BYC Spinning Fiber

[MissPrissy]

I know some women who drop spindle and they make yarn that will make you drool. They are good!

 

[CityGirlintheCountry]

That video is fascinating! Thanks for the link.

Dumb question though- what keeps the twist in the yarn? Does the wool fiber "lock" to itself?

Another random question- I've been researching the Southdown Babydoll mini sheep as a possible livestock addition to my mini farm. Has anyone ever used their fiber for spinning? It's supposed to be about the same texture as cashmere.

 

[MissPrissy]

After spinning however much you want you then ply it. You spin in the opposite direction and put 2 or 3 strands together and that locks their twist.

 

[CityGirlintheCountry]

Okay, that makes sense. I remember reading somewhere that wool fibers have microscopic barbs or hooks on them that do somehow lock onto each other when assembled correctly. I guess the spinning and plying is the "correct" assembly.

 

[ninny]

Im making my drop spindle out of a unsharped pencil, a small hook and cardboard. Im being cheap.

Why is alpaca so expensive? Its my favorite fiber.

Qiviut is wool from the Alaskan muskox. These are so cool! I want one.

 

[ninny]

Quote:
I dont get it. I spin my fiber then fold it and spin it the other way? Im gonna have super thick yarn then.


I can't get my yarn the same size. Its fat then skinny why is that?

 

[MullersLaneFarm]

Quote:
It won't automatically 'lock' together. Keeping the twist under tension, winding it off into a skein, tie off the skein in at least 4 places.

Then you'll want to 'set' the twist by putting the skein in warm to hot soapy water for about 10-20 minutes. Some folks say let it just soak, I agitate the yarn. This not only gets out residual dust and dye crocking, it also helps full your yarn and sets the twist. Rinse in cool to warm water.

I then wring (yes, wring) out the yarn and then "snap" it. This helps distribute some of the twist.

You can set your twist before or after you ply ... if you ply at all ... it's perfectly acceptable to use a single

Another random question- I've been researching the Southdown Babydoll mini sheep as a possible livestock addition to my mini farm. Has anyone ever used their fiber for spinning? It's supposed to be about the same texture as cashmere.

Babydoll is considered a 'medium' wool type. The staple length is fairly short (1.5" - 2.5"). A mature ewe will yield a fleece about 5-8 lb with a yield of 40-55% (2 lb - 4.4 lb ... worst and best stituations). The micron count of Southdown is 23.5-29 (numerical count of 54-60)​

 

[MullersLaneFarm]

Quote:
I call this frugal!!

Why is alpaca so expensive? Its my favorite fiber.

Because (IMHO) alpaca associations have touted how wonderful life will be with a herd of alpacas.

It's not always so. I have 35 gallon garbage bag FULL of alpaca that was given to me. Wait until you get here. You'll have so much alpaca, you'll get sick of it.

I dont get it. I spin my fiber then fold it and spin it the other way? Im gonna have super thick yarn then.

I can't get my yarn the same size. Its fat then skinny why is that?

Ninny, it's all part of the learning curve. Keep those first attempts - they are really beautiful in projects.

Spinning is broken into 3 parts.
1. Drafting the fiber
2. Putting a twist in the fiber
3.Putting it on a bobbin

Drafting is attenuating and thinning the fiber. I recommend that beginning spinners pre-draft the fiber to as thin as they want their yarn. If your fiber is drafting hard, move your hands apart more so the fibers can slip by each other easier.

With your yarn being fat and skinny, it's because it is drafted unevenly. The skinny parts will probably have more twist in it than the fat parts.

I'll show you in person when you make the trip up here.​

 

[WoodlandWoman]

I think pre-drafting your fiber is an excellent suggestion for beginning spinners. It helped me when I was learning. When you first start, it seems like there are a lot of things going on all at once. Pre-drafting let me focus on some of the other parts of spinning, until I was a little more co-ordinated and the movements felt more natural.

Then again, maybe I was just a klutz.

 

[briteday]

Hi! I just joined BYC and found this happy little spinning group! I learned to spin from a friend wayback in 1980. I have a Schacht upright (Matchless, it was called back then). And I learned to spin on my girlfriend's Ashford Traditional and Traveler. She had mostly corriedale sheep that we spun. And I have spun everything from silk to alpaca to cotton. I've done dying with KoolAid, copper pennies and ammonia, as well as more traditional dye stuffs.

However, I pretty much abandoned spinning when my daughter was little, no time. And no one in my house can wear wool. Not to mention that it just doesn't get very cold for very long where we live. But when I learned to spin we used every bit for hats and mittens since we lived in northern IL, around Fox River Grove.

So, my beautiful wheel sits in the corner of my living room with a basket of fleece, my carders, and various hand tools. I even kept my yarn blocker that I made from PVC pipe. And a manual carding machine makes life so much easier to blend and card fiber.

Oh, and when I started, go easy on yourself ninny, my single ply was about the diameter of my thumb! It really does just take time and practice as there is so much going on all at once, hands and feet moving at the same time, so much to keep control of. But just like driving a car, soon enough you'll be starting to treddle from a stop without even thinking about it, just like knowing how to turn on the headlights of the car without a thought.

My daughter will be going off to college in a year or two...maybe time to take up the spinning again!