Spindlicity

Speed Plying with the Connie Delaney Kick

Ingrid Brundin

Why you should kick your spindles black and blue… Daunting or boring, plying on a spindle is often the least favourite part about making your own yarn.. But I have seldom felt like that, I mean after all, if you are in a hurry the yarn shop is often not that far away, is it? Spinning is about relaxing and getting into a meditative rythm, and plying to me was a part of this until I got it into my head that I wanted a cabled yarn for socks. A cabled yarn? A simple cabled yarn is just spin your singles, overply in one direction and then ply it once more in the opposite direction. Simple….maybe. I like the thickness or should I say thinness of German four-ply sock yarns like Regia, Opal, Lana Grossa etc,as they make a thin sock suitable for city shoes, so I started out by spinning THIN singles. And then I overtwisted them, wound them into tight balls and then I was in trouble when I started to ply. Snarls!!! I gave up after a multitude of terrible messes where the yarn snapped. Left the balls for dead and continued with my other spinning projects. But - an article in Spindlicity Fall '06 caught my eye. It was about speed spindling. I had just reread Priscilla Gibson Roberts' book High Whorling or as it is known now; Spinning in the Old Way and I had been reviewing the chapter on plying where she mentions using an overhead ring in the ceiling. So I had a thought, why not combine the two?

 
So I tried it - yes, brought out the two forlorn balls and started plying again. But this time I could keep the yarn tensioned with my hand if I liked or just let gravity help me as the balls were now on the ground and the yarn running from the floor to the ceiling and back again. Another bonus, I could ply twice or three times as much yarn in one shot than before AND faster too. Take a look at the pictures (this yarn is not the offending yarn, it is spindle spun merino dyed with Kool Aid but it is aiming to be thin cable plyed sock yarn just like the offending yarn).

Place two balls of yarn in a bowl on the floor. It can be any old bowl or jar, that you have around the house. Make a loop or use a leader if you are more comfortable with that.

Thread the yarn through the hook and onto the spindle.

Keep the yarn tensioned in your left hand (if you are righthanded).
 

Place the spindle between your feet. Wear shoes or sandals.

Kick or rub your feet together, and make sure the spindle is rotating in the plying direction.

Watch the twist travel up from the spindle and towards the hook in the ceiling. If you are plying two thin yarns you might want to help the twist travel past the hook by just briefly tug your yarn up and down. Watch the plying enter the section that runs from the ceiling to your left hand.

When you decide it is enough, catch hold of your spindle and start winding. Thin yarns need one good full kick, thicker yarns might need two or three kicks as thicker yarns present more resistance to plying. Use a heavier spindle when you ply compared to spinning- I must confess that while I don't like my Golding spindle as much as my other spindles as the shaft chafes my hand, the ribbed shaft is excellent for kicking. So - if you don't like a spindle and it is heavy enough, you can start kicking it around the house and ply some yarn. Put it to a good use! 

Ingrid lives and spins in Sweden. We hope to see more of Ingrid's innovations and her socks.

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Fulled Pocket Purse

 Janel Laidman

SPECS:

Fiber: Approximately 2.5 ounces Romeldale/CVM in two different colorways, spun 2-ply WPI: 7 Gauge: Not critical, as each type of fiber will full differently and the size of the finished purse may vary. Use a gauge that gives you a medium tightness of stockinette, so that when fulled the fabric will close up.

 

Here's a fun purse with pockets built in as you go! The body of this purse is knitted in a feltable fiber of your choice, in two different colorways, spun to about a worsted-weight gauge. After fulling, the top edge and drawstring handles crocheted from Noro "Daria," a rayon-wrapped cotton cord that comes in the usual Noro-luscious colorways. Crochet gauge isn't given; just be sure before tying off and cutting the cord that you can get items in and out of the opening. If not, unravel the crocheting and rework at a looser gauge.

