• 2 Posts
  • 17 Comments
Joined 1 year ago
Cake day: June 18th, 2023
  • myhouseonneptune@lemmy.worldtoFountain Pens@wayfarershaven.eu•Do you still write notes with pen and paper?English
    3·
    1 year ago

    I work in an environment where the accuracy and detail in my notes is critical, and the faster I write, the better both are. More than once, notes I took on something that seemed unrelated at the time were the key to figuring out what went wrong. Additionally, it’s common in my field to work in places where the best case for being caught with an unauthorized device is said device being nuked from orbit, and worst case, still that but also being charged with treason 🙃

    Plus, it’s just really satisfying to take notes in whatever color I feel like for the day 😁

  • myhouseonneptune@lemmy.worldOPtoKnitting@lemmy.world•I heard my spinning was accepted here, so here's a single I spun!English
    2·
    1 year ago

    The way I started was actually by going to my LYS’s celebration of World Wide Spin in Public day which falls on the third Saturday in September! But all you really need is a drop spindle and some fiber!

    (Disclaimer: I am in the US, so this is all based on what’s available here and all monetary values are in USD.)

    A basic starter spindle should run you between $15 - $20, but they’re actually really simple to DIY if you prefer. My first spindle looks like someone assembled it in a craft store (which, honestly, they might have), but it gets the job done!

    As for fiber, my favorite places are The Spinnery Store (I buy directly from their website, but their fiber is on Etsy under slimchicken) and BlueMoonAlpacas on Etsy, but any combed top roving will do. Corridale wool is my favorite, but most of what you’ll find for cheap will probably be Merino. A lot of it will be in 4 oz braids, but 1 oz is plenty to start.

    After that, I’d highly recommend JillianEve’s Drop Spindle for Beginners video on YouTube! She has a wide range of spinning tutorials and guides and does a great job of explaining things!

  • myhouseonneptune@lemmy.worldOPtoKnitting@lemmy.world•I heard my spinning was accepted here, so here's a single I spun!English
    1·
    1 year ago

    Admittedly, I’ve never processed my own wool before, but I do know the combed top roving I generally use is subject to a pretty long cleaning and preparation process. I know that the first thing to go is the natural body oils of the animal as well as any barnyard debris that might carry bacteria. Dyed wool, like what I’ve used here, is also bleached first to remove any natural variation in the color of the wool that might interfere with the dye color. The difference between dyed combed top roving and wool yarn you’d find at the store is one water bath to set the twist. I found this site detailing the process here: Processing Wool to Yarn

    If you’re still concerned about it, there are vegan alternatives, such as bamboo or flax fibers out there! I get a lot of my supplies from thespinnerystore.com (not affiliated, just a fan) and they stock a fair few alternative fibers.

  • myhouseonneptune@lemmy.worldOPtoKnitting@lemmy.world•I heard my spinning was accepted here, so here's a single I spun!English
    6·
    1 year ago

    I love her videos!! I was dying all the way through that one, though- she really decided to start on hard mode! I think she addressed this, but most spinners start with a drop spindle, which gives you so much more direct control than a wheel. For another thing, most of us spin wool top which comes with all the fibers nice and aligned in a uniform direction. Wool fibers also tend to be longer and more coarse, which helps them stick together with less twist and makes it much more forgiving when you’re finding the balance between too much and not enough twist. Flax has no chill 🤣