Questions, questions, questions *g*

[MarvieN]

Dang, is it just me or did the little icons up by the subject bar go bye-bye?

 

Well since Beth and I are probably both going to have lots of questions, I figured I'd start a thread lol.

 

Here's my first one. I've used up the short bits from my purple ball of fluff and now what's left is what appears to be one loooong piece. How much (length) should I be trying to get off at a time? Do I unroll it and just pull off one really long strip or what do I do?

 

Second question... I took off the little bit I spun last night and have it drying in the bathroom now, but I was (and kinda still am) scared it's going to come all unspun... especially at the ends, is there something I should/can do to prevent that, or is it just a fact of handspinning?

[RebeccaVelasquez]

the ends will unpin a bit. as long as you have it nice and tight while drying, it's magic!- the spin sticks

:yay2

[Guest SamplerLady]

When I have wool processed it comes back in a big ball, looks like a huge ball of yarn, except the "yarn" is about two inches wide and is just wool. I start at the end of the ball and spin the whole thing until I fill up my bobbin. So just start and keep going. Or if that intimidates you, tear off a piece about a foot long and work with that.

 

No right or wrong answers, just play with it till you find out the way you like to do it.

 

Then do it!

[RebeccaVelasquez]

one thing i have found: when i have a roving that has several colors in it (mixed together in stripes).... i pull off a foot and spin, another foot and spin.... that way, my yarn is nicely varied

[MarvieN]

I really like the no right or wrong thing *g*

 

So on that note, I won't ask if I'm doing it wrong.... but I want to (try to) describe how I'm going about this and see if I'm going about it the hard way or not lol. Granted, it seems easy to me, and it goes farily quickly, and it's certainly creating yarn.... but if there's a "better" way I wouldn't be opposed to learning it *g* I don't know correct terminology yet, so ya'll can feel free to tell me what it is I'm describing in technical words

 

Before I start spinning, I take my fluff and seperate it into strips. Then I take each strip, or at least do several, and stretch it out (I'm pretty sure there's a word for that?) my strips get pretty long by the time I've stretched out it's whole length. With multi colored fluff (ok I just like that word better than roving lol) I tug at it till the stripes kind of blur if that makes sense? With this more solid colored teal, I tug till I can almost see through it, or see light through it. Once I have a few strips stretched out, I prep the spindle...

 

 

Once I get the starter yarn (leader?) on the spindle and tie it to the fluff (Thank you Rebecca for your great pics!) I start it to spinning, once the starter yarn is all twisted up, I gently pull back with my left hand and let the twisting action travel up into the fluff as the spindle drops towards the floor (or I'll catch it with my knees) then I'll wind it onto the spindle, re hook it, and go again.

 

Right now I'm not bothering myself over thick/thin bits, unless it's reeeealy thin or makes a big fat slug, if that happens I'll let it unspin a bit and fix it, but mostly I let it go. Cuz I kinda like the effect it makes, and from what I've read, once you really learn how to stretch it out well, you have a hard time making thick/thin yarn when you actually want it. So I figure I should build up a stock of that now while it's all I know how to do *g*

 

When it's time to join a new piece of stretched fluff, I stretch out the ends of each piece nice and wide, lay the new piece on the old piece, then sort of fold it onto itself. Then I start spinning again. (Will this be a strong enough join or should I do something different?)

 

Is there a good/bad way to wind the new yarn onto the spindle? I feel like I'm not getting much on there at a time. The first couple of times I let it go up pretty close to the top, but then I couldn't find a comfortable way to hold it while I continued winding on. So now I'm leaving enough space on the stick for me to hold onto it (about the length of my index finger)... but I'm going to end up with a hundred shorter bits of yarn, which will mean lots of joining when I go to use it, and I'm afraid I'm wasting yarn.... if that makes sense?

 

Ok I think that's all for now lol. Hopefully ya'll can make some sense of my early morning/just woken up babblings and advise me =) Thanks!

[Guest SamplerLady]

Sounds like you've got a good spinning system down, Marvie. Of course it's different than how I do it, but....there's that old "right vs wrong" thing again!

 

What you are doing to the wool is called pre-drafting. Lots of spinners do that to facilitate spinning. When wool is stored for long periods the air sometimes gets squashed out. Pre-drafting helps put the air back in, or "fluff it up." It also makes it much easier to spin.

 

Your thick parts...try grabbing on either side of the thick part and gently tugging to get it thinner. Sometimes you have to move your fingers further apart if you've caught lots of the staple in your fingers. When it's thinner, let the twist travel into it and see if it's more acceptable. In the long run, it'll be faster to do it that way than letting it untwist.

