Finishing #the100DayProject 2020

I’ve joined up with #the100DayProject this year with the goal of spinning every day. Writing down a daily log of my progress is an easy way for me to stay accountable, follow though, and plan what to spin next during this project.

If you’re just joining me:
Here’s how I prepped for the project and spent the first week.
During weeks 2 and 3 I finished the first single and started spinning the second.
Weeks 4 and 5 I embraced the slog of being in the middle of something.
Weeks 6 and 7 I finished spinning the singles and started plying.
Weeks 8 and 9 I finished my first skein of handspun and started the second.
Weeks 10 and 11 I finished the second skein and jumped into spinning the third.
Weeks 12 and 13 I worked my way though spinning the singles for yarn number 3.

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Week 14

July 6 - 7 (Days 91-92): We’re in the last few days of this epic project now. I’m not feeling particularly retrospective at the moment or like I need to tack on a big goal to finish. Keeping it simple and just spinning everyday has served me well so far so I’m going to keep going to the end.

July 8 (Day 93): Had a couple of sections where the single just kept breaking. Turned out that the fix was pre-drafting more of the fiber. Spinning is a smooth process again. And in other good news, I’ve started on the last ounce of the fiber!

July 9 (Day 94): The bulk of today’s spinning happened outside while my spinning buddy ran off some energy. There were a few breaks to procure a snack and clean up spilled bubble solution, but lots of new yarn went on the spindle. I even managed to get past the section of fiber where the roving had split into two parts. Holding those together to spin and preserve the color sequence was a pain.

July 10 (Day 95): Got a good chunk of spinning in this afternoon. Maybe I’ll finish the single this weekend.

July 11 (Day 96): Yes! I finished spinning the second single for yarn number 3! I’m giving the twist some time to rest so I can wrap the plying ball tomorrow.

July 12 (Day 97): I wrapped up the plying ball this morning and it looks good. My very rough plan was to make a 2-ply yarn and generally have the colors match up between the two plies. I was reasonably successful. There’s going to be a lot of marling, but there are big chunks where the colors line up just right. At least that’s what the grapefruit-sized plying ball showed me.

Got a start on the plying in the afternoon. The yarn is a little fuzzier than I’m used to spinning, but still really fun. I can’t help but think that this would make a good Christmas stocking or wall art.

Week 15

July 13 (Day 98): I wasn’t able to get as much plying done yesterday because holding the fiber and twisting single up above my head has definitely irritated by arm. So, today I’m switching things up and working with my other arm. It’s awkward, but I’m still plying.

The plying ball is shrinking much faster than I expected. This morning the ball was the size of a grapefruit. By lunch, the ball was smaller than a peach. I might not even have to push myself to finish plying tonight.

July 14 (Day 99): Yes! I finished plying the yarn this morning! It feels so awesome to finish this last yarn with one day left to spare. Of course, this success didn’t come without a little irritation. As I got to the last few yards on the plying ball, the singles just kept snapping under the weight of the full spindle. I joined the plies back together once, but didn’t do it when the plies snapped again. Instead, I pulled out another spindle and plied the remaining singles to make a mini-skein. Works for me.

Broke out the swift and wound the yarn into skeins. Ended up with about 300 yds between the two. I was aiming for a sport weight yarn and there are definitely sport weight sections. It’s looking a little closer to a worsted weight though which is totally good too. Won’t know for sure until after the yarn is washed and dried.

Now that I got a good look at on the swift, the colors blend together beautifully. Even when there’s a barber pole effect, the colors share a similar value so they don’t jar the eye.

July 15 (Day 100): It seems fitting to end the project with finishing the yarn. I followed my standard method washing for each skein. First step is filling my too small bathroom sink with cool water and a squirt of Eucalan (<- affiliate link) then putting the skein in the bath for 20-ish minutes. Then I squeezed out the water and rolled them up in a towel so the yarn was damp instead of soaked. Before hanging them up to dry, I snapped the skeins around my arms to help even out the twist. That’s it. Good thing too because my shoulders definitely need a break from holding stuff above my head for long stretches of time.

Now we’re in the after. It took a few more days than I expected, but the yarn is finally dry. Every skein has absolutely exceeded my expectations. They’re plump and soft and wonderful. I’m not sure how much the yardage shrunk since setting the twist, but the weight definitely changed. The third yarn had the most dramatic transformation of the bunch. It seemed limp and fuzzy when it came off the spindle. A bath helped it perk up to a balanced and plump worsted weight yarn that I really want to knit. Not sure into what but I’ll come up with something.

