The drum carder is one of my favourite pieces of equipment in my Spinnery. I do also have hand carders which could perform all of the same tasks but they can only deal with a small amount of fibre at a time. The drum carder, with its larger capacity, is a great time saver. As…
Fruity Knitting and Cocoknits Do you watch podcasts or vlogs on YouTube? One of my favourite podcasts to watch is Fruity Knitting. I love it so much that I am one of their Patreon supporters. Andrew and Andrea have managed to produce such high quality and interesting content that there is always something new to…
People often wonder how to use or wear art yarn. Some art yarn, despite being so attractive with its colours and textures and even inclusions like beads, ribbons or feathers, can leave you wondering how to use it. It would be a shame to leave it languishing in your stash, unseen and unused. Yarn cowls…
The Ashford Traveller was my very first spinning wheel. I chose it because Ashford is a well known, reliable brand so advice and any maintainence help would be easy to come by. I also liked the fact that I could get it as a double treadle wheel and therefore be able to look after my…
My name is Araminta Greaves and I have got a sweet tooth. Anyone else out there feel the need to confess? I have always had a sweet tooth and as a child in the 1970’s that meant eating highly coloured and flavoured sweets, or candy for my American friends. Favourites included Fruit Salads and Blackjacks…
Wraps per inch, usually abbreviated to WPI, is a really useful way of measuring yarn. It allows you to compare different yarns and to compare your handspun against specific commercially spun yarns. How Do I Measure Wraps Per Inch? Although measuring wraps per inch is a very simple procedure, it does require a little bit…
I’m sure that we have all had the experience of being seduced by the colours or textures of an unusual one off yarn, only to find that when we get it home and look shamefacedly at our existing stash, we have no idea what to actually do with what we have. This post, all about…
Art yarn is generally yarn that has been spun to include lots of texture and colour. It may also have unusual structure, combinations of fibres or even inclusions like beads, charms or bells. I actually prefer the term ‘textured yarn’ because to me it is important that the yarn can perform as good, useful, well…
Affectionately known as ‘The Nearly There Trees’, Cookworthy Knapp is a stand of over 100 beech trees at the side of the A30 which welcomes people into Cornwall. It has become an iconic view and was featured by the BBC in an article ‘The Landmarks That Mean You Are Nearly Home‘ along with the Angel…
Why Get an Electric Spinning Wheel? The Ashford Jumbo ESpinner is allowing me to continue being a spinner. Due to an irritatingly persistent knee grumble that keeps me awake at night, I have been finding treadling on the spinning wheels for any length of time quite painful so I have finally given in and bought…
