Sharing Saturday

I thought I’d add a new segment to my blog called ‘sharing Saturday’. When I first started researching I didn’t know many people at all who attempted to re-create the European medieval spinning methods with a distaff. Most people were just doing the drop-spindle technique. Now there are a whole bunch of people! So I thought I’d start sharing their work more.

On that note, I’d love to have people do guest blogs, so if you have anything you’d like me to share or have a blog post you’d like to post on my blog, let me know 😀

The first thing I share hasn’t got that much to do with medieval spinning but there is a medieval spinning related story behind it.

There is a thread on Ravelry called ‘Large cop, small spindle’ where people post pictures of their VERY full spindles. I was inspired so began working on my own entry—on my medieval spindle. Well, I was almost there, I had a HUGE cop on one of my spindles. So huge a lady at an event commented on it and I explained to her why I was spinning it. So I had it at the event. I’m not sure when the last time I saw it was but I haven’t unpacked it since coming home from the event, maybe I lost it there? I don’t mind the loss of the spindle but there was a LOT of thread spun on this spindle. I need to properly look through and sort my re-enactment gear, hopefully it is just hiding.

So when I was searching around on pinterest I came across the Spindleful board by Andrea Mielke Schroer and it made me happy to see all the spindles full of thread but also made me think of my old full spindle.

So I spun some modern wool on my spinner and made that nice and full instead, LOL

Video Wednesday- Drafting

A short clip of me drafting using a distaff.

 

Video Wednesday- how to fix a broken thread.

Today I share a short clip of me fixing a broken thread while spinning. The key tip is I don’t. I always take my spun thread attached to my spindle back to the distaff and keep spinning.

New Year New Blog!

No, I’m not going anywhere, but I have a new blog! In the past couple of months I’ve been exploring types of spinning other than 15^th century spinning. So to read about my spinning on my electric spinning wheel, drop spindle, tahkli and the fun I’ve having with modern dyed fibre blends, head on over to 21^st century spinning.

I’d love to spend more time posting over here this year, but we’ll see. I have a busy year ahead. My business grew in leaps and bounds in 2016, and I expect it to grow more this year. I love being able to help my friends out by stocking what they can’t get locally (here is Australia) and we’ve helped gear up some new reenactors who have stayed in the hobby. Also, I have a wedding to plan this year (yes, my own), and not to mention the re-enactment wardrobe I meant to sew this year that’s still waiting for me to sew!

Oh, and of course I still work full time outside the home, which we have more renovations to do along with the acreage to manage!

So in summary 2016 was a great year for me personally but extremely busy, and I expect 2017 to be no different.

Thanks for all the support over the years, it’s wonderful to see so many more people embracing the traditional spinning techniques of Europe and the UK. Keep spinning, keep sharing!