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whatvivdoes.bsky.social
Vivian
@whatvivdoes.bsky.social
210 followers 97 following 110 posts
https://jack.akaraisin.com/ui/jackride2025/p/fd16c33578b847c88b5d1d86a07ebfc3
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whatvivdoes.bsky.social
And here we have the reason I wove this fabric: to sew project bags

#handweaving
Two project bags, one with a zipper closure and one with a drawstring closure, are on a wooden table in a cluttered workspace. The main fabric of the bags is handwoven, and the base of each bag is commercial linen. In the foreground is a band weaving project in progress, on a handcarved rigid heddle.
November 1, 2025 at 10:07 AM
whatvivdoes.bsky.social
The more I weave, the more I love it

Yarn: BFL/silk laceweight dyed by Northbound Knitting in the colourway Metallurgy

#handweaving
Overhead view of a weave in progress on a floor loom. The weaving bench has a cushion covered with handwoven wool cloth
October 10, 2025 at 3:16 AM
whatvivdoes.bsky.social
Finally back at the loom today
#weavingwithhandspun
#handspunyarn
A weaving project in process, on a 4-shaft table loom. The yarn is colourful handspun Romney wool, and the draft is Wall of Troy twill.
August 24, 2025 at 10:21 PM
whatvivdoes.bsky.social
The metallic effect is so lovely, I can't bear to cover it up with another layer. Time to start another spindle, I guess.

#handspunyarn #crossarmspindle
#spindlespun
August 15, 2025 at 11:49 PM
whatvivdoes.bsky.social
Tour de Fleece day 3, no team, just vibes, Brenna @senesced.bsky.social style!

Today I'm plying up a blend of one part local Romeldale to two parts indie-dyed Merino, making yarn to knit a sleeveless top.
A spinning wheel with a jumbo bobbin of 2-ply yarn in blues and dark brown/black An overhead view of a wheel spinning corner, with a modern Saxony spinning wheel, an antique wooden chair, and a homemade lazy kate A blending board holding a layer of dyed Merino fibre in various blues and browns, with a layer of naturally coloured black/brown Romeldale fibre over it
July 8, 2025 at 12:50 AM
whatvivdoes.bsky.social
Coming home to some woolly mail from a friend must be the best way to start the weekend. Thank you @amivice.bsky.social for this beautiful package of wool grown by the flock of @shepherdessofbs.bsky.social, I can't wait to play with this treasure!
Two clear plastic bags are on a wooden table, and in the foreground, the sweetest note is being held aloft in my hand Washed locks of the most beautiful black wool with brown tips are scattered on a tabletop. The wool was shorn from Gwen, a ewe tended by @shepherdessofbs.bsky.social Raw buck wool locks from a Merino ram by the name of Carmy, suitably light caramel in colour and looking delectable, also from the flock of Erin @shepherdessofbs.bsky.social
July 4, 2025 at 11:27 PM
whatvivdoes.bsky.social
Recent wool scouring led to some really beautiful little bundles of hand combed top
Left to right: 1. Grey Romney x Cheviot X Rambouillet 2. Charcoal merino lamb with light tips 3. Black Shetland 4. Black Romeldale lamb 5. Brown Romeldale lamb
June 25, 2025 at 2:25 AM
whatvivdoes.bsky.social
The sweater is knit
June 17, 2025 at 2:35 AM
whatvivdoes.bsky.social
The yarn is made
Three chubby skeins of mostly grey wool yarn are grouped on a wooden table. A jumbo bobbin on a spinning wheel is filled to capacity with a 2-ply yarn. Small bundles of spinning fibre are randomly piled onto a colourful handmade rug. Six braids of handdyed Polwarth wool are arranged side by side.
April 28, 2025 at 12:34 AM
whatvivdoes.bsky.social
Properly struck with a handspun handknit sweater obsession a couple of weeks ago, so I was compelled to make some yarn

