tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-40769819461315178722024-03-19T00:31:50.825-07:00Cady May's CornerCady Mayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18262723801427994297noreply@blogger.comBlogger168125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4076981946131517872.post-87723234297624652902023-05-12T05:39:00.005-07:002023-05-12T05:48:53.374-07:00Welcome to Spindolyns At Cady May's CornerFrequently Asked Questions Etsy StoreCady Mayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18262723801427994297noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4076981946131517872.post-25579798837835778112020-02-06T16:43:00.000-08:002020-02-06T16:43:01.801-08:00All about the base, the styles, the whys and wherefores
Over the years, the spindolyn base has gone through many iterations, as I have found myself wanting to spin in different seating situations. In order to clear up any confusion, thought I should go over them here. They are all, of course, interchangeable, and everyone has their favorites. These are just examples I pulled from some on hand in my Etsy store right now, and some from the past.
I Cady Mayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18262723801427994297noreply@blogger.com1Gainesboro, TN 38562, USA36.3556149 -85.65886649999998836.2533104 -85.820227999999986 36.4579194 -85.49750499999999tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4076981946131517872.post-77392012253771293372020-01-19T11:11:00.004-08:002020-01-19T11:14:43.881-08:00Ophelias Winter Adventure
When things get to be too much, even in the cold of winter, sometimes it is best
to just take it outside to nature and get perspective back.
As soon as I got Opehlia's needle felted winter coat done, we had a
skift of snow, and out she went to play.
The first thing she did was climb a snowy evergreen...this is when she realized that although her wool boots Cady Mayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18262723801427994297noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4076981946131517872.post-66623077406117345892019-12-07T04:47:00.000-08:002019-12-07T04:47:15.739-08:00Bother and Tarnation<!--[if gte mso 9]>
<![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]>
Normal
0
false
false
false
EN-US
X-NONE
X-NONE
<![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]>
Cady Mayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18262723801427994297noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4076981946131517872.post-51178692987713336182019-11-29T09:51:00.000-08:002019-11-30T05:18:21.403-08:00Penelopes Thanksgiving visit and a moth hole repair plan
Penelope
arrived in a donkey cart for Thanksgiving dinner. Her Mother had
prepared a very traditional pixie meal of boiled acorn pudding, wild
hazelnut cake, dried persimmon snacks, and a mixed greens and mushroom
gratin.
Everyone helped clean up after dinner and had a wonderful time laughing and talking.
Penelope
showed off the repairs on her angora and lambs wool sweater as Cady Mayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18262723801427994297noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4076981946131517872.post-87687811783904616132019-01-31T14:39:00.002-08:002019-01-31T14:39:33.360-08:00The newest spindolyn
This is the sneak preview of a new style Spindolyn ™ that I have been prototyping. It behaves a bit differently than other cross arm style spindles, making a tidy wind-on center pull ball, like that from a ball winder or nostepinne. I have a few construction elements to work out, and lots more test spinning to do, and of course an instruction sheet and video tutorial. But for now, I am in for a Cady Mayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18262723801427994297noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4076981946131517872.post-47300982735532498942019-01-27T13:45:00.000-08:002019-01-27T13:49:13.969-08:00time for a change and a new base
Over the years, the spindolyns have been honed, tested and refined to make sure they are a pleasure to use. Recently, it was pointed out to me that there are some spindle sellers making cheap imitations of the spindolyn. Since I can't control the quality of the counterfeits, I can, as always continue to improve, test and expand the possibilities of my original invention...as well as stand Cady Mayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18262723801427994297noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4076981946131517872.post-25083221277942482792017-09-01T15:35:00.002-07:002017-09-01T15:36:25.938-07:00Get back to spinning by Bringing your Fibers out of the Closet
Sometimes we experience a gap in our spinning, knitting, weaving or fiber what have you, because of necessity. But sometimes it happens unwillingly, we lose our groove and have trouble getting back to it, even though we still harbor wistful longings of a time when we were enthusiastic and productive. Sometimes we lose our mojo due to illness, work, obligation, guilt, depression, boredom with a Cady Mayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18262723801427994297noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4076981946131517872.post-56988659622084187812017-08-26T06:20:00.001-07:002017-08-28T05:59:10.435-07:00Winding on for Tangle Free Plying from a SpindolynPlying can be fun! (really) It can also be very frustrating, whether you are plying back on to a spinning wheel from bobbins on a lazy kate, or plying from wound off yarn back on to a spindle, there will be some tangles and consternation. How well you prepare the singles (on the wheel or on a spindolyn) can really help reduce both.
