Arachne
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weaverarachne.bsky.social
Arachne
@weaverarachne.bsky.social
380 followers 1.4K following 290 posts
#Lesbian. #Jew. Academic refugee. #Spin & #Weave. Former #hospice nurse, now case manager for a #Tribal health center. Pining for the PNW

On stolen land, no one is illegal
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weaverarachne.bsky.social
My mom (on the left) was an Air Evacuation nurse. Died at 101 in 2021. She would have been so honored
Two women in WWII uniforms smiling. The shorter one on the left is my mom, an air evacuation nurse. Note the caduses (sp) on her lapels and wings on her shoulder patch.
November 11, 2025 at 2:37 PM
weaverarachne.bsky.social
interfaiths.substack.com/p/how-much-a...
American Jewish Committee Survey 2024 The 2024 American Jewish Committee survey (post October 7) finds that: 40% of Americans have personally seen or heard antisemitic activity in the past 12 months. 74% of American adults say antisemitism is a problem, including 34% who say it is a “serious problem.” In the past year, 46% of Jewish adults altered their behavior because of antisemitism. 50% of Jewish adults said antisemitism increased a lot in 2023, up from 43% in 2022, and 37% in 2021. 30% of American Jews reported feeling uncomfortable about expressing their views on Israel or identifying themselves as Jews.
November 7, 2025 at 5:10 PM
weaverarachne.bsky.social
Have fun! Here's a blanket I spun and wove. Turned into a breed study - spun single breed yarn. A lot of it is Shetland or Jacob, but also Finn and Gotland.

Claimed by Ms. MO Boudreaux before it was even dry after wet finishing.
October 31, 2025 at 3:35 PM
weaverarachne.bsky.social
For point of reference, I'm barely 5'2"
Selfie in a rather dirty mirror in a rather messy room. Gray haired woman in a black shirt and tan cropped pants, with a large green bag over her shoulder. The bag has the Little Gem in it, and it hangs from my shoulder. The bag comes down a bit past my knee.
September 24, 2025 at 1:27 AM
weaverarachne.bsky.social
Pictures of my new Little Gem ready to spin, folded up, in its bag, & (next post) on my shoulder. It's certainly going to be my go-to for travel. If it didn't have a Willie Winder on my Kromski Sonata, another travel wheel, I'd have to let it go. #SpinningWheel #handspinning #Majacraft #FiberTools
Majacraft Little Gem spinning wheel as seen from the non-treadle side. It is sitting on a tan and beige rug, and there is a tuft of gray metallic fiber visible hanging from the bobbin. The wheel is particularly remarkable for it's very small drive wheel and different style of drive and tension bands. Same wheel, but folded flat. The shaft, whorl and bobbin spindle are of a piece. The delta flyer, bobbin and drive band are next to it. Same image of the spinning wheel folded, but with the carry bag next to it. it is "Majacraft Green" ripstop nylon with black handles and shoulder strap. The Majacraft carry bag with spinning wheel inside.
September 24, 2025 at 1:27 AM
weaverarachne.bsky.social
My #Majacraft #LittleGem came! So cute, a bit of a different spin, but quite lovely. It folds down to nothing, is feather light (especially compared to the Suzie!), and the bag is great. I didn't want to fold it so that twho and tell will have to wait. #SpinningWheel #handspinning #tools #fiberarts
Majacraft "Little Gem" spinning wheel, seen from the non-spinning side, on a small area rug. The drive wheel is very small, made of bamboo on top of Rimu wood . The wheel has an unusual pulley system. Some grey fiber is visible. Same Majacraft "Little Gem" spinning wheel, seen from the spinning side, on a small area rug on an outdoor deck. T Some grey fiber is visible. Seeing the flyer and bobbin gives a better sense of scale (most Majacraft parts like flyers and bobbins are interchangable). My Majacraft Suzie, their original wheel, for comparison.
