I'm a knitting pattern designer, sewist, and hand spinner living in St. Louis, Missouri. This is a fully captioned visual podcast about creating a sustainable wardrobe and life... very slowly, full of my fav patterns, tips and tricks, and behind the scene peeks at that knitting pattern designer life.
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Almost forgot about this video. What a shame. It's a wonderful watch, so much so that it makes me want to drive down to my daughter's place and unbox and assemble her Symphony right now, at 3:00 in the morning.
The first time I spun on a double drive (Haldane Orkney), I was getting over-twist then I changed whorls and it was spinning fine. Great looking wheel!
There is a way to adjust the speed of your stop/start and how many increments your speed goes up. The manual shows you this.❤ I have a Sparrow and a Strarling and the serve different functions. I tend to spin my super thin yarns on the Sparrow and Dk and above on the Starling and ply on it too.
I’ve just knit my first gauge! It is way off 😵
Hi! I am right now in shopping phase for a spinning wheel. My favourite so far is the Kromski Symphony, I was wondering about the space it takes up. I know that the wheel is larger than other kromski models I saw, about 60 cm. but could you tell me the height of the whole setup? thanks!
Hi! It has a total width of 43” and an orifice height of 27”. The orifice is just about halfway up the wheel part so I would say maybe 39” total height?
I thought she said the n word 🙊
Thank you very much for your advice. I just finished a cartigan with 6 strands unspun. To join all parts together, should I use regular yarn with backstitch. I am afraid to use the unspun yarn since it breaks often. Thank you Diane
You can twist a few strands of the unspun together to create a spun strand! And mattress stitch is just fine. Back stitch may be very bulky in this yarn.
then it’s 4am and the birds are chirping and i decide to continue and “just finish this row” then before i know it it’s 8am and i still haven’t slept😅
This has happened to me more than once 😭
When you stay up for hours finishing a project then realize you did the 2nd row wrong 💀
Nooooo 😭😭😭
"tt" Saving it
I'm working late.. cuz I'm a NIG
This is almost identical to my journey. I started with a drop spindle in 2020 and bought my first wheel in 2021. I paid $200 for an Ashford Country Spinner 2 (w/ converted flyer) and a 14” drum carder. I had to buy a $10 washer but besides that, everything was perfect. I also made myself a Niddy Noddy out of PVC pipe. I actually really like my wheel. It suits my needs for the time being. I feel like I got lucky though.
Thankyou so much. I have listened to several podcasters talking about unspun yarn and you are more informative than any others.😀
Dónde está el paso a paso gracias
The pattern is available on ravelry and on my website aimeeshermakes.com. Thank you.
Perfect fit! ❤
Thanks so much!
🤡
Thank for the book recommendation ! I like to read murder mysteries without graphic descriptions. I prefer the plot. A romance is nice time to time to clean the palate or to forget what happens in the world ( sometimes reality is too awful to be it is nice to escape)
Very good ideas! I didn’t think about the mohair issue. I usually knit socks for my oldest since he can walk. I didn’t think of knitting positive ease hats but it may help in the future 😊
There's also the Ravelry forum for used spinning equipment, once you decide which wheel to buy, accessories are often included.
All the yarn is SO pretty! The end of the rainbow is definitely my favorite. Moondrake was my first intro to indie yarn! I love that she’s local-ish to me too. I have used that BFL high twist base before and it’s really lovely. I am with you on BFL sock yarn and also corriedale! I’m hard on socks too. 😅
I have an older Jim Reeves wheel and I did have to find a wood worker who was able to craft 2 bobbins for me on Etsy (his sister had had a shop that had sold the Jim Reeves Wheels before Mr Reeves closed his shop, and he knew about them) but it meant sending my only bobbin to him, a little nerve racking, but when I got the bobbins back they were perfect, they were $50 per bobbin. My 2nd wheel is a Kromski Polonaise, which is my favorite, tho too big to travel. I did have an older Ashford Traveler (castle wheel), my first wheel, that I loved, but it was one my aunt had bought years ago that she gifted to my sister who never learned to spin on and had it as a display in her living room for years. When her husband had to take a job in another state she had to down size and sent the wheel to me. Unfortunately the wood was unfinished and over the years of not oiling the wood, the wheel had warped, which as I used it caused the screws holding the maidens to eat the wood up inside the maidens and shaking loose. That would have meant, buying a new wheel to replace the warped one (not inexpensive) and repairing the maidens or buying that part, so I gave it on to someone who would love it and did fix up old wheels. All that to say, unless you know how and are willing to finish the wood and are willing to do that to all the pieces on your wheel, spend the extra money and get the finished wood wheel ;). Tho I can recommend the Ashford Traveler as a good castle wheel, I don’t know about the whorls as I was a new spinner and didn’t know much about changing speeds.
