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Thought I'd post a few pictures of some of the fun new drum carded batts created for the fall season!

Tutorial : maintaining your drum carder

Here's a helpful visual list of things you'll want to have on hand.

I can't believe how quickly time flies by; just the other day it was spring and now we're almost into fall again. And as fall is just around the corner, I'm sure that a lot of you are getting your wheels and carders out, if you haven't done so already! So, I thought I'd make a tutorial on how to take care of your carder. And if you are looking for some info on wheel maintenance, please check out this previous post on the subject (it's been updated with pictures!)

What does one maintain on a drum carder, you ask? Well, if you're newbie (or not!) these are some everyday maintenance necessities to keep your carder in good working condition:

• You'll want to clean the carder's drums to prevent leftover fiber build-up with an official doffer brush or get a cheap pet slicker brush (you can find these at most stores that have a pet section.)
  * This is a good things to do between batts especially if you'll be changing colors; leftover light colored fibers aren't fun to pick out of a dark colored carded batt!
• You can gently tweezers out fibers that wrap themselves around the washers, spokes and whatnot that will inhibit the carder's performance otherwise. I find that no matter how careful I am in trying not to let the fiber get too close to the edges of the drum, I'll still get stuff that sneaks in there. So, this is another little area to keep an eyeball on.
• Oil your carder's moving parts; just like a spinning wheel you'll want to re-oil the washers on the spoke that attaches the two barrels of the carder to the frame. (I know there is an official term for this, I'll have to do some research as my mind drew a blank ha!)
  * Where not to oil or apply wax and finishes: the groove on the carder's bobbins in which the drive band sits. This may seem like common knowledge, but when I say moving parts I think its good to specify which parts just in case!
• What oil to use? Just as in my spinning wheel maintenance tutorial, 30 weight machine oil is considered by most spinners to be the way to go. Don't bother buying the comparably expensive bottles shops will try to sell you when you can buy the oil at hardware stores fairly cheap and just refill the little bottles. If you by any chance are thinking of trying Vaseline, I can definitely say this is not a good idea to use, as it will collect fibers and gunk up your wheel. Stick with the oil and save yourself the headache, in my opinion... (and here on the interwebs, you'll find opinions abound!)

Applying and buffing in the wax, avoiding the drive band grooves.

And for periodic maintenance of your drum carder:

• Wipe all dust and fibers from your carder's surfaces; check for and gently tighten loose screws. Check to see that the drive band isn't becoming too loose; you should store your carder with the drive band off as it will stretch out faster this way.
• Use a pair of tweezers to (very gently) remove fibers that have wrapped themselves around various moving parts of your wheel.
• To prevent your carder's wood from drying out and warping, periodically feed your wheel's wood with a wax furniture polish. I like to use Howard's Feed-N-Wax Wood Polish and Conditioner, which doesn't leave residue and gives a beautiful glow. It has beeswax and orange oil in it and smells wonderful, too. You may need to put more than one coat on if its a second hand wheel that has seen better days. (I'll also mention that I'm not getting paid to recommend these guys, this stuff is just my personal favorite.)
• Check for any worn out parts that need replacing and spots on your wheel that have seen some wear and tear and need to be refinished. The maker of my carder, Fancy Kitty, has the option of sending the whole thing to them for repairs, if I remember correctly. You may also be able to find some parts on the manufacture's website, Ebay, or a local yarn shop may carry some of the more popular brands' parts. Drive band replacement belts can vary on size, so make sure you have the correct diameter and length before you buy purchase a new or spare. Your carder's manual should help you out on this one!
• And just as with a spinning wheel, evaluate the location your carder is in when its not in use. It should be some place not too hot, near vents and or in direct sunlight as this will also dry out the wood. Placing your carder in a clammy, wet place where your drum carder will suck up the moisture and swell, which is just as bad as it shrinking and drying out.

So, this is a pretty simple tutorial but hey, taking good care of your chosen drum carder doesn't have to be rocket surgery! There are a few things you gotta do to keep these things happy and they will reward you with years of fun and wonderful fluffy batts!