Abbreviations:

K, k	Knit
P, p	Purl
st, sts	Stitch, stitches
dpn(s)	Double-pointed needle(s)
CO	Cast on
K2tog	Knit 2 together (a 1-stitch decrease)
ch	chain
sc	single-crochet (UK double-crochet)
dc	single-crochet (UK double-crochet)

Materials:
About 2.5 ounces Romeldale/CVM in two different colorways, spun and plied to about a worsted weight
Cord: Noro "Daria" in color 2 or any color to coordinate with your yarn
Needles:
Two 24-inch circular needles size US7 (4.5mm) or any size to give you medium-gauge stockinette. It's best to use two different-looking needles, e.g., bamboo and metal.
One set of double-pointed needles in the same needle-circumference size as the circular needles.
Crochet hook: G (4.5mm) or size to give appropriate gauge
Stitch marker for beginning of round.

Gauge:
Not critical, as each type of fiber will full differently and the size of the finished purse may vary. Use a gauge that gives you a medium tightness of stockinette, so that when fulled the fabric will close up.

Beginning at top edge, CO80 on circular needle in color 1. Join, being careful not to twist, and knit one round (Round 1).

Round 2: Place a marker for the beginning of the round. Yo, K2tog 40 times.

Rounds 3-6: Knit.

The pockets are formed by crossing over the yarn in 10-stitch intervals from one needle to the other. Needle1 is your original needle, needle2 is your new needle. Except for the first set-up round, Needle1 always knits off of Needle1 and Needle2 only knits off Needle2. It makes things easiest if you use two different looking needles so that you don't accidentally mix up your needles. Make sure to cross the yarn at each crossover point.

Begin double knit pocket rounds:

Round 7 (Set-up round): On Needle1 (original needle containing knit rounds), k10 from Needle1 with color2.
On Needle2 (empty needle), CO10 with color1.
*On Needle2, knit next 10 sts from Needle1 with color2.
On Needle1, CO10 with color1.
On Needle1, knit next 10 sts from Needle1 with color2.
On Needle 2, CO10 with color1.
Repeat from * until you have 8 crossovers and 8 pockets started.

Subsequent pocket rounds:

Round 8: *On needle1, k10 in color2.
On needle2, p10 in color1, cross yarns to bring color1 to front.
On needle1, k10 in color1.
On needle2, k10 in color2, cross yarns to bring color2 to front.
Repeat from * 3 more times to complete round.

Before fulling

After fulling

Rounds 9-25 or until pocket is the depth that you wish: Repeat Round 7.

Round 26 (Merge round): Knit together 1 stitch from needle1 and 1 stitch from needle2 all the way around with color 2. All sts are now on needle1; needle2 is no longer needed.

Rounds 27-32: Knit 6 rows with color 2.

Switch to color 1.

Decrease rounds (switch to dpns when round gets too small for circular needle):

Round 33: Knit 1 round (80 stitches).

Round 34: K3, k2 tog until end of round (16 decreases, 64 sts).

Round 35 and all remaining odd-numbered rounds: Knit.

Round 36: K3, k2 tog to last 4 sts, k4 (12 decreases, 52 sts).

Round 38: K3, k2 tog to last 2 sts, k2 (10 decreases, 42 sts).

Round 40: K3, k2 tog to last 2 sts, k2 (8, decreases, 34 sts).

Round 42: K3, k2 tog to last 4 sts, k4 (6 decreases, 28 sts).

Round 44: K3, k2 tog to last 3 sts, k3 (5 decreases, 23 sts).

Round 46: K3, k2 tog to last 4 sts, k4 (4 decreases, 19 sts).

Round 48: K3, k2 tog to last st, k1 (3 decreases, 16 sts).

Round 50: K1, k2 tog to last st, k1 (5 decreases, 11 sts).

Round 52: K1, k2 tog to last 2 sts, k2 (3 decreases, 8 sts).

Break yarn and draw through remaining 8 sts twice, then cinch tight. Weave in ends.

Full knitted bag in washing machine. Check fulling process to make sure fulling is occurring as you wish it.

 

Once bag is fulled, begin crochet edging:

Round 1: With crochet hook and Noro cord, leaving a tail about 8 inches long, sc around bag in each yo along upper edge. This will cinch the upper edge of the bag. Check that your gauge allows room for objects to enter the bag!

Rounds 2-7: Sc for 6 rounds.

Round 8: Ch2, dc in second st from ch, *ch1, miss 1 and dc in next st; repeat from * to end of round.

Round 9: Ch1, (sc, dc, sc) in ch from previous round, *miss 1, (sc, dc, sc) in ch from previous round; repeat from * to end of round.

