I have been playing with a messy project on my old spinning wheel. It should be a project for outdoors or at least the screen porch and that is where I started it. But the screen porch is filled with the outdoor furniture, tucked away for the approaching winter and the spinning has to move indoors.
I am spinning newspaper. This appeals to the recycle/reuse side of me and is an interesting experiment in readily available materials.
The plan is to weave this into paper mats when the spinning is done. Any suggestions for warp? I am thinking a grey-brown colored linen would look good with the newspaper color . . . or a black linen. Someone suggested crocheting baskets or freeform pieces, also very intriguing.
I cut these strips by hand, no measuring, as I don't mind a little thick and thin effect. The colored portions of the paper have a nice look in the finished spun product, creating interest and adding some warmth. It is not a soft yarn, definitely a little stiff and obviously will not be very durable.
There is a great deal of drag on the spinning wheel and because the yarn is very stiff, at times, it has to be "helped" onto the spindle. It is also very dirty - grubby black fingers from the ink, so I am sure the wheel will need scrubbing when this project is done. But all-in-all it is very satisfying to create something out of a throw-away material. I will let you all know what this yarn inspires!
I am starting another project on the table loom - denim coasters with a blue and brown warp, a nice fall into winter colorway! These coaster sets will make their way to my Etsy shop.
So it is back to some evening fiber work. I will miss the long days of summer but it feels good to snuggle in and get my hands back to work at the wheel and loom.
. . . . . .and I do love the fall.
