Tips on Drafting

From River’s Edge Weaving Studio’s newsletter, are some good hints and tips when drafting your fibers to spin. Go to their site for even more info: http://www.weavingstudio.samsbiz.com/

Fiber length – pull off a few representative fibers, and determine the longest length.
The longest one plus 1 inch (especially if a blend) is the minimum distance between your hands when drafting, aka attenuating.
When spinning blends it’s very easy to end up with a lot of one fiber of one length going into your draft, and none of the other length of fibers.
When your hands are the minimum distance apart, various blends of fibers will remain suspended within each other and therefore draft easier.
To create a softer fluffier yarn, you may wish to try taking your forward hand (closest to the orifice) and when you are ready for the twist to go into the drafted fiber, let go with that hand, bring your hand back, pinch and start over. By not sliding your fingers along said newly twisted fibers, you will end up with a softer, more natural type yarn rather than one that is stringy without much life to it.
For example: One of our blends is 50% cashmere/50% bombyx silk. The bombyx is long, smooth and straight (although silk does have a “tooth” to it) while the cashmere is shorter with a totally different crimp-like texture. As this blend is as soft and light as air, a softer handling by you will result with a luscious halo effect when using the previously described technique.

Three things can occur if you slide your hand closest to the orifice over the newly twisted fibers: heat-moisture-pressure. These are the very same principles that create felted fibers.

Next Pattern:

The felted slipper craze that began last year doesn’t seem like it’s fading away. The Sailor Slippers, often striped knit and felted slippers made with super bulky yarn, because the project of the moment late last year (check out more knit slipper options in this post all about sailor slippers) and they’re still consistently popular with knitters.

Which makes sense because they are fun and fast to knit, and seeing them go from this giant thing to something that actually fits a foot feels a little magical.

I have always loved felting (in fact my first book was about felting knitting) and it’s always fun for me to see people rediscover this technique.

If you’ve knit enough plain slippers to fit all the feet you know, maybe it’s time to stitch up some tabi style slippers instead.

Maymade Knits has designed these cute tabi ballerina slippers, made with bulky yarn and felted. They’re worked flat at first and then in rounds, and are available in 10 EU sizes (the Internet tells me add 31 to your American shoe size to get your EU size). The designer says the slippers are meant to have a close fit and you should choose a size a little smaller than your foot for the ideal fit.

The pattern includes a video tutorial along with the written pattern.

You can grab this pattern on Ravelry. The same designer has her own version of the striped felted slipper as well, called Sarah’s Striped Slippers. These are worked in super bulky yarn and have a contrasting foot and a striped body. These are knit flat and seamed and there are 7 size options available. Check that pattern out here if you’re looking for a more traditional slipper shape. They also look roomier so you can wear them with socks if you like.

[Photo: Maymade Knits]

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