Tie off and break cord, leaving a tail about 8 inches long. Weave in ends.

Drawstring handles: Using Noro cord, crochet 2 chains of 100 chain sts each; weave in ends. Run each chain through the openwork round, knotting ends together on inside at opposite sides of bag. This drawstring also acts as the handle of the bag.

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Bead Whorl Spindles

Stephenie Gaustad

 

Appearing simple, just a stick and a bead, the bead whorl spindle is found among spinners across continents, around the world. Do you think the wide spread use of this tool indicates its attraction? It is portable, handy and it works! Let's take a look at the spindle parts.

THE SHAFT

Rapid twist insertion spindles have small diameter shafts. Those intended to be supported in either hand or in a small cup have points on the ends. Usually the shaft is out of a material that is lightweight and stiff, like cane, bamboo, softwood. The shaft is split into rough dimension, then tapered at both ends. It should be straight, between 8 and 12 inches long. I like barbeque skewers and sort out the bent or otherwise unacceptable ones. Chopsticks are also a good source of shaft material.

THE BEAD

The bead acts like a flywheel and can be spherical, a disk or cylindrical. When checking out tribal or ethnic beads choose those with a tapered hole. Non-tapered hole beads can be used, but it is more complicated to fit the shaft and keep the bead in place and have the entire affaire centered and concentric. Goes without saying that you can make your own beads from real and plastic clay, glass, metal, wood, seeds, etc. Choose a bead that is of consistent weight and mass so that when it is rotated it spins true. You can bring a test shaft to try out a prospective bead.

Position the bead at least an inch from the end of the shaft. If it is a large bead, a couple of inches is good. There are bead whorl spindles with the bead in the middle of the shaft. When the bead is in the middle, then yarn can be stored both above and below the whorl. Size of bead is up to you. I have seen bead whorl beads 2 plus inches in diameter, and beads 1/4 of an inch. Larger beads are for coarser yarns, or for plying but since the spindle is worked in a supported mode, what is comfortable for you and your hands is more significant. In general small beads and lightweight spindles are for the finest yarns. One last consideration. The size of the hole in the bead determines the size of the shaft. That shaft needs to be stiff. There are lots of jewelry beads ½ inch in diameter with fine holes. A bead like that on a fine bamboo shaft can bend and bounce the spindle. You may end up using a steel double pointed knitting needle which only adds weight.

HOW TO USE IT

A simple way to use the bead whorl spindle is with one tip in a shallow cup or bowl. This keeps the spindle from "walking" as it spins. The other tip is held by the fingers of your master hand, pinky and ring finger clustering the shaft (keeping the spindle from falling out of your palm) and index and thumb at the tip of the spindle. (See photo 1) The spindle is rotated by flicking your thumb/index fingers. For me, the most familiar movement is like snapping your fingers, thumb goes slightly up, index down which in a right handed person puts an "S" twist on the yarn. In a southpaw, a "Z". Other people favor index finger moving up, relative to the thumb, a sort of "flicking something off your finger" move which puts (right handed) a "Z" twist on the yarn. So long as you keep going the same direction you started it doesn't matter which direction you pick.

Remember I said, cluster your little and ring finger around the spindle to keep it from falling out of your hand. Practice with a bare spindle for a bit until you are familiar with its movements. The bead whorl spindle has no hook. So it is used like the spindle on a great wheel or charkha. During drafting and twisting, the yarn comes off the end of the spindle at a minor angle. Each time the spindle rotates, the yarn falls off the tip. It puts a pulse into the yarn. But if you were to angle the yarn directly off the tip of the spindle, all the yarn wrapped around the shaft would be stripped off. During twisting there must be a slight angle to the yarn.

HOW BIG?

Spin a fine yarn. Now, spin a finer yarn. This is a small, lightweight spindle. Heavy yarns stall it.

WHAT FIBERS?

Cotton, rabbit, downs, fine wools, pre-drafted silk. Anything you can draft easily with one hand. When a length is ready to be wound on, unwind the yarn by pulling on it and permit the spindle to unwind to cast it off. Change the angle of the yarn to 90 degrees and wind on the finished yarn close to the bead. (See Photo 2)

NICETIES

Since the bead whorl has no hook, it is possible to unwind it off the tip, end-feed. But in order to do this attention must be paid to how the yarn is laid onto the spindle.