At the top of the photo below is a good example of both a poorlyCady Mayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18262723801427994297noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4076981946131517872.post-48587190919953276122017-08-11T15:50:00.000-07:002017-08-11T15:50:38.103-07:00The new ambit convertible, blending hair color
Here is a sneak peak at the new style base, the "ambit convertible" It can transform from a regular base, to a tilting base, to a base with a floor extension! I have been proto-typing this for a while, trying to get just the right amount of "tilt control" into a simple form that can be easily converted depending on your seating situation.
When working on a prototype, it really helps if Cady Mayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18262723801427994297noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4076981946131517872.post-9049505514884757862015-12-27T09:06:00.000-08:002015-12-27T09:06:01.395-08:00What's on my sewing machine? A sock I am knitting toe up, a snowflake spindolyn I just finished, and a *&%$! cat, laying on some fabric I really like that I had just gotten out to sew a soft base from (think I will pair it with maple) But now, I will have to wash it first, as I try and keep everything that goes out "cat free" this means that I have to be vigilant about keeping fabric hidden Cady Mayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18262723801427994297noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4076981946131517872.post-80190110117787742032015-10-15T06:31:00.001-07:002015-10-15T06:31:33.772-07:00Trial and error, r and d
This is a prototype for a new plying device gone horribly awry. (you can also see part of my secret assembly table) That is a good thing, though, because working in the physical gets you much closer than sketches and mental images, and I now have an idea that will weigh less. Portability is always a consideration.
Yes, time is money, but also time is learning, if things always went Cady Mayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18262723801427994297noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4076981946131517872.post-47958128173845770882014-07-24T15:04:00.000-07:002014-07-24T15:04:23.465-07:00Rumors of my demise, non attachment, scaling down"Non-attached" spindle whorls
two walnuts and a cherry waiting to be attached to a shaft and tested for balance. I am betting the one on the right will be an unbalanced reject, as it is quite thin and has a grain change on the edge... we'll see, when I get off this silly computer.
Someone pointed out to me that I hadn't posted to my blog since July of last year, and it looked like I was dead orCady Mayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18262723801427994297noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4076981946131517872.post-398785815176724612014-01-28T12:59:00.003-08:002014-01-28T13:01:25.413-08:00cold, cold, cold, spinning and plyingI can say only one nice thing about this frigid winter, it has been a good time to knit and spin.
finn and silk blend
isn't maple a pretty wood?
an unevenly plied sample
Usually if there are nice winter days, after shop work is done, you will find me wandering the hillsides, but this winter, the brutal weather has kept me indoors and even away from the shop.
Although I put a Cady Mayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18262723801427994297noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4076981946131517872.post-95343230500305942013-11-06T07:23:00.001-08:002013-11-06T07:23:49.349-08:0020 min spin, shop updates, report from SAFF
from spindolyn onto ball winder heading for ply baby bracelet
20 min spin
The "5 min spin" challenge for myself evolved into something different since the last time I posted.