Which bring up the question of what am I going to do with the rest of this lovely new handspun. No clue. The light blue superwash will probably become something for my spinning buddy. A new hat and mitts for winter will probably be a thing come September. As for the rest, I’m not sure. Gifts? Maybe. Something fun and off the wall? Also a possibility. Until I figure it out, I’m perfectly happy keeping them on a shelf where I can see them and give them a little pat from time to time.

Now the numbers and the TL:DR. 100 days of daily spinning turned 13 oz of fiber into 3 skeins totaling an estimated 1,053 yards (963 m). I didn’t spin the purple yarn during this project but I did take this opportunity to to wind it up. So it gets to be a buddy skein. I also put together this quick video that covers 99 days of spinning (would have been 100 days, but I accidentally deleted one). Here’s the last 3+ months in action:

What’s next? I’m trying to work that out. My shoulders need a break from spindle spinning. I do miss having something easy and accessible to reach for during the day that isn’t my phone so that might be the deciding factor. Maybe 100 days of sock knitting will be the next thing. Or I could tackle a few other short projects that last a month. Still thinking but I have no shortage of fiber and projects to choose from.

Thank you for following #the100DayProject along with me! I started with the goals of getting back to my spinning, making yarn, and showing the kiddo how yarn is made. The past 100 Days accomplished all those things and I’m happy I followed through. Pretty sure I’ll do another 100 Day project again next year. Or sooner.

*This post contains an affiliate link which means, if you decide to buy through that link, I’ll get a small commission. Thanks!

#the100DayProject Weeks 10 and 11

I’ve joined up with #the100DayProject this year with the goal of spinning every day. Writing down a daily log of my progress is an easy way for me to stay accountable, follow though, and plan what to spin next during this project.

If you’re just joining me:
Here’s how I prepped for the project and spent the first week.
During weeks 2 and 3 I finished the first single and started spinning the second.
Weeks 4 and 5 I embraced the slog of being in the middle of something.
Weeks 6 and 7 I finished spinning the singles and started plying.
Weeks 8 and 9 I finished my first skein of handspun and started the second.

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Week 10

June 9 (Day 64): I left the finished single on the table after taking photos and my spinning buddy did a little inspection. The good news is that only some of the wraps pulled up from the turtle and the beginning of the single didn’t snap. Whew.

The rest of the day’s spinning went just fine.

June 10 (Day 65): Joined the last bit of fiber to the single! It’s looking so good and I can not wait to get to the next step of making this yarn.

I’m trying to spend less time on my phone because playing the random match-three game should be a fun break instead of what I do when I’m too tired for anything else. Endless scrolling isn’t helping me either. So I’m trying to keep my spindle and books close at hand. There’s been a noticeable uptick in my spinning the last few days because of it too.

June 11 (Day 66): There was a good bit of spinning time today. So much in fact that I was able to reach the end of my last bit of fiber! Well, close to it. There was only an inch or two of roving left, but the single just kept breaking. I called it done and good after the single broke for the fourth time. So, yeah, tomorrow I’m winding a plying ball.

June 12 (Day 67): Didn’t have any trouble taking the spindle apart today. Once I knew I’d have a chunk of time to wind stuff up, I got to work wrapping. The singles only broke apart once but one did tangle badly enough that I had to break it to remove the knot. Still, not bad at all. The plying ball ended up about the size of a large onion and took about 25 minutes to wrap. One of the singles was longer, of course, so I found the end and finished wrapping with it as the other ply.

June 13 (Day 68): I started plying!

June 14 (Day 69): More plying. There are a few more lumps and bumps than I’m used to working with in my handspun thanks to my unfamiliarity with superwash wool, but I am loving what I’m seeing so far.

June 15 (Day 70): Still plying but now the plying ball is about the size of a peach instead of a giant onion. I don’t want to get ahead of myself and say I’ll be done plying tomorrow though it isn’t unlikely.

Today is the 70th day of #the100DayProject which means there’s just a month left of daily spinning. I’m not sure if I’ll keep the spinning going afterwards or transition to a different daily project. There’s an appeal to both of those ideas. In the meantime I think I can manage most of another skein of handspun.