September 23, 2025 at 1:56 AM
weaverarachne.bsky.social
Wow, this is the biggest response I've ever gotten to a post here. Below is a picture of my mom (shorter on the left). More details about her in the ALT text. And more pictures from her service
Black and white picture of two women in WWII dress uniforms they both have big lovely smiles and what looks like bright red lipstick on. The woman on the right is my aunt. The woman on left is my mom - she was an air evacuation nurse stationed in Cairo, New Delhi, Marrakesh, and Crete. Notice the wings on her shoulder patch and the caduceus's on her lapels. Picture of my mom standing in front of a WWII bomber with many bomb symbols and a Pilot. mom, kneeling with two other nurses posing with a bomb with the word "Actung" on it - it was a live German bomb (they didn't know it was live at the time)
September 18, 2025 at 3:37 PM
weaverarachne.bsky.social
Plotting and planning...I'm thinking of making a shawl with some/all of these fibers. I may just use the yak/silk, if I have enough once the 2nd braid is spun, and it may be just the black or the black and grey both for the warp. fiber descriptions in Alt text. #handspun #handwoven #fiberarts
Three skeins of handspun, all Greenwood Fibers colorway "Calypso" two skeins are yak and silk, one is Merino/silk/cashmere. All chain plyed. Colors are browns, blues, greens and purples. The yak/silk is very shiny and the colors are deep, the Merino/silk/cashmere is much more pastel. A braid, partially unbraided of fiber - it is the same Greenwood Fiberworks yak/silk in colorway Calypso. Closeup of a spinning wheel flyer with a black yarn with rainbow firestar blended in. It is very shiny although the picture does not do it justice. A hank of unspun fiber is drapped across the end of the flyer. This is "Fancy Crow" Merino/firestar from Camaj Fiberarts An pile of roving, silver with rainbow firestar. The fiber is Merino/firestar, "Sterling" from Camaj Fiberarts
September 12, 2025 at 1:22 PM
weaverarachne.bsky.social
Wash day! I am bad about doing the final finishing/setting the twist on my #handspun. Instead I let the skeins pile up and then do a washing marathon. Details in the picture ALT text #fiberart #handspinning #spinnersofbluesky #handspinning #spinningwheel #spinningyarn
10 skeins of yarn, left to Right: - Greenwood Fiberworks, colorway Calypso, Merino/silk/cashmere, chain ply (3 ply) - Pan's Garden, pearl infused rose fiber, fractal spin two ply - Pans Garden, lotus fiber, last bit on the bobbin (itty bitty skein) - Pans Garden, lotus fiber, Fractal spin two ply - baby Camel/silk plyed with Fantasy Fiber, colorway Honey, Merino/tencel two ply - Fantasy Fiber, colorway Honey 70% Merino/30% Tencel chain plyed (3 ply) - Polwarth/silk two different colorways plyed together - Polwarth/silk same - Polwarth/silk one colorway -Kelpie fibers, colorway Valenwood, Blue Faced Leicester, 2 ply
September 5, 2025 at 1:07 PM
weaverarachne.bsky.social
Had a very satisfying time last weekend cleaning up bobbins with bits and bobs of yarn. In this case, there was a wee bit of baby camel/silk, and another almost full bobbin of merino/ tencel. The result is quite lovely, soft, and draped. #handspun #fiberart #silk #spiningyarn
Skein of light tan, honey colored yarn. Attached is a tag reading "Camel/silk plyed with 70% merino/30% tencel.
August 27, 2025 at 4:15 AM
weaverarachne.bsky.social
I think this is the most I've ever filled one of these bobbins. Polworth and silk, unknown source, all the tags have are fiber and numbers I assume r/t colorway. Been waiting to decide if plying these together would work. I think it has. #handspun #spinning #fiberart #craftiverse #stashbusting
Jumbo bobbin about 85% full of barber pole striped 2-ply in shades of greens, blues, and pinks. Same bobbin looking at the bobbin from the end, from the angle of the delta orafice. Most of the rest of the Majacraft Suzie wheel is visible, including the laser inscribed New Zealand clematis on the upright.
August 19, 2025 at 2:53 PM
weaverarachne.bsky.social
Pretty good game of bobbin chicken. #spinning #fiberart #handspun #craftiverse #bobbinChicken
An upright lazy kate - 3 spindles, a tension knob and a central urn-shaped center element, open at the top with four holes towards the bottom. Two spindles hold wooden bobbins one with just leader, the other with about 2 yards of white yarn on it. Partially visible behind is a Clemes and Clemes spinning wheel. Close up of bobbin of 2-ply Bergshaf wool yarn. Yarn is white with a distinct halo.
