do you spin?

[rebeccav]

i have been seeing all these sites on people who spin their own yarn.... has anyone here tried it?

[Nay65]

No, I haven't tried it. I do love the feel of hand spun yarn, though. :fluffy

[yarnicopia]

no, me neither
however...it IS on my list of things to learn in the near future.

Ro-

[crochetme]

I have a friend who spins, and she's promised to teach me. I feel like I'm imposing though, so I may not take her up on her offer till our Fall knit/crochet weekend retreat. Plus, wheels are expensive.

[Michelle]

I have tried spinning with a drop spindle - it was fun, but the yarn I produced was very thick and uneven. I space dyed it with food dye, and it looked quite pretty like designer novelty yarn!
http://www.retroknits.com/images/handspun.jpg
http://www.retroknits.com/images/handspun2.jpg
I still have some fleece and the spindle somewhere, and would like to try again when I've got some free time.
Michelle

[wolfs1love]

here is a link to a woman who built her own spining wheel...


LINK (http://www.angelfire.com/journal2/donisfuff/)

[rebeccav]

melida -THANK YOU for posting that link... i had seen it before and saved it on my laptop (which is in a coma right now)...
girl, give us a kiss!!:hug :clap

[wolfs1love]

your welcome...i thought it was one of the coolest things ever...yet and still i dont even know how i would begin such a thing as spinning yarn...i wanted to try a drop spindle...but i dont understand how it works...:hug

[bilblio]

I've just started spinning. I bought a second hand spinning wheel last week in a junk shop for £15. I took it to a spinning shop where they told me the bad news was that I'd struggle to spin anything on it.
However the good news is that if I take it into an antique shop I should easily be able to sell it for £150-£200. Which is enough to buy myself a brand new wheel. My Dad is cleaning it up, and I'll sell it once I've moved house.

Until then I'm trying to learn to spin with a drop spindle. I had a quick lesson in the shop, the man made it look so easy, but all I seem to be able to produce are lumpy strands that untwist and break easily.
I will get there though.

[jennrz4]

I have yet to try it but it's on my growing list. Every once in awhile I go online and drool over all the drop spindles for sale. I did see site one that showed how to make a drop spindle from a dowel and a CD...

Oh - here's one site that talks about it....
link (http://danielson.laurentian.ca/qualityoflife/Fulltext/Textiles/Making_a_cd_drop_spindle.htm)

I suppose if I *really* wanted to try it I would have made one by now, but that would take away from my actual crochet time. GASP!

Jenn
My New Blog (http://crochetcrafts.blogdrive.com)

[rebeccav]

:yay2 :yay 2:yay2

thank you for posting that link!!!

:woohoo :woohoo :woohoo

[rebeccav]

looky looky what i bought on ebay (http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=8122148363&ssPageName=STRK:MEWN:IT#ebayphotohosting)

i'm very interested in this - does anyone know of any good books or videos that i should look into???
any information would be great!!

[viviskins]

Rebec, I am so interested in this too, that looks like a great kit to try it out....I think I'll put that on my christmas list :grin

[SamplerLady]

You can make a drop spindle (http://danielson.laurentian.ca/qualityoflife/Fulltext/Textiles/Making_a_cd_drop_spindle.htm) for next to nothing...seriously less than a couple of dollars. These work relatively well and with all kinds of free info online such as Grafton Fibers (http://www.graftonfibers.com/instructions.htm) and lots of other places. Just use a good search engine with spindle wool spinning or some such combination of terms and you'll find tons of info.

With that in mind, spindle spinning IMHO is much much harder to master than wheel spinning. So if you find it too difficult, know that if you really want to spin, using a wheel could be much much easier for you. :))

[rosieanimals]

:xsheep

Hello, I found your site today and am fascinated. I am a spinner of some 10+ years - both wheel and dropspindle. I have my own llamas, angora rabbits and sheep (2 llama, 4 angora and 2 sheep). Just enough animals on a small acreage to keep me spinning. I also have generous friends that donate their fiber to me instead of "throwing it away".

