Stash enhancement & a tip for notch-less top whorl spindles

I love love LOVE getting 'fluffy' post so this morning's delivery put a huge smile on my face...

This little lot came from Karen aka Shamu Makes, a surprise 'grab bag' of yarn and fibre. She chose perfectly for me - the colours are beautiful and I couldn't wait to get spinning. As my beautiful bottom-whorl rainbow spindle is already full (and I mean full!) of singles, I had no option but to make a truce with the top-whorl spindle I didn't really get on with a couple of weeks ago. 

I'm sure there is absolutely nothing wrong with the spindle - this is about my lack of experience - but I had two issues with it (a) there is no notch and my leader kept slipping which meant it was unravelling the cop, and (b) it doesn't spin for very long meaning a high risk of it stopping, changing direction and unspinning the twist... then dropping to the floor. 

Today, out of necessity, I remembered something I'd seen somewhere on the internet (when I remember or find it again, I'll come back and add the original link)....

Step 1 : After attaching the leader yarn, bring it up around the hook and then back down to the shaft to continue as normal - this will create a 'stopper'.

Step 2 : With the leader to start, and with the yarn after spinning and winding on, bring the spun yarn to one side of the stopper and then across it into the hook. When you spin, the stopper will prevent anything from moving or unravelling.

The answer to my second problem is really an experience thing - I am much more aware of what the spindle is doing now, and able to pre-empt it from stopping with an extra spin. It's going beautifully...

This spinning lark is seriously addictive!

A peek inside... my vintage suitcase

Following some recent comments and questions and in the absence of any completed projects, I'd planned today's post on wearing shawls. I was going to use my Boneyard for demonstration purposes. After half an hour of hunting, I must conclude it has disappeared (probably into one of my many handbags). While searching,  I realised that my storage place for small projects hasn't ever made it to the blog, and it seemed like a good time to remedy that. 

The case was a gift from my mum - we spotted it one day while mooching around The Cornstore, although she looked quite bemused that such a small old thing would be very useful. It's in pretty good condition although there are tell-tale signs of age on the handles and the inside might benefit from a make-over. The initials S.J.S. are written inside, and I often wonder who S.J.S. is (was?) and where they took the case - what memories would it hold for them? The unknown history is one of the things I love about vintage finds. 

Would you care to see what's inside? There is *just* enough space for 21 small projects at the moment - mainly shawls - but I might need to consider new options by the time Boneyard turns up and my current WIPs are finished. You can't see them all in this messy pile, but it gives you a flavour. 

It doesn't look like much considering the hours of enjoyment (and several of frustration) that were spent making them, but each one is special for a different reason, including what was happening when I was working on them (a holiday, a Royal wedding, chatting at the park), some are from yarn I bought on great days out, and some remind me of times they were worn. They are not just shawls to me - they hold a lot of memories. That's one of the things I love about handknits. 

When Boneyard turns up, I'll get the planned post finished. Thanks for popping in today - I hope you all have a lovely weekend... whatever the weather!

Temptation

Despite already being enrolled on several classes (not all yet completed) I'm feeling incredibly tempted this morning - Shawlscapes (Craftsy class) with Stephen West has just gone live!

Although I've already made a Boneyard Shawl (and several others) which is included in the course I am tempted to enroll for Stephen's tips, and of course, his personality - he's definitely one of my favourite designers.

I already gave into the temptation to order an XL Micro Trindle with the remainder of my birthday money. Have you seen them before? Or tried one? The first time I really became aware of them was on the Yarngasm Video podcast,  there is a review from The KnitGirllls here - I really can't wait to try it out - hopefully it won't take too long to arrive.

So what's tempting you these days..... and what have you already succumbed to? 

All things on the table (...almost)

My friend Rachel has a speciality which she calls "all things on the table". In place of any actual cooking, this 'meal' involves covering the table in lots of different foods which one can pick at. When I was thinking about today's WIP Wednesday update, I felt much like Rachel. I have done very little knitting this week and so I've laid out everything so you can see what I've been picking at. 

That's Whipporwill malingering at the back. I must get it finished. I'm going to finish it without the eyelets (discussed here), if for no other reason than I want those needles back! Then we have Hitchhiker, now with 28 'points' - leaving this at the side of the sofa might help to get it done, it's such a nice easy pattern but I forget to pick it up. An extra inch or so has been added to the vanilla (handbag project) socks and there are also some more 'multipuffs' on the go. I cast these on in bed which was the worst thing to do because I also started reading and promptly forgot about the knitting.

I loved Life After Life so much, I listened to the audio book when I wasn't able to read it, and never enjoyed the ironing more! The blurb tells you all you need to know:
"What if you had the chance to live your life again and again, until you finally got it right? During a snowstorm in England in 1910, a baby is born and dies before she can take her first breath. During a snowstorm in England in 1910, the same baby is born and lives to tell the tale. What if there were second chances? And third chances? In fact an infinite number of chances to live your life? Would you eventually be able to save the world from its own inevitable destiny? And would you even want to?

Life After Life follows Ursula Todd as she lives through the turbulent events of the last century again and again. With wit and compassion, Kate Atkinson finds warmth even in life's bleakest moments, and shows an extraordinary ability to evoke the past. Here she is at her most profound and inventive, in a novel that celebrates the best and worst of ourselves."

It's our book club read for this month and I can't wait to see what everyone else thought - I really didn't want it to end. There is so much humour and wonderful observation, not to mention the interesting premise of eternal return. I'll definitely be reading more Kate Atkinson, although I might try Ann Hood's The Knitting Circle first - I've had that book for ages and have been meaning to read it.

Oh and I did make some more progress on Zuzu's Petals cowl, started my embroidery sampler and managed some more spinning, but more on those another day - this photo is a little out of date after last night's endeavours!


After all that I need a coffee... and then onto some more ironing with Dan Brown's new Inferno via audio book! Have a great Wednesday.