Episode 5: Spinning, Travels, and Drawloom Set Up

This has been quite a couple months for Erica and Michelle. They both did some traveling and spent time with their kids who were home from school, but also managed to get in some fiber time.

Michelle spent a week in northern Michigan where she did some spinning by the lake. Going back home was difficult.

Finished Objects:
Erica managed to finish a number of projects this summer.

Erica wove a Handspun scarf! It is very Whovian!

Erica also finished her Colour Study knitting samples! This is the second step in the overall study. The next step will be to weave a gamp/sample blanket with all these yarns.This has been a really interesting study so far. Although Erica still has a hard time deciding which technique she likes best or might use in future for spinning multi-colored tops. it is good to know that each technique produces great results. Erica does not feel like she encountered any muddying of colors. Erica thinks this is due to the use of analagous dyed color ways.

Erica also finished weaving a Damask pillow top during her weaving studies with JoAnne Hall in Montana!

Erica also wove a Damask Griffon on JoAnne's single harness drawloom! This will become a Gryfindor pillow for TJ. :) Below is a photo of the back side of the pillow, so you can see Erica's woven signature the correct way around, the signature says Jahanara.

Erica loves the concept of the Tour de Fleece, but does not follow the Tour de France. Below is the yarn she spun while watching Wimbeldon. Update: when this was originally spun, Erica was unsure of the wool fiber and dye colourway. She has since realized this wool is part of the Wool N Spinning Podcast Breed and Colour Study from sometime ago. It is Finn wool in the colorway Fractured Dawn by Crafty Jax.

Michelle participated unofficially in the Tour de Fleece. The Tour de France started right after she came home from her trip so she started spinning on day 2. She did well for the first half of the race, but her family came into town for the second half, which slowed down her spinning. Now her goal is to finish the Coopworth fleece that she's managed to spin over half of.
Here is the spinning from the first half of the Tour. She has 3 full jumbo bobbins of singles to add to this...and much more to spin.

Erica loved her travels to Montana and Missouri. Here are some photos from Montana and of TJ fishing at the family lake in MO.

Here is the dyed braid that was spun during Wimbeldon and the missing braid, when it was still airing out over the door! Update: Erica has found the missing (blue braid) she'll share where she found it in the next episode! :)

After Erica got over her jet lag, she got back to dressing her drawloom! 32" silk damask warp! When we recorded, Erica had gotten the pattern heddles threaded! Erica appreciates our listener's patience in waiting for this episode to be edited as she threaded the ground heddles, sleighed the reed and got the warp tied on before going back to work! Summer break as a teacher is amazing, these days the first few weeks of work/school are exhausting and don't leave much time/energy for audio editing!

Spin A Long information:

If we chose to do a British Breeds SAL, Erica has packs of the following breeds Weavolution is willing to donate to the first participants.

Packs of British wool (small quantities of combed top of each breed) Erica is willing to send to listeners for sampling and spin a long. Once we exahust the Weavolution donations others are welcome to join the SAL, but would need to obtain their own fiber.