#handspunyarn
A mostly grey cake of handspun yarn is being held aloft, and the beginnings of the sweater it's being knit into is in the background
April 28, 2025 at 12:27 AM
whatvivdoes.bsky.social
I remembered seeing a picture of Marie Ekstedt Bjersing using a ring mould for a water bowl, so I borrowed the idea and hastily dressed my distaff to see how I would like it. I feel a little rusty, but summer flax spinning is coming up, and I'm sure I'll get plenty of practice.
April 11, 2025 at 1:19 PM
whatvivdoes.bsky.social
And trimmed the handle part a little bit to make it more comfortable
February 23, 2025 at 6:09 PM
whatvivdoes.bsky.social
An oops and a yay with today's distaff carving. I'm actually happy that the oops happened now, rather than later. And the yay went on a test drive and performed admirably.
Two handcarved wooden ring distaves are lying on plain newsprint. The one on the left was made from backyard birch and is broken through the middle. The one on the right is made from locally milled birch and is miraculously intact. A view of a wooden table, with a basket of white wool and spindles taking up most of the top half. The bottom half shows a spin in progress using a high whorl suspension spindle and a ring distaff dressed with a good amount of hand combed white wool
February 22, 2025 at 7:30 PM
whatvivdoes.bsky.social
It works!
A wooden ring distaff is dressed with a spiral of white wool, which is in turn connected to a wooden top-whorl spindle lying next to it. A wee amount of the spun yarn is wound onto the shaft of the spindle, the beginnings of a larger project.
February 21, 2025 at 12:11 AM
whatvivdoes.bsky.social
Getting close...
An almost completed wooden hand distaff is lying flat, next to a rag and a glass jar. The jar contains some homemade wood finish and reads "lemongrass, 75% beeswax, 25% hemp oil", and the contents are a cheerful yellow
February 20, 2025 at 9:09 PM
whatvivdoes.bsky.social
Using up a scrap of cherry wood today
An overhead view of a woodcarving work in progress, including a stick of wood and a carving knife on a black rubber mat. There are wood shavings and some other hand tools scattered around
February 20, 2025 at 7:03 PM
whatvivdoes.bsky.social
The End
February 16, 2025 at 8:27 PM
whatvivdoes.bsky.social
Somehow, always choosing the most fussy way, but always with the most satisfying materials
• • •
handspun warp from local Taproot flax // handspun wool from Small Bird Workshop // crochet hook made by Knitbrooks
February 16, 2025 at 6:44 PM
whatvivdoes.bsky.social
In other handspun flax news, this is the current state of a little project I'm doing just for fun. A warp of 2-ply linen spun from TapRoot hackled flax, and an aggressively sparkly weft spun on supported spindles and chain-plied on my wheel.
An overhead view of a paused backstrap weaving project, with undyed linen warp, and a multicoloured weft that suggests a night sky.
February 14, 2025 at 9:02 PM
whatvivdoes.bsky.social
I ❤️ flax. Especially dew retted, like this line flax that just arrived from @mountainheartvt.bsky.social
A hand is wielding a twisted bundle of long flax, over a wooden desk which is holding more similar bundles, as well as some white some spindle-spun wool. In flax speak, there are four stricks of line flax, each a different variation of brown
February 14, 2025 at 9:02 PM
whatvivdoes.bsky.social
Chaos to order to chaos again in a virtual class with @kerstinneumuller.bsky.social
A still view of a desk holding the beginnings of three band weaving projects. The bands have wee hearts woven into them. A handwoven band is held against a ruler to demonstrate how wee it is. The band is less than a quarter of an inch wide. A picture of an improvised heddle-threading set-up. The warp threads are weighed by a wooden bowl in the background, held in order by popsicle sticks in the midground, and threaded through the heddle in the foreground. A still view of a wooden desk holding paraphernalia related to narrow width weaving. There are multiple handcarved wooden rigid heddles, handmade bags, and spools of weaving yarn. In the background is a handspinning project in progress. The scene suggests chaos but promises order.
February 8, 2025 at 7:02 PM
whatvivdoes.bsky.social
I like to post videos of supported spindle spinning because I'd love to see more people posting their own videos. Back when I was learning to use supported spindles, I learned out of a book, Palamedes Sextus style. I would have appreciated seeing a range of different spinning styles, and still do!
A flatlay of a handspinning project, with a spindle holding a small amount of yarn, balanced on a spinning bowl. The bowl and spindle are positioned on some colourful unspun fibre. The overall effect attempts to evoke The Starry Night by van Gogh.
February 6, 2025 at 11:20 PM
whatvivdoes.bsky.social
The next question is: What if I skip the temp cop AND I don't make the effort to build a stable
permanent cop? Would that be faster? I'll probably never know because I can't bring myself to make an unstable cop. Any unstable cop gives me the heebie jeebies.
February 6, 2025 at 11:20 PM
whatvivdoes.bsky.social
At the end of December, I did a little experiment where I timed my spinning with a temporary cop and without. I tried to ensure that my permanent cop was built the same in each case. To my surprise, I spun FASTER with the temporary cop.
February 6, 2025 at 11:20 PM
whatvivdoes.bsky.social
Thinking a bit about ergonomics with this bite sized spin I just whipped up for a fun time. I'm keeping my wrist as neutral as possible, and trying not to raise my arm and shoulder too much.
February 6, 2025 at 11:20 PM