This summer, Schacht Spindle released the Cricket Quartet, an attachment that converts their Cricket rigid heddle loom into a 4-shaft table loom.  The claim is that the Quartet allows you to switch back and forth at will between a rigid heddle loom and a 4-shaft loom. At $450, this is pretty expensive, considering you also need to have the Cricket, which is currently running around $240. So all in, this would cost $700, which is a lot for a table loom. (For comparison, a used 4-shaft table loom in working condition should be around $400).

However, I already had a 15" Cricket rigid heddle loom that I used to use for teaching and demonstrations. I enjoy using it, but I knew I would use a 4-shaft table loom more. We recently moved, and my weaving space is much smaller than it used to be, so space is at a premium. Gone are my days of acquiring looms just for fun! After looking at used table looms on Craigslist, Facebook Marketplace, and Ravelry, I realized that I had already had some experience with a lot of the looms out there, and found them to be too big, too loud, or too flimsy. So I decided to give the Cricket Quartet a try.

As always, Schacht does a really nice job of packaging with minimal waste, while still protecting everything inside. 

Soon I will be putting the loom together and using it - I'll be sure to report back!

Hi! It's been a hot minute! 

On the occasion of finishing my fourth Endless Summer Tunic, I finally feel qualified to offer an opinion on this pattern. 

Overall, it's a well drafted pattern. I raised the armholes significantly - they gapped a lot on the first two versions. My second two versions are pretty long - I wear them as dresses, more than as tunics. They are great layering pieces. I wear them alone, as breezy dresses in the summer, then pile on leggings and sweaters in the fall. I'll keep making this pattern, for sure.

But. (And it's a big but!) I do have some problems with this pattern.

This pattern and I got off to a rocky start. I bought the paper pattern (which is no longer being sold), and promptly ruined my ironing board cover and iron trying to flatten it out so I could even attempt to trace it accurately. UGH. Here's the new ironing board cover, which is infinitely better than the old one. But still. 

The written instructions are, to put it bluntly, awful. More diagrams would have worked wonders. Besides the schematic of the finished garment, there was only one diagram in the whole instruction manual! Hardly what I would expect for a beginner pattern.  The written instructions lacked clear grammar, making them hard to understand. If there had been good diagrams, I could have overlooked this. Instead, I found myself bewildered by what the pattern was telling me to do. 

I had to take the Creativebug class to make any sense of the instructions. And since it's marketed as a beginner pattern, I really take issue with this. If someone has to pay extra money to understand how to make the pattern, then it's not a beginner pattern!

I was also frustrated that they only gave the finished garment measurements. I know this is a trend in body positivity, but it doesn't do much to help me select a size if they don't also give a recommended ease (which was on the website but not included in the pattern).  I much prefer to see the body measurements in a chart, lined up with the finished garment measurements in another chart. This really helps me look at all the measurements, figure out if I need to do any grading, etc. Because this pattern didn't have any of that, I had a lot more angst than usual about selecting a size. 

Speaking of body positivity and size inclusivity, this pattern only comes in sizes 37"-47". As of today (May 25, 2022), the website states:

Coming Spring 2020 - a wider range of sizes! 7/23/20 - ETA: Due to the pandemic, unfortunately it will be Summer 2021 for a range of new sizes. We will be selling through our current stock of printed patterns and will not be re-ordering new printed patterns until we can include a larger range of sizes. We will continue to sell downloadable PDFs, and will allocate the income from the sale of these patterns, to expanding our range of sizes.

I checked the other patterns on their website and found the same statement across their self-published patterns. It seems just a tad fishy that almost two years later, Verb hasn't followed through on its promise of expanded sizes. ​

Mentioned:

• Pattern
• Ironing board cover (be sure to select the size that works for your ironing board!)
• Iron cleaner
• My Iron
• Creativebug class
• Reviews on Pattern Review 
• A blog post I found helpful
• Hand Sewing Clothing: A Guide

The final verdict: I like this pattern, but proceed with caution!

How do you organize your stash? I've been through many systems throughout the years, depending on the amount of space (and stash!) available. Right now, I organize by fiber content, then weight. But there are two separate shelves just for handspun yarn. ;)

We've just listed a new "stashmarker" in the shop. It's completely customizable, so you can organize by fiber content, weight, or whatever makes sense to you. ​

These stash markers come in packs of 5 or 10. They're easy to assemble - no tools required! They sit right on your shelf, so there's no need to drill or nail any holes in your shelving, and best of all, you can move them around any time your stash changes! 

There are as many ways to spin a gorgeous yarn as there are people who spin. Sometimes, getting a consistent yarn is really important - especially if we're spinning lots of yarn for a big project.

There are lots of ways to make sure you're spinning a consistent yarn. One of my favorite ways is to use the Spinner's Multitool. It helps me prepare fiber, and then check my yarn as I'm spinning to make sure I'm getting the yarn I want. 
The Spinner's Multitool functions as a diz, WPI (wraps per inch) tool, and twist angle. The Ultimate Multitool also has a small 2" ruler that can help you determine twists per inch. These are all factors that can help you spin a consistent yarn. They're also helpful if you're trying to replicate another yarn in your stash. 

In this post, I'll walk you through all the ways you can use the Spinner's Multitool. In this video, I'm using the Ultimate Multitool. but if you're into something a little different, we also have a Sheep Shaped Spinner's Multitool, an Alpaca, a Bunny, and the Original. If you still have questions after watching the video, I've added some more information and closeup images to help.

Here you can see a yarn that is Z twist, at a 30 degree angle. I've added a red dash to show how the angle of the twist lines up with the 30 degree angle. ​

Here are some key things to remember when you're using your Spinner's Multitool:

• Don't pull the yarn too tight - this will distort your reading, making the yarn look thinner than it really is. It can also distort the twist angle.
• Remember that most handspun yarns bloom and lose twist after they are washed - so your readings will be different at your wheel and in the same yarn after it's finished. 
• The best way to account for these differences is to sample, sample, sample! Record your measurements before and after washing your sample. Knit, weave, or crochet a swatch with your finished sample to make sure you like the yarn. Sample as many times as you need to before diving in to your project.
• Always be as consistent as possible with yourself. If you always measure in a certain way, then keep measuring that way. If you alter your measurement methods halfway through a project, you might end up with different results at the beginning of your bobbin and at the end!

​Happy Spinning!

Lately, I've been working on a project that makes use of a gradient. This is to be a sweater quantity with most of the yarn in the darkest color. I started with several piles of color - most of it the mauve/magenta color shown at the top of the first photo. Then I blended it into a gradient, adding darker and and darker values on one end, until I got to the almost-black-purple, and lighter and lighter values on the other end, until I got to the pale lilac-pink. 

When I took the photo above, I realized there were a couple of places where I wanted to to smooth out the gradient, specifically at the lightest and darkest ends of the spectrum. So there are a couple more values in the gradient now! The fiber is mostly organic Polwarth, with a little bit of Merino and CVM in there too. 

I used the diz in the Spinner's Ultimate Multitool to pull the roving off the drum carder. Now I'm using the WPI gauge to make sure I spin to about 28 wraps per inch. I'm doing this as a short forward draw, which is a little bit outside my comfort zone, so I make sure to check pretty frequently!

I'm starting with the darkest color. There's about 20 ounces of this, and then between 2-4 ounces of each of the other colors, so there should be plenty for the sweater I have in mind!