A happy drum carder!

DIY Drop Spindles!

Shetland wool, Alpaca, Angora and silver sparkle!

Though I own a spinning wheel, I still like to use a drop spindle depending on what weight of yarn I'm wanting to make. Drop spindles can either be made (from odds and ends you probably already have) or purchased if you prefer. And there are a lot of reasons to use a drop spindle, even if you already have a spinning wheel.

For one thing, they are a lot more portable than a spinning wheel, though there are spinning wheels made for traveling. I like that a basic drop spindles can be easier on the wallet than a wheel, though there are some spindles out there made of exotic materials that can cost you as much as a wheel.

And of course, when you are brand-new to spinning, starting out with a drop spindle might be less confusing and/or overwhelming than a spinning wheel (though every person is different in their learning style, I started out with a spindle myself and am glad I did!)

So, here's a link to a tutorial that shows you how to make the basic CD and wood dowel spindle.

And thisYouTube video of a 'no cost' spindle (made from cardboard, a pencil and a hook) is another great option for those on a budget or if you want a simple, quick spindle:

Now, once you've made your spindle, hopefully you know what to do with it! And if not, here's a lovely tutorial with pictures on how to getting started spinning yarn on your drop spindle.

And for those of you who are more visual learners, here's a quick YouTube vid that explains the process nicely:

I hope you'll find this information useful whether or not you're new to the world of hand spinning yarn. And if you are a newbie, hopefull this is a good starting point for you!

Pinspirations!

If you aren't already a Pintrest member, I give you fair warning that it's ever so slightly addictive! With that being said, I wanted to share my latest adventure; TreeSoup is now on Pintrest! Thus my blog title, 'pinspirations' ...see what I did there?

Like I mentioned previously, I love to look at things to inspire me as I am a very eyeball-oriented person. Sometimes, when I have odds and ends of different colored yarn and no idea what to do with them, I enlist the help of Pintrest to show me the way.

One of the boards I have created is an ode to one of my personal obsessions. I love yarn-themed decor; giant lace doily rugs, soft knit pillow and warm cabled throws. I love to incorporate my yarn and fiber love into my every day surroundings!

I also created a board each for knitting, crochet and fiber arts, as well as a crafts board for those who love yarn and/or fiber, but don't crochet or knit. Some the pics have tutorials linked to them as well, which is one of the best reasons to use Pintrest, in my opinion. Easiest way to keep track of all the sites where you find the patterns you put on your 'I-will make-this-someday' list!

So, this is just a small sample of the many things I've pinned to the boards, but I hope you'll head on over to Pintrest and check them out! I'm also working on a board of all the books I've done mini-reviews and reccommendations for (and also some that I haven't reviewed yet, too.)

On my bookshelf...

Just in time for the holidays, I thought I'd share some of the books that are currently sitting on my bookshelf. They are the books that taught me how to understand and use my spinning wheel!

These books are packed with tons of pictures that really helped me figure things out, as I am a visual learner myself. I must see it and do it myself for things to really start making sense, so if you are in the same boat these books will delight you!

Teach Yourself Visually Handspinning by Judith MacKenzie McCuin. This is the first book I bought when I first got interested in learning to spin. It's a very easy to understand, with clear instructions and good photos. It describes novelty spinning (sometimes called art yarns) and it has a chapter on working with exotic fibers which was helpful when I was working with alpaca and other interesting fibers for the first time.

The Intentional Spinner by Judith MacKenzie McCuin. This is a wonderful resource,with lots of information about fiber characteristics, different types of spinning (woolen vs. worsted) and more. It also talks about the history of spinning and gets into the technical aspects of things in a way that won't make your eyes cross and your brain go numb. (You can buy this book with a DVD included on Amazon, but I just have the book itself so I can't personally comment on the DVD.)




Having gotten a pretty good grasp on the basics, I'm always looking for new ideas, inspiration and techniques, so I turn to these books!

