quietly creating

Barbara Wanhill

recent posts

  • Spinning silk

    Keep it simple, keep it brief. Vintage silk gifted to me, gifting it back. Three-ply light skein spun. The colour of Tillandsia.

    Thee Lojan bobbins, two with singles of green variegated silk, the other draped with silk unspun.
    Three Lojan bobbins. Two completed with singles of silk, the other waiting for the silk to be spun. B. Wanhill. March 2025.
    Two bobbins of silk in the background. A Tillandsia sits on top of green variegated unspun silk and a sample of spun yarn.
    The sample of yarn created immediately reminded me of the colours of Tillandsia. B. Wanhill. March 2025.
    Three ply skein of variegated green silk lays on a wood floor. A Tillandsia lays on top of the skein.
    Approximately 28 grams and 24 meter skein of 3-ply silk. Gifting it back with love. B. Wanhill. March 2025.

  • Unwind

    February was not a month for the faint of heart.

    So, look for inspiration from reading and observation, taking a breath and one step at a time.

    Cleaning up: two very old skeins of singles yarn were found from my early spinning days. Terribly inconsistent spin. Over twenty years old. The twist wound so tight the skeins of wool felt like cotton string.

    I took one skein and spun it again counter-clockwise – releasing a lot of the twist and the touch on the bobbin feels softer. My plan is to spin the single one more time and see if I can even out some of the inconsistencies, then chain ply.

    Onward: March.

    A spinning wheel bobbin filled with variegated purple single of uneven yarn. Background shows parts of two over twisted skeins of the same yarn.
    Trying to fix over twist. B. Wanhill, February 2025.

  • Step away

    Step away from the news and make something. Make something with your mind and your hands and your heart and let that be enough to keep a small spark of hope going.

    Return to lino printing – trouble shooting prints and ink colour. January 19, 2025. Photo: B. Wanhill