Pretty, no? It is. It's lovely. It's merino and soft and luscious and it's all mine. :)
When Mr. Yarnworks was home on his four day pass, I begged him to take a bunch of hair picks I'd purchased, pair them with a 2x4 in the garage, and make me a homemade hackle. Thanks to his mad skills, it only took him about 10 minutes. Yay! Thanks, Honey!
I've requested a fantastic custom diz set from riverrim on Etsy like this one, but due to a family emergency, the project has been delayed. (Send her big hugs!) But I was anxious to try out my hackle, so I used what I had on hand...
And then the problems began. And honestly, I'm not sure what the issue is. The button as a diz? Cruddy technique? Impatience? I'm not really sure where to start.
I mean, yes, the result was still gorgeous and I'm sure it will spin up nicely. In fact, I can't wait to get it on the wheel. But fibercrafts are also my trade, and I want repeatable, gorgeous, consistent results. One day, I'm sure I'll want to add blended fibers to my shop.
This is what I got instead. Some thick, some thin, having to start and stop repeatedly, feeling like I had to use all my strength just to get the fiber off the hackle and through the diz. It doesn't look nearly this difficult on YouTube. *sigh*
Maybe the new custom diz set will cure all my frustrations. Until it arrives, I'm headed back to YouTube.
And to my wheel! Thick and thin or not, I'm turning that fabulousness into yarn!
I love it! Maybe I'll have to get my husband to make me one, too! I watched the videos online, too. They sure do make it seem much easier that it is in real life! I hope you get your "real" one someday soon! Angela
ReplyDeleteThis looks so interesting!! and a great way to use some of the fiber I have as well as add angora to it..how simple in concept, although I am sure it takes time to master..Thanks for the treat!
ReplyDeleteI believe that your diz hole/s may be a trifle large for the fiber. Another thought--it is hard to tell from the photos, but the homemade hackle's "pins" may be further apart than you want. It seems like when they are closer together, that they serve to allow the longer fibers to be pulled through the diz, while the shorter ones stay behind. And we all know what we get when we end up spinning long and short fibers together...nubby yarn. Which is fine, if that's what you were going for, but a huge frustration if it was not. Of course, you'd need TWO homemade hackles so you could comb the fibre with one hackle turned at a right angle to the other, before pulling the fibers through your diz. Take a look in your button box and see if you can find a large button with a somewhat smaller hole :>) Happy spinning!
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