I had the wonderful opportunity to be a volunteer at North Carolina’s 2nd Maker Faire. The Maker Faire that originated in my hometown of San Mateo, CA in 2006 is the largest DIY Festival in the world! Unfortunately, I had already moved out of the Bay Area in 2004, so I never got a chance to go to one until last year in Durham, NC. The Maker Faire NC 2011 was held in Raleigh at the fairgrounds and more than double the amount of last year’s attendees showed up! I got to meet some inspiring Makers and I wanted to share a little of my experience with all of you. If there is a Maker Faire near you I highly suggest you go. It’s great for little kids too! Enjoy my video!
I couldn’t really get into spinning because, well, I wasn’t doing it right. But thanks to Megan LaCore (also from the Bay Area) and her tremendously helpful instructional videos. I can now spin correctly! You can find all of Megan’s awesome youtube tutorials on The Art of Megan channel. She also has an etsy shop and her own website.
This was my first spinning attempt after I watched her tutorials. I was really pleased with the way it came out. I used some hand painted wool I received in a swap. Then I ended up giving it away in swap!
I’m working on another skein of artyarn at the moment. So far, I’ve spun and set the yarn, and begun plying it. It’s currently on a spindle with all the added beads. It’s fun to watch artyarn transform into a skein of surprises, but it’s tedious and time consuming. Some of the materials I’ve used so far are; arcrylic, sequins, crystal, glass, and plastic flowers.
I just started spinning and i must say I’m hooked! Creating luscious yarn with my own fingertips and the flick of my wrist is incredible to watch. I first started out with some orange hand dyed wool roving I received from anEtsyswap. As you can see in the picture below, it came out pretty thick. I used a bottom whorl drop spindle. It was kind of uncomfortable at first, but then I got used to it. The second ball of yarn I spun was out of natural honey colored Tussah silk fiber that I purchased fromParadise Fibers. This fiber was difficult for a beginner to work with because it kept separating. It was very delicate and hard to keep together, but oh so soft. The third ball of yarn, also from Paradise Fibers, was bamboo. You can tell my technique was getting better at this point. The thickness of the yarn was more consistent. I loved working with bamboo because it felt like butter between my fingertips. It was so easy to spin and connect. If your budget allows, I definitely recommend spinning bamboo. I saved the best for last. I purchased this beautiful hand painted and carded batt on Etsy.com from Loop. It’s gold, teal, green, blue, and a little yellow. It spun into a gorgeous thread that looks like it would be at least $40 a skein to purchase. It shimmers differently depending on the light. The colors all flow together as if looking at a midnight tropical ocean. My pictures don’t do this any justice. I used a top drop spindle and no leader thread. Now I just have to find a project worthy enough to knit with this yarn. I still don’t know how to use a leader thread correctly. I always get it tangled. So, if anyone has any suggestions or helpful hints, please contact me.
