Pingback from CraftSanity » CraftSanity Episode 74: A Chat with Pluckyfluff creator, Lexi Boeger
Time: April 1, 2008, 7:10 am

[...] Enter to win Lexi’s new book! Check out the contest details. [...]

Comment from Hanna
Time: April 1, 2008, 9:17 am

I’ve only been spinning for a couple of months, but the path that led me to spinning was kind of amusing. I’d called up analpaca farms in my area, and I found out that, because they’d just started and weren’t fiber artists themselves, they had no idea what to do with the fleece! “We’ll give you three garbage bags of fleece for a bottle of wine,” they said. And such lovely fleeces they were, too — only I didn’t know how to spin! But inspiration just clicked, and on the spur of the moment I drove across the valley to pick up those fleeces. All my friends thought it was hilarious that I had a closet full of alpaca fleece but didn’t know how to spin. I’m learning now, though!

p.s. I posted about this contest on http://wiknit.blogspot.com, my knitting contest blog

Comment from Kathy
Time: April 1, 2008, 9:35 am

I started spinning on a supported hand spindle from cotton bolls that I gleaned from the fields in Tennessee after the picker had gone through. I was teaching myself from books and it was difficult but I knew I really wanted to spin and ordered a wheel. The person on the phone suggested that to learn, it might be a little easier to use wool and that is mostly what I have spun since. I don’t use a lot of various fibers so much as carding together lots of colors that I dye. This was a fantastic interview and Lexi’s work is very inspiring.

Comment from Turtle
Time: April 1, 2008, 8:21 pm

A new spinner I am so as others i have had “fun” with the challenges of a new spinner. I have had the wheel attack the yarn, yarn breaks and snap around “attacking” me. My spindle has dropped and chased the cat, well not hugely chase the cat..but as far as the cat was concerned. I am still learning, the wheel is a process that i so am trying to master! Hubby bought me a beautiful one and it was love at first sight!

Comment from misfitknits
Time: April 1, 2008, 9:32 pm

this spring is the one year anniversary, marking the beginning of my spinning journey. having already done tons of yarns in different breeds of wool, mohair, silk, etc, i was looking for a new challenge. in november i went to a fiber festival and found my new inspiration! BAMBOO! and not just bamboo, but the most beautiful color ways i have ever seen! i had to have some. after sitting in my stash *and silently intimidating me for months* i finally decided to jump in head first. i spun a beautiful medium to low twist yarn and decided to ply it with silk, with the bamboo slightly wrapping the silk. it was amazing! after washing it and letting it dry, i went back to check on it…. it was a disaster!!! apparently, my low twist yarn did not like being submerged into a water bath, and it looked like a drowned cat! well, i guess the only way you can look at it is: lesson learned!!!

see pictures and more of the story on my blog:
http://www.thelandofmisfitknits.blogspot.com

Comment from geek+nerd
Time: April 2, 2008, 8:31 am

I’m not a spinner (yet) – but I have looked through Intertwined, and it’s definitely on my craft book wish list!

This isn’t a comment about spinning, but I did want to say that so much about what Lexi said about “following the rabbit down the hole” resonated with me. I’m working a creative job right now, but it is not very fulfilling, and I’m thinking about leaving to strike it out on my own. This is a financially terrifying thought – and I may have to get a *gulp* “real” job for the first time in years to support this endeavor. Like you both said, life is so short. I’ve e-mailed you before about the late in pregnancy loss of our first baby and what I probably left out was the circumstances that caused that loss could have killed me instead. If there is anything positive that I take away from that horrible day is that I was given a second chance, and I try not to take it for granted and live life to the fullest. So, hooray for clarity! Thank you for your lovely, inspiring, encouraging shows, once again!

Comment from pancakeandlulu
Time: April 2, 2008, 4:29 pm

I already have the book–it is amazing, as is Lexi! (So this isn’t an entry, just a fun yarn story). It was great to hear her interview–she is such a strong, amazingly innovative artist.
The wildest thing I ever spun was catnip yarn. I carded catnip into my wool and spun in various cat toys. My cat went nuts as I was plying the thing and I would have had to remove him from the room, if he hadn’t become so stoned and lazy, that he just collapsed!
Here is a link to the sold yarn, in case you want to see pictures–the last one is my cat before he collapsed:

http://www.etsy.com/view_transaction.php?transaction_id=6706116

The person who bought it knit up a lovely pillow for her kitty!

Comment from Sharon Rose
Time: April 2, 2008, 5:39 pm

I took my Ashford Joy to Central Park in NYC for Spin Out – from Philadelphia! I took the train – and then the subway.