I like to start with a firm first layer put on as a cylinder, an inch to 2 inches in length laid at the top of the bead. Then back at the junction of the bead and the cylinder I begin to form a cone until the cone grows in diameter and is about the size of the beads diameter. On that cone I build a series of cone on cone, each succeeding cone slightly smaller in diameter than the prior one.

At some point the spindle will get awkward, reticent and sluggish. Time to unwind it. That can be done by holding the spindle and pointing the tip at whatever tool you are unwinding onto. Unfortunately, our old friend the niddy noddy is howling bad news at this point especially with fine yarn on a small spindle. A small swift, storage or shuttle bobbin or boiling cone/cylinder are more sane choices depending on what is the next step.

FINAL WORDS

This is intended to be an introduction, a meeting, a first step towards the large world of the bead whorl spindle. Bead whorls range all over the world and back in time. Stone, clay, wood, bone, ivory, glass spindle whorls are found often by the thousands near cities and encampments. What does that say about the tool and its product? Their use is skill-based. It takes practice to build confidence and get comfortable with them. They are easily found, ready to hand and quick. .

 

Stephenie Gaustad was trained in fine art, and has wide experience in weaving, spinning, dyeing, fiber processing, and partnering a spinning tool business. Her articles have appeared in Spin-Off, Handwoven and Shuttle Spindle and Dyepot.

The green alligator glass bead was handmade by Gayle Herring.

Make Your Own Supported Spindle

Janel Laidman

 

Making your own supported spindle can be done with materials that you may already have at home or which are easily obtained. Our supported spindle is made from a large Susan Bates plastic double pointed knitting needle, a toy wheel and scotch tape. You could also use a dowel for the shaft, and sand down the ends into points if you don't have a spare dpn lying around. Our whorl was made from a rim-weighted wooden toy wheel obtained from a craft store. The whorl could just as easily be made out of fimo clay, a small ball with a hole through the center, an ancient spindle whorl or any other spherical or disc shaped object that has a centered hole going through it

Here are the details of how to put together a quick and easy support spindle:

Fig 1: Materials for making your support spindle.

Fig 2: Wrap shaft (knitting needle) with scotch tape about 3/4 of the way down the needle length. Taper or step the tape from the top to the bottom to form a wedge that will fit the diameter of the center hole of your chosen whorl. You may have to try on the whorl several times before you have built up enough tape to wedge the whorl on.

Fig 3: Closeup showing stepped tape wrapping.

Fig 4: Slide your whorl (toy wheel)over the top of the shaft and down to the tape. Wedge the whorl tightly onto the tape and adjust if necessary to make sure the whorl is perpendicular to the shaft.

Fig 5: View from the bottom of the attached whorl showing the fit between the tape and the whorl.

Voila! Your spindle is now ready to begin spinning. Although this is a simple construction method, the resulting spindle is surprisingly durable and balanced. Enjoy your spindling!

 

Janel Laidman is the editor of Spindlicity, and has been an avid spinner for the last 17 years. She has recently become quite excited about supported spindles.

Spinning a Color Gradient for Socks

Janel Laidman

Spinning your own sock yarn can be a wonderfully satisfying experience.  Sock yarns take a lot of abrasion so there are a few things you can do to help make your sock last a little longer.  After all, you put all that work into it, you want it to last!

For my sock I chose bluefaced leicester (BFL) wool.  I chose this wool because it has a nice long staple, a medium crimp and it's soft enough that my feet will be happy.  The long staple will make a stronger yarn than a short stapled fiber.  I decided to make a 3 ply yarn.  The more plies you have in a yarn, the stronger the yarn is, and the less any one ply is exposed to abrasion from the outside.  I also used a fairly tight twist, which helps lock the fibers in, again, to prevent abrasion and pilling.

I had 5 ounces of space dyed BFL from Dicentra Designs in a beautiful peacock colorway.

I opened up the length of top and split it at the purple/blue interface to make several lengths with the same color sequence.

I then divided the yarn into 6 even amounts (2 socks, 3 plies per sock) and spun the single fine at about WPI.

