fiber arts tutorial links!

I’ve gotten quite a few asks about spinning, fiber prep, and dyeing, and since I’m utterly incapable of answering a question without writing an essay, they often turn into tutorials. I’ve compiled them here for easy perusal ! More will be added as I find and/or write them.

SPINNING

FIBER PREP AND/OR DYEING

KNITTING

Knitting with chronic pain (more advice from others in notes)

#spinning #handspun yarn #drop spindle #natural dyeing #fiber prep #tutorials

milkweedman

Trying to eat sitting up in bed and it's too tiring so I lay down a little so I don't have to hold myself up but then it's even harder and more painful on my arms, so i guess I'm just done eating. Great.

#also why my knitting and spinning has slowed down #hard to find a position where my hands are propped up enough and can't actually hold them up myself for long #i really fucking hate it #disability

milkweedman

Was looking for patterns for short round sock toes done toe up that I could make any sense of, and found both that and a way to m1 (m1r, I think ?) that I can physically execute ! It's just yarning over and then on the next round when you do it knitting the yo thru the back loop. Unsure how that would work flat, maybe you reverse yarn over ? But great in the round...

Anyway finally seeing what make ones look like is interesting, they're a lot more subtle than kfb or lli/rli

#anyone know if this has its own name ?#link goes to a youtube video titled:#short or long round sock toe (toe up) // technique tuesday #by roxanne richardson #in case the link doesnt work #i usually dont have luck with learning from videos but this one worked n its the toe i used #knitting #sock knitting

milkweedman reblogged

bknits

I put off brioche for so long because of its purported difficulty, you’re telling me this shit was just YOs and k/p2tog with the wrap this whole time…

Two-color brioche still looks like a pain in the ass though. Even one color is slow as hell, I’ll give you that.

the-fibre-stuff

I wouldn't describe it so much as slow as a pain in the arse. It's difficult to make something in it due to how slow it is (so be prepared to drop down to beginner completion times), but it's not really technically challenging.

bknits

Too real, there’s really nothing like looking down at 20 rows and seeing an inch or two of work 😂 eats up a ton of yarn too, but I’m loving the squishy fabric.

#i was just giving brioche another shot again after trying it as a beginner and it was way too hard #so easy this time ! but yeah so slow #i was hoping to use it for a scarf but i probably wouldnt finish it until winter was over if i did 2 color brioche #like i wanted #so squishy though. i wanna try maybe a brioche cowl #knitting #brioche

milkweedman

Surely it's fine to handle an object that just came out of an iron post mordant. Surely as long as I don't touch the water itself I will be fine. Yes the object is dripping wet with the same water. Why do you ask

#my hands are a little bit burning #because im dumb #but the hat looks nice !#hopefully i didnt over iron it... was just a couple minutes #natural dyeing

milkweedman

Finally dyeing this hat. I premordanted a little with copper, and then put it in a dyebath made of coffee ( from a bag I got last year that was just... undrinkably bad) and Ceylon tea leaves (from an old box that I need to use a lot faster than I have been). If the color stays orange I'll add more mordant, I just didn't want to overdo it and I never dye finished objects, so I'm being a little cautious.

#drove all the way to the wheelchair clinic only to find theres actually a whole Process before i can even go in #which i didnt realize and i guess i need to wait for someones call which is an aggravating way to spend 2 hours #now i am gonna try and do some sock surgery or something #natural dyeing #(kinda ?)#handspun yarn #knit hat

milkweedman

I've been using a lot of yarn that I, several years ago now, wound into cakes on my very terrible winder. And I have ended up hand winding every single cake I've used into a ball because the cakes get so tangled every time. Put up of frustration, I swear

#if i used them one at a time it would probably be less annoying #but i never have #see i hate pulling from the outside bc then it moves all the time and is annoying #but i also hate pulling from the inside as then i get left with an outside that self destructs and is annoying #it is more convenient when youre gonna use all the yarn at once i guess #like if winding a warp ? that might be it #sorry to people who love cakes ...#knitting

milkweedman

Anonymous asked:

hi mr weedman! long time listener first time caller. I was wondering if I could ask some questions about spinning

I’m doing my first spinning on a drop spindle, and I don’t know if there’s a point at which you’re meant to stop and take the yarn off because it’s noticeably heavier than it was when I started - is that ok? partially I’m lazy so it’d be nice to not have to bother but I will if it’ll make a difference to the yarn