Happy Spinning and Happy Holidays to you all,
rosieanimals

[Julie]

Hi Rosie! Welcome to Crochetville!! :welcome

[rebeccav]

hello rosie! i'm so glad you've found us. not too many on this board spin - but there are several of us. and several more that will find their way soon. i am completely in love with my wheel. i'm soo jealous you have your own fiber-factory! oh so sadly my wheel is getting her daily 'petting', but i have to put all of my spare time into getting Christmas gifts complete :cry -- but after this, that wood is going to smoke :smokin i have a vision with all my roving becoming a jacket for my very own self!!! anyhow, :welcome
i hope you come back oftern. i'm very interested in getting to know you and hopefully learning great things from your experience :yay2 :hug

[rosieanimals]

:flake :xsheep

Thanks for the welcome.

It looks like a great site. There is sooooooo much to look at. I found the spinning section and was so excited.

I am spinning some llama now from a friend. The llama fiber I am spinning comes from my friend's llama that has been diagnosed with breast cancer. So, I thought I would spin it up and make a shawl for my friend. She has 6 llamas and loves them so much. I thought it would be special for her to have and then her llama could "always hug her", even when it's in llama heaven. I think and hope she will love it as much as I am loving spinning and making it for her.

I have a traditional Ashford spinning wheel. I only have the one wheel, but it is my BEST FRIEND. We talk and gripe and she listens so patiently and makes me feel better every time. I have several drop spindles and a bit of yarn started on each. Whenever I get the desire I'll pick one up and work on that one.

I love the raw fiber and processing best. I have bought processed rovings and such, but love it coming from my spring shearings and washing and drying and carding and combing and spinning it from the start to the finished product.

Gosh, there I go..........spinning talk just does that to me.

Hope to meet many nice folks here. Keep in touch.

rosie

[Rosesandtea]

I spin! Not real frequently, but sometimes I'll work on it for a few days in a row. I've got some wool/silk stuff (carded and dyed at a wool place)to do upstairs and some shetland or merino (can't remember!) to card and spin in the garage. Really need to get it done as it's been in the garage for too long.

I'd love to try some llama fiber.

~Karen:brrr

[rebeccav]

hello karen! i haven't bee able to spin much lately, either - i too would LOVE to try some llama!! although, i should deal with the 15 pounds of sheep i have first :faint

[rosieanimals]

:sheepjump

Good evening everyone,
I love spinning most any fiber.
But having my own llamas makes spinning their fiber even greater. To me, llama fiber is fabulous. Llama have a double coat, like a highland or some of those wool breeds. There is an outer and coarser coat and a finer undercoat. I usually do NOT seperate them, although some spinners do seperate them. I process and spin them together. To me, it makes a stronger yarn. To be honest, I have lots of yarn spun, but haven't made anything of it yet, so couldn't tell you if it's scratchy or not. But to touch it, it doesn't seem to be.
Love a llama (love two llamas that I have),
Rosie
:sheep :sheep :sheep :sheep :sheep :sheep :sheep :sheep :sheep

[HollyM]

So,
If someone was interested in learning to spin...say with a drop spindle.... could you estimate how long it takes to produce a quantity of yarn?

I know that is a really abstract question, like crocheting itself, everyone has different speeds & ability. I'd just like a ballpark estimate of how long a process it is.

Let's say you are using already prepared roving & a drop spindle and you aren't a rank beginner or a speed demon <img border=0 src="http://img28.photobucket.com/albums/v84/crochetville/scratchhead.gif" />

I love the idea of spinning, I like the rustic, thick/thin look that comes from a drop spindle. I'm just afraid that it's going to take twice as long to make the yarn than the project the yarn is for.

Rebecca, did you say you sometimes take your drop spindle shopping? How do you manage that?

Holly

[rebeccav]

oh yes i take it with me. :yes usually to Sams - places like that when hubby is with me. i keep my roving in a bag on my shoulder and spin away while I point and hubby loads the basket. i'm comfortable enough with my drop spindle that i don't have to stare at it and concentrate too hard. i too, like the thick-thinness of yarn so i have no worries of trying to get it all the same.

and yes, it's a very abstract question. in the beginning, i dropped my spindle a LOT and was really slow... now, i'm super quick and can fill my spindle in half an hour. so really, it's just a matter of practice and patience. just like anything else, once you learn, you speed up.

one thing i really like about spinning is that if you know what you are going to do with your yarn, if you are going to use just singles... you can spin-crochet-spin-crochet... really see it coming together :D!

[HollyM]

Ok, next question.

When you say "fill a spindle", how much yarn is that?
How many spindles would it take to make..say...a basic hat?