 

Joining technique sounds good. You may change it later on to a faster way. If what you are doing works, then go for it.

 

From what I remember, the yarn should be wound on the spindle near the whorl forming the thickest part there and thining out in a cone shape towards the end. Look at some pictuers of full spindles to get an idea.

 

fluff=wool or roving

beginning yarn=leader

 

"To live a creative life, we must lose our fear of being wrong."

Joseph Chilton Pierce

[MarvieN]

ohhhhh ok so that's what pre-drafting is. I'd seen the term but wasn't sure if that was what I was doing or not. I'm so un-coordinated I can't imagine, at this point at least, doing it any other way *g* I'm surprised I can do it at all :rotfl

 

Ahhh I've been winding it on the spindle from the bottom up, then going back down, back up etc. I'll try it like you described... probably easier heheh

 

Thanks for all your help =)

[RebeccaVelasquez]

girl, if i'm goofy, sorry, i'm only 1/2 way into my first cup of coffee. it's early here:yawn

 

and stretch it out (I'm pretty sure there's a word for that?)

drafting

 

sounds good so far.... when you draft before spinning, that is called 'pre-drafting' --- i know, original, isn't it. the reason... the lady that taught me to use my drop spindle, drafted as she went :eek2 i'm still not coordinated enough to do that

 

then sort of fold it onto itself

i was taught to do that (sorta) and then pinch the join between my middle finger and thumb, and give it a rub... mushing and tangling the fibers together...

 

as for how much will go on the spindle.... you can buy different size spindles that hold different amounts... but in order to do BIG amounts.... you gotta get a wheel.:cloud9

 

isn't it funny how when you start making your own yarn... suddenly those extra few inches needed when starting another ball are precious

 

(you'll get over that- once you've been spinning a while- just like anything else... at first you are 'protective' of your creation)

 

 

hope i answered your questions.

just a thought: i got my wheel used for about $100 cheaper than brand new. she had it for 7 months - loved it and wanted to sell it to use the money for an upgraded wheel.

 

is there a local spinner guild or weavers guild where you are? they are a great resource - for learning and buying used equipment from. also, i joined the local guild and as a memeber, i can borrow any of the 'guild equipment' - drum carder, wheels, hand cards, weaving looms..... all kinds of stuff.:wowdrool

 

 

 

EDIT: looks like SLady and i were typing at the same time :computer !

[RebeccaVelasquez]

hey marvie - on the "paging...." thread.... go down about half-way on the 2nd page. holly has a great picture of a full spindle

 

maybe this will take you straight to it

[MarvieN]

I don't know if there's a guild here, if so they'd probably be Germans and I don't speak the language *g* well I know a few words here and there and take my trusty Palm Pilot Germ/Eng dictionary with me when I go out on the economy... which isn't often. I'll look into it in a couple of years when we move back to Virginia though.

 

K I haven't been doing the smushing/rubbing thing when I join, so I'll try to remember to do that from now on.

 

Thanks!

[Guest SamplerLady]

You can do the smushing rubbing thing when using 100% wool to join yarns together when crocheting. Just unravel both new and old yarns for about an inch, lay the unravleled plys on each other and retwist with a little water or spit (acidic and helps to full it just a bit so it stays--gross if anyone's watching you!).

 

"To live a creative life, we must lose our fear of being wrong."

Joseph Chilton Pierce

[MarvieN]

oooh good tip thanks SLady! I'd thought of trying something like that but wasn't sure it'd work.... you confirmed my guess though =)

[RebeccaVelasquez]

cool!! i'm gonna give that a try!

 

hadn't thought of that before

[xantha]

whee, pre-drafting! Go Marvie! <img border=0 src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v84/crochetville/dance.gif" />

 

one of my favorite things about spinning is that there are so many ways to do it, and some things come naturally to some of us and other things come naturally to others of us!

 

[i found myself starting to predraft the second time I tried to spin, and it made everything so much easier for me.]

 

Rebecca, I have found that I can draft while spinning with certain roving only. It just happened. Romney seems so fluffy compared to colonial and I can draft the romney while spindling. When I spin the colonial, I simply can't do it.

 

-jess

[Guest SamplerLady]

I have found that I can draft while spinning with certain roving only.

So very true. I found the other day when I was spinning some Brown Sheep Beast I could do a long draw. It's got a really long staple. The Corriedale I love to spin, too, has a very short staple and I can't do the long draw. The Merino is so slippery that I loose control over the size of the yarn.

 

Different wools have to be spun differently!

 

"To live a creative life, we must lose our fear of being wrong."

Joseph Chilton Pierce