Any spinners out there? (Yarn)

[reddogmaster2]

I love spinning a good yarn!

 

[Kusanar]

What are the bunnies you can get fur off of?

As already answered, they are Angoras (several breeds) some breeds will moult and you can just pluck the hair off when it loosens, some you have to shear.

 

[Kusanar]

I've got a GSD/Malamute/Husky mix, her undercoat is amazingly soft, but the guard hairs are a pain in the behind. I wash each batch several times to get rid of the 'dog smell', and then treat with vinegar just to be sure. The carding is the worst part, and the spinning is the best.

If you're getting fiber from your co-worker's husky, just make sure the fur is at least 1.5" long, and is mostly free of guard hairs.
Happy to share any other tidbits about chiengora that I've learned- there isn't a whole lot of info about it.

Cool, yeah, the wool i just finished had some really super course guard hair type things in it, luckily most fell out when I was working with it, but it was weird.

 

[SnapdragonQ]

I'm pretty rusty since I started quilting, but I spin too.
Can't go right now, but if you get a chance to visit craft fairs in the future and ask the hand spinners of they do pet hair they will admit that they do. Somewhere I have some saved off my GSD. And while not fun, carding really helps line up the fibers to make a better yarn. To begin with plain pet brushes, the kind that grabs the undercoat, can work but big carders that you can really slap back and fourth are best and can help remove guard hairs too.

Angora goats also provide wonderful fiber to work with... mohair. Way back when I looked into raising angora goats and possibly Leicester sheep, I went to any and all fiber gatherings that I could and learned a lot! Back then going to fiber fairs was hugely helpful because like anyone who knits, crochets, and spins....being able to touch the fiber is very educational. Hopefully when life gets back to normal, eventually, I can go again.

Cool thing about learning with the rougher (higher micron stuff) is that when you have enough of your practice yarns you can make a rug or use it to make soles for the bottom of slippers.

 

[Kusanar]

I'm pretty rusty since I started quilting, but I spin too.
Can't go right now, but if you get a chance to visit craft fairs in the future and ask the hand spinners of they do pet hair they will admit that they do. Somewhere I have some saved off my GSD. And while not fun, carding really helps line up the fibers to make a better yarn. To begin with plain pet brushes, the kind that grabs the undercoat, can work but big carders that you can really slap back and fourth are best and can help remove guard hairs too.

Angora goats also provide wonderful fiber to work with... mohair. Way back when I looked into raising angora goats and possibly Leicester sheep, I went to any and all fiber gatherings that I could and learned a lot! Back then going to fiber fairs was hugely helpful because like anyone who knits, crochets, and spins....being able to touch the fiber is very educational. Hopefully when life gets back to normal, eventually, I can go again.

Cool thing about learning with the rougher (higher micron stuff) is that when you have enough of your practice yarns you can make a rug or use it to make soles for the bottom of slippers.

I got a pair of wire slicker brushes at the dollar store for just this purpose. I've been carding the cat hair a little at a time getting it ready to spin once I have enough processed.

I have a bad habit of getting into something super gung ho and then a few months later fizzling out, so right now I'm working with a around $30 starter set and I'll see how I still feel about it once I get through all 10 batts of wool that came with it. If I'm still having fun and enjoying it, I will invest more, if not, then I have spent about the same amount as getting dinner at a decent restaurant so not too big of a deal.

 

[SnapdragonQ]

I have a bad habit of getting into something super gung ho and then a few months later fizzling out,

I know nothing about doing that...... *cough*

Starting small is the way to go! I started with a drop spindle much like yours and some cheap rovings of lesser quality wool to see if I liked it. I did, but didn't have the time (always on the go) to perfect using the drop spindle and eventually got a beginner spinning wheel. For me it was the better way to go because I had plenty of fiber to work with. Unfortunately running the farm has taken up so much of my time I'd likely need to start all over again.
Perhaps this winter once the gardens are done I might try again because I like doing something while watching TV. Hand hand sewing ain't never gonna happen and I get bored with knitting and crochet sometimes.

 

[FortCluck]

I got a pair of wire slicker brushes at the dollar store for just this purpose. I've been carding the cat hair a little at a time getting it ready to spin once I have enough processed.