I also think I want to ply this at some point. I don’t have a knitty notty, but I do have a ball winder for knitting - I’m thinking I could pull the yarn off the spindle with my ball winder, and then ply from both ends of the cake. is that ok, or should I do two cakes and pull from the middle of both? like would it cause it to untwist somehow if it was the same cake?

also also, in videos I’ve seen people taking the yarn when it’s wet and smacking it - what does this do? is that an important part of the process? I’d be worried about felting!!

thank you 💗

PENIS

DICK

TRANS RIGHTS

PUSSY

hello !

first off, congrats on your first yarn :D second, to answer your questions in order:

yes--it will make a difference to the yarn, eventually. the weight of the spindle affects how fast it spins and how long it maintains momentum. say you have a 1 ounce spindle--thats pretty light, so it should spin pretty fast, and it will, but once youve spun an ounce of fiber on you've got a spindle that weighs 2 ounces, and that will spin slower. if you can fit another ounce you'll have a 3 ounce spindle, and that maybe spin very slowly indeed. this wont have a clear direct change on your yarn because it happens gradually and mainly affects you and how you spin (specifically how much twist you add). that said, you will typically find that an overfull spindle is cumbersome and more difficult to use, and that is the main reason to wind your yarn off. when your spindle is so heavy that it spins noticeably slower and/or your spindle is so full that you struggle to fit more yarn on, that's when you need to empty the spindle or switch to the next one.
yes and yes--yes it's okay to do that (it's called plying from a center pull ball) and yes it may cause some (very little) untwisting, depending on the direction the yarn is spun and the direction the ball is wound. there's some slight controversy over plying from center pull balls as it also causes an uneven amount of twist to enter the plies--the controversy being that some spinners believe that will noticeably affect the finished yarn and others believe it is not noticeable and thus doesnt matter. in any case it won't compromise your yarn. personally i find center pulls really hard to wrangle while plying and instead use andean plying bracelets, which will do the same thing.
depends--if they're smacking it in the air (cracking it like a whip) it's usually to even out the twist and to help it dry faster. if theyre smacking it against a wall or beam or something, especially repeatedly, then they are in fact trying to felt it. accidentally felting and shrinking your favorite wool sweater=bad, felting your yarn before doing anything with it=thicker, more durable yarn. not every yarn benefits from this (a yarn that you want to be airy and drapey obviously shouldnt be felted) but for things that benefit from durability, this can be a valuable effect. i've also heard that smacking yarn can make it puff up more--but havent really seen any proof or study either way. as to whether its important, that's a matter of preference. i always and without fail crack my yarn like a whip to even out the twist. many people are just fine blocking it and letting it dry, or do other things to it. i'd encourage trying it out at least once, but it's not critical.

ive writted more on the subject in my drop spindle guide if youd like more info--theres a section on the various methods of plying (i actually don't think i mentioned center pull, so i should probably revise that one of these days) that might be helpful if you decide not to ply via center pull, and might answer other questions you didn't know you had yet.

#hope this makes sense (migraine all day so if not my bad and thats why)

milkweedman reblogged

zosiayarn

da grind never stops ...... it's RING NECKED PHEASANT TIME BAYBEEEE!!

yarn is from the west yorkshire spinners country bird collection !!!!!!!

#absolutely incredible...#birds #sock knitting

milkweedman reblogged

rival-the-rose

masgwi

Push button for 🐌

#oh hell yeag #i push the button and a mountain of snails fallson me...

milkweedman

unrelated i did turn anon back on--but im not interested in debates about the banners at the bottom of my posts. i've heard enough feedback and am happy with what im doing :) so any suggestions or criticism will almost certainly rot in my inbox, jsyk

anon is pretty much only on for fiber arts questions/comments/whatevers, which i welcome :)

#compliments on the banners will make me smile but i probably wont post those either #just due to the fact that i've said all i have to say about them #and increasingly i was getting obvious terfs telling me it was suspicious i posted about 'liking cock'#its not suspicious im a fucking fag. cmon guys. ffs.#but i do enjoy answering actual wool questions and i havent had any since i turned anon off bc almost everyone #asks on anon #so !

milkweedman

Augh. Hell and misery. I apparently have only knit socks for my sister in a specific weight of yarn, never noted my gauge, and used rows and stitches as measurements instead of inches. So I actually have no clue how big to make this sock and have been trying all day to figure out the measurements. And I am so confused. I forgot how much this part of sock making sucks