August 17, 2025 at 8:40 PM
weaverarachne.bsky.social
These have been hanging over my head for over a 1.5 years is completed. I wove a set of 3 Pendleton "worm" #rugs / #blankets, but made a misjudgment in my wet finishing and set 2 aside until I could figure out a fix. Made using the trim from #PendletonBlankets #weaving #handwoven
Predominantly red rug on a medium brown wooden floor. The rug is almost speckled, as the multiple colors run across it. Predominantly green rug on a medium brown wooden floor. There are stripes of brown dominant at each end and in the center there are two stripes predominantly blue, with some of the green in between.
August 10, 2025 at 3:16 PM
weaverarachne.bsky.social
A day late Caturday pics of Ms MO Boudreaux
A tortoise shell colored cat in the crotch of a tree, standing on her hind legs, body stretched upwards n look up higher in the tree Same pretty cat, standing in the tree crotch, gazing to the left
August 10, 2025 at 12:58 PM
weaverarachne.bsky.social
Good morning! I will miss Nevada skys. #sunrise #photography #clouds #skysky
Sunrise: Clouds, starting out lumpy bumpy and moving to soft and swirly. Underlit to bright orange fading to gray. The yellow of the sun peeping g through just above the silhouette of hills, trees and a rooftop. In the foreground and empty street, which on the far right turns into a dirt driveway.
July 22, 2025 at 12:58 PM
weaverarachne.bsky.social
Tour de Fleece day 14/stage 13 involved no spinning. Another long day and time w/my wife was more important to me. I did get the lotus fiber, dyed by Pan's Garden skeined. Started out at 2 oz/56 grams, wound up with 174 yds/159 meters fractal double ply
Very colorful and shiny skein of yarn on a skein winder greens, golds, purples, reds. In background is a Kromski Sonata spinning wheel. Same skein in a completed skein same colors on a dark wood table. A tag is attached at one end with yardage, spin style and source. Same skein, this time in a sort of ball (not well done)with an unspun hank of the same fiber/colorway behind it. A small part of the tag is visible with the words "2 ply" it is on a dark wooden table.
July 19, 2025 at 2:08 PM
weaverarachne.bsky.social
Plyed the lotus fractal spin, really can't wait to see it skeined. Alas, I split the hank visually, and lost the game of plying chicken, which is really too bad with this - it's only 2 oz. I think I'll try plying using my new plying dragon. I have another hank of this - maybe I'll weigh next time
Close up of a bobbin and flyer the yarn has a sheen, and is multicolored with red, gold, and green visible. Image of a hand holding two Woolee Winder bobbins. The one on the viewer's right is empty with just a blue leader yarn secured with painters tape. The bobbin on the right has a small amount of yarn on it that is gold on top and mostly green. The (right) hand holding the bobbins shows a wrist watch.
July 18, 2025 at 1:16 PM
weaverarachne.bsky.social
As suspected, if I want to spend any quality time with my wife, now that I'm back at work my Tour de Fleece time has shrunk drastically. I took a few minutes to start plying my lotus fiber fractal spin and it was just so pretty I had to share.
Close up of the Woolee Winder bobbin/flyer on a Kromski Sonata. The yarn is very brightly and multi-colored. Because of the way the Woolee Winder loads the thread, it is impossible to pick out more than glimpses of the red, purple, copper and green. background is a floral rug over a tile floor, and a partially seen basket of fiber
July 16, 2025 at 1:22 PM
weaverarachne.bsky.social
Tour de Fleece Stages 9 and 10. Slowing way down d/t going back to work and actually paying attention to my poor carpal tunneled hands. Chain plyed the Merino/silk/cashmere Greenwood Fiber Works braid. Will be interesting to compare with the last braid I did in this colorway in yak/silk.
Image from above and the side of a jumbo bobbin about 2/3rds full of chain plyed yarn. Colors showing are light green, brown, a couple shades of blue and purple. Out of focus in the background you can see down to the treadles of the Majacraft Suzie, a flowered carpet and a couple of African made baskets.