The Reeves wheels are the stuff of legend! So glad you're able to get extra bobbins. The Polonaise and Traveler are both great also--you definitely have a lot of experience with all the different styles.
And yes, the wood finishing part can be so challenging and I'm not savvy enough to buy it unfinished, ha.
I’m leaning toward BFL for socks as well. I love the merino, but a more “rustic” yarn at a tight gauge makes for a long wearing sock! 9 sts/inch is the minimum, with light fingering I aim for 10 sts/inch. All that to say, that yarn is in my sights. Should I make the TWO tops I recently bought yarn for Before I start another project (socks)??? If you’re going to be getting more gorgeous yarn for the shop, I better get knitting (& finishing…) so I can replenish… ahem Thank you for all you do!
Ha! Thank you so much as always for watching! I always think that socks are a separate cast on count category than garments? But that’s just me 🫡 So glad that you are enjoying the offerings in the shop and I look forward to packing your next order! 💕
@@AimeeSherMakes Definitely…socks are a separate category!! Once I get those 2 tops done (when, not if😊), I’d like to try the silk yarn. Or…depending on me finishing the current projects… I must get some (more) yarn for (more) sweaters. For winter. I might be wayyyy ahead of myself tho … But having sooo much fun! Thank you for having allll the goodies in your shop !!
Just take all my money why don't you?
LOL! I'm so sorry 😂
@@AimeeSherMakes LOL, no you ain't! 😂
What is th name of the shawl that you showed?
I think it’s called With Ease!
@@AimeeSherMakes Thank you!!
I’ve been on the fence about purchasing the majyo but seeing your sample and swatch made me finally go for it! Thank you for curating this beautiful selection of yarns ❤
Oh thank you! I'm so glad the video helped you make a decision on it and thank you for your order!
Your presentation is perfect, don’t worry! I DID jump in to the shop for soap + stitch marker set + tea … Good to know the soap will last a long time! I’m very interested in trying Soana yarn, and I love the tee! Next items on my “Gotta Have” list! A Tea “Tutorial” sounds like Fun! Based on what you have in the shop now, I’m so Very Curious what’s next!! Thank you for all you do, I’m happy to support your shop/designs…values I share as well!
Dear @Lottasocks, thanks so much for your kind comment! And for your purchase. I hope you enjoy the tea, as well as the soap & markers! 🥰
@@AimeeSherMakes I noticed a lot of “T” going on … to drink & wear… silly grin… You are welcome! Tomorrow my Soana order goes in! But that linen… sigh. I really hope The Shop will do wonderful things for all makers! Thank you!
Hi Aimee , love your new tee design. Can't wait to cast on with your recommended yarns. Oh 😅please your dolly need a bath towel for the bottom part 😂
Dear Kim--Thank you so much! OMG, I have been mortified about this dress form one too many times! I sew too so I wanted one with the bottom for pants fitting. I am thinking I need to find a skirt to put on her hahahahahah
❤❤❤Congratulations on ur yarn shop
Thank you so much!
