"Spinster" denoted unmarried women who spun wool. Highly skilled spinsters were paid enough to afford not to marry. Despite later applied derogatory connotations, it's origin is a word that included independent women who rejected marriage and male partners entirely.
maybe time for a re- #introduction with all the supposed new folks about, since I can't sleep 🫠
hey pals, I'm Lee (ze or he). I'm a programmer for my day job and an artist and crafter in my free time. I'm #trans, queer, nonbinary; #neurodivergent (AuDHD) and generally mentally a bit shit; I always aim to be more inclusive and accessible (and open to corrections).
in the art world, I do a lot of #printmaking on paper and fabric, #bookbinding custom journals, and #knitting, #spinning, and other #fiberArts. I love to create custom work that's uniquely suited to the recipient.
I live with my wife in the Pacific NW of the US, on an island with fantastic wildlife which I'll occasionally post #photography of, especially #birdPhotography. And I don't shut up about the birds and critters in our yard 😄
I'm sure I've forgotten plenty of useful info, so don't hesitate to reach out and get to know me!
boosts appreciated if you've been having a good time following me, but no pressure 💗
I’ve realized I never talk about my #knitting or #spinning on here! Here’s a bunch of my #handspun yarn, spun by me on my spinning wheel, from the past 10 years. I need to actually knit with it at some point!
So I've finally done it. I'm spinning the cat fur. No idea what kind of fabric this will make, if it will be scratchy or soft. You can't always tell by just petting the animal. A lot depends on how I spin it. We'll see. #spinning#catsofmastodon#cat
@fibrearts My spinning for tonight is glorious. It was a gift from my sister and is from Crafty Cat Fibre. It’s grey Corriedale so it’s going out with a dark undertone which I love. Especially because it’s coming out as a dark rainbow ❤️🌈 #spinning#fibrearts#fibrecrafts
Spun and plied, waiting to be soaked (happening at the moment) and dried.
I'm on vacation and forgot to bring my scale, but I counted the turns on my niddy-noddy - about 650 - so the unfinished meterage is 975 m and I expect between 5 and 10% shrinkage.
It's Corriedale, died by Frau Wöllfchen and it was a great pleasure to spin and turn it into a 2-ply. Now I just need an idea of what to do with it. @spinning@fiberarts#spinning#fiberart
I gotta share some recent #spinning, and #fiber tool acquisitions. First up is this absolutely stunning one from Indonesia. It's used to de-seed cotton.
I'm still getting the hang of it and so it's probably waaaay faster for me to just pick the seeds out of all this cotton a friend gifted me. But this tool is just so pretty!
Might be that I already shared it here since time ago. But I love this video so, so much. Those ladies are just delightful. And let's celebrate it - this is now 60 years old. How things have changed. And haven't changed.
And I'm in total awe about their skill as both spinner and knitter.
#TourDeFleece2023 yarn is plied! Pretty happy with how this turned out. It needs a bit more finishing but I couldn't resist putting it on the niddy noddy to see the rainbow tonight. 🌈
Inspired by a friend's spinning pictures to pull out my drop spindle for the first time in many years. I bought it for a time when I was traveling during Tour de Fleece and didn't want to lose momentum, but I never really got good at it. But I've been doing it for a few days this time and I think I'm getting better!
Finished spinning the next mini for my chunky cowl! But I mostly took this picture so you could get a glimpse of my new rainbow mat. (a gift from my mother in law who probably didn't know why it was on my wishlist!)
The rainbow mat keeps the wheel from slipping on the hardwood floor. I had to upgrade my previous no-slip setup because my kindergartener loves to stop in and treadle as fast as he can.
I mean, sure, I could train him not to touch the wheel, but it's sitting where it is to capitalize on my own urge to touch it when it's within easy reach, so I'd rather lean in to letting him enjoy it. I haven't managed to get him to focus long enough to learn drafting, but he has helped me ply yarns or make messy art yarns on occasion!
Some reorg at work and a come-together for the new team - I'm the third-oldest now, median is probably about 30 (I'll be 55 soon), about 2/3 male (IT).
One of the questions was if anyone has an "unusual" hobby - owning and using #spinning wheels and #weaving looms did count.
Question about a favorite book answered with "Big Book of #Handspinning didn't help either.
I filled up a bobbin for the first time! This one is some BFL I am pretty sure I bought when I still lived in TX. (So, old) woo! #handspinning#spinning