Paging miss Rebecca and other spinning goddesses...

[mishakitty78]

So I finally got my drop spindle for Christmas and I'm dying to try it out. But I'm so scared! I received a spindle from Annie May off of ebay and it's so lovely. It already has some white thread on it - is this the starter thread? Do I just go ahead and get my roving and try it out? Ah! LOL I know it's silly but I don't want to mess it up!

Any help, guidance, etc (Or, Rebecca, if you have pics that would be a wonderful :*cgift ) would be greatly appreciated.

Help!

Misha

[rebeccav]

YAY!!! it's SOOO fun, misha!

here is my email:
e_velasquez@hotmail.com

if you'll email me there, i can send some pictures to you :)

woohoo....
i might just see about uploading them here... hmmm, didn't think of that. go ahead and email me, just in case.:cheer2

[Julie]

Posting them here would be just fine Rebecca. :)) I know I for one would be very interested in seeing how you do it.

[HollyM]

No Rebecca, don't post them.
We don't want to see them <img border=0 src="http://img28.photobucket.com/albums/v84/crochetville/nahnahbooboo.gif" />

Of course we want to see them!!! You know there are a bunch of us chickens <img border=0 src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v84/crochetville/chicken.gif" />hiding in the bushes thinking about spinning, but just need that leeeetle push.

Actually, I have a question. I have a bunch of White Buffalo Unspun (got a little click happy at Elann months ago...)
If, and I do say IF <img border=0 src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v84/crochetville/toothygrin.gif" /> I got a drop spindle, could I spin that into something more manageable???

Holly

[mishakitty78]

Rebecca, you rock! :)h Thank you SO much for the offer - I just emailed you.

I can't wait to start spinning :)

[threeolivemartini]

i have been wondering about this thing they call the drop spindle.. LOL... please please please let us all see!!

[rebeccav]

it's begun!

there's an all-out production being done in my living room. :camera

going from VERY beginning to a yarn....

and holly, i'm going to elann to ck out what you have :computer

[HollyM]

Wheeee!
I can't wait to see.

Rebecca, I don't think Elann has it in stock any more, I bought this months ago. I tried finding a picture online, couldn't find one that would be helpful. As soon as I figure out where my camera is hiding, I'll take a pic.

It looks like a big hockey puck of wool spaghetti. It's 6 strands but they aren't plyed and are very fragile if you pull on just one strand. You are supposed to hold all 6 strands together and knit as super bulky yarn. I made a few bags by dividing it into 3 strands which gave a nice result, but was a pita.

Holly

[rebeccav]

ahhh, just a guess, but you probably have "pencil roving"

and if that is it - VERY spinnable

(insert spinning emoticon here - julie :wink :wink )

[Julie]

I'm on it, Rebecca! :thumbsup

[rebeccav]

okie dokie, go HERE (http://ewedevil.com/spinning.htm)


it's just the beginning pictures for now.... no words or anything yet. but we'll get there fairly quickly.

let me know what you think so far.

[HollyM]

Looking good!

I found the camera, this is the White Buffalo
<img border=0 src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v201/ilexmi/wbuffalo.jpg" />

Holly

[mishakitty78]

Looks awesome so far! I have a bottom-whorl (?) spindle - will that still work ok?

I tried to spin a tiny bit about an hour ago and it did NOT work, LOL! So any help will definitely be something.

Thanks again so much!

[Julie]

I only have the slightest idea what you are doing, but the pictures look great!! Thanks so much for doing it! :clap

[rebeccav]

i've updated again. there shouldn't be any difference in spinning. i'll adds words in the morning.

go here icanspin.com it is a very good resource.

[SamplerLady]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v478/SamplerLady/mmouseplus.gifRemember it takes a while to get the knack of it. Like riding a bike or knitting or crocheting it looks so easy to watch someone else do it and then you're all thumbs when it comes to doing it yourself! :D

Rebecca, will you do a park and draft method or just dropping? I can't do the drop but suceed reasonable well with the park and draft. Just one less thing to manage at the same time of managing all the other things! :rotfl

I showed a friend how to do it Christmas Eve and will probably have a refresher at the fiber night tonight.

[Julie]

Rebecca that is so impressive! You're doing a wonderful job with it!! Thank you so much! :not :)h

[Donna]

Excellent, Rebecca! :not Thank you! :)h :clap

[Julie]

How's this Rebecca? :spina :spinb

It's two separate smileys, spina and spinb... but you could put spinb after anything, like this...

:cheer2 :spinb
:hi :spinb
:wave :spinb

[mishakitty78]

So I think I did it! Well, for a little while anyway. I got a nice batch of spun roving wrapped around my spindle and ? Now what! I tried unwrapping it, but when I did the twist unflurerled. Is that normal? Eeek! It was so pretty and twisted (and decivingly easy once I got it going)...But when I stopped it untwisted.

