tutorial
Plying Yarn on a Drop Spindle - Andean Plying - Video Tutorial
Watch as I show you how to make a two-ply yarn from a single center-pull ball. Learn how to make an Andean bracelet, how to ply two an Andean bracelet into a two-strand center-pull ball, and how to spin that two-strand ball to ply.
Winding a Center Pull Ball of Yarn by Hand - Video Tutorial
In this video Megan LaCore of www.theartofmegan.com shows you how to hand-wind a center pull ball of yarn from a hank. Though this technique is shown with a handmade hank of yarn, any kind of yarn wrapped in any preparation can be wound into a center-pull ball with this method.
Felted Wrist Distaff Tutorial - Spinning Tools
A distaff is an incredibly handy spinning tool. Around here, I have 3 cats, and fiber on my lap or on the couch is just too tempting to steal and destroy! The kitties also leave hair all over the place, and setting my fiber down not only leaves its own hairs everywhere, but tends to collect the hair of the cats too.
There are a few different types of distaffs, but my preference for the majority of my spinning, which is done on a hand spindle, is a wrist distaff. Here, I'm going to show you how to felt your own wrist distaff with left over wool from any scrap spinning or felting project.
What you'll need:
Wool scraps for felting - no superwash here!
A bowl of hot soapy water
A bowl of ice water
A large empty bowl for squeezing off excess water
Towel
Lay out your scrap wool in a thin, fluffy line, about 1 1/2 feet long. Longer is ok, but I wouldn't recommend going any shorter. I've layered a few different colors here, but you can do as many or as few colors as you'd like.
Begin wetting your strip of wool with the hot soapy water. Press the fibers down until they begin to compact, focusing more on the middle than the ends at first. Occasionally give the strip of wool a slight twist before continuing to press down, in order to help the fibers hold together for our next step.
Carefully lift the strip of wool by the ends, and dunk into the bowl of hot water, keeping the ends out. Lightly swish to make sure each fiber is in contact with the water. Lift out and squeeze extra soap and water into the large bowl.
Begin rolling the wool between your hands with a good amount of pressure. When all the moisture has been squeezed out and the wool is beginning to felt, dunk the strip into the cold water bowl in the same way as the hot soapy water bowl. Ring out excess water into the large bowl, and continue rolling in your hands. Alternate hot and cold water process until fiber begins to felt into a solid rope in the center.
It's time now to shape the distaff. Place the roped center area around the back of your hand, and create a loop below your wrist. Leave yourself plenty of room to slip your hand in and out of the loop, but don't make it so big that it's hard to keep the distaff on your hand.
Twist the unfelted ends together and begin to process as before, alternating dipping into hot water, rolling, dipping into cold water, and rolling. The ends will begin to felt into a point.
When your distaff is almost finished, wrap a small piece of unfelted wool around the join of the loop. Felt this in with the rest of the distaff as before. This will help the felted joint stay strong and not come apart with use over time.
Rinse your distaff very thoroughly to ensure there is no soap left in the fibers. At this point you have the option to either air dry, which can take a few days, or throw in the dryer. I threw mine in with a load of jeans to help any last bit of felting along.
Once dry, attach a few beads to the bottom of the distaff for weight. This will help keep the distaff from floating around, and will also help keep the fiber on the distaff. I used a hemalyke hoop and a couple metal beads on mine.
To use, pull off a handful of fiber. Draft out a little, then wrap the drafted fiber from the beads to the loop. Either wrap the fiber over the back of your hand, or grasp it under your hand as I'm doing here.
By the way, here I am spinning on my new handmade bottom whorl spindle at the Renaissance Faire at Casa de Fruta, just outside of Gilroy, CA. We had a great time, and my husband is a great sport for taking me!
Hope you enjoy your new wrist distaff, and happy spinning!
Textiles
Knitting Patterns, Projects, and Tutorials
Cody Hat - Knitting Pattern
Reading Shawl - Knitting Pattern
Huz Hat - Knitting Pattern
Huz Scarf - Knitting Pattern
My First Shawlette - Knitting Project
Crochet Patterns, Projects, and Tutorials
Crochet Cabled Cowl - Crochet Pattern
Button Closure Contrast Edge Plain Headband - Crochet Pattern
Leaf Crochet Embellishments - Crochet PatternWatercolor Monotype Print Tutorial
I learned a great technique in my design class for making watercolor monotype prints without a printing press. Careful working will ensure a good print, but it's a one-shot deal. Even a print that doesn't turn out still has a lot of charm. This is an inexpensive way to play with print techniques without any expensive printing equipment.
What you'll need:
Artist's watercolor paint
Plexiglas or glass sheet
Printmaking paper
Large baking pan
Towels
Brushes
Metal spoon
Image, printed
Masking tape
Choose your image for printing, then reverse the image in a graphics program and print on standard weight paper. I'm using a painting by Ingres called "The Bather" as my print image in this assignment.
Prepare your clear surface for printing by washing with soap and water to remove any dust or oils that will keep the watercolor from adhering to the surface. I'm using a piece of Plexiglas that I had cut to size at my local art store as my print plate. If you're using Plexiglas, make a few passes over your printing surface with the abrasive side of a sponge while washing the first time.
Tape your printed image to the opposite side of the Plexiglas that we just prepped so that the image is facing you when the printing surface is facing up.
Using the image below as a guide, paint directly onto the plate adding little to no water to keep the paint from beading up on the surface. I'm using a tube each of black and white watercolor. Be careful not to get gouache for this technique, since it doesn't transfer properly and can rip the paper while removing from the plate.
Keep in mind that the first layers to be painted onto the plate will be the last ones printed, meaning they will be on the top layer of the print. Layering of paint should be applied quickly in order to not blend and muddy the layer closest to the surface of the plate.
When satisfied with your design, remove the taped image from the back of the plate. Place on a white surface or hold up to the light to check for coverage. Touch up any spots necessary, then allow plate to dry completely.
While the paint is drying on the plate, cut your printmaking paper into equal sizes to fit your plate. I used a 9"x12" piece of Plexiglas and was able to get 6 equal pieces out of my sheet of printmaking paper.
Soak your paper in a pan filled with water, agitating to get all bubbles off the surface of the paper. Leave in bath for at least 5 minutes.
Remove soaked paper from bath, allowing water to run from surface of page.
Place paper between two layers of towel, and press firmly to remove excess water. Immediately position paper evenly over painted image, taking care to leave even space around the edges of the image. Press down firmly on the back of the paper to adhere to the surface of the image.
Carefully peel your image from the paper, moving slowly from one corner to the opposite. Do not allow the paper to sit after transferring the image or the paper will not remove from the plate without tearing. Place your image face up to dry.
Continue this process for remaining prints. You can use the shadow of paint on the plate to give you a guideline for your next print if you'd like. For this project, we took each image further toward abstraction, so each image breaks down a little further into the compositional elements.
After the paper and paint have dried completely, place between two heavy flat objects to press straight. Leave for a few hours in a dry area. I like to press all my images at once, putting a piece of paper between the top print and my flat heavy object. I usually use two text books, or two boards weighted with text books or canned goods.
Syndicate