It did get me to start thinking about making time for spinning, but I discovered 5 minutes was not enough, and I began feeling anxious about the timer going off .... so I thought about the timer and what else I Cady Mayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18262723801427994297noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4076981946131517872.post-4760419621359098972013-07-05T18:15:00.000-07:002013-08-06T06:00:58.862-07:005 min spin, wanna play this game?confessions.. I love to spin.I am terrible busy and don't have as much time as I would like to spin.I have guilt when I spin when I should be doing chores... So, I got this "great" idea that the way to squeeze more spinning time into my day in this time where things are so hectic was to make it like a game. Set the timer for 5 minutes, every day, no matter how busy, and see how that goes and how Cady Mayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18262723801427994297noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4076981946131517872.post-26609602169702174512013-06-08T14:50:00.000-07:002013-08-06T06:00:58.882-07:00New Spindolyn accessory! (the floor extension)Ok, I am stoked!For years, I have been trying to figure out a way to use the spindolyn from the floor beside my chair, then a customer told me that she always used hers on the floor in front of her...this got me to thinking about it more, I tried to visualize what she was doing, as she said she was in a regular sized chair, and all I could picture was her hunched over...because when I use Cady Mayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18262723801427994297noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4076981946131517872.post-6178163462945286422013-05-23T06:10:00.000-07:002013-08-06T06:00:58.895-07:00Kentucky Fiber Festival, summer color and spinningYes, fiber people get excited about spinning in the fall, when the air starts to get nippy...but I also have this spurt of inspiration at the beginning of each summer...it may be softness of the greening leaves, or the bright colors of the flowers that gets the creative juices flowing. I start picking up my knitting and spinning more often, I start making more time in the evenings after long daysCady Mayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18262723801427994297noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4076981946131517872.post-10464800691766745892013-03-13T13:03:00.000-07:002013-08-06T06:00:58.922-07:00 Mr. Rodgers sweater, spitting snow and hot pinkIf you ever wear an Angora sweater while turning wood on a lathe, that sweater will never be used for anything else, as it will be impregnated with a thousand little slivers and curls of wood. I usually start out with my denim "turning coat" over my sweater, get into the moment, get warm, and take the denim coat off...So, having ruined two (already worn out) sweaters in the shop (slow learner?) ICady Mayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18262723801427994297noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4076981946131517872.post-41774101329227255742013-01-31T08:25:00.000-08:002013-08-06T06:00:58.983-07:00wildcrafting wood for spindolynsTechnically, wildcrafting refers to hauling yarbs and plants out of the woods to make up medicines and potions. But gathering anything from the woods, even interesting rocks, or twigs or feathers is healing in and of itself.And so in my lifetime I have drug home plenty of limbs because they were "special" in some way. And I would have hauled home entire tree trunks that had fallen if I had had a Cady Mayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18262723801427994297noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4076981946131517872.post-39777803485949667362012-12-07T06:22:00.000-08:002013-08-06T06:00:59.213-07:00ta da! woodshop, socks and the seasonThis is a great time of year (and I don't mean the holiday stuff, but the season itself)I like the way the woods changes so slowly, no colored leaves, but lots of brown weeds and hanging on thingies, with birds flitting in and out..not reached the totally bare, dark limb look of January look, just a gradual shriveling up-really, that is pretty ; )Yep, I am cheerful. I thought it was too Cady Mayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18262723801427994297noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4076981946131517872.post-24193261546833794102012-08-10T14:01:00.000-07:002013-08-06T06:00:59.220-07:00ply on the fly, unplanned projects and hot soxFirst, I am getting caught up with spindolyns, and should be able to get back to making specialty spindolyns by next week, yippeeeee!!!! Thank you all for your patience and encouragement ; ) ~the evolution of a random knitting project~ When you are laid up, you sometimes get so discouraged that you almost don’t even feel like playing with fiber…almost. At these times, I find that Cady Mayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18262723801427994297noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4076981946131517872.post-55974611928351863452012-07-28T07:22:00.000-07:002013-08-06T06:00:59.272-07:00Back on the barstool again Well, it’s not exactly a barstool, but a tall stool in my woodshop that I can sit on for brief spells to run the power tools to make the spindolyns. I have found that I can prop my broken foot in its ugly boot cast into the trash can to keep it kind of elevated. You still have to walk some, to move from this tool to that, and of course, back and forth to the woodshop out in the mule barn, Cady Mayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18262723801427994297noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4076981946131517872.post-48540787286520091072012-07-10T07:03:00.000-07:002013-08-06T06:00:59.316-07:00delay, delay, delayWell, I was going to entitle this post "I take it all back" (being too hot to spin, that is) but then a series of unfortunate events has conspired to make me fall quite behind, so I need to explain that first for any customers that might have concerns.First, for the month of June, middle Tennessee did not have a single day that was below 100 degrees. We had three days that were 109, but mostly, Cady Mayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18262723801427994297noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4076981946131517872.post-47913327460335376282012-06-24T16:21:00.000-07:002013-08-06T06:00:59.362-07:00hot weather spinning, angora and improvementsHow hot is too hot to spin? As the years go by, I am starting to think....maybe never.(leaving out extremes, of course, I am just talking about average summers as we have known them, not as they appear to be morphing) Anyway, now days, most folks have central heat and air, so summer spinning is really not a question of comfort. But if you are like me, and don't have such modern amenities, Cady Mayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18262723801427994297noreply@blogger.com0