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I saw a video somewhere on Ravelry that may or may not be a certain spinning doctor profession mathematician engineer who is not swaving, but drowning. I didn't see much spinning going on, just someone sitting under a tree in a parking lot with a fugged wheel, looking petulant. Also my Spinzilla count only hit 5517 yards, due to travel and being sick. I'm still pleased; there's enough there to make a nice lace shawl, some mitts and socks to match, and a textured cowl.
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Oct 13, 2015 01:20
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I spun a bunch of thin, light silk singles and then turned the ball I was plying off of into yarn barf. I am such a moron.
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Oct 13, 2015 02:21
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You're not a moron, Yarn barf happens. Untangle it and ply it! Graft your singles if you have to, it'll be okay.
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Oct 13, 2015 04:16
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I don't think you understand the level of yarn barf I'm dealing with here. Cutting, rewinding and just making an entirely new skein is sounding like a better and better option.
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Oct 13, 2015 04:50
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Well, gently caress. That's bad yarn barf, yeah. Just cut it and drink and go again. I need to finish the Greenwood Fiberworks superwash merino/glitter braid I started for lace. It's 80 wpi as a single; I want to ply it for a Boo Knits shawl.
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Oct 13, 2015 06:11
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Cutting and rewinding into multiple smaller balls worked! I think having a little roll of paper in the middle to keep the ball from collapsing helped a lot too. Not sure how well it would do with something grabby like wool, but with the silk it worked like a charm. Though when I spin the other hank of silk I have, I think I'm just going to split it and ply from the bobbin.
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Oct 14, 2015 07:01
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Dumb Noob spinner question. So I'm working on a drop spindle, but mine has the whorl on the bottom, and almost everything I look up when looking at other people's spinning (mostly youtube, it's how I figured it out) is they have top whorls with the hook and work done above the cop. There's been a few bottom ones, but most of the ones I see for sale and being used are not. Is there some sweet rear end top whorl spinning delight I'm missing out on?
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Oct 15, 2015 05:59
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Nethilia posted:Dumb Noob spinner question. So I'm working on a drop spindle, but mine has the whorl on the bottom, and almost everything I look up when looking at other people's spinning (mostly youtube, it's how I figured it out) is they have top whorls with the hook and work done above the cop. There's been a few bottom ones, but most of the ones I see for sale and being used are not.
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Oct 15, 2015 11:19
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Nethilia posted:Dumb Noob spinner question. So I'm working on a drop spindle, but mine has the whorl on the bottom, and almost everything I look up when looking at other people's spinning (mostly youtube, it's how I figured it out) is they have top whorls with the hook and work done above the cop. There's been a few bottom ones, but most of the ones I see for sale and being used are not. It's probably just me but I get a LOT more spindle wobble on a bottom whorl spindle. I started with one but a whole new love of spinning happened after buying a lightweight top whorl spindle. I've sort of been putting off buying a turkish spindle due to it being weighted on the bottom but I know I'll buy one if I ever see one made out of gorgeous wood.
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Oct 16, 2015 20:54
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Huh. Well maybe I'll try one down the road. I get some wobble with my bottom whorl, but I just let it happen. Is wobbling bad? I still get pretty fine singles right now. I just finished another set of 100g that is now hanging to dry. This came out to 320 yards 2 ply. So I think that means 640 in singles? I may have maxed out the fineness I can get. I started with 160 in singles from the same weight and style. So improvement! 
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Oct 19, 2015 01:49
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The wobbling isn't going to ruin your yarn. I just don't like it because it irritates the crap out of me. I just prefer for my spindle to have a super smooth spin in one place so every time it gets to wobbling, I have to stop it and flick the spindle again or else my spinning zen is ruined by my grumbling.