I plied 3 plies together lining up the colors to give a final WPI of 17.

Because the colors were not exactly matched at the transitions since the fiber wasn't dyed, nor spun with machinelike precision, the colors shaded into each other with a beautiful gradient.

I then knit the yarn up into a sock pattern that was inspired by the peacock colors of the yarn.

A free download of the pattern can be found at Rustling Leaf Press

Spinning Long Draw

Janel Laidman

 

 

 

 

Spinning from the Fold

Beth Smith

 

Spinning from the fold is a great technique for spinning slippery silk, and slippery man-made fibers like tencel, soysilk or bamboo. But that's not all spinning from the fold is good for! You can use this technique to get a loftier yarn from combed top by mimicking a less aligned preparation like a carded preparation. By pulling the fibers out sideways from the combed top, they are able to incorporate more air into the finished yarn giving you a lightweight, lofty, warm result.

Watch Beth as she shows you how spinning from the fold is done.

 

 

Spinning Down Fibers

Janel Laidman

Down fibers are the fibers found in the soft undercoats of many fiber-bearing animals that live in very cold climates. They are short and fine and some of the softest and warmest fiber known to man. Examples of down fibers are cashmere, yak down, buffalo down, quiviut (muskox) and camel down. These animals have more than one coat, a coarse outer coat, called guard hairs, and the soft short warm fibers that help keep the animal warm. Down bearing animals shed their downy coats in warmer weather and the down is harvested at that time.

Down fibers can be bought raw or processed. The raw fibers need to be washed and have the guard hair removed. Processed down fibers should come to you clean and dehaired. Down fibers can come in a loose fiber or in a processed top. Because down fibers benefit from being spun woolen, rather than worsted, a combed prep is not really necessary, however combing can help ensure the uniformity of the fiber.

To begin spinning a down fiber, you must first learn how to hold the fiber. The best way to spin down fibers is a woolen spin with a long-draw. To do this you must hold the fibers loosely in your fiber hand and well back from the drafting zone. You don't want to be pinching and choking the drafting triangle, because you want to allow the spin to enter the fiber source and pull out the fibers.

To spin these fibers with a spindle, you want to use a supported spindle. Supported spindles do not use gravity to pull fibers into the twist, therefore it is possible to do a long draw on them because the fibers are not pulled in as fast and your hands can keep up and control the long draw. A supported spindle has a pointed top and a pointed bottom, you spin by twirling the spindle with the bottom of the spindle resting in a small bowl or on your thigh.

To start the spin, grasp the spindle at the top between your thumb and first two fingers and "snap" your fingers rolling the spindle through them. Immediately you should take your thumb and middle finger and form a circle around the tip to corral the spindle so it won't stop, but without hindering its spin. The spindle will touch your circled fingers and eventually stop, but you have successfully built up spin in your thread.

While your spinning hand is snapping, spinning and corraling the spindle, your left hand is holding the fibers but not actively pulling back to make thread. The spin step is meant to build up spin in the thread leader coming off the spindle. Once the spin is sufficiently built up, perhaps 2 or 3 snaps (or more, you will learn by feel over time how much is right), then it is time to begin drafting. To draft, hold the top of the spindle stationary and gently pull back with your fiber hand drawing away from the spindle. At this point you are letting the stored twist energy run into the fiber supply and draw out a thread.

If you find you have slubs (thick spots in a thinner thread), pinch off the twist between the slub and the spindle tip and grasp the thread ahead of the drafting triangle with your fiber hand. Both hands should be grasping spun thread. Then gently pull back with your fiber hand to draw out the slub and allow the twist to enter the slub. If your slub won't budge, you may have to slightly untwist your yarn by rolling your pinching hands in the opposite direction of the twist and then drawing back. When you let go, the twist will run right back into the slub which is now thinned out from drawing it.

Down fibers really benefit from plying. Because the fiber is so short, you don't want to use a down fiber single in knitting because the yarn will be unstable. However, you could use it in a tightly woven piece. If you intend to use your fiber in a lace knit pattern, a 2 ply is sufficient. If you plan to knit other types of garments, a 3-ply is ideal as it will give the yarn a more rounded cross section, and more luxurious loft.