Having no plan worked perfectly! I don’t have a local yarn store with a large selection of yarns I want to try so I really do rely on podcasts for recommendations. Thank you for talking about the yarn and the sustainability. We share the same values in that regard so I appreciate you and what you are doing. And what a coincidence, I just found the Little Big Yarn Co podcast a couple of days ago, but I missed the preorder for the sumire colorway. It looked like Mel had a lot of interesting yarn bases. Thank you again! Sincerely, Tania
Thank you for your kind comment, Tania! I'm so glad that we have similar values and hope that one of these days you find something useful in our shop, whether it's patterns or our yarn shop! Sumire is SO beautiful and I need to get some for myself. Mel does indeed carry many interesting yarn bases!
Congratulations on opening your shop. Your designs are beautiful!
Thank you so much! I appreciate that. 💕
I love spontaneous informative podcasts. Congratulations on the opening of your new yarn shop. Can you film a tour for those overseas? Thanks.
I wish I could! But it’s an online only yarn shop and it’s basically just steel shelves in a basement 😅 I’ll probably do a short video tour sometime but it’s actually quite compact
Congratulations! Love this tee and really appreciate a designer who thinks of all sizes. Very best wishes as you continue your journey.
Thank you so much! 💕
congratulations on the opening of your new shop. I really like it when Podcasters are informal they tend to speak from the heart ❤. Looking forward to what you have in store for us. Love the tee 😊
Thank you for the feedback! 💕 and for the kind well wishes.
Congratulations on your new shop! 🎉
Thanks so much! 🧶
thanks so much for describing the difference between woolen and worsted spun yarns! I find that I'm still learning more about fibers all the time lmaooo.
There's always a million things to learn! You're so welcome and I hope it helped!
I love love love the Weekday tee, and im knitting with the Saona now and really like knitting with it! Feels much better to knit with than other cotton blends i have tried.
I'm so glad that you're enjoying Saona and thanks again for testing Weekday Tee for me!
I am so glad I was able to get mine.
Thank you so much! I hope knitting it brings much joy.
That's Impossible!
Good to hear your views! I’ve only been spinning for 6y. I learnt on an Ashford traditional, but since I have a leg injury (R leg), I found the constant treadling aggravated my leg. Because I wanted to continue with this hobby, I (had!!) to move to an e-spinner… which I LOVE! It sits on my breakfast bar and it’s always handy! Only issue is, that I can’t use it when the power goes off… they say you “can” get a battery pack, but Ashford do NOT recommend this. (I just find other stuff to do 🤣) Happy spinning!
I have an e-spinner and I too have moved to spinning on it nearly exclusively due to a R leg injury! It's a total bummer and I'm sorry to hear you have the same. At least we have E-spinners, eh? I have a Daedalus Sparrow now and it is approved for use with a battery pack, so if you ever are in the market for a new one you can check that one out! I have a video about it also.
So cute! I definitely want to make one 😍
Thank you!! Soon!
Thanks so much for sharing your adventures in wheel purchasing. I luckily joined a guild and got some wheels to test run. I have a portable Lendrum wheel as they are made locally to me. Now I'm looking for something a little smaller. I love spinning my own yarn, so the content you share is valuable. I will suggest that others, especially new spinners, watch your videos to get the info they need. Cheers,
Too many new needles? What next, too much yarn?
Shhh we don’t talk about the yarn collection 😭
I can't express how much I love this
bahahaha, so glad you liked it!
Thank you it was very interesting!!! 😊
Of course I am watching this video after having ordered my first wheel 😂 I started on a Kromski drop spindle, but I wanted more efficiency. A friend let me try out her Kromski Sonata, which was an amazing experience, however, when I went to a local weaving studio I tried their Kromski Fantasia, and that was the wheel that I personally ended up really connecting to. They also had me try out a Louet wheel with irish tension before committing, but that wheel was something that would take a long time for me to really get the hang of, unlike the scotch tension ones. Here's to my wheel arriving in two weeks!
Congratulations on your new wheel! The Fantasia is beautiful! Hope you have an amazing time learning on it.
