Shocking Statistics

This morning I was shocked to read on the BBC website that 8.5 million adults (aged 16 - 65) in England & Northern Ireland have numeracy levels of a 10 year old! Out of 24 countries we are 21st for numeracy and 22nd for literacy. At least we weren't the lowest ranking, the United States were the worst. Just goes to show that the exams are getting easier because every time the results are out they publicise that grades are getting better and better, well they would if you only expect the students to answer questions a 10 year old could.

It's got me thinking, how will those who fall into this category cope in the future? Maths is such a core part of our world it's hard to imagine getting through a day without some sort of calculation. It's not just for the scientists and bankers amongst us, we all need to have a good understanding of the subject. We need to be able to work out how things cost to then know if we have enough money, we need to be able to work out time, when we have children we need to ensure they are fed the right amounts. Other than basic understanding to get us through life unless you want to blindly trust what the what people tell you, surely it's good to be able to look at the information and decide for yourself is what I'm being told right?

8.5 million people is a quarter of England’s population of 16 - 65 year olds, without maths, if you were reading a report, how would you work out what the total population within that range?

Blending samples

A few months ago my local spinning group held a blending day where members brought along their drum carders, hackles, hand carders, combs and lots of fibre to play with. The purpose of the day was to give us the chance to learn and inspire each other.
I thought it was an ideal opportunity to create samples for each method of blending so I can refer back to them in the future when deciding on my projects.

Straight up Rovings

I spun my 2 singles alternating the blue and white roving them plied them together. The end result was a nice smooth yarn which was barber pole in some places and solid colours in others. Due to the fibres being all aligned I did find that the fibre can run away from you if you're not paying attention.

Hackle

I enjoyed using the hackle and it produced a nice blended roving which when spun and plied created a smooth yarn similar to the rovings without the colours being too seperate.

Hand Carders

The beauty of using hand carders is that you can easily see whether or not you need more of a particualar colour to get the result you are looking for. As the fibres are aligned differently, it's easier to spin from these little rolags without the fibre running away from you. The finished yarn is fluffy and full of air.

Drum Carded & spun in lengths

Similar to blending on the hand carders, you can easily see if you want to add more of a particular fibre and if you want a more blended finished you can card the batt more than once. It is possible to diz the batt into strips or you can split it by hand, both gives a nice airy yarn and I have since used this technique to create thick singles.

Drum Carded and spun from the fold

I personally wasn't a fan of spinning from the fold as I found I ended up with a clump of fibre in my hand each time. This may be more related to my technique and inexperience with spinning in this manner so will have to try it again in the future. The end result was very similar to spinning in strips.

I enjoyed each method of blending fibres however my favourite at the moment is spinning batts that have been stripped/dizzed into lengths. I like the finished airy yarn is produces and allows me to have better control at the wheel. The only draw back is that you can get nepps in the batt, but they are easily removed during spinning if you don't like them.

Hope you have enjoyed reading my Woolly Wednesday post!
xoxo
Sophie