Spinner's Book of Yarn Design. Techniques for Creating 80 Yarns

It's here! Sarah Anderson's book is here!

This must be the most beautiful book about yarns I've ever seen. Most yarns are different shades of white, or they have small accents of other colors. Still it's not a "colorless" book. The lay out is clear and interesting on the 256 stunning pages. The text seems to be a nice mixture of facts and personal thoughts.

The are 64 reference cards with short instructions in the book. I like this a lot. You can take the cards with you when spinning away from your home or studio.

There is a chapter about fiber preparation using flick carders, combs, carders and drum carders, blending colors, blending fibers, drafting techniques, plying.

Spinners have been wondering what the cover would look like, as the publisher's site (Storey) showed another cover than some of the book shops. So here it is:

Sarah Anderson is an awesomely good spinner. You can see that in the beautiful photos. They mostly taken by John Polak who also did the extremely informative photo job on Fleece and Fiber Sourcebook (Deborah Robson and Carol Ekarius).

I haven't had time to use the book for learning a new spinning technique yet, but from what I've had time to read so far I will not have difficulties in understanding the theory. If I can't actually spin the yarn I want it can't be Sarah Anderson's fault.

Can't wait!

Mail from Book Depository yesterday - "dispatched to you"! Can't wait! I wonder how long it'll take?

For my granddaughter

My first grandchild was born five days ago. A little girl! I'm so happy, need I say that?

I was spinning a thread I thought would become part of a yarn for my Certificate in Handspinning. I didn't know what fiber it was, except that my hands said it was Merino and something else. So I asked the dyer, Jon Dunn-Ballam of EasyKnits. Merino-Cashmere he said.

Perfect for a little girl! I changed my mind and Navajo plied to keep the colors for a selfstranding yarn. I like it very much, as I like most of what Jon dyes.

Now I'm planning what to knit from it. A vest? A small cardi? I'll let it wait for a couple of days until it talks to me.

Wool links

Just a reminder: Woolsack has an outstanding list of links to sheep and wool sites. Here's a new one, about assessing fleeces. Please contact Jane at Woolsack if you have a link to share!

Winter can be nice

In fact, I like our cold, snowy winters. It's a time for just watching light and shadows in daytime, and not doing very much in the evenings. Gaining strength for the the intense spring.

Finn-Corriedale/Border Leicester

Some days ago a there was a surprise in my mail box:

American Finnsheep 50% Corriedale/Border Leicester 50%. The fleece has strong and healthy fibers. It has characters from all three breeds: softness and lustre from the Finn, body from the Corriedale, and length and lustre without any of the coarseness of the Border Leicester. The staples are 13 cm long. I'll comb them and spin a thin yarn for lace.

Thank you haile!

Suomalaiset virkkajat - Finländska virkare!

Tämä tuli sähköpostiini tänään. En kuitenkaan julkaise sitä Bosnian piilosilmukkapostauksessani, vaan päätin levittää tieto näin sekä parissa Ravelryryhmässä.

Det här kom i min e-post i dag, men jag beslöt att inte publicera önskemålet i min post om smygmaskvirkning, utan i stället sprida önskemålet här och i ett par Ravelrygrupper:

"Yarn Bombing Los Angeles har lämnat en ny kommentar till ditt inlägg "Bosnian Crochet":

We are the knit graffiti collaborative Yarn Bombing Los Angeles (YBLA) and have a project that calls for covering the Craft and Folk Art Museum in granny squares and as we were making a map of all the locations we got participants from, we noticed we don't have any from your state. Would you help us spread the word? The deadline for the project is March 1st and we ask participants to send us 5 inch granny squares in particular colors. For more info http://www.yarnbombinglosangeles.com/call-for-entry.html
or
For our facebook page https://www.facebook.com/pages/Yarn-Bombing-Los-Angeles/203525286331494?fref=tsplease post
Thanks!"

Aion ilman muuta osallistua yhdellä ruudulla!
Jag tänker absolut delta med en ruta!

Knife

First, please read Deborah Robson's inspiring blog post here: On the sharpening of pencils!

My father was a man with many skills, among them wood working. Over the years he gave me some of his treasures, usually because I begged for them: a hammer, cutting pliers, a screw driver, a wood file, knives, another hammer... He let me use a knife and cut myself when I was very young. "She'll learn to stay away from the knives", he told mother. But I didn't, at least not for ever :) With the same logic he let me burn myself on a match, and I still have a big respect for fire. He stood beside me all the time, keeping me out of real danger.

But this tool he gave me as an act of love and respect: his pen knife. It was given to him when he started school in the 20s, and he had succeeded in keeping it for all of his life, through two wars,  building a house, and for all his years as an active local polititian and cash manager. He asked me to never loose it, to take care of it, keep it sharp.

And I have. I still use it, but not very often as I'm afraid to break it. When father got it there were two blades. It had lost the bigger blade during daddy's early years, and the one that is left is well used. He gave it to me in 1963. Yes, I carved the date on the handle! Young as I was, I understood the meaning of this special present. I have lost so many things during the years, moving from house to house, from town to town and out in the countryside, but I have succeeded not to loose this dear little knife.