I have a bad habit of getting into something super gung ho and then a few months later fizzling out, so right now I'm working with a around $30 starter set and I'll see how I still feel about it once I get through all 10 batts of wool that came with it. If I'm still having fun and enjoying it, I will invest more, if not, then I have spent about the same amount as getting dinner at a decent restaurant so not too big of a deal.

Sounds like me and working out... I start them randomly stop

 

[Kusanar]

I know nothing about doing that...... *cough*

Starting small is the way to go! I started with a drop spindle much like yours and some cheap rovings of lesser quality wool to see if I liked it. I did, but didn't have the time (always on the go) to perfect using the drop spindle and eventually got a beginner spinning wheel. For me it was the better way to go because I had plenty of fiber to work with. Unfortunately running the farm has taken up so much of my time I'd likely need to start all over again.
Perhaps this winter once the gardens are done I might try again because I like doing something while watching TV. Hand hand sewing ain't never gonna happen and I get bored with knitting and crochet sometimes.

What wheel did you get? I'm very casually looking at wheels, though I may just make my own, I have found some good info for it on youtube. Heck, i've already seriously thought of chucking up the end of my spindle in a drill and running it on low! lol

 

[NatJ]

I spin sometimes, too.
I've done wool on a drop spindle, wool on a friend's spinning wheel, and cotton on a supported tahkli spindle.

The cotton is fiddly, but works well if I'm playing a board game where the other players spend a long time thinking. The tahkli is small and stays mostly in one place, so it doesn't disturb the game.

I enjoy using a spinning wheel, but probably won't get one myself, because it requires me to sit in one place while spinning. The drop spindle is better if I want to have my hands busy while visiting with someone, or while I'm standing by a bedroom door to make sure the toddler stays IN bed, or (etc). I've sometimes taken it when I went to meet kids at the school bus, too.

I spun enough wool for my Mom to knit a pair of socks for my sister--she wore them over other socks, inside water boots, during the wintertime. (Like a wool liner for her water boots, rather than getting "snow boots" that often leak.)

Other than those socks, I haven't done much with the yarn I spun. I just don't like wearing wool, and I already have enough potholders. I did knit a cute little "sock" to put on the handle of a cast-iron pan so I would stop burning myself on it.

I haven't yet spun enough cotton to make anything from it, although I did grow a few cotton plants some years back. I still have one of them in a large pot as a houseplant, with pretty brown fluffballs sitting there waiting for me to spin them. I have dreams of eventually knitting a cotton sweater, with patterns in white and natural brown cotton, but I strongly suspect it will never happen. Spinning and knitting are things I "like" to do but rarely actually DO

 

[Kusanar]

I spin sometimes, too.
I've done wool on a drop spindle, wool on a friend's spinning wheel, and cotton on a supported tahkli spindle.

The cotton is fiddly, but works well if I'm playing a board game where the other players spend a long time thinking. The tahkli is small and stays mostly in one place, so it doesn't disturb the game.

I enjoy using a spinning wheel, but probably won't get one myself, because it requires me to sit in one place while spinning. The drop spindle is better if I want to have my hands busy while visiting with someone, or while I'm standing by a bedroom door to make sure the toddler stays IN bed, or (etc). I've sometimes taken it when I went to meet kids at the school bus, too.

I spun enough wool for my Mom to knit a pair of socks for my sister--she wore them over other socks, inside water boots, during the wintertime. (Like a wool liner for her water boots, rather than getting "snow boots" that often leak.)

Other than those socks, I haven't done much with the yarn I spun. I just don't like wearing wool, and I already have enough potholders. I did knit a cute little "sock" to put on the handle of a cast-iron pan so I would stop burning myself on it.

I haven't yet spun enough cotton to make anything from it, although I did grow a few cotton plants some years back. I still have one of them in a large pot as a houseplant, with pretty brown fluffballs sitting there waiting for me to spin them. I have dreams of eventually knitting a cotton sweater, with patterns in white and natural brown cotton, but I strongly suspect it will never happen. Spinning and knitting are things I "like" to do but rarely actually DO

I like stocking hats for winter, those are super fast to knit up. Actually faster to knit them than crochet I have found and I don't knit quickly. I figure my wool will end up as a scarf or a hat, maybe one of each if there is enough of it there.