#main sources of confusion are that i know my sock has the correct circumference but it looks HUGE #and the length of womens size 7 US shoes is 9 inches and the pattern says start gussets when you have 4 inches left #so at 5 inches. but i dont even do 5 inches for MY feet which are much bigger #i think ive been doing somewhere around 3 inches #but then the math makes zero sense !!!!#i am also more out of it today than i have been in years and thats not helping #knitting #sock knitting #i will just have to have her try it on before i do the second one #and reknit it if its too big #sigh

milkweedman reblogged

milkweedman

going from normal sized socks to socks with half the stitches is crazy...i already feel like im zipping along on normal socks so this is like i blink and im at the next step 0.0

milkweedman

I'm glad the knitting is so fast bc im on attempt like #6 now with these. Am also glad I added more ply twist bc before I did, I knit a test swatch, and when frogging it found that it fuzzed up a lot. Currently no difference in the section I've knit and reknit 6 times, so it definitely increased abrasion resistance and hopefully overall durability as well.

Although these are for my sister, who still hasn't worn a single hole in the pair I made for her like 3 or 4 years ago now (I made myself a pair about a week later and am mending over areas that have been mended too many times now to count. So durability hardly matters for her sock, but nonetheless.)

#i just switched up a needle size and im hoping ive got it now #been having problems with the toe shaping #my usual shaping doesnt work outside a specific gauge which ive known for a while but it hasnt come up recently #for much bigger yarn it creates hard creases in the toes and its pretty uncomfortable #for yarn too thin it creates weird sharp corners and not enough room in the toe #anyway i was messing around with rounded toes for a while but it wasnt working great no matter what #i think the increase in needle size might make the fabric just soft enough to get away with the creases bc they will stretch out when worn #but i said something similar the last several times #sock knitting #ill post a picture when ive stopped frogging things lol

milkweedman reblogged

trashpandacraft

fun idea, yours for free: if you're trying to get something in the mail by a birthday, and the birthday is, say, tomorrow, and you have yet to finish or wash the object, possibly you should choose a finishing method that doesn't require you to hand twist and tie 150 bits of fringe.

my fingies hurt

#i have somehow also done this to myself #it was a panic decision #weaving #q

milkweedman

going from normal sized socks to socks with half the stitches is crazy...i already feel like im zipping along on normal socks so this is like i blink and im at the next step 0.0

#would go a lot faster if i could maybe stop injuring myself getting on and off my bed #not sure what i did to my foot but its stiff and kinda painful and noticably swollen. minor sprain ?#fucked up my knee and then continually my wrist which is whats actually slowing me down. bc like. i start getting into/out of bed #and then when im Almost safely laying/standing i fall the rest of the way #i am hoping its just migraine lack of spactial awareness being worse than usual bc the migraine is worse than usual #but you really never know. maybe if i just fall on doctors until i injure of THEM theyll listen #disability #chronic illness #sock knitting

milkweedman reblogged

milkweedman

Difficult hat to photograph--the purl designs show up a bit clearer irl. Maybe it will photograph better after blocking, idk.

Working on a hat. I put this off for a long time as I struggled to find a suitable yarn--the recipient is not someone who special washes things so I didn't want to give them a hat they'd only wear a few times... I was looking for maybe a thick superwash sock yarn that i could afford, despite knowing that's not really a thing here, and didn't find anything. So unfortunately this is partially acrylic and nylon and only like 40% wool. It feels noticeably plasticky to me (as well as much harder to knit as it's far less elastic than pure wool generally is) but I'm pretty sure that's a me + texture issue thing and not the yarn being super bad.

The design is improvised. I wanted to do colorwork but could only afford the one skein, so this is what I ended up with.