I’d love to fins patterns for handspun yarns. Thank You
Hey there! I have a video titled just that! But in my own catalogue I love the Directional Pullover and Clara’s Playtime Mittens 💕
Hi Aimee. I am a very avid spinner. I have 4 treadle wheels and recently acquired an Ashford e-spinner. My spinning is 90% sport weight singles for weaving, although I have occasionally spun some fine 2ply for sock knitting. I too like to spin semi woolen with a backward draw and I find the only way I can sit turned a bit to the left to do my draw is to use a single Treadle with my right foot. I have two castle style wheels with single treadle which work well, and I have a Kromski Polonaise which I love, for the same reasons you like your Symphony, left side flyer, large wheel with huge speed choices. I have a Lendrum DT that I find very uncomfortable to spin on unless I’m doing a short forward draw, which is almost never. I like the e-spinner. It has huge bobbins, but is scotch tension only, and I prefer DD. Anyway, I do switch around for variety. When I travel the e-spinner is great. The Polonaise is delicate and absolutely doesn’t travel well. I totally understand your trouble with the Symphony. I really think you need several wheels for different purposes.
Thank you for your comment! I agree that there's going to be different use cases for each wheel and you end up needing at least 2, maybe more! The Polonaise is a BEAUTIFUL wheel---but it is definitely large!
I really want a wheel but I want to make the right choice and the reality is that I guess there’s no “perfect” wheel until you’ve spun a while and know what subtle differences you prefer so it’s a conundrum. 😣
That’s exactly the trouble and they’re so expensive. I know a few people who were lucky enough to be able to rent or borrow one for a while!
Can I ask what yarn this is? It's fabulous.
It’s an unspun yarn called Nutiden ❤️
Thank you so much@@AimeeSherMakes! it's stunning. I actually just finished watching a video by Honer and Eir for the first time. Thanks so much for your content (and for answering - it feels like I got to speak with a movie star or something :)). I'll also be sure to check out your video on unspun yarn.
What ?? No ??? You’re knitting ?? As a knitting designer ??? 😮😮😮
TRULY SHOCKING
Thank you so much for this video Aimee! Like you, I pretty much live in a spinning desert (rural Belgium). Due to health issues I can’t treadle for more than a few minutes at a time but should that improve I would definitely have to go for a double treadle wheel. A castle wheel would be an option as my preferred goes towards worsted style spinning. It would have to be a wheel that allows me to put in a lot of twist but that allows me to finely dial in the tension because as a lace knitter, I tend to spin for my projects which is lace weight yarn. I also don’t have a lot of space, so being able to easily fold up the spinning wheel in order to stash it away and take it out again would definitely come into play. As is, when I hit my spinning wall, mere months after diving down the rabbit hole of spinning, I went for the EEW Nano2 as it’s electric, is just about the cheapest e-spinner available to me and I got to try it out at the only craft fair within feasible distance from where I live (again,health issues). I also tried the EEW 6 but it being bigger and more expensive, and my house being just about as small as my budget, the Nano2 it was. The diminutive bobbin size doesn’t bother me as the average commercially available ball of lace weight yarn I tend to use weighs around 25 grams and I can pack that amount of yarn onto a Nano bobbin. I hope one day I will be able to transition to a traditional wheel. I tried out several at that fair. There is something to be said for the sensation and the rhythm of treadling while spinning. I seem to have a knack for it. But for now, e-spinners it is. There still is the tactile satisfaction of feeling the fibre flow between your fingers. I can spin worsted style of longdraw, depending on how I position my little spinner. I can even chain-ply if I affix it onto a heavy board. As for buying equipment: I built myself a lazy Kate out of a wooden box I found at a thrift store and a set of old knitting needles. A champagne cork works as a stopper on one side. All I had to do was drill a few holes. If I want a tensioned lazy Kate, the simple addition of two nails and a rubber band/elastic band made it tensioned. Most of us who don’t own a drill, know someone who does.
I think the nano is a great choice for a lace weight spinner! I'm so glad that you found a solution that works for you. I spin primarily on an e-spinner recently due to a leg injury!
@@AimeeSherMakes - I hope you get well soon!