To finish off a down fiber yarn, you want to wash it and help the fibers set and bloom. Wash your skein in warm water with a little soap, then squeeze it gently or put it in the washing machine on spin cycle (with no water running or agitation) to remove the excess water. Then take your skein and give it a nice cracking whack against a table top or other hard smooth surface. Whack it several times on one end, then switch your grasp to the other end and whack again. The whacking helps the fibers bloom and will give you an incredibly luxurious and lofty yarn for the most delicious textiles!

 

Janel Laidman is the editor of Spindlicity. She has recently become quite excited about supported spindles and down spinning. Special thanks Judith MacKenzie McCuin for her expertise in down fibers and down fiber spinning.

The spindle used in this article is a Forrester support spindle from French Hill Farm.

ELIMINATE AWKWARD NECK AND ARM POSTURES: Strategies for spinning comfort and longevity

Carson Demers, PT, CEAS

Awkward postures are a common ergonomic problem for hand spinners, and indeed all fiber workers. These postures can create discomfort and lead to more serious problems such as carpal tunnel syndrome, tendinitis, or arthritic changes. Correcting these postures can make you more comfortable, increase your spinning longevity, and even improve the quality of your spinning. Setting a goal to use ideal postures most of the time is more attainable than striving for perfection at all times and will serve you well. Let’s look at ideal posture for the neck, shoulder, arm and hand, understand how these faulty postures occur, and how to manage them.

Ideal posture places minimal compression on the joints and minimal tension on the muscles, tendons, ligaments, and nerves (collectively called “soft tissue”) that cross and operate them. Risk of injury is introduced when we deviate from the ideal. We call this deviation “awkwardness”. The more awkward a posture is, the more risk of injury it introduces. Risk is also influenced by how frequently and how long you are in the awkward posture. Finally, your individual health and fitness affects how risky an awkward posture is for you. The more fit your tissue, the more likely it will be to tolerate awkward postures.

Ideal neck posture retains a concave curve through the middle section of your neck. We all have varying degrees of curve here, but to optimize your curve, simply keep your head up with your face forward. This can be challenging when you feel the need for reassurance from visual feedback of what’s happening in your hands, as when trying a new fiber or technique. This head-down position presents a potent risk factor for your neck that you will need to address. The easiest way is to let your eyes do the work instead of your neck. Simply cast your glance downward. Remain aware of the head-up, face-forward position.

When the head drops to watch the hands, the upper back follows suit, introducing awkwardness at more joints. Remain aware of keeping your chest up to avoid short term effects – back and shoulder strain – and long term effects – tightness in the chest muscles and permanently altered posture typified by a rounded back and forward head. The relationship between the size of your wheel and the size of yourself also influences this posture. An orifice that is too high or too low may encourage you to lean or reach toward it. If you tend to lean forward while spinning, choose a chair with a back and keep your back against it. Remain aware of your connection to the back of the chair at the area between your shoulders.

Ideal shoulder posture is one in which the arms (shoulder to elbow) are relaxed and at your side. This eliminates the need for muscle activity and lets gravity do the work. Deviating from this by holding your arms in front of you requires muscle energy and is fatiguing to the shoulder muscles. This can lead to discomfort and even tendinitis.  Allow your arms hanging naturally from your shoulders to be your default spinning position. If you’ve been holding your arms in front of you, this new position will increase the distance between you and the orifice. You’ll adapt to this change quickly.

A second awkward shoulder posture has one hand, usually the drafting hand, crossing the body to find the fiber supply. This position rotates the drafting shoulder inward (called internal rotation). Internal shoulder rotation changes the resting posture of the muscles of the rotator cuff and closes down spaces through which some shoulder muscles must travel. Long exposure to this position deprives these muscles of needed blood flow and oxygen and makes them more susceptible to injury. Avoid this by keeping both hands at your midline, resting in your lap. You’ll probably find this immediately more comfortable and ultimately, when you’re more comfortable, you’re less stressed, which allows you to spin better.

Bending elbows more than about 90 degrees requires muscle energy and stretches nerves that cross them. Tense spinners will sometimes keep their elbows bent excessively as they lean forward to scrutinize their drafting. Relax! Just put your hands on your lap, and relax your arms. Your spinning will improve and your arms will feel much better. If you have a hard time getting your hands on your lap, perhaps because you have short arms, consider using a small pillow on your lap to support your forearms and keep your elbows bent to 90 degrees.