Is there a secret to ending?:thinking2

[rebeccav]

sorry i haven't gotten to the words yet... that's next

holly - do your strands look like the roving on the little tutorial thing i did? they seem a little smaller than pencil roving (that i've gotten), but still would be perfectly spinnable.... and i read in the other thread - i personally prefer top whorl - the bottom whorls seem awkward to me.... and the top you can spin faster. :twocents

SLady - by park and draft - do you mean --- draft then spin, stop, draft then spin --- if so, that is how i drop spin... like you, just is easier to manage. on my wheel, i draft loads, then spin, draft a huge load and spin

misha - did the pictures help you at all??

was everyone able to get the videos to come up? i didn't know how to just insert them on the page... just a link to them :shrug
did you notice me on the phone?:ohdear my sister was having a moment and "needed" me :phone

[mishakitty78]

Hi Rebecca,

The pictures *definitely* helped. By looking at them, I could see how the yarn was supposed to be wrapping around the hook - that was my first problem! But I can't figure out how to keep it from "unwinding" when you take it off the spindle. Is this a natural thing?

I'm confused!

The movies come up fine for me, by the way - they're awesome!

[rebeccav]

yes, that's a natural thing. your new yarn needs to be "set". you can do this a couple of ways. giving it a nice lightly sudsy dunk in fairly hot water (NO SWISHING! - especially if it's wool). or you can wrap it around a niddy noddy or back of a chair or anything that will keep it taught for a week or 2 or 3... or you can just leave it on your spindle for that length of time.

for a quick bath:
unravel your yarn from your spindle, keeping it tight. wrap it around a niddy noddy, chair---- extra hands, whatever - keeping it tight. with scraps of different yarn, tie your strands together in several places (3-4-5). then pull off the host and give it a few minutes (20ish) soak. yes it will twist and wind all crazy - which is why you have tied it in places. after the soak ---- GENTLY pull it out of the water (or drain first-i do), roll it in a towel and give it a walk over once or twice gently to squish out as much water as possible. re-wrap it around whatever (just not hands this time :frog ) and leave to dry - overnight or so-COMPLETELY! once it is dry, waaa la!!! yarn!!!!!:yay2

slady - jump on in - i know you know secrets :sherlock :bounce

[mishakitty78]

Thank you Spinning Goddess! Again, much :)h to you!

I don't know when I'll have more time to spin - I have a big gig New Year's Eve that I'm preparing for, but it seems like a nice thing to do to de-stress. Thank you for the explanation on setting the yarn - I was spinning (and doing pretty well, except that when I pulled on my joins theyy all came apart :blush ) and really liked it but just couldn't figure out how to keep it from unraveling. Now I know that I wasn't going crazy - I thought that maybe there was something I just wasn't getting.

Thank you again :)h

[rebeccav]

if your joins ar pulling apart, give yourself more length on the joining pieces..... make sense?:ideanot

[threeolivemartini]

i have dropped hints at SP for a drop spindle for my bday..

i am :fc .. i am sure he listened .. he is a great guy..

[SamplerLady]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v478/SamplerLady/mmouseplus.gifPark and draft is building up twist in the yarn and then holding on to the spindle with knees or under arm and then drafting and relieving the excess twist.

Imagine the spindle hanging down with a foot or so of yarn on it. Spin until the yarn hanging down twists all up. Grab the spindle and "stick it" somewhere to hold it steady and then start drafting. As you draft the excess twist goes into the drafted wool creating yarn. Once you've relieved the excess twist, wrap the yarn around the spindle, hook on the hook and spin again, repeating the process.

Now, if you're doing the drafting and then the spinning, it's different than what I do. HOWEVER, if it makes yarn, you're doing it the right way. The objective is to make yarn. How it gets there is up for grabs. The only thing to remember is to always spin the spindle in the same direction.

I block my yarn differently. Once it's all spun. Wind on niddy noddy, around hands or chairs...whatever. Tie off in several places. Remove from niddy noddy and place in HOT soapy water. Let sit till it comes to room temp. Empty water and rinse carefully in same temp water you just emptied, i.e. room temp. Hang over end of clothes line (the pipe part), shower head, etc., and weight down. Hang a pair of deck shoes or something similar in weight. (I use two rocks in each end of a tied knee hi) from the end of the loop of yarn. Let dry. This pulls the skein and keeps it from kinking while drying. It slightly felts the yarn (not enough to notice) thus shrinking it a bit, which strengthens the yarn. Once it's dry, roll in a ball and crochet like crazy!

[rebeccav]

SLady -
ahhhh, yes i did spin like that when i very first began! thanks for the reminder!! i think it is a PERFECT way to see how the yarn actually makes itself and learn the twisting vs. thickness in making yarn.
oh, and i did hang yarn out to dry like that once before.... we'll just say my dane thought it was a new toy for him.:eek2 so i have came up with alternative methods that keeps my yarn from dangling :p

[HollyM]

Thanks again Rebecca for all your work on those pictures!!!
The videos did come up for me <img border=0 src="http://img28.photobucket.com/albums/v84/crochetville/clap.gif" />

I can picture Josh having a blast with the hanging yarn lol!