Week 11

June 16 (Day 71): I finished plying the yarn today! Really pleased with how it turned out too. The thickness varies between sport and worsted and the colors still remind me a fun watercolor.

I tried a different tack when wrapping the spindle this time. Instead of covering all the shaft, my goal was to fill up the top section and leave myself some room to twist the spindle at the bottom. Worked pretty well since I was working with 4 oz of yarn instead of 5 oz.

June 17 (Day 71): Set up the swift today and got to work winding yarn. This time I put the spindle between the handles of a basket which worked really well. The spindle was able to turn freely and I only had to pop it back into a place a few times. In the end I ended up with about 259 yds of sport to worsted weight yarn. It’s so pretty.

Since I’m not one to let some perfectly good spinning time go to waste, I prepped my next project. The bump of Greenwood Fiber weathered BFL was right next to me, so that’s what I picked. The fiber had a pretty clear repeat that I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do with. Eventually I split in half for a 2-ply yarn and split it again along it’s length. Then I wound up each piece into a nest with the colors running in the same direction. There’s no way the colors will match up perfectly but I’ll still get a cool marled effect.

June 18 (Day 72): After working with the fibers for a bit I decided to aim for a sport weight yarn. Aiming for a weight on the finer side of things means I might not finish it before the end of the #the100DayProject but that is totally okay.

June 19 (Day 73): I keep trying different methods of wrapping the spindle. This time I tried 2 under, 1 over - basically the reverse of 2 over, 1 under. Not a fan. Went back to my usual wrap. The search continues.

June 20 - 21 (Day 74 - 75): A little bit of spinning on both days. I’m finding it harder to drum up the same enthusiasm I had for this project as I did in the beginning. The slog is definitely creeping up on me.

#the100DayProject Weeks 6 and 7

I’ve joined up with #the100DayProject this year with the goal of spinning every day. Writing down a daily log of my progress is an easy way for me to stay accountable, follow though, and plan what to spin next during this project.

If you’re just joining me, here’s what I did to prep and the first week of spinning. Weeks 2 - 3 are here, and weeks 4 - 5 are here.

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Week 6

May 12 (Day 36): Dropped the spindle a lot today, but joining the single back to the fiber wasn’t hard at all. I gave my spinning buddy the leftover bits and pieces which she had fun pulling and smooshing and balling up in her hands.

May 13 (Day 37): So often these past few days, when I stop spinning is decided not by having to do something else, but by how sweaty my hands are. Trying to spin a definitely damp lump of fiber is not fun, not easy, and not doable. So I get a few minutes here, a few minutes there, and call it good.

May 14 and 15 (Days 38 and 39): Spinning in bits and pieces these past few days. Those minutes added up too! I’m much closer to the end of this piece of fiber than I was at the beginning of the week.

May 16 (Day 40): Got a lot of spinning time in today while my spinning buddy watched Frozen and the Muppets.

May 17 (Day 41): I’ve been able to practice drafting worsted when it’s cooler and my hands aren’t so sweaty. The difference between the worsted style drafting I can do with dry hands and the woolen style required when my hands are sweaty is massive. The yarn is way less fuzzy and doesn’t need the same amount of twist. Wish I could spin like this more often, but that requires more environmental management than I care to do throughout the day.

May 18 (Day 42): I finished spinning the second single! Feels so good to be finished with this part of the project, and I am so looking forward to starting the plying process tomorrow.

Week 7

May 19 (Day 43): I was so excited to take the single off the spindle that I started right after breakfast. The only problem was that I couldn’t remove the center shaft. Putting the whole thing in the freezer for 20 minutes helped loosen up the joint. Seems like all those times it fell during the spinning jammed the pieces together a little too tightly.

I’ve been thinking about how I wanted to ply these singles for a few weeks. I considered spinning them directly from the turtle, but didn’t want to have to fix breaks on a seconds notice or untangle knots. Also on the list was winding them both to bobbin from my wheel, putting said bobbin on a kate, then plying on a spindle. I didn’t want to have to deal with moving even that much of a setup. Eventually I decided to fall back to old favorite, the plying ball.