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Oct 24, 2015 13:13
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So I started spinning about one year ago. I now have wool sticking out of every closet. A pound of Jacob from Instant Jellyfish, a pound of BFL/silk, a bunch of domestic wool from RH Lindsay and several other randoms. I went from one spindle to 6. I also had to buy dyes and dying infrastructure. I guess I'm pretty addicted. Nethilia, join us. Buy a top whorl. Then a turkish. Then a supported. Yes. Then a wheel. And then another wheel? Yes. Should I try IJ mohair next or the Cormo/alpaca I got at the state fair? Decisions decisions. Some of my pretties: 
HungryMedusa fucked around with this message at 00:49 on Oct 25, 2015 |
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Oct 25, 2015 00:45
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Not too long ago, I guessed my fiber collection to be around 17 pounds worth, give or take. I haven't actually tallied exactly how many pounds of what is sitting where. I just know I have the 2 Cormos in the closet, the BFL in the living room, the CVM in the dining room, and that's just the fleeces. There is a nice variety of roving, dyed and natural, in little totes on the shelves and the Mister has -no idea- how much I actually have because I keep practicing my tetris skills by shuffling it around to better use the space. I, too, bought a bunch of dying stuff because how else will you be able to make a custom batch of roving that nobody else has? Never mind that 4 ounces of stuff that came out so much darker than intended and doesn't match anything else in the stash. You'll spin it eventually if the sheep ever stop making wool! Ps, I love love love love spinning BFL/Silk. Buy a top whorl. A turkish. Then give in and buy a fleece. Then you'll need cards or combs. Maybe a blending board. Fall way off the deep end and get a picker. Then a drum carder. Dedicate a box for your fiber tools and then laugh when anyone else you live with tells you to stop calling your abode a box. 
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Oct 28, 2015 08:02
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I have to clean up more before a wheel will fit in here, or my husband will--well, he'd just sigh and let it be, but I'd feel bad. Anyways, I finished the Amethyst Heather: 320 yards 2 ply.  At the same time I dyed the yellow, I decided to go into crazy dye experiments.  Green and blue food coloring all over roving. At worst it would suck and at double worst it would be felt, right?  Congrats, me, it didn't suck!  And it made decent yarn. 340 yards of it. Eventually I'll have to turn these into things. Speaking of dying: just da posted:I, too, bought a bunch of dying stuff because how else will you be able to make a custom batch of roving that nobody else has? Never mind that 4 ounces of stuff that came out so much darker than intended and doesn't match anything else in the stash. You'll spin it eventually if the sheep ever stop making wool! Right now I do all mine with food coloring. Do you have any tips for how to start with acid dyes? I look at the videos and I get super confused where people are getting the things from and what's a sensible set to start with.
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Oct 30, 2015 05:31
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Nethilia posted:
It's gorgeous! (I have pounds of fleece, tubs of phat fiber samples, two sets of dyes, four spindles, two wheels, two kates, hand cards, a drum carder and a floor loom and no time. Oh gawd, I have a problem.  )
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Oct 30, 2015 14:43
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Nethilia posted:Right now I do all mine with food coloring. Do you have any tips for how to start with acid dyes? I look at the videos and I get super confused where people are getting the things from and what's a sensible set to start with.
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Oct 30, 2015 14:49
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i like nice words
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I bought my dye kit from Etsy and then I bought some dyes from Dharma trading. Kind of wish I would have known about that Pro Chem kit - that's a good deal. Acid dyeing is pretty darn easy. I just looked up 10 different tutorials on it and then kind of dove in using a mish mash of their methods. I prefer hand painting then steaming with the pot and metal colander I bought for $5 at my local Goodwill. The only mistake I keep making is not dyeing enough fiber at a time. I have like 10 tiny skeins of things I will never remember how to duplicate as I added a bit of this and a dash of that. Someone is getting a super ugly multi striped scarf some day. E: Nethilia, that blue and green yarn turned out really nice. I feel like I should break out the food coloring.
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Oct 31, 2015 02:29
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Crossposted from the knitting thread: I'm currently producing a line of high end fiber tools. I don't want to get too specific on the internet because we haven't filed patents yet, but I was wondering if there are tools people wish they had, would want to buy, or wish were available. We've already produced needle guages, WPI/SPI tools, measuring tools, lucets, looms, shuttles, and disc looms, and are currently producing a diz. Is there anything else you use, wish you had access to, or feel are emblematic of your craft?
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Nov 12, 2015 21:04
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Been following this thread since it's inception, even though I hadn't learned to spin yet. For my birthday this year, I received the gift of Spinning lessons from a fabulous woman in Toronto. After 4 hours of lessons, I'm painfully addicted. I'm renting a wheel from her, a single treadle. I desperately want some Hand-Carders, as I have tons of fiber from my Sister in Law to process, but no way to process it. I browse Kijiji (Canadian Craigslist) and a few fiber groups, but I'm getting antsy. Anyone know of anywhere local that isn't over-priced? Unfortunately with 'MERICUH deciding shipping to Canada is the same as shipping over-seas, buying online really wouldn't save much money, unless it was a steal.
