Anniversary, and Andean Plying
While spinning this evening it occured to me that one year ago today I started this blog. Thanks to Celtic Jo my mind then took a joyful inventory of the delightful blogging friends that encourage me to continue. I'm very thankful for the interesting glimpses allowed into corners of your lives and so often find myself wishing we could sit down with a cup of tea or coffee and some warm scones or brownies and chat to our hearts' content.
In honor of this small milestone I'll be having a drawing in one week.
Send me an email with your name & email address, and the prize hat you'd like your name tossed in. You have until 6pm Pacific Time March 16th to get your name to me.
wjjenkins1 AT yahoo DOT com (replace capitalized words with proper symbols)
The prizes? All handmade by Ed who loves to give:
#1. 1-Turkish Spindle made from Osage Orange (a type of wood grown in the midwest of the United States) and a copy of my Turkish Spinning tutorial.
#2. 1 - Your choice of Circular maple knitting needles either size US#19/15.75mm or US#50/25mm in either 24"Length or 32"L
#3. 1 - Maple Tunisian Crochet Hook with 24" cord Extension Size P/12.75mm
#4. 1 - Walnut Hairpin Lace Loom
Please visit our website Jenkins Woodworking for information & pictures about our products.
Why did Celtic Jo trigger my memory? Remember the weaving ideas perculating in my head? I want a bit of dark yarn for part of the project. Some dark brown Rombouillet had been spun on the Ladakhi spindle Ed had made for me after Jo asked if he could duplicate one from a picture she'd taken while visiting the Ladakh region tucked up against the Himalayas, above Pakistan and Indian, near the Kashmire region. It is not a place for the faint of heart! You must read Dervla Murphy's book, "Where the Indus is Young" for a fascinating journey into the heart of this land and its people. In that corner of the world, the men are often found with large spindles in their hands making yarn. Dervla also writes of seeing Pakistani soldiers in the north knitting while on guard duty.
I spun up half an ounce of the Rambouillet on the Ladakhi spindle for my sample piece. There will also be this merino/tencel yarn I've been spindling.
At the Vancouver, WA Yarn-In a couple weeks ago, Carol showed me how to ply by the method known as "Andean Plying".
The spun single is taken directly from the spindle, pinching the end with thumb and index finger, and wrapped in a figure eight around the palm, behind the little finger and around the middle finger before heading back around the little finger and across the base of the palm.
From there it journeys behind the thumb and makes another loop around the middle finger then back down around the thumb. As the single is wound around and around the hand merely flips back and forth in a rhythm. The worst potential problem is that circulation to the middle finger tends to be cut off after while.
When all the single is in place on the hand, move the wrist wrappings up the hand just far enough to be able to ease the middle finger loops off of the finger moving it to the back of the hand. The loop then simply rests on top of the "bracelet" that is slipped down to the wrist. Take the two ends and secure them to the spindle and ply directly from your wrist. It's amazing how quickly and easily this works. I had no problems at all with kinking or twistbacks.
In fact it was plying so quickly that I decided to try something else I'd read about; Suspending the yarn through a ceiling hook and kick-spinning the spindle. Whoa, the Ladakh spindle works super with kick-spinning!
Don't forget to send me an email to be placed in the drawing, and what you'd like to win!
In honor of this small milestone I'll be having a drawing in one week.
Send me an email with your name & email address, and the prize hat you'd like your name tossed in. You have until 6pm Pacific Time March 16th to get your name to me.
wjjenkins1 AT yahoo DOT com (replace capitalized words with proper symbols)
The prizes? All handmade by Ed who loves to give:
#1. 1-Turkish Spindle made from Osage Orange (a type of wood grown in the midwest of the United States) and a copy of my Turkish Spinning tutorial.
#2. 1 - Your choice of Circular maple knitting needles either size US#19/15.75mm or US#50/25mm in either 24"Length or 32"L
#3. 1 - Maple Tunisian Crochet Hook with 24" cord Extension Size P/12.75mm
#4. 1 - Walnut Hairpin Lace Loom
Please visit our website Jenkins Woodworking for information & pictures about our products.
Why did Celtic Jo trigger my memory? Remember the weaving ideas perculating in my head? I want a bit of dark yarn for part of the project. Some dark brown Rombouillet had been spun on the Ladakhi spindle Ed had made for me after Jo asked if he could duplicate one from a picture she'd taken while visiting the Ladakh region tucked up against the Himalayas, above Pakistan and Indian, near the Kashmire region. It is not a place for the faint of heart! You must read Dervla Murphy's book, "Where the Indus is Young" for a fascinating journey into the heart of this land and its people. In that corner of the world, the men are often found with large spindles in their hands making yarn. Dervla also writes of seeing Pakistani soldiers in the north knitting while on guard duty.