SamplerLady, thank you too for all your info!!! I can't wait to get started.

The strands of the White Buffalo are about the diameter of spaghetti and a little more "together" than the roving. I'll play with regular roving first so I don't mess myself up. I might just leave it as is and crochet a rug to felt <img border=0 src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v84/crochetville/dance.gif" />

Oh, and I tossed the idea of a wheel out to DH, he only looked slightly dazed <img border=0 src="http://img28.photobucket.com/albums/v84/crochetville/cutewink.gif" />

Holly

[HollyM]

I've got so much reading to catch up to here, but I just wanted to say.... my spindle came!!!! I forgot to get the mail yesterday <img border=0 src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v84/crochetville/rotfl.gif" /> I finally remembered and what had I left in my mailbox all night??? My poor spindle. I've been playing for about half an hour now. I'm still all thumbs, but it's actually working. I have very messy looking yarn, but it *is* yarn! And yes, there is a difference between "rustic" and "messy" <img border=0 src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v84/crochetville/toothygrin.gif" />

I definitely need more time before it becomes easy, I'm just so glad I can make it work at all! Patience is *not* one of my virtues. I am very hard on myself, if I can do something perfectly right away, I get very annoyed. <img border=0 src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v84/crochetville/TearHair.gif" />

My biggest problem I think, is drafting correctly. I'm having trouble pulling the yarn. Either it doesn't move, and I get thick wads (yes, wads, not pretty slubs) or it pulls too much and seperates. First one to say practice get's a snowball thrown at them <img border=0 src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v84/crochetville/snow.gif" />

Rebecca & Samplerlady, thank you for *all* the posts you have made on this subject, I've gone back & read most of them!!!!

Holly

[rebeccav]

YAY! i'm so glad it came!!! you'll have to take some pictures of the yarn you made and post it :camera

[HollyM]

Ok here's my first spindle's worth!
<img border=0 src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v201/ilexmi/firstspindle.jpg" />

I finally got the nerve to unwind it & give it a soak. It's hanging on the back of the door drying. I was having trouble finding something to weight it with, I ended up putting a few cans of catfood in a grocery bag and tying that on the bottom <img border=0 src="http://img28.photobucket.com/albums/v84/crochetville/wha.gif" />

The first part of the skein is still pretty kinky, I think I was over spinning at the beginning. We'll see what it looks like tomorrow!

Holly

[SamplerLady]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v478/SamplerLady/mmouseplus.gifMy weights are nylon pant socks (like knee-highs) with river stones. Two stones in the sock, knotted the top and then shifted the stones so one is near the knot and one at the toe. I've also used C batteries in a sock. :D

[rebeccav]

holly - it looks positively dreamy!!!:cloud9


truly...didn't you just love it!?!

[mishakitty78]

That is gorgeous! Now I want to try more - haven't been able to since my graduate school has started back up..but maybe this weekend!

Thanks for motivating me!

[HollyM]

Ok
Take one
<img border=0 src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v201/ilexmi/firstspin.jpg" />
A little over spun, even after blocking it still wants to twist up on itself in spots, but not bad for my first try.
<a href="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v201/ilexmi/greywb.jpg" target="_new">take two</a>
and
<a href="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v201/ilexmi/bluewb.jpg" target="_new">take three</a>

came out a little more uniform. Still thick/thin singles but I have my twist amount down better. After setting the twist it lays nicely. They are the White Buffalo Unspun wool pencil roving stuff. It did spin ok, a little tricky because it's a short staple length and as finished yarn, it's very scratchy. I wouldn't buy this stuff specifically to spin, but since I had it around, it was good practice material.

I'm hooked <img border=0 src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v84/crochetville/Loco.gif" />

I'm emailing with a lady about buying her used Ashcroft Traditional. The price is right, just waiting for her to send me a picture before I say yes <img border=0 src="http://img28.photobucket.com/albums/v84/crochetville/ura1.gif" />

Holly

[SamplerLady]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v478/SamplerLady/mmouseplus.gifVery well done. Much better than my first yarns and much much much better on anything I can produce on a spindle! :D

[rebeccav]

holly - you're a NATURAL!!

yummy :cloud9

[Rosesandtea]

I'm impressed with your yarn! I had a homemade drop spindle as a girl but haven't tried since then. Your first attempts are better than my first attempts at the wheel I have now! well done!

[HollyM]

Thanks everyone!
I will admit I can be a bit...obsessive...when it comes to a new hobby. I can't let it go until I'm good at it.

And...I am getting the wheel <img border=0 src="http://img28.photobucket.com/albums/v84/crochetville/ura1.gif" /> Sent the payment off yesterday. Hubby is in denial <img border=0 src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v84/crochetville/rotfl.gif" />

Holly