How to Make Your Own Drop Spindle

Yesterday we went to visit the mamas that gave us all of our wool and their new babies. This mama had triplets! It is common for sheep to have twins and not unusual for them to have triplets. Can you imagine?

The babies are not so gentle either.

We are thankful for the wool that the sheep so generously give with their annual shearing.

Our family has continued to wash, pick, and now card the wool using two dog brushes. We picked the kind of dog brush with metal bristles.

Three of our children and I have been enjoying our new handmade drop spindles. We ordered circular wooden disks (or large wheels) from this online shop (http://www.cherrytreetoys.com). They are 3 inches in diameter. Next we bought dowel and cup hooks from our local hardware store. When you order the large wheel, take note of the diameter of the hole because that is the diameter of the dowel you will need. In our case it was 1/4 inch dowel. For each spindle, you will need about 12 inches of dowel.

For the end hooks, buy cup hooks 1/2 inch.

Put some wood glue about three to four inches from the top of the dowel and then slide the wheel onto the dowel so it covers the glue. Some glue will ooze out - just wipe it with a rag. Screw the cup hook hook into the bottom of the dowel closest to the wheel.

Now if you have a coping saw or a small saw, you will need to make a notch in the wheel. Just saw into the wheel about 1/8 of an inch or so, this will guide the spun yarn.

Once the notch is made, make sure that the open end of the hook is spun in the opposite direction of the notch, this will prevent your yarn from slipping out.

That is it! Please ask questions if this isn't clear. I will show some pictures about how to use the drop spindle next.

Warm wishes, Tonya

Spring Newsletter Being Packaged....

Isaac suggested we take a picture of the process.

We hope the new issue will be a blessing to all. Warm wishes, Tonya

Farm Stand

We put out our farm stand on Saturday. Although we live on a relatively quiet dirt rode, we do get customers.

The children love to run down the driveway and check the jar for money.

We do have some work to do on it, like give it a fresh coat of paint...not sure what color though, any ideas? Or just leave it.....

Right now we just have eggs and cookies out. I use a cut branch to write the prices on in permanet marker - they don't blow away! (why didn't I think of that last year?)

Warm wishes, Tonya

Hand Spun with a Drop Spindle

Well, when you leave a pile of washed wool on a sheet by the woodstove to dry, you just never know what might happen.....

I looked into the living room and our 14 year old son had his drop spindle (that he bought with his own money two years ago at the Vermont Sheep and Wool Festival) and away he went....

A couple of hours later, our 9 year old, Abby was at it.

Our 11 year old decided that he would make his own drop spindle. While he was able to spin a bit, it was much to wobbly and I told him I would order him a "wheel" and buy some dowel so it would spin better. But I was impressed with his efforts.

That same evening I quickly knit up a little purse and added one of our handmade birch buttons to show them how much their handspun yarn was appreciated.

Warm wishes, Tonya

New in our Handwork Shop

After seeing tutorials for these on various blogs and in Living Crafts magazine, our family just knew it was something that we needed to add to our shop. We have an abundance of beautiful birch trees on our homestead so it just seemed natural that we would use birch for our buttons.

We have finished up quite a few sets and have added them to our shop.

But truly, it makes a wonderful project for you to do and you can even include your children to help with the drilling and rubbing the beeswax on, depending on their ages.

For those that don't want to saw, we have added sets of button blanks to our shop. These are not drilled nor finished.

I use the buttons for little purses, hat closures, and on vests I knit.

Enjoy. Warm wishes, Tonya

Crafting Over the Weekend

We had a wonderful weekend mostly at home, and mostly working with our hands.

In our small kitchen garden at home, I planted a bit of lettuce and some snap peas.

Saturday afternoon we tilled our large market garden, it is about 50' x 40'. This will be our fourth year of growing here and the soil is finally looking like it should over most of it. While Mike was tilling, I raked and pulled out large clumps of weeds, etc..

We did lots of creating as well.

I finally finished this special order for a customer. The wool yarn used was all hand dyed. She wanted a set of rainbow gnomes in subtle shades.

Gathered scraps of fabric, chose yellows and blues and made this scrap fabric wreath, inspired by GardenMama.

Our neighbor raises sheep organically for meat and we were given seven bags of wool! (Certified organic as well.)

So... I could use some help with the best/easiest/simplest ways to wash and pick this.

This is a picture of our first batch that I washed and it still has to be picked through.

Finally, the girls helped me set up our Easter shelf.

Happy Monday and Happy Spring.

Warm wishes and joy, Tonya

We have frogs

~ Abraham and Sarah filled with wonder as they watch their poor little captives ~

(which were released a very short time later)

Warm wishes and joy, Tonya