For Your Review: Bobbin Winder

Winding bobbins by hand is kind of like winding yarn into balls for knitting - it’s possible to do it without one, but it’s a lot faster when you have the right tools. There’s a great video from The Woolery about how to wind a bobbin.

You SHOULD practice this, though. The person in the video makes this look really easy, but it’s harder than it looks, at least for me! So far, no weaving mishaps have happened because my bobbin wasn’t perfect, but I still wish I were better at it.

I wind as many bobbins worth of yarn as I think I will need before I start weaving, but it’s no big deal to jump up and wind some more if I run out. It creates a small break in the weaving - I probably should stop and stretch my legs every once in awhile, anyway!

If you're a spinner who doesn't weave, you might still want to consider buying a bobbin winder. They're great for winding storage or plying bobbins!

For Your Review: Merino/Tussah Silk to Spin

From Ashland Bay's website:

"The 70/30 Merino/Tussah Silk dyed fiber blend is a perfect ratio of wool to silk for a spinner’s first introduction to spinning with silk. The blend is also great for felting. We offer over a dozen bright and vibrant colors of our Merino Silk dyed fiber blend, including seasonally inspired color ways."

All I can say is, AMEN! I decided to treat myself for the Tour de Fleece, and, man, is this a treat.

This top is so beautiful, and spins so well, I almost can't believe it. I tried over-the-fold, at first, because I heard that was a good way to control silk, but it didn't really work. So, just a simple, relaxed, worsted-spun yarn was born. Plied into a two-ply, it is drapey, smooth, and beautiful. 

If you want to spin silk, or even a silk blend, go for it! Just, maybe, get a manicure first. Every snag or rough spot on your hands will catch at the silk, and it's rather annoying.

Are you doing anything special for the Tour de Fleece? I know I'm going to be spinning the rest of this. Come grab some spinning fiber at the shop before I use it all up!

For Your Review: Merino Roving, Spun Thicker

I got my hands on another bunch of beautiful Ashland Bay Fibers Merino top, in a lovely dark green. Unlike the last time I spun it, I wanted to make a yarn that was as fluffy, soft, and cozy as possible.

So, I tore off chunks of roving and spun my singles from the fold.

After the singles were finished, I plied the yarn so that it would be nice and bouncy.

And, boy, is it!

I would call it a heavy worsted or maybe even bulky-weight. It is VERY soft, and it won't stand up to hard wear, at all, so I'll have to plan the project for it carefully. A hat, maybe? Probably more than one!

If you haven't tried spinning from the fold, you should. It's easy and a nice way to get a good handle on your fiber. Come get your hands on some of this top before I spin it all!

For Your Review: Spinning An Art Batt

I recently picked up this 2.4-oz art batt at StevenBe. It reminded me of a seashell, with copper, blues, greens, and even some white and dark navy mixed in.

There is more than one way to spin a batt, but I decided I wanted to work this one up in what are sometimes called "fauxlags." I started by unrolling the batt and fluffing it up a little.

Then, I used a ruler to hold down one end of the batt and tore off a strip, across the width of the batt.

I took this strip and rolled it up so that the fibers ran perpendicular to the length of the roll. 

I repeated this process until the whole batt was in these mini rolls. Then, I long-draw spun them on my wheel. It was fun to watch the colors and fibers progress. 

Once I had the singles spun, I couldn't decide what to do with them, so I pulled off a length to see what a 2-ply would look like. 

I like it. It's a light worsted weight. 

But, I wanted to see what else this batt could do. I made a small sample skein (5 yards worth), tied it up, and washed it in hot, then cold water, to see if it would full or felt up into a fluffy, stable single yarn. I dried it, unweighted, because I wanted to be sure it would be balanced.

This is before washing.

This is after washing.

Once dry, I knit up a swatch with the sample. I used #5 needles and worked in all stockinette stitch.

The swatch is nice and stable, and doesn't bias in either direction, so I know that felting the singles made the yarn balanced enough not to twist the knit fabric. 

I love it, and keeping the yarn as a single also maximizes the yardage I'll get out of this cute little batt.

Now, off to Ravelry to look for a project...

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For Your Review: Ashland Bay Merino Top

Ashland Bay is a company that not a lot of knitters, spinners and other fiberistas have heard of, because they only sell wholesale, but they should know about it, because their fibers are, put simply, delicious.


I'm planning on working through some Ashland Bay products in the new few weeks and letting you know how they work for me.


I learned to spin almost a year ago and I consider myself an advanced beginner. I sometimes trip over my own feet, but I try to be open to trying different fibers. Your mileage may vary and I would be thrilled to hear any new tips or tricks from the more experienced spinners out there.


I was lucky enough to receive a brand-new Schacht Ladybug wheel just before Christmas. I'm still learning how to use it best. I learned to spin on a used Ashford Kiwi. The Ladybug takes less work to use than the Kiwi, so I'm a recovering leadfoot.


Primarily, I'm a knitter, so I'm looking to produce yarns that will last, but I don't need the extraordinary strength or durability that a weaver might need for a warp yarn. A nice hand and soft feel are also important to me. I mostly spin just for its own sake, then wait until the right knitting project comes along for the yarn I have made.


My first foray into Ashland Bay fibers is with some lovely 100% Merino combed top. Out of the nearly 70 colors they offer, I chose a vibrant red.


At 21.5 microns, this is one of the softest wools I've ever touched. Since the fiber was combed, I wanted to make a smooth, two-ply yarn using a short forward draw.

These are some singles, ready to ply.

I tested small amounts of fiber by spinning on each of the fours sets of whorls made for my Ladybug. I plied each sample, washed it in cold water, spun the water out using the spin cycle on my washing machine, snapped the skein to set the twist, and hung them to dry, unweighted.

One note about color. Because the red was so intense, I was sure it would bleed a little in the wash. I was pleasantly surprised to find that it didn't AT ALL. It's a great sign of a high-quality product. 

I have read that Merino spins best when it is spun very thin. To be honest, I did get the most consistent yarn when I used the smallest possible pulley on my wheel. However, I enjoyed spinning it just a little thicker, so I ended up spinning the majority of my singles on the 12.5 ratio and plied them on the 10.5 ratio.

The top was very easy to draft out, with absolutely no vegetable matter or other "stuff" in the fiber. In the entire 8 oz. braid, I only found 5 neps, or little bits of folded-up fibers. That's pretty amazing, since Merino has a tendency to form neps easily.

My finished yarn is soft and has a lovely drape. I think it would make an excellent hat (or maybe part of set of Christmas stockings for next year!) It is about 16 wraps per inch, so it would work well on #4 or #5 needles. The yarn’s diameter didn’t change when I washed it.

This fiber rewards the patient spinner with a beautiful final product. Try it out at a moment when the house is empty and you just want to daydream as you spin.