It's very simple which is fun to knit but really hard on wrists, so I will be glad to finish it and move on to the next project, which is 100% wool again.

milkweedman

i was too lazy to properly block it, so it was just rinsed, partially dried in the machine, and the rest flat. so, no pictures of the pattern stretched, sorry. it does look a lot better on a head, but either way its fine.

in other news, i had to send these pics to myself via tumblr message bc it refused to post in the correct orientation (they were both sideways) on mobile, so i did, and now i have found that if i leave a message open while editing a post, it adds message notifications to the chatbox rapidly.

i was about to say 604 was the highest ive gotten, but it just went to 908 as i typed it. no actual messages--its just saying there are. anyway, hat done, and i will probably never know what the back end of this fuckin site looks like so i am putting this mystery away.

crafting-entropy

As someone who went from just using acrylic, to just using wool, to now going back and forth depending on who'll get the FO, I think acrylic/wool mixes feel more plastic-y than even just straight 100% acrylic

I was knitting a shawl for a friend (20% wool/80% acrylic) and it was super irritating to my skin (like maybe tiny hairs were catching on my skin?) But my cousin's 100% acrylic baby blanket was just fine

milkweedman

I wonder if non-spinners can necessarily tell the difference ? Or if knitters who use a lot of wool but don't spin can tell. Because prior to learning to spin I couldn't really identify whether something felt plasticky or not, just that it was bad or good. I'm definitely hoping the recipient can't tell/isn't bothered by it, but also glad that I have removed all temptation to keep it for myself by making it out of a material I abhor.

But I do agree that you can feel the plastic more when it's a blend (or that's my experience anyway) than when it's full acrylic.

#i mean there are many reasons i prefer either wool or linen and wont use another material unless forced to #but texture is at least 30%. even scratchy wool is preferable to the slimy squeakiness of acrylic #hating plastic and only being able to dye it with toxic chemicals being maybe the other third #and desiring durability rather than 'gets an even worse texture then falls apart into rags'#...sorry its been a while since i was reminded what i hate about acrylic which is all of it

milkweedman reblogged

milkweedman

Difficult hat to photograph--the purl designs show up a bit clearer irl. Maybe it will photograph better after blocking, idk.

Working on a hat. I put this off for a long time as I struggled to find a suitable yarn--the recipient is not someone who special washes things so I didn't want to give them a hat they'd only wear a few times... I was looking for maybe a thick superwash sock yarn that i could afford, despite knowing that's not really a thing here, and didn't find anything. So unfortunately this is partially acrylic and nylon and only like 40% wool. It feels noticeably plasticky to me (as well as much harder to knit as it's far less elastic than pure wool generally is) but I'm pretty sure that's a me + texture issue thing and not the yarn being super bad.

The design is improvised. I wanted to do colorwork but could only afford the one skein, so this is what I ended up with.

It's very simple which is fun to knit but really hard on wrists, so I will be glad to finish it and move on to the next project, which is 100% wool again.

milkweedman

i was too lazy to properly block it, so it was just rinsed, partially dried in the machine, and the rest flat. so, no pictures of the pattern stretched, sorry. it does look a lot better on a head, but either way its fine.

in other news, i had to send these pics to myself via tumblr message bc it refused to post in the correct orientation (they were both sideways) on mobile, so i did, and now i have found that if i leave a message open while editing a post, it adds message notifications to the chatbox rapidly.

i was about to say 604 was the highest ive gotten, but it just went to 908 as i typed it. no actual messages--its just saying there are. anyway, hat done, and i will probably never know what the back end of this fuckin site looks like so i am putting this mystery away.

#now i have socks to do but i didnt add more ply twist until id already finished the hat bc im dumb #so now its drying #knitting #knit hat

milkweedman

Difficult hat to photograph--the purl designs show up a bit clearer irl. Maybe it will photograph better after blocking, idk.

Working on a hat. I put this off for a long time as I struggled to find a suitable yarn--the recipient is not someone who special washes things so I didn't want to give them a hat they'd only wear a few times... I was looking for maybe a thick superwash sock yarn that i could afford, despite knowing that's not really a thing here, and didn't find anything. So unfortunately this is partially acrylic and nylon and only like 40% wool. It feels noticeably plasticky to me (as well as much harder to knit as it's far less elastic than pure wool generally is) but I'm pretty sure that's a me + texture issue thing and not the yarn being super bad.

The design is improvised. I wanted to do colorwork but could only afford the one skein, so this is what I ended up with.

It's very simple which is fun to knit but really hard on wrists, so I will be glad to finish it and move on to the next project, which is 100% wool again.

#knitting #hat #knit hat

milkweedman reblogged

stitchnknit

bookshelfdreams

yk when you see someone share a finished handmade item that they clearly spent a lot of time and money on and it's just. The absolute tackiest thing you have seen in your life. And then you ask yourself why someone would waste all those resources on such an eyesore.

(no, of course you can't relate to that because you're a much nicer person than me)

In any case.

BEHOLD!