I'm very happy to be part of the beginning of your journey! 🥰🫶 I really enjoy your content. A Q&A... yes please! 🎉 I would be interested to know how you came to fibre art, and what it feels like to be a male knitter / crocheter. And I would love to hear about which area in Scotland you live. I don't know... anything about your fibre art journey, really! 🤗🤗🥰 Love from France 🪴☀️
Just found your channel. Love that you shared the verident. I bought one and haven't used it but will now you have inspired me. Your sewing machine is a friend, and thanks again, love the core spinning in this stunning fabric. Debs from Down Under
Great to see all your projects on your podcast as opposed to a zoom. Everything looks very clear and wonderful. The Q and A would be of interest. If it is live, where would the time and date be posted? I often miss those and see them after the fact. No questions at this time but I will put on my thinking cap! Best wishes for August!
@toomiepal thank you! I probably won't do it live just because I can never set aside a particular time and date with certainty I'll be free. I'm hoping to record and upload it in the next few weeks though
I know that someone already commented that the music spoiled the video experience for them, but I don't think that the music being there at all is the problem. I think it's the fact that the music cuts in at almost full volume before you get to finish what you're saying, and drowns your voice out. It's like trying to listen to someone, and then a car that's absolutely BLASTING their radio parks right next to you right before the conversation gets the chance to actually finish. The music is nice, but it feels a bit rude to interrupt someone's train of thought like that! XD Other than all that, your dog is adorable, and that blue bobbin is beautiful too! The neon green ones you got are also fun. Hope you're having a nice day!
@flametamer4046 thanks for the feedback! I'm still learning the whole video editing thing, so it's really helpful having constructive criticism! I'll tell juno you think she's adorable ❤️❤️
Such beautiful fabric! Hand-sewing would work better than a machine, I think, because you would have more control such that you would be less likely to snag the fabric. The reenactment community has many weavers and sewists who are good information sources.
Thank you so much for making this video!! I really want to make abstract weavings that are more about texture and color and of course there’s no such thing as a pattern for that sort of thing so basically I’m struggling to find makers who are branching out of the box and want to experiment and have some fun. I live far away from the fiber community and really depend of RU-vid to learn and share experiences. I hope my current project comes out half as good as yours!
@lindas5964 sounds like we're in a similar boat! There's so many different elements that you can bring to a piece but I think that maybe makes it harder to start something. I have a few ideas for other pieces that I'm wanting to start. I'll try and share them too 😀
I really enjoy your post and am excited to see how you get on. Your presentation is clear precise and very easy to listen to…also content very informative. Thanks 👏😊
This is my 1st time watching you, Thanks to RU-vid algorithm!! This is great timing ~ I am about to clean my alpaca fiber! I have 5 alpacas & You have made it look so much easier than I was anticipating! Thank you so much!! I am now a new Subscriber!! I’ll catch up on all your past videos and I’m looking forward to your future videos.
@Melmaz32 oh wow having alpacas is a total dream of mine. Processing alpaca is easy, it's just time consuming. Best of luck and thanks for subscribing ❤️❤️
Well I'm glad you got something out of watching. I think with rigid heddle looms, there's not a HUGE amount of information available. And a lot of what is available which is quite specific and requires a bit of foundational knowledge to understand. Happy weaving ❤️
When you take it off the drum carder try a dowel, large knitting needle or a wooden drum stick (this is what I use) to roll the fleece off. I like how you opened and spread the fleece before sending it on its way into the drum carder, I’ll be trying that, thanks!
Oh I've used allsorts to take the battery off the carder. I have a very long and thin screwdriver that I typically use that I have no idea where it came from, but similarly I have no idea where it has gone haha
Voice overs are great if you know what you are doing will make a lot of noise. Also, if you record something and when you review it the audio is bad record a voice over and get rid of the original audio. That fleece looks lovely.
Haha, she's a czech wolfdog, and we hear coyote a lot. She looked just like a fox when we first got her. The wee door is just the cupboard under the stairs, sadly. I'd love it if it was something more magical.
@Freespiritarts oh absolutely. Spinning is a hobby in and of itself. SOMETIMES it relates to my other hobbies, but not always, and never in a timely manner 😂
@munchmary yeah I'm not making good progress with mine 😂 my best advice is to pace yourself and try and not overwhelm yourself. I've had these fleeces since last year but just got too overwhelmed with it. Now I'm only looking at the once fleece at a time.
Thanks! Your alpaca will spin up beautifully! It was helpful to see your process of cleaning the alpaca fleeces as I get ready to clean some of my own.