July 15, 2025 at 1:42 PM
weaverarachne.bsky.social
I did finish hemming the towels I started on another "fibercation." Tomorrow I should be able to ply both the lotus and the Greenwood Fiber Works bobbin. Then it's back to work and just bits and bobs while admiring everyone else's work!
Two more towels from the same warp. One has a magenta weft, the other has blocks of green, sand, and lavender weft. All are an undulating twill from the Carol Strickland book
July 13, 2025 at 3:59 AM
weaverarachne.bsky.social
Tour de Fleece days 6, 7, 8: it's been a lot. Thursday I had to be up in the Reno early in the day, for human and auto maintenance, and Thursday is when my hands started to hurt.
A Kromski Sonota castle style spining wheel on the bobbin is a very electric emerald green. Draped over the wheels is the rest of the lotus fiber which is dyed in large repeats. Besides the green there is red, purple and copper. A hand holding two WooLee winder bobbins of handspun lotus fiber. One bobbin is mostly green with a little of the gold/copper peeking through, the other is a cavalcade of all the colors from the hank - red, purple green, bronze A close up of the flyer of a Clemes and Clemes wheel with a white, slightly haloed yarn. In front of it balanced on the wheel is a bag of fiber with the label "LLEYN Combed Top Camaja Fiber Arts" Three handwoven towels with horizontal stripes of yellow, rose purple, sand, lavender. The right-most on has graduated stripes of rose weft on a ground of green weft. The middle has a ground of a different green weft and a narrow yellow/purple/yellow stripe near the bottom. The left-most has two narrow brown stripes. All are undulating twill from Carol Strickland's book
July 13, 2025 at 3:59 AM
weaverarachne.bsky.social
Tour de Fleece day 5. I finally finished the Greenwood Fiber Works braid, will chain ply tomorrow. I then took a break to start hemming the last batch of towels/table runner. Only got the three already spoken for done. And then I pulled out some lotus fiber from Pan's Garden for a fractal spin.
A black plastic Majacraft jumbo bobbin, about 1/2 full with stripes of copper, moss, sky blue, purple, lavender, royal blue and moss singles upright on a lazy Kate. In the foreground 3 towels, folded in quarters. They all have stripes of yellow, rose, purple, sand and lavender. The stripes are of different widths. One has Sand, weft, one black and one yellow. Behind is a stack of more towels. The top one has a green weft and two thin yellow stripes with a purple stripe between. A Kromski Sonata spinning wheel with a small amount of emerald green yarn on the bobbin. Draped across the castle is the hank of fiber in red, green purple and copper.
July 10, 2025 at 1:04 PM
weaverarachne.bsky.social
Tour de Fleece day 4 . Soooo close. I'll finish this tomorrow and let it rest before chain plying.

Gotta get those towels hemmed.
View from above of a bobbin on a wheel. Single ply is colors bronze, turquoise, royal blue and moss. Draped around the top of the wheel is unspun Fiber in purple, blue, green and bronze.
July 9, 2025 at 3:59 AM
weaverarachne.bsky.social
Tour de Fleece day three. Same Greenwood Fiber Works merino, silk, cashmere in colorway Calypso.

Man, I'm slow. Ah well journey not just destination. I've taken this week off, once back at work it will be "just get some spinning in each day."
Close up of a bobbin with stripes of blue, green, brown and turquoise. The yarn has a slight sheen, and is approx 40 wpi
July 8, 2025 at 2:28 PM
weaverarachne.bsky.social
This year's Tour de Fleece shirt. Sorry for the reversed image.
Cropped shot of a gray v-neck t-shirt with an image of a horned sheep riding a bicycle with balls of yarn for the wheels. The "road" is a series of stripes in red, orange, goldenrod, green and straw. The stripes flare out behind the bicyclist. Above her head in script writing it reads "le Tour de Fleece 2025" and in smaller script July 5th-25th. The O in Tour has spokes and a tiny flyer attached above with a drive band going around the flyer to the wheel.
July 8, 2025 at 2:06 PM