supported spindling

This is the kind of thing that takes concentrated effort over time. In a week or so, I'm going to be taking about ten days off from work. It will be a crazy time, but I'm thinking around that time I'm going to start spinning with these pretty tools every day for a few minutes. Improvement will come.

Blue cloud from Loop!, spun on the Malcolm Fielding Tibetan style spindle,  White merino silk spun on Russian style spindles, actually from Russia. 

Tilly

Justice

"We must maintain a standard of living which makes it possible for people really to want justice for all, rather than to harbor a secret hope for privileges because they cannot hope for justice."
Eleanor Roosevelt

Liberty

"Liberty of individuals to live unmolested by the power of overlords has become confused with the liberty of great industrial overlords to hold in their uncontrolled discretion the livelihood of individuals. The very Declaration of Independence is now the symbol of great business organizations, who insist that every corporation is born free and equal, and that holding companies are entitled to life, liberty, and the pursuit of power. The ideal of free competition is used to stamp out competition. Thus great organizations became the actual government of the people in their practical affairs."
--Thurman Arnold

Woven scarf--teamwork

My son and I worked together to make this scarf for his accordion teacher, who will be leaving town next week. He's a great guy and will make good use of this scarf. It's a plain weave, with ruffles created by pulling several warp ends about two inches in from the edge, and gathering the fabric along those threads.  The yarn is Blue Heron Rayon Metallic in Mossy Place--so beautiful, and as usual my photos only suggest what the yarn looks like. This has to be seen in person or photographed professionally.

handspun, and warping the loom again.

Woolgatherings BFL in copper and plum. 3-ply, 200yds each skein

The heddles are threaded and ready to tie on the back beam.

Eight bundles of ends tied on to the back beam.

This just shows that I measured the warp in two bundles. the 1, 2, and 3 ends are in one bundle, and the 4s in another. I threaded the 4s all at once after the others were already threaded.

Recommendation

I rarely do this, but I've just seen a  website and especially a blog with amazing photos of an island in the Hebrides, and just want to point you to it.  The wares are amazing, especially the handknits, but I do hope to get my hands on some of the wool, yarn and fleece, one of these days, and make a trek for a knitting holiday. How wonderful that would be.
Hebridean Isles Trading Company  site and blog. There are lovely photos on the Gallery page. Lovely! Enjoy.

and the scarf

June 26, 2010

June 26, 2010, was the date I took these photos before sending the sweater off to Cooperative Press for the publication process, which is apparently nearing completion! How exciting.  It's nice to look at the sweater photos again after all this time. I love this sweater, and hope to make one for myself sometime. Here it is styled exactly as I would wear it. Not as cool as the modeled shots, but comfy for me.