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.

Getting ready for back to school makes me think about pencil crafts, so let’s take a look at some pencil themed knitting patterns!

I recently made a pencil on a circular knitting machine, and it was a fun, quick, easy project that uses little bits of leftover yarn (and if you don’t have yellow you can make it a colored pencil using whatever color’s your favorite). And if you want to make a bigger version check out this pattern from Orange Olive Road on Etsy.

If you want to knit a pencil pillow by hand, check out Sketchy, available on Ravelry from Shana S. Cohen. This one uses worsted weight yarn and has two size options and the choice to make a pencil with an eraser or a colored pencil.

Pencil scarves seem to be the most popular kind of pencil knitting pattern, and there are lot of cute ones. This one from Cosy Craft UK mostly uses garter stitch, with some welts to add texture and what looks like an I-cord edging. It calls for DK weight yarn.

If you want to go all garter stitch try this version from Emsley Co Creations, which uses five colors of DK weight yarn and just a little shaping to make the point of the pencil.

There’s also this fun, mostly stockinette so it looks like it curls a bit, pencil pattern that looks like it’s worked in chunky yarn from Little Knits Studio. This one uses just a little garter stitch and easy shaping for the point.

If you don’t want a pencil scarf, how about some pencil socks? The No. 2 Pencil Socks from The Yarn Enabler are available from Ravelry and use five colors of sock yarn. They feature wide ribs to mimic the texture of a pencil and have options to be worked from the top down or the toe up.

Needs Sharpening by Alexander Walker is a free pattern on Ravelry that uses five colors of sock yarn to make a sort of shortie sock. The little bit of black at the tips of the toes inspired the name. These, too, can be worked in either direction and are available in three sizes.

Have you read?