Way out in the Middle of Nowhere

Some day I'll learn how to add a to do list to my blog.... Last year, I offered to donate one knitted lace shawl to the Catholic Ladies raffle. Each year, during the Church's Harvest Festival, they hold a raffle to raise cash. Usually it's a very nice handmade quilt and a few gift baskets. I decided to knit something that could be used as a shawl, a Christening blanket or a tablecloth. So I picked the Queen Anne's Lace shawl by Mmario. It took about 9 months to knit, with many week's off for other projects. Now, it's done and blocked.

I've been spending time revisiting an old skill: Spinning cotton. I've misplaced my brass supported spindle, so I made myself a new one. This one is carved from a chopstick with a whorl of poly clay. The trickiest part of the construction is the hook on the top of the spindle. If you cut too much off, you have nothing but a frayed point. The deal with spindles like this is that they are supported spindles. That means that they need something to spin on. My spindle cup has a divot in the middle for spinning. It is really a pretty cup; I got it from Mielke's The cotton is from cotton clouds and it is a naturally green colored cotton. Spinning cotton takes practice, much practice. The major jist of it is that it is essentially 'double spun.' As you spin the takli (supported spindle) the first time, you draft the cotton loosely. The second spin of the takli is faster, and gives the cotton thread strength. It takes a lot of practice. I've been watching the se...