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February 22, 2007
new stuff
This is a long-term drawing project that will include a performance element later on: I'm writing out, stitch by stitch, my first published knitting pattern on a roll of kitakata paper. This piece is a prototype (it was one of those swatches that is actually the beginning of a sleeve, but in this case it stopped at just the swatch stage); I cut it off the roll to start again because I want to make some changes, making the writing smaller, adding commas between the words, and changing the wording a little so it flows more smoothly. What you see here is about the first eighteen rows of a sleeve. Why, yes, I am a little crazy, why do you ask?
This cut-off piece won't go to waste; I may draw or print on it, but likely it will end up cut into strips and worked into my spinning project.
While I draw (write) this piece I place a sheet of rag paper beneath the kitakata in order to collect the marks that seep through the paper as my hand pauses or presses harder with the marker. So far I've got four such sheets, and have begun drawings on two of them:
The vertical rows of freckle-like dots are the marks that come through from the Mariah drawing. On top of that is graphite, iron oxide powder and tea wash. These have a long way to go yet, I just wanted y'all to see them because I haven't made drawings in so long, I'm a little excited. These are mostly to help me think about a series of copper etchings I'm working on that will include these dress-pattern shapes, cable charts, fragments of knitted cloth and more written-out pattern instructions.
I also made this today, with some madder-dyed merino top roving I found languishing, forgotten along with a big bag of "Texas mohair", in the bottom of my drop-spindling basket:
The orange is the madder colour the roving had when I bought it, and the other colours are some Kool-Aid I threw on: cherry, grape and ice blue raspberry. And now I know that even the butt-ugliest roving can still make pretty yarn.
Okay, I need some advice/reassurance on this. I spun this fairly thin, just to see if I could do a nice consistently thin thread (practicing for my first spinning commission: a colleague needs 300 yards of singles to sew a handmade paper wall installation together with for her MFA exit show next month). When the bobbin was more than half full I remembered something Sandy and Mouse told me, that I would only have to switch the gears with the drive band thingy if I needed to make a thinner yarn. I don't understand this ratio thing at all (if anybody wants to try explaining it to me, please be kind and dumb it down as much as possible), but is my yarn going to be crappy because I spun too thin on the wrong gear? Is the twist going to be all wrong, and will it all end in tears? I spent a lot of time nurturing this wool today, and it's grown up so strong and pretty, that I'm afraid I won't handle it well if it turns out to have some sort of fatal flaw. But, is this ratio thing all that big a deal? It's not like the drop spindle is all that precise. Not that I've ever managed to make a thread so lovely on the spindle, mind you.
Posted by jodi at February 22, 2007 08:56 PM | categories: in the studio
Comments
Jodi,
don't worry! If the singles feel good then you're in good shape, the ratios are really more about the speed of your spinning. A smaller whorl will make the fyler spin faster and pack more twist into your yarn. This is handy when you want to spin thin and quickly but any type of yarn can be spun at any ratio providing the way you draft and how quickly you treadle (slow down/speed up) change accordingly to give you the yarn you want. I'm not sure if this would mean much but I learned to spin pretty fine on a country spinner with only one fairly large whorl. Good luck and I love your work!
Posted by: Lauren at February 23, 2007 12:23 AM
Don't know nothin' about that spinnin', but I just wanted to tell you (again) how much I love the written instructions for Mariah piece. That is such a great idea!
...and what's this about a spring-time Maryland trip? :)
Posted by: Lolly at February 23, 2007 08:14 AM
Don't worry about which ratio you're on. If you're getting what you need, then go with it. Like Lauren said, it more about twist and speed at the higher ratios.
You're doing well. New spinners grow so fast .
Posted by: Sandy at February 23, 2007 09:33 AM
You know, I've always had a very deep admiration of your art, not only because it is so beautiful, but in part because of your creative process. But we're now beyond admiration. You've now officially moved into the "idolize" category. I'm so blown away by what you are creating and how you are creating it. Thanks for sharing, because I love being able to see all the layers and connections that get formed on the road to your "finished" pieces, and how all of the things you do get woven back into each other. You rock.
Posted by: bonnie at February 23, 2007 12:00 PM
You are fine, as said above, the ratio has to do with the speed of the spinning. When you increase the ratio, you are gearing up, like on your bicycle, so you can go faster with fewer pumps of the treadle. This in no way should effect the quality of your singles.
Plus, they look pretty cool. And probably smell like all sorts of fake fruityness.
Posted by: Rachel T at February 23, 2007 12:56 PM