Twirling towards freedom - Spinning mamas?

[Throkmorton]

Ok, I have been spinning on a drop spindle for almost a whole month now. I am hopelessly addicted, despite the slow progress of my yarn. Anyone else out there?

[chiromama]

I justs bought a drop spindle from an MDC mama.. and am trying to learn.. but i'm so wrapped up in knitting projects that i can't find time touse it!! did you take a lesson, or did you just figure it out?

[Throkmorton]

I looked at the videos on www.icanspin.com and they were a huge help. I had a lot to learn, because I started with a raw fleece, borrowed carders and drop spindle.

[gardenmom]

I had a ton of fun using my drop spindle...for about 3 weeks until the parts I needed for my spinning wheel arrived. I taught myself using the book 'learn to spin'. It was absolutely perfect to learn on the drop spindle because once you 'get it', it's slow but fairly easy to do, or at least I thought so. I was fascinated with how the roving becomes yarn, the build up of tension and then letting the 'draw' out and letting it twist on it's own. Even dh thought it was pretty cool (and that in itself is amazing!! ) The only thing I wished is that I was taller, so I could do more length on each spin :LOL

It made using a spinning wheel soooo easy--I would have spent weeks figuring out the wheel on my own if I hadn't used the drop spindle for that short time. I need to pick it up and make some more yarn with it soon.

Thanks for starting this thread (or is it a yarn? sorry )

[tboroson]

I love spinning, though I don't do as much as I'd like. It's hard to keep toddler fingers away, and it's not as forgiving as knitting... Perhaps I should start taking a drop spindle to the playground

[Meiri]

I did that last ('03) summer Tara, took my little spindle the playground. It was great, though very frustrating on humid days. Cotton does not like humidity. Trying to spin at the school pool was an exercise in raising my blood pressure.

I'm up to my eyeballs in weaving projects at the moment, but soon I will have my wheel at home and can do that in between tying knots or weaving...or actual housework...

[whimsy]

My daughter is wanting to take a drop spindle class. (She's 11) My only concern is that I will get addicted and try to steal it from her!

[Throkmorton]

House work? What is this house work you speak of?
I am kind of frustrated that i am moving. The local guild here rents spinning wheels to members for $5/month. I think I will just have to sucjk it up and live with the spindle for a while even though I will have to give back the gorgeous, hand-turned spindle my aunt lent me,a nd go abck to using my cd and dowel spindle. *sniff*

[triciarn]

I just bought 2 fleeces for $10 from a friend at my LYS. I am in the process of washing them. I have made a spindle out of CDs and out of the toy wheels. It is slow going but I am learning.

Tricia

[tboroson]

Spinning wheel rentals??? Ooh, I want. My wheel is beautiful, but clunky and frustrating. It's a refurbed antique. I've never joined a guild, but I'll have to look around here to see if there is one now, if there is a chance they rent like yours does

Throkmorton, you're not on the fairy list :P I was going to send you a spindle if you were. PM me with an address and I'll see what I can find - I have several, and they're mostly languishing because I have one favorite Do you prefer a heavy or a light one? Top or bottom whirl, or do you like a hook on both ends? Do you spin supported (i.e. for cotton or other short fibers)?

[Throkmorton]

Tara, you are too kind! I'll PM you right after this! I did intend to join the fairly list after our move, after I feel better etc etc.
I was trying to find a link to the spinning guild directory, but seem to have list it in the great browser crash of 2 weeks ago.

So, how difficult is it really to spin alpaca? I happen to have an awesome farmy family, and my aunt raises alpacas so I can get fibre relatively inexpensively. I was up there petting it again last week, and trying to decide if I could really spin it, if I had a lighter spindle than the one I have right now.

[Meiri]

You can spin just about anything Throkmorton, some fibers are just easier than others.

I have a piece of bear hide that my best friend gave me and with my hands I spun the hairs that it shed one day into a short bit of yarn that I allowed to ply back onto itself and put as a "charm" of sorts onto a bone bear pendant I have.

Even dreadlocks start as human hair in essense being spun while still on the person's head.

According to an aunt of mine who has alpaca, some people with allergies can safely work with alpaca. I'm waiting yet to do that experiment though.... I'll get my skills up with cotton and hopefully move on to silk. I have long term plans for weaving projects.

[gardenmom]

T

Totally OT (well, somewhat OT), but since I am a total newbie at spinning, I am wondering if anyone can tell me how I can get an idea of just how much yarn I've made, and also what weight to call it?

I don't knit, so aside from my experience with crocheting using commercial acrylic yarns as a child, I don't have much 'yarn' experience. My theory is that I'll make yarn and save it up for someday when I can afford to get a loom (I stood for an hour watching the weaver at the county fair last year, until dh dragged me away). Anyhow, if I wanted to give a friend some yarn I spun to knit something for her Grandson, for example, I don't know how to figure out how much to give her, kwim?

Also, thanks for the icanspin link, Throkmorton! I need to spend some time there...

[tboroson]

You can figure out how much yarn you have by using a niddy-noddy or an umbrella swift to wind it into a hank - set the device to give you exactly one yard around, then count the number of times you go around. Then you can weigh the hank, compare it to the number of yards and look it up on a chart. I think there is one on knitting.about.com, or you can google something like "knitting worsted weight yards" to find one. For instance, worsted weight is 220 yards per 100 grams (3.5 ounces).

[triciarn]

Garden Mom,

To determine the weight (fingering,worsted etc.) you can find the Wraps Per Inch or WPI. Serch google for more info.

To determine the yardage:
"Weigh the entire lot of yarn on a postal/kitchen scale after it has been washed and dried. Measure out 10 yards and weigh that 10 yards to determine how much 1 yard weighs. For example if 10 yards weighs x then you know 1 yard weighs x divided by 10. Using the weight of 1 yard and the weight of the entire lot of yarn you can calculate the approx. yardage of the entire lot." I found this info in another site about recycling sweaters.. http://www.az.com/~andrade/knit/thrifty.html

Enjoy,
Tricia

[gardenmom]

Thanks Tara and Tricia, for the info about measuring!

...so, once you've all made your yarn, what do you make with it?

[Throkmorton]

I believe that a skien is a finished object.

[AdinaL]

Oooohhh...i sense my next obsession....
Knitting is bad enough, what will dh say if I want to spin as well.

I also REALLY want to learn to weave.

Sigh....maybe I should go back to school and get my degree in fiber arts....

[oshunmama]

Another spinner here...been doing it for several years now. I haven't done it for several months because it was hard to get up to the wheel while so pregnant. But now that my little chick is here, I will get back to it soon. Just have some knitting to get through first.

I learned on a drop spindle as well. I think it's important because you really learn the dynamics of spinning that way. I use a wheel mostly now, but I know many who much prefer a drop spindle even after years of spinning. Remember, a wheel is quicker by the hour but a spindle is quicker by the week!!

There is a Fiber Arts degree at Savannah College of Art & Design which is near me....when my kids are all old enough to do a bit of their homeschool without me, this momma is THERE! Fiber is my passion!

[Meiri]

"maybe I should go back to school and get my degree in fiber arts"

Oh I wish that that was an option for me!

The thing with weaving is that you're just about using yarn by the mile. When I finally have spun yarn, I'm planning to use it only as weft, which requires less strength. I'm a long way from that though!