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Nov 13, 2015 01:44
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It is unideal but you can totally comb wool with a regular human comb. I mean it's a huge pain in the rear end and takes forever because you're doing it like a lock at a time, but I've done it before. Or you can flick and spin from the lock, this is probably easier. I think you use like dog brushes for that?
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Nov 13, 2015 04:29
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Definitely try flicking the locks with a dog brush. That's how I started until I got a flick carder; flick carders are anywhere from $15-40 each locally to you (Mt. Albert has Gemini Fibres!). Try eBay as well; I was able to get a brand new set of mahogany Clemes and Clemes 72 tpi cards under $40 US from BC; you might be able to find something similar, with a little luck. I want a set of St. Blaise combs. It'll have to wait; I bought a Louet Spring 90 12 shaft loom; all money is gone for a while.
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Nov 23, 2015 07:58
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Is a Wraps Per Inch tool actually useful? The charts I see are all skewed on what defines Laceweight vs. Fingering. I'm sure I'm making some pretty fine yarn. But laceweight? In other news, I made a spindle. It wobbles some and is on the heavy side--3.0oz / 84g according to my home scale--but it's good for plying. I might try making a top whorl. 
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Nov 25, 2015 08:51
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I took a break from spinning but recently had to go through to cull my yarn stash due to space issues and picked it up again. Because the first thing you do after getting rid of unusable yarn you've spun is replace it with usable yarn, right? Anyway, I found some samples a friend of mine sent me of raw wool so that I could practice washing it. I need some carders or something. I also really love that sheepy smell. I also discovered that I still had ~50 grams of tussah silk to finish spinning, so I'm working that on my spindle. Which leads to my actual question: does anyone have any advice on how to keep tussah silk from sticking to your hand? If my palms even think about getting moist, I end up with half of it plastered on me instead of where I want it, and this stuff wasn't cheap.
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Dec 8, 2015 23:37
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Baby powder, talcum powder, athletic powder, whatever. Coat your hands in that and the problems will at least be lessened. Silk will also stick to your clothes, so consider tank tops and shorts. Or anything else where you can keep the silk from dragging over your clothes. MarsDragon fucked around with this message at 04:19 on Dec 9, 2015 |
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Dec 9, 2015 01:36
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MarsDragon posted:Baby powder, talcum powder, athletic powder, whatever. Coat your hands in that and the problems will at least be lessened. Thanks, that helped out a lot! I've temporarily shelved the silk so that I can work on spinning my sock yarn, because 'tis the season to make everyone booties.
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Dec 15, 2015 05:35
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Here is a thing I'm pretty proud of! It's one of the Greenwood Fiberworks sock roving braids, I'm making some booties for my mom, kid, and upcoming kid. I still have to ply it, of course. But I'm super pleased at how much more consistent my yarn weight is compared to just a few months ago.
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Dec 18, 2015 19:17
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Palisader posted:Here is a thing I'm pretty proud of! That is really great. What fibers are in that braid?
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Dec 20, 2015 07:24
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HungryMedusa posted:That is really great. What fibers are in that braid? It's 80/20 BFL and nylon. I just finished plying it!  I got about 180yds out of 4 ounces.
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Dec 20, 2015 18:58
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I am back from the South Pole! Unfortunately I had to give up the apartment to go, so all my fiber that I didn't take with me is in storage. Good thing I took three spindles and a few kinds of fiber with me. There's a knitting group on Monday nights, and I took my spinning and blew everyone's mind. "Are you MAKING YARN?!?" I forget sometimes that a lot of people are just fine using lovely, splitty acrylic yarn and making garter stitch rectangles and haven't spent the last few years embedded in All Things Fiber. It's a good reminder to chill out a little bit and just enjoy the process and also to be grateful that while I feel like a baby duck with no idea how to yarn reading this and the knitting and crocheting thread, I do know some poo poo. Merry Christmas!
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Dec 26, 2015 02:17
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I got a drop spindle and some fiber for Christmas! This is my first time spinning, and I'm growing addicted. I want all the pretty fiber. And probably a wheel. Gotta start small though and get the hang of it. Today I'm starting n-plying! First 3 mini-skeins of 2-ply! I've since added a fourth that is more even and finer than the third. I'm tempted to never actually use them, just keep them displayed somewhere and occasionally pet them.  
