Any one make yarn with a drop spindle?

[amydidit]

I'm very interested in getting started in making wool yarn. I saw a women at work the other day using a drop spindle and it looked so fun! I'm not terribly good at craft stuff though so I'm hoping I can get the hang of it. I don't have one yet (waiting to move so to have more money available) but I was hoping I could get some info. Info like:

• Which spindle is better (easier) for beginners? Top whorl or bottom whorl?
• What weight spindle is best for learning? (I've read 3oz but a lot of the spindles I've seen for sale aren't that heavy)
• What type of roving should I start with? (Merino, alpaca, welsh, etc)
• Where can I get some CHEAP roving?

I'm also looking for any other info or encouragement you may have!

[fallriverfox]

Making yarn with a spindle is good fun!

I'm not sure which kind of spindle is easier, I've only worked with a bottom whorl which wasn't hard to get used to. I would guess it doesn't matter much.

My first spindle seems to be about 4oz and that was about right. I would thing 3oz would be fine too. I have a lighter spindle and I'm very glad I didn't start with it.

My begining rovings were merino and alpaca, both of which were fine and I just buy my roving at my LYS. I pay about $12 for a half a pound which may seem like a lot, but it takes a long time to spin that up with a spindle.

Also, when you start out, work over carpet, not wood floor Have fun!

[steedalyn]

Hi there
I recently (this spring) started spinning yarn on a drop spindle. I bought a kit on etsy which was great because it came with a spindle and fiber that was easy to spin for a beginner. I have heard that merino and other finer wools are harder to learn on. I just spun a bunch of romney and it was super easy to spin but not the softest wool, still it is strong and would make great socks I bet. As far as spindle weight goes I think my first one was about 2 oz and the second one is about 1.3 oz. I learned on a top whorl spindle so that is what I have.
Here are some pic's
Blue dyed Romney 2 plied:
http://picasaweb.google.com/amanda.s...75947082344002
http://picasaweb.google.com/amanda.s...99654536825778


Orange and green dyed Romney navajo plied:
http://picasaweb.google.com/amanda.s...99711806398146
http://picasaweb.google.com/amanda.s...99802392400802
http://picasaweb.google.com/amanda.s...99922292236002

Blue dyed Romney singles wool:
http://picasaweb.google.com/amanda.s...59597347350994
http://picasaweb.google.com/amanda.s...99872515146594

This is some yarn I spun from my learn to spin kit:
http://picasaweb.google.com/amanda.s...62327566796386


And this is some of the very first yarn I ever spun:
http://picasaweb.google.com/amanda.s...43420363055298
http://picasaweb.google.com/amanda.s...43526802036898

Kinda funky, but hey, it's yarn and I made it!

[joshs_girl]

that's it - I've got to get one.

steedalyn - do you remember the etsy seller you bought yours from?

[Toolip]

Originally Posted by steedalyn

Kinda funky, but hey, it's yarn and I made it!

That yarn is BEAUTIFUL!!

[amydidit]

Thanks for all the info!

And steedalyn those pictures are GORGEOUS! Did you dye them yourself? Before or after spinning?

I'm really excited to get started but I have to wait (finances) so I'll have to satisfy myself with getting more info.

Those of you that do this, are you very crafty in other ways? Like, can you knit, crochet, sew, paper mache, etc? I'm extremely UNtalented so I'm nervous that will carry over into this as well.

[fallriverfox]

Hee hee, joshs_girl, you may want to wait a couple of months. I'm starting to run into problems with the new yarn and the spindle hitting my belly.

I am pretty crafty in other ways, but this is kind of different, it's more of a co-ordination challenge than a crafty challenge.

Here are some of the yarns I've spun:
My first yarn:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/11600093@N06/2167281620/
Dyed with Kool-aid:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/11600093@N06/2299037232/
Dyed by absinthe!:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/11600093@N06/2741484060/
Llama for Tour de Fleece:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/11600093@N06/2740646245/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/11600093@N06/2741484684/

[Aurora]

I have just recently begun spinning. I use a top whorl drop spindle. I am having tons of fun!