I wound both singles together onto a ball which was accompanied by most of the major plot points in Frozen. The final ball ended up about the size of a softball or a grapefruit. The singles only broke in two spots at the my joins which I’m calling a win. I was also reminded of one of the reasons I love working with a plying ball. You get a lovely sneak peak of how the colors are going to mashup in the finished yarn. There are some really beautiful sections waiting in there.

The second single was much longer than the first so I cheated and held the end of the second single together with the end of the first and kept wrapping. No leftovers here. I don’t always fake a ply like this, but it’s a good trick to have.

May 20 (Day 44): Plying continues! It is so fun seeing the yarn finally come together after 43 days of work. There has been one hiccup though. It is taking conscious effort to make the spindle spin clockwise for plying. Feels so weird making my hands move in a slightly different direction that I have to double check it’s twisting correctly. Thankfully, it’s very evident in the yarn when I’m twisting the plies in the wrong direction.

May 21 (Day 45): The ball is about the size of a medium onion. Of course I had to take a photo for scale. My spinning buddy has been way more interested in the plying ball than the unspun fiber. She’ll pick up the ball and carry it around the house while I’m trying to ply which somehow has worked out without any hiccups or breaks.

May 22 (Day 46): Today’s adventures in plying saw my spinning buddy leading me around again , not by the nose, but by the plying ball. Whenever I put the ball and basket on a low table, she’s going to grab the ball and take me on a merry chase down the hall and back. No yarn was harmed in the process. It was pretty fun chasing after her while keeping the spindle spinning. :)

May 23 (Day 47): Day 5 of plying and my old tricks are coming back to me. The reason I like a top whorl spindle for plying is that I can use my feet to give the spindle a kick start when the yarn needs more twist or a restart. This has been especially handy because my spinning buddy thinks it’s funny to poke the spindle until it stops moving. I like hearing her giggle which means I’m not complaining in the least.

May 24 (Day 48): Not much spinning today, but I did get in a few minutes here and there while my spinning buddy was playing outside.

May 25 (Day 49): I broke my own rule tonight - the one about not spinning after my spinning buddy goes to bed. This thing is that I really, really wanted to finish plying this yarn before the halfway mark, day 50. So that’s what I did. It took about an hour to get the last of the singles plied and on the spindle, and it was a trying process. The spindle was much heavier, absolutely packed, and there wasn’t much of a spot to grab to get things moving. I did it though. Here’s the spindle with my next 4 oz of fiber for scale.

There’s still the finishing work to do - skeining, washing, drying, and measuring - but I can do that in between spinning up the next yarn. While this first yarn isn’t technically complete, it still feels good to have bulk of the work done so I can start fresh for the second half of #the100DayProject.

Celebrating Schacht's 50th Anniversary

The Schacht 50th Anniversary celebration was last Friday, September 20, 2019. There was a full day of events - factory tours, shuttle races, a spin-in, demos, and more - to celebrate the occasion. My wheel is a Schacht Sidekick, and I’ve wanted to see where it was made since I moved to the area. Never got around to taking the tour in the last few years, and I’m happy to have finally gotten the chance.

I was there a few minutes before the next tour ran so I took in the sights. There was Oliver, a personable Corridale/Teeswater sheep, and a whole flock of chickens named after Lord of the Rings characters. This is a naming theme I can stand behind.

The factory was really interesting. Our guide showed us the whole process from start to finish. We saw the CNC routers cutting down blanks to make looms and wheels. There were the jigs used to make pretty much everything. There was even a crash course in how the “wheel” part of wooden spinning wheels are made which was so cool to learn. We saw how the various pieces were sanded and finished with oil before heading off to assembly. I got a little thrill seeing the stacks of cut wood that would become Sidekick wheels.

It was really neat seeing where my wheel was made and the people that made it. As expected the whole place smelled like wood and saw dust which was nice. Though I didn’t expect how loud it would be, not due just to the various machines, but the factory wide vacuum system for controlling sawdust.

I wasn’t able to stick around as long after the tour as I wanted to. The heat and a crushing headache were not a good mix. I was able to find some neat fiber and project bags though. On the left is a fun bump from Hummingbird Moon and the right bump of fiber is the 50th anniversary colorway from Sweet Georgia.

I did pack up my wheel and some fiber for the spin-in, but just wasn’t up for sticking around. Same deal with the Try Out tent. I’ll try my hand at weaving one day. Headache aside, I enjoyed myself and the peek behind the scenes.