It's Shenanigans time again, and this time, I took it slower than I have in the past. I had a few Real Life things come up, including my annual participation in the Great Cycle Challenge (half an hour or so on a stationary bike doesn't SOUND like much, but it sometimes takes a _large_ chunk of my spoons.
No Animals Allowed
I have a significant stash, in a relatively small space - some of it is non-animal. (if you include regenerated cellulose, more of it counts in this category) I recently acquired some flax from the Berta's Flax project, in hopes of getting my guild exploring other fibres, but that was NOT my starting point.
I decided I would stop carrying my pushkas and canti to Guild events, so I would be forced to focus on the cotton I keep attached to my purse.
It was not as effective as I had hoped. I started here:
...with spindles that already held some singles.
So far, I've spun a few yards... Nothing else to report.
Andean weavers don't earn bragging rights by 'just' getting good at the complicated patterns as quickly as possible - they arrive there by repeating them until they're as easy as breathing... and at the start of the month, I'd only ever finished 13 bands... the last one was completed in early May.
Time to stop being a waylaka, and get to it!
On the 13th of this month, I gave away one of my reference bands, to a weaver who asked whether I might have something suitable for a hatband... that's really what prompted this whole thing.
I had to replace it, so I have a copy of the patterns on it. In an ideal world, I would already have woven just that pattern over a dozen times... but I've barely completed a dozen total.
I've also woven about half of another band - 5 pairs, first in sakas, then in a stairstep variation of sakas that was among the Team Vampy challenges.
The enormity of this spindle is difficult to overstate. This is sold as a DROP spindle... often to beginners (sadly, it was the first spindle my friend purchased). I'm thrilled to own it, both because my friend no longer has to attempt to use it, and as a cautionary tale.
This is by NO means a 'beginner spindle'... and I'm appalled that they still sell it. It would almost work better as a candy dish!
Some of the 'facts' I'm challenging include (some decisions were made AFTER the Quiz-a-Tron was run):
Having thumbed my nose at the 'Expert Hordes', and produced a small amount of serviceable yarn, I can carry on with the other half of this entry - my Quiz-a-Tron results.
My Major and Minor were Color and Plying Structure - the categories I thought would most challenge me. I thought they might even make me get back to some of the items I haven't done for homework yet... and they did just that!
It started off somewhat unassumingly - I drew a Natural main colour. Then I was supposed to add a warm colour to the palette, and my spinning challenge was to alternate between multiple colours in 1 ply.
For Structure, I drew a crepe yarn - so I decided to add to the challenge - and try to make a bubble crepe, with a corespun 'heavy' singles.
The goal was to make a headpiece of some kind - so I thought I'd do a hairband/ear warmer. I had seen photos of some cotton dishcloths in another Discord channel, and liked the look of the random check that can be achieved with short repeats of the contrasting colour.
The Chaos Goblin got ignored - so that was also a fail... I typically DO spin, etc, all over the house - but I didn't make a point of doing so for this challenge... boo on me.
I got all the singles done, using the Behemoth for the corespun/multicoloured singles, and my Nano for the 2 fine singles for the plying and crepe passes. I chose the Nano for this ridiculous photo...
Then I started plying, on my slowest, firmest takeup, wheel - my Thumbelina.
In the end, I lost - both at yarn chicken, and at completing the project before the deadline. I ended up using some leftover beaded chain-ply when the crepe yarn ran out. As of the Deadline, it's still on the frame.
This Shenanigans has left me with a LOT of inspiration to continue - and several loose ends that still need tying up. Hopefully I'll have more to show by Reveal Day.
I have a significant stash, in a relatively small space - some of it is non-animal. (if you include regenerated cellulose, more of it counts in this category) I recently acquired some flax from the Berta's Flax project, in hopes of getting my guild exploring other fibres, but that was NOT my starting point.
I decided I would stop carrying my pushkas and canti to Guild events, so I would be forced to focus on the cotton I keep attached to my purse.
It was not as effective as I had hoped. I started here:
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| Two brass taklis, waiting to be full enough for next steps. |
...with spindles that already held some singles.
So far, I've spun a few yards... Nothing else to report.
Andean Weaving 120
I really enjoy every weaving style I've tried - which becomes a bit of an issue with studying Andean weaving - it's one option in a sea of enticing choices. Thinking about this is what shaped my challenge.
Instead of stretching myself to do even more new and exciting things, I took a hard look at my WIP pile, and chose the challenge of Doing The Thing.
Instead of stretching myself to do even more new and exciting things, I took a hard look at my WIP pile, and chose the challenge of Doing The Thing.
Andean weavers don't earn bragging rights by 'just' getting good at the complicated patterns as quickly as possible - they arrive there by repeating them until they're as easy as breathing... and at the start of the month, I'd only ever finished 13 bands... the last one was completed in early May.
Time to stop being a waylaka, and get to it!