The yarn pictures are great!

I have a question. I can only fit so much yarn on my spindle. Once I ply it it will be nothing. How do I make a whole skein?

Thanks!

[blazfglori]

I got my first spindle and fiber kit here:

http://www.helloyarn.com/shop.php?crn=202

Good luck.

[amydidit]

I love hearing from everyone.Eieeeeee! I just want to get started now! LOL

I was wondering, about how many ounces of roving do I need to make a skein?

[Marlet]

Originally Posted by amydidit

• Which spindle is better (easier) for beginners? Top whorl or bottom whorl?
• What weight spindle is best for learning? (I've read 3oz but a lot of the spindles I've seen for sale aren't that heavy)
• What type of roving should I start with? (Merino, alpaca, welsh, etc)
• Where can I get some CHEAP roving?

I'm also looking for any other info or encouragement you may have!

1. I have a Schacht that is both top and/or bottom. I prefer spinning top whorl but have done both. I haven't done bottom whorl on mine currently though. For some reason I'm intimated.
2. My spindle is a 1.5 ounce. I rather like it as it just flies. My first Schacht (the tip broke during a move) was a little heavier and though it wasn't much it was a noticeable difference to me.
3. I'm pretty sure I've only done merino. I bought my first kit from Nistock Farms (comes with a bottom whorl and 4 chunks of fiber...not sure what it was fiberwise but it comes from there sheep).
4. I find roving to be pretty cheap. I got my huge merino ball (10 oz.) from a lys for very cheap. I can't remember how much it was since it's been over a year but I know I paid more for a skein of sock yarn.

[amydidit]

What's a LYS?

[fallriverfox]

Local yarn shop
Welcome to the dark side

[steedalyn]

Originally Posted by joshs_girl

that's it - I've got to get one.

steedalyn - do you remember the etsy seller you bought yours from?

Originally Posted by amydidit

Thanks for all the info!

And steedalyn those pictures are GORGEOUS! Did you dye them yourself? Before or after spinning?

I'm really excited to get started but I have to wait (finances) so I'll have to satisfy myself with getting more info.

Those of you that do this, are you very crafty in other ways? Like, can you knit, crochet, sew, paper mache, etc? I'm extremely UNtalented so I'm nervous that will carry over into this as well.

Let me see, my first spindle kit was from mainewoodsyarn.etsy.com but I soon bought a new spindle from FolkLoreFiberarts.etsy.com. I like that spindle much better, it is lighter and it spins much much faster and longer than the one I got in the kit. The nice thing about the kit was that it came with a bunch of fiber that was all in similar colors. The kit that someone else recommended from helloyarn looks good to me and the spindle is cute with those sheep on it.

The blue rovings and the orange/green I bought pre-dyed from fibertwist.etsy.com at a good price and then spun them. I recently bought these:
http://www.etsy.com/view_transaction...ion_id=9787562
http://www.etsy.com/view_transaction...ion_id=9787561
http://www.etsy.com/view_transaction...ion_id=9787563
And the rovings are absolutely heavenly, both the colors and the softness. I really like the falkland roving because the staple length isn't too short but it is soooo soft an silky.

I also knit but crochet baffles me. If you want to learn to knit get "Stitch and Bitch"-great learning book and also check out knittinghelp.com they have some great videos if you need to see someone do it to really "get it".

[flapjack]

I love falkland, and spin it a lot. For a first attempt, though, I like shetland or one of the other primitive breeds (jacobs, manx loghtan, ronaldsey is unbelievably sexy to spin)
Aurora, there is a knack to filling your spindle all the way, but a skein is simply the amount that your spindle will hold: it is OK to spin 2oz at once. Nothing bad will happen if you do. I've discovered that happily, the amount that I can card on my drum carder at once is about the same as I can get on a spindle or a bobbin.
To the pregnant spindlers-to-be, two words: back carry. River will calm down in a back carry with me spindling quicker than anything else, but his favouritest thing in the whole world is sitting there watching a spinning wheel.