But the most fun place I’ve ever spun is in the back of a London Taxi. We’ve owned them as our everyday cars for years. There’s a HUGE space in the back, plenty of room for my Kromski Minstrel. And there’s nothing like cruising down the highway, seeing people double-take at the car (they are either complete mysteries or else wonderful memories to Americans) and then double-take again to see me spinning. :) You can see pics of them on my blog (needlegrrl.blogspot.com). Thanks – looking forward to the book!

Comment from Angela
Time: April 2, 2008, 8:54 pm

i’ve been spinning with a collection of drop spindles for about 8 months. i took one with some merino/mohair blend roving on my cross-country plane flight in january, and was stopped by security, and had to take out my spindle in front of a long line and show the security screener what it was and how it was used before i could pass through security and catch my flight home!

thanks for offering the contest – i can’t wait to see the book!

Comment from Vanessa
Time: April 3, 2008, 3:34 am

I so desperately wanted to learn to spin. Growing up my mom kept a big wheel in my room – I never knew how to use it but knew that since it made yarn I wanted to learn and have one of those. Mom threw it out – I was so upset. I was 16 years old at the time and we were moving into a new house.
When I married – I always said I still wanted a wheel . In the meantime a friend introduced me to NY State Sheep and Wool Festival in Rhinebeck , NY – there I purchased my first spindle and some fiber.
I swore I knew what to do . I took the full big fat chunk of fiber and spun away – I did this for 6 months – not knowing why I couldn’t spin it.
2 – years later watching Knitty gritty – I had my aha moment! Duh – I never separated the fiber – or even drafted it out to make spinning easier . I had a bunch of knarly mess on my hand.
Needless to say I could not wait for the next Sheep and Wool festival to buy lots of fiber and my first spinning wheel – The Ashford Traveller – which I have been spinning on for 3.5 years now.
I am in heaven!
Vanessa
http://www.butterflyknitter.blogspot.com
Ravelry- butterflyknitter
butterflyjones03 at yahoo dot com

Comment from Heather
Time: April 3, 2008, 12:02 pm

Gosh, this was a great interview. I love that Lexi has a formal training at art and knows better than to be trapped by the history of any craft, such great words of wisdom. I haven’t yet learned to spin because there are too many other crafts I currently have my hands on. But, as a weaver and a knitter I am bound to eventually learn to spin. I have woven with strips of plastic, rags, etc but haven’t actually spun. I will be going to the MD Sheep and Wool Festival and may just get inspired to learn soon! I would like to learn to spin on a drop spindle first and maybe eventually on a wheel.
Cheers~
http://www.webeesbuzz.blogspot.com
WeBees @ Ravelry and Flickr

Comment from elizabeth
Time: April 3, 2008, 8:06 pm

just a wanna-be spinner on a mission to learn!just took my first private lesson with the most patient, most encouraging, fun and funny Jacey of Insubordiknit-Yes! Her yarn is featured in the book!!

Comment from Deb
Time: April 3, 2008, 9:05 pm

I have never spun, but am dying to! I really enjoyed this interview and love the fact that Lexi uses thrift shop materials to enhance her yarn. I would love to try that too, talk about making something unique! I’d see winning this book as an inspirational sign that I need to try spinning!

Comment from Tara
Time: April 4, 2008, 2:45 pm

Just last week I tried to spinning with newspapers:
I cut the paper in long, continuous strips: 1 hour.
I tied my first strip to my leader and started spinning oh-so-slowly: 2 seconds.
The paper ripped. I tied it together, spun a little faster, letting the twist travel up the paper to hold it together: 3 seconds.
The paper ripped.
I tried every method of spinning I had ever heard of.
2 hours passed.
My bobbin looked full, but the paper yarn was stiff and wouldn’t wind close to the bobbin.
I decided to skein it up. It ripped 3 times.
I measured it and had, for all my hours of labor: 5 yards.
Gah!
I’m posting the pictures and story to my blog this weekend!

Comment from ellie
Time: April 7, 2008, 4:50 pm

I learned how to spin at Maker Fair from a couple of members of my weaving guild. I have a tendency to collect hobbies, so I haven’t done too much spinning since I’m always flitting from craft to craft. I started with a drop spindle from Hokett Would Works (what a wonderful man!) and am now borrowing an Ashford Traditional from my weaving guild. I’m having trouble getting into a rhythm with the foot work, but I’m getting there.

http://deceptivelypackaged.typepad.com/deceptively_packaged/spinning/index.html

Comment from Jen
Time: April 7, 2008, 10:01 pm

I picked up knitting again to get myself over a really nasty disease – I couldn’t leave the house but wanted to do something useful, so I knit and knit and knit many nubbly scarves and things. So a couple months ago I decided to kick the smoking habit, and learned to spin on a spindle I fashioned from dollar store items as a way to distract myself from smoking. So now I have a few balls of merino singles that I must knit into something fab, and am seventeen days without cigarettes. Still gritting my teeth, but the learning rpocess of spinning has been like falling in love, I’m now going to try art yarns and beaded yarns, woohoo!

