I have been spinning and spinning art yarn on my new Ashford JUMBO Espinner since January. I wanted to create an Art Yarn Collection of colorways I dye myself and can duplicate close enough for mutiple skeins to work together while still keeping each skein its own unique self.

I seem to always be spinning in “collections” or “themes” as I work through one fleece at a time. After a while, spinning one fleece could become boring or repetitive. To keep my interest, I have tried spinning one ply relatively even and in one range of size. My second ply is where the magic begins. I start changing that and try to see how many various ways and yarns I can create from just ONE main fleece. My Art Yarn Collection changes but is always located for sale in one place. You can click HERE TO SEE WHAT IS CURRENTLY AVAILABLE.

I have been enjoying using the new Ashford JUMBO Espinner so extensively. It has pushed me to be a better spinner and to spin bulky art yarn at a much faster pace than I ever thought would be possible.

Eventually over time, I became a faster Spinner and drafter. I went looking for a faster e Spinner that could keep up with my new skills. I ended up choosing a WooleeAnn. I felt it was faster with a strong uptake than most other e spinners but still gave me a significantly large bobbin. It comes with a Bulky Woolee winder automatically so that allows me even more yardage on the bobbin.

I can not spin 3 pounds of fiber on one bobbin anymore like I could on the Ashford Bulky E Spinner, but the amount that I can spin is still more at one sitting than is comfortable physically. This has turned out to be a GOOD THING! I find the process of stopping for a minute to switch a bobbin reminds me I must get up and move. As I spin more and more, a reminder to move has become critical and I appreciate the quick change bobbins on the WooleeAnn.

Most of my yarns are falling in the 5 Bulky category, which is 6-8 WPI. A few are a tad bulkier and pop over into Super Bulky which is 5-6 WPI. With the faster speeds of the WooleeAnn, I can spin finer mutiple ply smoother yarns quickly. This lets me spin my own matching warp for any weaving projects eliminating the need to relie on a mill spun warp. I might start offering those thinner yarns someday rather than keeping them all to myself. Ha!

The bulky and super Bulky weight is best for knitting or crochet on a larger hook with a simple stitch to show off the texture, spirals and curls, and color. It does also standout as occassional warp strands and frequent weft strands in any weaving for outstanding texture without unnecessary bulk. Weaving by hand on any frame loom many times has a smaller shed to pass Bulky bits through. My Art Yarn has enough bulk and texture to make weaving both texturally interesting and still mechanically easier than extreme bumpy yarns.

Recommended size 17+ knitting needle and size Q or larger crochet hook for a more open stitch and drape. I like weaving on rigid heddle and larger looms with DPI in the range of 4-6.

Weaving with these yarns as weft is also another great option and you can be as creative as you please. Weft means there is no limit on dpi size or dent size. You can place the texture and bumps right where you want them. I pull locks and loops out to the front of my weavings to showcase the Lockspun yarns.

Some skeins are 25, 50 or 100 yds. Occasdionally I have odd number yardage of a one off skeins, but I try to keep yardage at a more uniform length. Most skeins have a few mutiples although one skein is never exact same as another. The skeins in a colorway will work together color wise. Look for my new weaving bags with yarns and rovings combined in a lovely canvas bag with a photo of one of my Art Yarns printed on the outside of the bag.

Remember to Hand Wash Cold with (LIKE) similar colors. Hang or lay flat to dry. Art Yarns are in the SHOP NOW. You can Click HERE to go to the Shop.