I spun up half an ounce of the Rambouillet on the Ladakhi spindle for my sample piece. There will also be this merino/tencel yarn I've been spindling.
At the Vancouver, WA Yarn-In a couple weeks ago, Carol showed me how to ply by the method known as "Andean Plying".The spun single is taken directly from the spindle, pinching the end with thumb and index finger, and wrapped in a figure eight around the palm, behind the little finger and around the middle finger before heading back around the little finger and across the base of the palm.
From there it journeys behind the thumb and makes another loop around the middle finger then back down around the thumb. As the single is wound around and around the hand merely flips back and forth in a rhythm. The worst potential problem is that circulation to the middle finger tends to be cut off after while.
When all the single is in place on the hand, move the wrist wrappings up the hand just far enough to be able to ease the middle finger loops off of the finger moving it to the back of the hand. The loop then simply rests on top of the "bracelet" that is slipped down to the wrist. Take the two ends and secure them to the spindle and ply directly from your wrist. It's amazing how quickly and easily this works. I had no problems at all with kinking or twistbacks.
In fact it was plying so quickly that I decided to try something else I'd read about; Suspending the yarn through a ceiling hook and kick-spinning the spindle. Whoa, the Ladakh spindle works super with kick-spinning!
Don't forget to send me an email to be placed in the drawing, and what you'd like to win!
Labels: Andean Plying, Blog Anniversary, Ladakh, Spinning
posted by Fiberjoy at 8:30 PM
13 Comments:
Wow Jo Happy Blogaversary !!and what a generous offer; have sent my details and am crossing fingers :)
I have never tried Andean pyling , it soes look very complicated but will give it a try. Many thanks for the tutorail
Happy Blogiversary! You (and your daffodils) are another pleasure in my day. I remember learning the andean ply from Rita Buchanan. I thought it was magic. A wonderful technique. I love anything that makes our lives and crafts more portable. I am intigued by your Ladakh spindle. Do you use it like a Navajo?
Happy anniversary, Wanda!
Thank you so much for the Andean plying tutorial...I will remember it's here because I know it will come in handy one of these days!
I am so thankful that you have this blog, and that I found it and you, you have no idea just how much!
Have a wonderful weekend filled with joy.
Happy Blogiversary, Wanda! I too, have often wished for a chance for a visit - I would love to accompany you on one of your lovely walks, you see so much beauty. :0) I've so enjoyed getting to know you!
Thanks, too for the plying tutorial. It seems far too complicated for a beginner like me, but it's fascinating to know what's out there to learn!
Congratulations on the anniversary of your blog! May you have many happy years of blogging (and knitting and spinning) ahead!!
happy blogiversary!
kick spinning? ! now this I have to see.
Your andean plying looks very difficult - maybe we should have that coffee after all :-)
Happy Blogiversary Fiberjoy!! I am thankful for having a blogging friend in you too, and look forward to more of your uplifting and interesting posts!
Great tutorial on andean plying!
...and like teyani...I would love to see kick spinning!
Happy blogiversary Wanda, and thankyou for hosting such an interesting, informative and inspiring blog, it's always a pleasure to visit, one of these days maybe I'll take on the spindle aswell as the wheel!
Happy anniversary of your blog! You are much farther advanced into springtime than we are here in southern Ontario. We are all sick of winter and it would be so nice to see some daffodils blooming. But at the moment there is no chance of that, as we still have tons of snow. Global warming did not help us have an easy winter here. Thank you for your explanation of the Andean plying.
I sometimes kick my spindle as I walk--sometimes accidentally. Kinda fun, isn't it?
And, congrats on learning the Andean plying bracelet technique.
Happy Anniversary!
It's funny isn't it, I was taught to use a drop spindle by the owner of our nearest spinning/fibre/weaving store. Once I had worked out the spinning bit, I needed to get my yarn off the spindle, so he showed me how to do andean plying.... I have never known any other way. How else would you do it? I've bee known to andean ply off a single wheel spun bobbin too.
Darling Wanda, happy blog-versary and happy indeed the day we first made contact.
As soon as I get home I'm going to try Andean plying and the kick-drop spindle technique is JUST what I wanted to hear about. I am always nagging Richard to put nice big hooks in the ceiling for me because I could use them for so many purposes (drying yarn, yes, that was in there, but now spinning with my lovely Ladakhi - YO!)
Congratulations on a great blog...happy anniversary! The photos you took of the Andean Plying were exactly what I needed...thank you. I'm going to give it a try before the week is out (we're blessed with a long, cold week of rain...perfect for indoor playing!)
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