Any spinners out there? (Yarn)

[NatJ]

I just grew cotton for the first time! I'm an avid knitter and crocheter. I'm wanting to spin it on some type spindle. Maybe Navajo.

Cotton on a Navajo spindle?
That would be very different from the tahkli I've used!
(Tahkli is little, Navajo spindle is big.)

 

[BackyardTeepee]

Cotton on a Navajo spindle?
That would be very different from the tahkli I've used!
(Tahkli is little, Navajo spindle is big.)

How was your experience? I'll try to look that one up. I've never spun anything before, and when I was researching spinning cotton specifically I kept running across the Navajo.

 

[NatJ]

How was your experience? I'll try to look that one up. I've never spun anything before, and when I was researching spinning cotton specifically I kept running across the Navajo.

That's funny, because when I researched it, I kept finding the tahkli!
It's worked fairly well for me.

It's small and portable--in the past, I took it to kids' orchestra performances (sat in the back near the emergency-exit lights) and to board game nights (helps me be patient when the other players think forever about their turns.)

I bought some cotton fiber that was all combed out into a long strip, and that works OK.

Like you, I tried growing cotton. I've been able to spin my cotton right off the seed, without having to pull it off and comb it first. Personally, I like that better than the combed-out long strip I bought, but I don't know if it requires a special kind of cotton or something. I got several kinds: white and brown and green. Some seeds look naked when I'm done spinning, while others are covered with short fuzz, but so far they have all worked OK for me.

I think I mostly spin park-and-draft style, although I slip back and forth between that and drafting while the spindle spins. I think it depends on how much I'm fumbling at a given time

If I focus on how much yarn I produce, spinning cotton drives me crazy. But if I just enjoy spinning it, the amount gradually adds up.

I have daydreams of eventually knitting a short-sleeved sweater in several colors of natural cotton. So far, I have spun "lots" of cotton yarn-- but I don't think it's enough for even one sleeve. So I'm not sure my sweater will ever really happen.

 

[Kusanar]

Good luck with getting sheep! What breed(s) are you thinking about? I remember Corriedale being fantastic to spin, especially for beginners. Not the softest, but I could wear it. I had some Rambouillet that was sooo soft, but the short fibers made it more difficult to manage.

A friend told me if you are looking at a fleece to buy and want to know if the wool will be soft enough to wear, take a lock and tap the sheared end against your bottom lip. If it feels ok there, it should be fine, as that is about the thinnest skin on your body.

Any questions, just ask. Get me talking about yarn, knitting, chickens, gardening... I'll never shut up.

I'm thinking about Jacobs sheep. Apparently they have nice wool but I haven't worked with it, I will buy some to try before I pull the trigger on bringing home more animals.

I just grew cotton for the first time! I'm an avid knitter and crocheter. I'm wanting to spin it on some type spindle. Maybe Navajo. I hope to eventually get an Angora bunny, but I do like the cotton because I live in Florida and they make great bikinis! Not too many sweaters and scarves around here.

My crazy self has been playing with spinning cotton balls, so I'm sure your home grown cotton will be a lot easier since it hasn't been mangled by machines.

 

[BackyardTeepee]

That's funny, because when I researched it, I kept finding the tahkli!
It's worked fairly well for me.

It's small and portable--in the past, I took it to kids' orchestra performances (sat in the back near the emergency-exit lights) and to board game nights (helps me be patient when the other players think forever about their turns.)

I bought some cotton fiber that was all combed out into a long strip, and that works OK.

Like you, I tried growing cotton. I've been able to spin my cotton right off the seed, without having to pull it off and comb it first. Personally, I like that better than the combed-out long strip I bought, but I don't know if it requires a special kind of cotton or something. I got several kinds: white and brown and green. Some seeds look naked when I'm done spinning, while others are covered with short fuzz, but so far they have all worked OK for me.

I think I mostly spin park-and-draft style, although I slip back and forth between that and drafting while the spindle spins. I think it depends on how much I'm fumbling at a given time

If I focus on how much yarn I produce, spinning cotton drives me crazy. But if I just enjoy spinning it, the amount gradually adds up.

I have daydreams of eventually knitting a short-sleeved sweater in several colors of natural cotton. So far, I have spun "lots" of cotton yarn-- but I don't think it's enough for even one sleeve. So I'm not sure my sweater will ever really happen.

Right off the seed?! You know, I bet that would work! It is fairly straight. I grew the green kind. Elene's Green or something like that. When I was pulling the seeds, I demonstrated twisting by hand to my husband. Don't know why I didn't connect that mentally. I'm going to give it a go!