Spinning cotton

A while back , Hilary brought in a bulk purchase of cotton to spin and we could buy it a tiny prices. Marina had decided to spin hers and she found out it spins far better on a bigger, older wheel than on a small wheel. You need a strong pull on the fibre to get the cotton to spin nicely, so a wheel where you have a good chance of changing ratios and tension. The dyed cotton wasn’t actually something we thought looked particularly good but now we have seen it spun up it looks great and can be plied with itself or some silk and makes a really nice yarn. If you don’t try things, you don’t know. Looking at it tells you nothing. Cotton is good for bags, tops and wash cloths. It is totally sustainable and cotton growers are getting smarter at using less water. As a plant based fibre it is easily composted. As a lightweight, breathable fibre it is good to wear next to your skin so learning to spin cotton gives you more yarn choices for projects. Some people are allergic to wool.

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Spinning cotton

 

A while back, Hilary brought in a big bag of cotton she had got at one of the open days which have been occurring for different spinning groups in South Australia. Lettie took on the painstaking job of sorting it into even piles so anyone who wanted to purchase some of this cotton at rock bottom prices could do so. Hilary had thought of us while she was out and was simply looking to recoup her costs. It’s a nice feature of our club that we bring things in that other members can benefit from. One of the best gifts is always something which will help people learn. A number of us had never spun cotton. It’s not that easy to get. Some of us wanted the cotton for other things , like Sheila was thinking it might suit her little pots. We could buy an appropriate amount for testing and trying out. Experience is a great teacher . It is going to be good to see what people actually do with their cotton. The video gives some really good tips for spinning cotton.  There are also some clear instructions and patterns on spinning daily.

Show and tell

***A reminder that all the beanies and berets need to be handed in this Friday 22^nd June to the Port Noarlunga Institute between 10am-4pm, and on Saturday 23^rd June at the Guild Building Mile End between 2pm-3pm. It’s a good idea to take a copy of the registration form & also a photo of the beanies and berets you are sending in just for your own record.***

Show and Tell

Marina knitted a beanie in grey garter stitch pattern

Janette shared a homespun, knitted beanie and 2 books to give away

Marjorie had made a skein of spun wool from Brenda’s collection

Beth had felted silk scarf with beads, 3 felted collars with buttons & a silk square design and the other a random multi coloured pattern, & the 3^rd one a white large wool felted square. She also shared a wool felted fairy houses & toad stools.

Karin shared awoven scarf made on the scarf loom in two tone browns stripes.

Cathy had knitted a pair of fingerless mittens made from dyed pink wool.

Sheila had made 3 small brightly coloured woven baskets & a beautiful patchwork bag as a present for her daughter.

Hilary had knitted a pair of fingerless mittens with a flower motif, a crotcheted necklace bought at the Milang Market, & some hand dyed cotton small rolags.

 

Frogging in style

Sheila is frogging (rip it ! rip it!) a cotton jacket she no longer wants because the cotton is a great colour and in very good condition. She is going to make little mice with it for fundraising. Repurposing good quality yarn is a solid , sustainable practice. It can be fun unravelling something and then making the balls of yarn which will turn into something new and exciting. Or making an epic yarn ball like Maria. We are not yarn snobs. We’ll use anything and we’ll reuse things if it suits our purpose. It depends on what we want to do, what we feel like.  Unpicking a preloved item , which has served its purpose,  to put it to new use means the fibre isn’t wasted. We are not always about spinning kilometres of new yarn because there are all sorts of good practices associated with someone who loves fibre. Not wasting anything is very much a part of who we are. Can’t wait to see Sheila’s little lavender mice! She may even be making some tiny teddies. There are some crochet mice patterns on Pinterest .