On the 13th of this month, I gave away one of my reference bands, to a weaver who asked whether I might have something suitable for a hatband... that's really what prompted this whole thing.
I had to replace it, so I have a copy of the patterns on it. In an ideal world, I would already have woven just that pattern over a dozen times... but I've barely completed a dozen total.
So far, since the 13th, I've finished these:
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| The satisfying twisties ALWAYS make me so absurdly happy!! |
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| Completed bands 14-16 |
I've also woven about half of another band - 5 pairs, first in sakas, then in a stairstep variation of sakas that was among the Team Vampy challenges.
The third is the closest I've come to a doodle band - it's not just variations on one pattern, but switches between a few 6-pair patterns.
(It happened to be the first 6-pair warp I set my hands on when Vampy posted the first challenge - and the absolute WORST to photograph... or see. I do NOT recommend this!!)
(It happened to be the first 6-pair warp I set my hands on when Vampy posted the first challenge - and the absolute WORST to photograph... or see. I do NOT recommend this!!)
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| The band that BARELY photographs... but I finished it anyway. |
| 2 of these bands have a 'challenging' yarn in common - the dusty green in the first and third bands is a twist-added handspun mohair blend from my stash... and another grand example of learning 'what happens when I try. (I can say it's even less fun than the alpaca... ;) ) |
Told You So, and the Quiz-a-Tron
First, the I Told You So...
A friend moved overseas a few months ago, and shipped me a large portion of her stash. When I saw the Lacis BEHEMOTH spindle, I knew I had a future Shenanigan.
A friend moved overseas a few months ago, and shipped me a large portion of her stash. When I saw the Lacis BEHEMOTH spindle, I knew I had a future Shenanigan.
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| NOT a floor spindle - and just under 5 oz... this is madness! |
This is by NO means a 'beginner spindle'... and I'm appalled that they still sell it. It would almost work better as a candy dish!
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| The whorl is also unwieldy because it's so WIDE, and the shaft is really too short for something this enormous. |
Some of the 'facts' I'm challenging include (some decisions were made AFTER the Quiz-a-Tron was run):
- You can't make corespun on a spindle.
- Your core must be a plied yarn.
- You can't spin fine yarns on a heavy spindle (for corespun this IS fine - but I may yet challenge just HOW fine I can go on this 'thing')
- If you are NOT using a plied core (as in coreless corespun), the singles has to have the same twist direction as the wrap.
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| Corespun, Z-twist, onto an S-twist singles weaving wool. This requires carefully controlling the point-of-twist in the core, so that it has structural integrity in the 'working' direction BEFORE wrapping it. |
Having thumbed my nose at the 'Expert Hordes', and produced a small amount of serviceable yarn, I can carry on with the other half of this entry - my Quiz-a-Tron results.
 |
| Hastily scribbled on Launch Day - then forgotten for a week or two... I had SUCH hopes for getting more than one of these done - silly me! |
It started off somewhat unassumingly - I drew a Natural main colour. Then I was supposed to add a warm colour to the palette, and my spinning challenge was to alternate between multiple colours in 1 ply.
For Structure, I drew a crepe yarn - so I decided to add to the challenge - and try to make a bubble crepe, with a corespun 'heavy' singles.
The goal was to make a headpiece of some kind - so I thought I'd do a hairband/ear warmer. I had seen photos of some cotton dishcloths in another Discord channel, and liked the look of the random check that can be achieved with short repeats of the contrasting colour.
The Chaos Goblin got ignored - so that was also a fail... I typically DO spin, etc, all over the house - but I didn't make a point of doing so for this challenge... boo on me.
I got all the singles done, using the Behemoth for the corespun/multicoloured singles, and my Nano for the 2 fine singles for the plying and crepe passes. I chose the Nano for this ridiculous photo...
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| When your spindle DWARFS your bobbins... |
Then I started plying, on my slowest, firmest takeup, wheel - my Thumbelina.
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| Successful bubble crepe! Will need more practice to do this well... but it's not terrible for a first go. |
I only completed 12 yards of it, but I thought the texture could work well. With such limited yardage, I decided on a 4-selvedge option, and went spelunking through the equipment stash.
I dug out my Lily Speed-o-Weave Twin, and assembled it in a configuration that I thought would work. Weaving began with 36 or so hours remaining in Shenanigans.
I dug out my Lily Speed-o-Weave Twin, and assembled it in a configuration that I thought would work. Weaving began with 36 or so hours remaining in Shenanigans.
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| I think I like the texture, and the way the orange plays off the natural dark brown wool |
In the end, I lost - both at yarn chicken, and at completing the project before the deadline. I ended up using some leftover beaded chain-ply when the crepe yarn ran out. As of the Deadline, it's still on the frame.
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| Random pattern, or secret message? |
This Shenanigans has left me with a LOT of inspiration to continue - and several loose ends that still need tying up. Hopefully I'll have more to show by Reveal Day.