Spin Art: Mastering the Craft of Spinning Textured Yarn by Jacey Boggs. One of the newest out there, this book is incredible and inspires me with the beautiful photography and colors. It's filled with fun stuff to spin and teaches you how to make coils, bobbles and all sorts of funky art yarns. It comes with a DVD, too!

Hand Spun: New Spins on Traditional Techniques by Lexi Boeger. This is another fun book that talks about different techniques for making art yarn. It talks about how to card fibers to spin, has how to's and patterns for your unqiue yarns. I like that it includes Q & A with spinners like the creator of Pluckyfluff and Loop.






I hope this proves useful to anyone looking for information on the subject of handspinning and fiber arts. There are quite a few books on the subject, but these four are some of the best, in my personal opinion! That being said, there are quite a few books on this subject and as your learning style might differ from my own (a hands on, visual learner) I encourage you to seek out and read as many as you can!

Recommended Reading

If you are like me, you tend to collect beautiful yarn, drum carded batts and roving sometimes just for the sheer pleasure of it. I might not have any particular project planned for it, I just knew I had to have it, to touch it and to look at it!

But after a bit, I tend to accumulate a bit of a stash and once it starts taking over my crafting space, there is only so long I can ignore it. So I turn to my small library of crochet and knitting pattern books I've accumulated over the last few years and looking through them to see if I can start a few things to thin out my stash.

This is a beautifully done book with chic and artistic crochet patterns. I love that the photos show not just models, but real women who look fantastic in the designs. There are a few jacket and coat patterns that are on my to-make list from this book.

This is the knitter's version of the above book (I think the author published this book before the crochet pattern book.) I can only knit scarves at this point, but I am in awe of the beautifully made clothes in this book. The designs are fresh and have beautiful details. Plus, there are over 40 designs in this book!

I'm just starting to dive into this book, and am excited with it's 1001 inspirations, 'life lists' and people to meet. I can't even begin to describe how fun this book is! Also, I think that even if knitting is not your forte and you crochet, you can still get alot out of this book!

Since I am a very visual person and patterns sometimes are hard for me to read, this book is one of my favorites because it shows stitch diagrams in addition to written instructions. These designs are very up to date and a little funky, which I love.

This book is filled with quick and cute knitting projects, many of which just take a single skein of yarn (which is always great for those random but beautiful bits and ends!)






I hope you have the opportunity to read some of these books; this is just the tip of the iceberg concerning great books for us yarn lovers out there. I suggest checking these books out from your local library if possible or maybe buying them used off of Amazon if you would like to add them to your own personal library.

Natural dyes

Hello, its been a bit as life has a tendency to keep me busy these days! So, I thought I'd share something that has recently caught my attention: natural dyes!

I have become enamored with the idea of planting my own dye garden and here's a little list of what I'm thinking of... (with the colors the plants yield on wool.)

• Orange cosmos (yellow/orange)
• Purple Basil (silvery purple)
• Hollyhocks (mint/green)
• Japanese Indigo (blue)
• Red cabbage (purple)
• Marigold (yellow)

I wanted to plant Woad, but in Colorado it's considered a noxious weed to my surprise. It apparently takes over everything, so I'm thinking ....nah.

Living in the Colorado foothills, I love to see the leaves turn in the fall; especially the Aspen trees. Around here, we go for car and/or bike trips up mountain roads to see the foliage. What does this have to do with dye? According to a book I recently picked up, titled Harvesting Color, you can use Aspen leaves to get a beautiful golden yellow.

I've always loved fall but now I'm even more excited. I can't wait to dye some wool and make Aspen colored scarves and hats for winter!

Shop Update Preview

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Here's a little preview of some things coming to the shop soon.
Two new roving braids; one variegated BFL and the other is a blend of superfine Merino and Tussah silk. And the base yarn for the two new yarns is fingering weight, 100% buttery soft Merino.

Stay tuned for updates to the shop this weekend!