In the past, all the alpaca yarn I've knit and worn has made me itch _unbearably_ Now, my stockist is thinking it's either the dye or a really crappy grade. She may be right, but I'm loathe to spend the money! Fun fact: we have a used car part lot, and the owner uses an alpaca to guard it. He says it freaks thieves off because it's both unusual and huge! 😂
@pioneercynthia1 OMG a guard alpaca sounds amazing! This is some of the nicest alpaca fibre that I've ever worked with. But it is a fibre that sheds which I think can cause itchiness for some folk. I can't really do mohair at all I've never touched it long enough for it to itch, but there's something about the fibre that makes my skin crawl 😬
Thank you so much for sharing your process with us! I am a super beginner and have been looking for examples of art yarn weaving as well. Your video was very helpful :)
@jaimie.mathis ah thank you. I'm glad you got something out of the video. The options are endless with art yarn weaving but it can be kinds difficult to plan without some inspiration/examples
@munchmary I really like my EEW6 in many ways I prefer it to my kromski wheel but it does have its limitations. I think I'm going to make a review for the EEW where I can discuss my thoughts on it in full
The alpaca is spinning like a dream, every step of processing makes the spinning go much smoother. I am maybe starting to get a little bit bored of it though.. jumping between the two is a challenge. For the most part I think I'm going to stick to the EEW for the rest of TDF.
Thank you for a great video. Beautiful fleece you are spinning. 😍 For the TdF I'm mostly spinning some Norwegian Short Tail Land race. Enjoy the rest of the tour. 🍀
I liked your video. I hope you don't mind, I'm going to give a little constructive criticism. You need to speak louder or stay closer to your mic. When you sit further away you are hard to hear. The music portions were well placed but watch your recording sound level. Just like the spinning it takes practice. I love the alpaca you are spinning. I'm spinning purchased fiber, but I'm scouring alpaca.
That's a really good question. Processing alpaca I find a lot easier. But actual spinning?? I MAYBE prefer wool? I've been thinking about this all day but still don't have a concrete answer.
Very good information. I was trying to be delicate with mine. I will definitely do the pre-shredding/pulling locks apart next time. In fact I am doing that now after the washing to get more grass out of my fibers before I comb them.
Happy I found your channel today! I am prepping and spinning one of my alpaca fleeces for part of the Tour de Fleece today. I got a bit of a later start. I only have two fleeced and I think it may take me forever to finish both of them!
For both wool and alpaca, of you don’t want felting, the most important thing to remember is to avoid temperature shock. Yes, rubbing does contribute to felting but not nearly as much as variations in temperature. This phenomenon can be harnessed as well. If you have spun a really fine yarn and want to stabilise its twist but are afraid of breaking it, or if you want to keep your yarn very smooth when you’ve done a worsted prep and spin, instead of thwacking it you can dunk it in warm water until the twist relaxes and redistributes, then shock it in significantly cooler water, before squeezing out the excess water and gently snapping it. This is also useful for stabilising singles. Don’t overdo it though. Don’t go dunking it in piping hot water and ice cold water ten times over. Because that WILL cause the threads to felt together eventually. I spin lace weight yarns, with singles as fine as I can. Thwacking would do a number on them. 2-3 dunks in warm, then cold water and a gentle snap stabilises them wonderfully without too much bloom.
@@pioneercynthia1 - It never hurts to be careful. But there is such a thing as abstaining out of fear, or not bothering because it seems like too much hassle or work. When I’ve spent over 24 hours spinning lace weight worsted style yarn, lovingly plying it to have what I need to knit a lace shawl, I wouldn’t want it to end up in a tangled, felted mess. I wouldn’t want too much bloom either. And I wouldn’t want it unstable either. So I keep my eyes peeled and use temperature shock rather than thwacking, and if needed I give it a few snaps. And once I’ve knitted that shawl, it needs another wash and blocking. I wouldn’t want felting then either. That’s when I avoid temperature shocks, but seeing people get out a thermometer always gives me a chuckle. So does the “cold wash only” warning I see on a lot of wool clothing: protein fibres like wool are often dyed in piping hot baths. They don’t come out as felt. My first ever job was working for someone who sold fabric to clothing manufacturers. The first thing he did was send me to a textile mill to learn how different fibres were processed into fabric, and how each fibre should be treated and cared for. And those industrial processes are … violent. It made me relax a whole lot more when caring for my beloved knits and now, years later, for the fibres I spin and knit or crochet with. Sure, I have mishaps. Everyone does. But you don’t need to tiptoe around in fear. It keeps you from having fun. 😊
This whole process has been fascinating. I’ve been processing woad plants with a friend to make dye, and while it’s a different type of goal and process, they still seem similar somehow.
So much floof! Surprised the hot water doesn't felt it. I'm finding the whole process fascinating thank you for sharing. Some people buy dust for their alpacas. I got such a kick out of seeing cleaning guru Mrs Hinch, whose home is spotlessly clean (cleaning is her therapy) buying big bags of dust for her alpacas! Oh the irony but such joy too.
Oh I didn't know Mrs Hinch had alpacas! Felting really needs to combination of temperature change and agitation together to happen. I do sometimes get little bits that felt slightly but not bad enough that they can't be loosened up again with picking and carding.