Ideal wrist posture is one in which a straight line could be drawn from the elbow through the wrist to the middle finger (viewed from the top) and to the little finger (viewed from the side). Many spinners whom I’ve observed draft their fiber by using a wrist movement with a forward draw technique. Doing so requires excessive work by the long, thin muscles in the forearm that operate the wrist. This often results in discomfort in the forearm near the elbow and can develop into a tendinitis. Instead of using wrist movement to draft the fiber, let the big muscles of your shoulder do the work. That’s what they’re designed for! Draft by externally rotating the shoulder toward the orifice. That is, with your arm resting by your side rotate your shoulder so that your drafting hand moves toward the orifice (forward draw), or your fiber hand moves away from it (backward draw). Your elbow remains bent to about 90 degrees and your arm remains at your side, keeping them also in the ideal position.

The ideal hand posture is a relaxed hand with the fingers at rest. Clearly this isn’t going to work if we’re going to spin anything! So we must be aware of the work our hands are doing, and conscientious to undo any deleterious effects that it may cause. First relax the hand that holds your fiber supply. The fibers flow from this hand to the drafting hand like water in a river. The tight pinch that is often imposed on the fiber stops the flow of the fiber and strains your hands. “Listen” to this hand and to respond to its information through changes in drafting speed, bobbin tension, etc., instead of tightening your grip. The drafting hand needs to be held with a pinch grip sufficient to stop or control the amount of twist entering the drafting zone, especially when spinning worsted yarn. This is an inherent risk factor for spinners and must be dealt with by taking frequent rests to stretch your hand and thumb.  Simply opening the hand will suffice.

Finally, here are some tips on how your wheel can help you reduce awkward postures. Position yourself at the wheel so that your knees are bent at about a 90 degree angle. This will help decrease the tendency to reach or lean forward. Eliminate leaning forward by learning to stop your wheel at a position in its revolution that allows you to restart it with a treadling action instead. Proper wheel maintenance, including frequent oiling, aids in reducing the amount of work your body has to do to make the wheel operate. Your wheel is a tool whose job it is to make things easier on your body.

And speaking of tools, don’t forget the most important one – you! Be kind to your body. It allows you the joy of spinning, knitting, weaving, and all other physical pursuits. Stretch it frequently during these activities. Stand and change positions at least twice an hour. Hydrate it with water and nourish it properly. I want you to spin healthfully and joyfully ever after.

Anna's American Flag

Laura Silverman

This American flag, handspun from Merino top then dyed and woven, is a signature piece of Los Angeles fiber artist Anna Zinsmeister. Culminating from her long-standing interest in flags, she was moved to create one for herself after September 11th.

Anna learned to weave during her 1972 tenure at Immaculate Heart College (now defunct) from Momo Nagano. Later, she earned a Masters degree in textiles at California State University, Northridge. Although exposed to spinning much earlier in life, Anna didn't take it up herself until 1978. She teaches both subjects at many major fiber arts locations in the Los Angeles area and also accepts private students.

Her interest in flags, especially old flags and their construction, prompted Anna to research the subject well before. Current flags are made out of printed cloth that is cut and hemmed to size, but it was difficult to find documentation on the formation of older ones. A major issue, she found, is that the standard for making them - dimensions, sizes, colors, and placement of the stars on the Union - was only established somewhat recently. Prior to the Industrial Revolution, there were precious few requirements. She found many books that listed suggested materials - wool for the body and stars of either cotton or linen, but she took in far more information by studying photographs.

Most flags, Anna discovered, were woven in plain weave, and she presumes that they were pieced together from strips of cloth made on tape looms. (Tape Looms are narrow band type looms meant to produce ribbon or tape such as that used for supports in chairs.) Red and blue dyes were commonly available in the 1700s and Anna believes that may have prompted the choice in color way. The symbolism attributed to the colors was developed long after the original flag was created.

Anna started by spinning singles out of white Supertop Merino on her Schacht Matchless wheel. But she also relied heavily on a hand spindle, carrying her work with her wherever she went. She created a worsted type single, as smooth and even as possible. A high twist level was important to maintain the strength and integrity needed for weaving and, since her plan was to weave the flag at 20 EPI, a thin yarn to ensure that the fabric draped well was essential. She met her goal, not scientifically, but simply by eyeing her output.