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Jan 16, 2016 20:14
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Aunt Dahlia posted:I got a drop spindle and some fiber for Christmas! This is my first time spinning, and I'm growing addicted. I want all the pretty fiber. And probably a wheel. Gotta start small though and get the hang of it. Today I'm starting n-plying! Congratulations on your spindle, and yay, spinning! You're doing really well. Be proud! Keep those tiny first skeins forever so you can refer back to them later and go "look how far I've come, and look how well I spun as a beginner." I'm combing today. That's all. It feels like it will never, ever end, either. My English combs are 2,000 miles away at my mother's house so I've been doing this with a set of Louet minicombs since 6am. I have a single large flat rate box finished. Whee. One pound down, only fifteen more to go. The brown is a cormo/corriedale cross, the white is a Finn/Rambouillet cross. It's part of a large weaving project I'm starting next weekend. 
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Jan 28, 2016 00:28
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It's Stitches West weekend, and while I'm not doing my own booth this year, I did stop in to pick up my fleeces: Anybody else hit the marketplace yet?
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Feb 21, 2016 02:40
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Hey spinning thread, I need your help with something. I'm a needle felter, and I need a source for uncarded coloured wool. Like, straight out of the wash with the fibers going every which way. It's really hard to find, I assume most places only dye it after it's been carded and combed? There's places online that sell batting made specifically for needle felting, but it's five bucks an ounce and it doesn't come in anywhere near the amount of colours that roving does.
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Feb 23, 2016 00:46
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RandomFerret posted:Hey spinning thread, I need your help with something. If you're looking for a small assortment (6 oz. or so) kit of colors, Peace Fleece sells one for $23 USD through Halcyon Yarn. It has 21 colors in the pack; they also sell single ounces and bulk packs of the same colors, too. For bulk fiber specifically suited for felting, WEBS sells Harrisville Designs dyed carded fleece starting at $2.39/oz and it's discountable in their bulk buy scheme. Imperial Yarn also sells their bulk sliver (again, not as refined as combed top or pin drafted roving) in 31 different colors for $17/braid; there's discounts in bulk, plus many LYS sell it. You might check into that if you want just 4 oz of each color without a lot of commitment. You could also pick up, if you're able and have a place to dye it, a bunch of bulk batting from someplace like R.H. Lindsay and dye it yourself with acid dyes so you get the exact colors you want. Hope this helps; if not, let me know and I'll try again.
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Feb 23, 2016 04:50
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That helps a lot, thank you for taking the time to put all of that together! It's tough to find exactly what I'm looking for since the needle felting community isn't very big and there's not a lot of technical terminology in place, but I think the sliver and the carded fleece are just the sort of thing I'm looking for.
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Feb 26, 2016 00:04
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Mar 24, 2016 04:10
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All right, who in here is into cotton? My dad grew a poo poo ton of it and I'm almost done picking the seeds out. I'm going to do the impossible and comb it too. Instead of investing in a charkha I'm stealing my mom's double treadle Lendrum. Ages ago I've combed the stuff and spun and plied it on a spindle and it was okay! I have only hosed around on the spinning wheel before. Goddamn am I alergic to animal fibers. Anyawy, I will also be dying using procion dyes. I'm super ecited that I can have a hobby again!
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Mar 25, 2016 02:24
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They did something to imgur that confused the heck out of me, so I couldn't post this last month, or whenever it was...   It's BFL/nylon, and I wanted to try the opposing ply yarn from the Spinners Book of Yarn Design - meaning it's two singles spun s and one single spun z, and then all three plies together z. Supposed to be good for socks. It might actually be too drat thin for socks though, at 600 yards/5 oz. Maybe I'll make a hyper durable shawl.
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Mar 26, 2016 18:46
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Just got a spinning wheel, an Ashford Traditional. I've been practicing tredling all night, but I'm still too scared to do a thing with it. Gotta get past the "it's wasting fiber to learn to do a new thing with it" mindset, especially when I have ridiculous amounts of dumb fiber sitting around not being spun while I enjoy making the thing turn with my foot.
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Apr 11, 2016 04:33
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Do you have any fiber you're not really excited about any more? That's what I did when I got my wheel. Just sat there and used up all the fiber I'd bought and later decided I didn't like, or signed up for a club and didn't like that month, or whatever. Then when I was done I brought it to my LYS and just gave it away because I didn't care about it.
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Apr 11, 2016 17:57
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