etsy friday (and what to do with a diz)

Etsy has brought back Alchemy, a place where buyers can go to make requests for custom handmade items and get back several 'bids' with different possibilities. After my combs were on their way to me, I looked for a handmade diz to use with them-- even putting my own alchemy request out there. I didn't get the response I was looking for, probably because it isn't as popular as it should be (it's not searchable or sorted by item category). I went my normal route of looking at artists' shops on etsy and found a perfect match for me (Greg was already making nostepindes) who happily made me a diz I dreamed about.


Curly maple diz by GVPencheff.etsy.com

I really liked the ones I saw on Jenny's blog in her post about wool combing, but liked the idea of having more than one hole in the diz. She was kind enough to share the sizes of her diz with me, and I went from there... Specifically, I wanted a 2" diz with 3 different hole sizes (2mm, 3mm and 5mm), made from wood that was smooth and had a nice concave shape to guide fibers thru.



It's funny since I was being so specific about the shape and etc with GVPencheff and he was like, yeah that's easy-- it's just a tiny bowl with holes, right? :) He has two more in his shop that are the same spec and wood as mine, but he's able to take requests if you want a different number of holes, different size across, different woods... ("fine grained woods like Maple and Cherry would make the nicest ones but Oak and Walnut would work too"), just drop him a line with what you have in mind.

eta-- several more dizes in Greg's shop today, new woods too. i've specialordered my bigger-holed one for a plying guide slash color blender, too :)

Even if you're not looking for a diz, he is a shop for spinners and knitters to keep their eyes on-- he has nostepinnes in stock, and is working on a new wooden spinning tool I can't wait to see. He's really great to work with, so if you've got an idea for wood (fiber related or not) he's definitely one to check out.

I love my diz though. It seems limited, maybe an AB one trick wonder? Not really-really, but sorta-really :) Of course, I pull combed sliver off of my English combs with it...


variegated black and white Jacob locks from Jester at Little Meadows Farm

But you can use it to pull layered colors off of a hackle (or combs like here, I don't have a hackle ;))




superwash merino dyed for zero.etsy.com

No combs or hackle? You can use it to pull roving off of a drumcarder (or I'd imagine, handcards...) Regularly blended batts...


cormo

...or thin layer batts pulled to roving...


superwash merino

You could also use it to tear compacted roving into even strips...


superwash BFL from pigeonroofstudios.etsy.com -- "delight"

...or for z-stripping batts...


merino-cashmere batts from stringtheoryfiberart.etsy.com -- "wildfire"

(I prefer to do the former two with my hands, but if you're looking to get even sizes the diz will help.)

You could even use it as a plying guide...




naturally dyed polwarth 3-ply by A Verb for Keeping Warm -- "blackberry"

I think I may ask GVPencheff to make me another diz with larger holes that I can swap between using it as a plying guide and for color blending fibers-- I like using a plying guide much more than I thought I would. I also have to finish plying the polwarth before I can break out my combs again! :)

Til then, miss you y gl!