Dying the red yarn before beginning her weaving process, Anna made her stripes on a two-harness table loom that she used primarily for teaching children. She chose Cushing's Dyes when coloring some of her yarn red; it came out variegated rather than a single tone. She's not sure if that was a result of her choice of dyes, errors in the dyeing process, or because she spun two different batches of Merino wool. Anna evened out the red somewhat by warping her loom with varying degrees of red saturation, ensuring that the color tones were interspersed within the final stripes.

She wove the Union (the blue field) in white on her large Glimakra Countermarch loom and then dyed the resulting fabric blue. As with her red product, the blue ended up being an output of varying tones.

Of course, because she wove using singles with a high twist ratio, there was a definite energy to the fabric. However, Anna says that once each piece was hand-washed - red, white, and blue separately to ensure that the colors didn't run onto each other, the pieces relaxed enough to give her flag a finished look. She worries that it's still possible for the colors to run and, as a result; she's never washed her finished flag as a whole.

 

Upon completing the fabric, Anna pieced her project together. She quickly abandoned the idea of turning the edges of the stripes under for fear that the flag would be too bulky. Instead, she slightly overlapped each of the successive stripes. Once the stripes were arranged and sewn (using a running stitch with her singles yarn), the Union was inset into the piece.

The finished dimensions of Anna's flag are approximately 4' x 5' which is not proportional to modern standards. Anna, however, was not concerned. Old flags not only did not have a set size, but even the stars didn't have to be placed in a particular pattern!

Deciding how to handle the stars was actually a major part of her process. Anna knew that in old flags, they were created several different ways. Sometimes they were painted on, sometimes embroidered. Other flags had appliquéd stars but even that technique varied. She saw samples of flags with double sets of stars appliquéd on either side of the Union. But she also saw examples where stars were on only one side and then the Union fabric was cut behind them in such a manner that they showed through to the other!

Anna's flag was started only for her own pleasure, but the Designing Weavers Guild asked her to display it in their booth at a conference given by the Association of Southern California Handweavers. Running short of time, she created stars by stenciling them onto the Union in fabric paint. On that version of her flag, a single star in the center graced two concentric circles of an additional 30. But she wasn't satisfied with the end result and, after the conference was over, wove another Union with the intent of appliquéing the constellation.

Anna made the fabric for the stars by spinning cotton that was grown in a friend's garden. Cutting the resulting material was very traumatic because she loved the cloth that she had created. Persevering, she made 26 stars. That way, she could appliqué thirteen in the traditional "Betsy Ross Circle" on either side of the flag. They were quite large with plenty of extra selvage turned under to minimize fraying. She used running stitch to secure the selvage and then blanket or buttonhole stitch to affix the stars to the flag.

Anna notes that her Standard probably would not hold up under hard use. She displays it outside her home only two days a year... on Flag Day and Independence Day. She regularly uses it as an educational tool, though, when teaching in schools or at the Girl Scouts.

She plans to make another American flag and would also like to research and create the Mexican one as homage to Mexico's contribution to the California culture. Anna's very interested in learning how the picture on the Mexican flag used to be applied because it is very complicated. She expects to find that it was painted on. She is sure that Mexico's standard will ultimately prove to be a much more complicated project than the American Flag.

Anyone considering making a flag should plan it carefully before proceeding. Anna recommends weaving many sample swatches and testing them for shrinkage. Getting the correct proportions of component parts, then assembling them is difficult. This is especially true if the end result is to be a flag representing today's United States with its proportional requirements. However, if the flag is planned to be a reproduction of older ones, the finished size is not so critical for it to remain authentic.

Websites of Interest:
http://sewing.about.com/library/weekly/aa091301a.html
http://www.sewing.org/enthusiast/html/eo_sewamericanflag.html
http://www.paloaltoonline.com/news_features/makingaflag/index.shtml

If you would like to contact Anna Zinsmeister for teaching opportunities, please e-mail her at azinsmeister@att.net

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editor's note: this is a repost of an archived piece from Spindlicity, Summer 2006