Comment from Arianie
Time: April 9, 2008, 10:39 am

My wildest yarn was one made out of lint, paper and xmas garland. Yes lint out of the clothes dryer. I’ve always wondered about lint whenever I take my laundry out to fold. There is so much lint between all the washing and drying but each time I threw them away because I thought there was not any use to them. The whirlpool gold dryer I had made lint fiber as compact as a batt. I actually had to have a cotton thread as a base and then added the lint onto it. After lint I thought of other things such as shredded paper– the ones that come out of the shredding machine in the office as well as unwanted shiny garland ribbons that came from Christmas decorations. The ultimate yarn was unique. It was crispy, nubby and with lots of sparkle. All this spun on my Louet. No I didn’t use it for any knitting project. It became a toy for my kitty cat.

Comment from linda scharf
Time: April 10, 2008, 8:59 am

I really enjoyed your talk with Lexi! You do a really relaxed podcast :)

Here are some pix of my “edible” yarn from carrot tops, habanero peppers and onions for the “Edible” show at The Yarn Museum, done as a spin challenge with Lexi. And here’s an older yarn made from herbs + seeds plus fiber. With the last one, I was going for a yarn that had an old-timey magic spell quality. I like to explore less traditional materials and what can be done with them, but my bigger focus is picking materials that convey what I’m trying to portray…an appropriateness. So that magic spell yarn was kind of a Stevie Nicks portrait – y’know, what would she look like portrayed in yarn? :)

You mentioned newspaper yarn, so if you haven’t seen it yet, check out Greetje van Tiem’s recycled newspaper yarn. (Here’s Greetje’s site) Maybe you’re familiar with shifu, the traditional Japanese yarns made from paper. Lots of beautiful things to explore!

Will look forward to more of your informative and fun podcasts. :)

Comment from MaggieBelize
Time: April 10, 2008, 10:02 pm

I’m not a spinner — yet! — but I’ve knitted some silly stuff, including potholder loops and string. Does that count? I visited Lexi’s PluckyFluff website — really really cool stuff! Judging from that, I would absolutely LOVE to get my hands on the book.

Comment from Nancy
Time: April 11, 2008, 9:55 am

I’ve been spinning for about a year now and recently bought some roving from Spunky Eclectic called the “Time of the Month” colorway. Its a combination of red, blue and brown to symbolize rage, tears & chocolate. In keeping with the theme, I decided to handle each color in the yarn differently as I came to it. I navajo plied the brown so the chocolate would look smooth. I did the blue in a boucle to simulate water and then coiled the red. The results can be seen here: http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3196/2400512997_08a4a26584_o.jpg. Thanks for the contest, I’d love to get my hands on that book!

Comment from Chelsea
Time: April 11, 2008, 6:23 pm

I’ve been spinning since October, and I was spinning many times every week from starting till December, when I had to take a break for holidays and then just coulden’t spare the time to try and pull it out. So my break from spinning lasted until…well…this week. Yes, It’s been 4 months since I’ve spun. Well, I when I grabed out my wheel and an empty bobbin, I just coulden’t remember which way my wheel went to spin singles. So I just started a random way. I was thinking, well, there’s a 50/50 chance that I’ll get it going the right way. Boy, I’m wrong. Of course, I get my wheel going the wrong way, and I did’t realize that until I moved to my second bobbin (which had some of what I was working on already on it), and start spinning. All of a sudden, my singles already done start coming off. Crap. I went the wrong way.
That’s the wildest story I’ve had in my spinning career. I think I’ll always remember which way my wheel goes from now on =~

Comment from Turtle
Time: September 30, 2008, 8:37 am

I still consider myself a newspinner, both on the wheel and spindle. Hubby is still in shock as he moved me from a tropical island and i taught myself to knit and spin, dye etc..I told him it was to help me keep warm! Aside from the usual complications of a newbie i would have to say the strange thing i think about when spinning or knitting with the homespun is that the dog loves to make her contributions as well, i always find her stray hairs would in as i work…i think she is just leaving her mark! (a bit of red)