'knitting vs you' and you need to get past that to 'you, knitting'. So here are some of my 'knitting self-improvement/art of warfare' lessons:

• Start with a plan.  Stick to it.
• Know where you are. Use stitch markers. Use them often. 
• Have a backup plan. Use a lifeline. Use it often. You WILL need to use it.
• See the patterns within the pattern. 
• See the pattern in your mind. See it with your mind.
• Know your weaknesses. Recognize them to avoid them.
• Know your stitches  Know their strengths. Know how to use them to your advantage.

I knit 3 inches in a month.  Then when I put my battle tactics into play, I was able to do another 53 inches in the last two weeks.  I am winning this war!

First post

The New Year was brought in by Miss 2012 going up in flames taking with her all our unwanted thoughts. We toasted her out and the new year in.

Kayakers ready for the rescue

Polar bear swimmers

This was followed (much later in the day) with the polar bear swim.
Meanwhile, in the fibre world, much holiday time was devoted to organizing fibre homework: samples spun, fibres blended, weighing and measuring blends of silk and mohair, writing up my notes for the Level 4 homework. The New Year fibre world is starting out in an organized manner. That should last a day or two.