Just ballpark estimates here <img border=0 src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v84/crochetville/sherlock.gif" /> I've been resisting the pull to the dark side <img border=0 src="http://img28.photobucket.com/albums/v84/crochetville/ha.gif" />

[rebeccav]

hmmmm. well, filling your spindle depends on what kind you have... and no, i have no idea how many ounces my spindle holds... you can just tell when it's full - it quits spinning.
and how much yarn it takes to make a hat... well, assuming you will spin to ww - i guess maybe 2/3 spindles????

SLady??? jump on in:bounce

[SamplerLady]

If someone was interested in learning to spin...say with a drop spindle.... could you estimate how long it takes to produce a quantity of yarn?http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v478/SamplerLady/mmouseplus.gifIt depends on what your expecations are and what you consider a quality yarn. If one wants yarn that looks just like machine spun yarn, then I'd say years of practice and very expensively processed wool. If one is willing to admit that handspun is made by humans and has variations in size, then it'll take less time.

If one looks at what is sold commerically and called Homespun, it's thick and thin. It's called a specialty yarn and it looks exactly like beginners handspun. Beginners spend all kinds of time trying to learn how to spin even yarn and then have to relearn how to make thick and thin!!!

Another item that needs to be addressed is if one is talking about single ply yarn vs 2 or 3 ply yarn. Singles (such as Brown Sheep Lambs Pride or Monos yarn) is just one step as far as spinning. One spins it, skeins it, washes and blocks it and once it's dry it's ready to crochet. If one wants 2 ply, then one spins twice as much yarn, plys it together (twists it together), then washes, blocks, and crochets when dry. Theoretically, the plyed yarns are spun thinner and plyed together to make worsted weight or finer yarn if one is really good at spinning.

Personally, in the beginning, I think one avoids much frustration by looking upon spinning as one process and making something from the spun yarn a whole totally different thing. I don't spin yarn to make a ______________. I spin and then may make something for myself after the yarn tells me what it wants to be. :D

From start (sitting down to spin) to finish (rolling the finished yarn in a ball) will take much more time than crocheting the item. Spinning is one process, crocheting another. Kinda like growing your own vegetables or raising your own steer for hamburger. Learn to spin. Don't "learn to spin so I can make my own sock yarn". Kinda like, "learn to ice skate." Don't "learn to ice skate so I can be in the next Olympics."

Remember, too, spindling (using a drop spindle) is a similiar yet different skill than using a wheel. I don't spindle well (in fact I just gave my spindle away). But I do love my wheel. Spindles are much more portable than wheels so one has more time to spindle (waiting in line, watching the kids at the park, waiting to pick them up at school, on lunch breaks, etc.).

How much yarn on a spindle? Depends on how thick your yarn is. Think about wrapping crochet thread on a stick. How much does it take compaired to wrapping rope on the same stick? One is hundreds of yards, one is a couple of yards.

BTW, don't think the beginners "thick and thin" is useless! I won a prize at the county fair for a purse crocheted with my first yarns and fulled! Lousy (IMHO) spinning, good crocheting, great fulling!

One of the ways of measuring yarn that isn't really popular but can be used to help estimate how much is needed for a pattern is Wraps Per Inch (wpi). If you study this chart (http://www.fiber2yarn.com/info/conversion_chart.htm) you can see the value of knowing how wpi can assist in determining how much yarn one needs for a project. Measuring handspun (http://www.spinderellas.com/patterns/yarnchart.html) Yarn Weights (http://home.att.net/~shannonms/crochetuniversity/yarnweight.html) More Yarn Weights (http://www.maggiesrags.com/tips_yarn_weight.htm)

Here's some more information on spun yarns (http://www.mresource.com/Fiber/COE/COEIndex.html). Notice on the top this is a Certificate of Excellance. It took her ten years to get this certificate. Now, I don't know if she spun every day of those ten years, or once a week. But, like any other skill, it takes time to be totally proficient.

Relax, enjoy the journey from first yarn to excellent yarn. It's all usable from start to finish. Nothing needs to be thrown away! :sb :sheep

[Donna]

Great post, SamplerLady! :thumbsup Now I just might consider joining you spinners someday. :p

[SamplerLady]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v478/SamplerLady/mmouseplus.gifYou'll love spinning. It's a total zen thing. Getting "into" the wool, "into" the yarn. The repetitive motion is very stress relieving, just like most fiber arts. :D