uh oh, it was only a matter of time

FatCat · uh oh, it was only a matter of time

First off apologies that I have never ever posted in this part of the forum before or given praise to anyone else's spinning attempts Embarassed

I've looked a lot since yesterday, and it all looks fabulous! And lots of really helpful tips and questions and links too which have been so useful - thank you all Very Happy

So anyhow, yesterday I got a surprise package in the post - a present from my mother. It was an Ashford student spindle and two ounces of fibre - one natural and one purple. I'm saving the purple until the weekend, but I had a go last night with the natural. So, this is my first attempt - what do you think? I'm quite pleased with it Very Happy

It's a bit overtwisted but that will sort itself out when I wind it off, won't it Confused

And it's lumpy here and there too Embarassed

I've only gone on what I can find on the internet, here and elsewhere, about how to do it so any feedback and tips would be gratefully received! Oh, and where are good places to shop for fibre? I have a feeling that I'm going to need more Embarassed

pictish

What a lovely surprise!!! Razz

Your yarn looks fantastic for a first attempt Shocked

I think you amust be related to CJ in some way Laughing

Can't advise much on fibre as I just get mine (when I buy it which isn't very often these days Rolling Eyes

) from Twistfibre cos I can look, feel and buy!! But Wingham Woolwork do cheapish plain stuff for practising on dyed and undyed. About £3 100g is what I pay for dyed merino at Twistfibre.

When you feel more confident there's obviously some lovely hand dyed (I haven't gone down this route yet). Wildcraft are gorgeous!!! And ComeinSpinner on etsy - Davis is now called Southern Cross - but he's based in NZ so postage might be expensive!!! Gorgeous colours tho Razz

Also YY of course and Posh do fibre.

It depends how seriously you want to take it I suppose. I would have words with CJ anyway - she knows the best places I reckon Wink

She can definitely advise on spindles too which I can't.

Glynis

That looks great! Very well done indeed Smile

What a wonderful gift your mother has sent - does she appreciate the dangers of such a move?? Laughing

Oh and here's a place to look too
http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5104354

Glynis (who know what she is talking about in this respect Embarassed

)

FatCat

Thank you! LOL at me being related to CJ, I don't think so! I think I might have just had a lucky first spin attempt Laughing

And all the links Shocked

Oh my word, so much fibre, too much choice, thanks! I'm trying not to do my usual thing, have one go at something and then go mad and order loads of stuff for it Rolling Eyes

(see my sock yarn stash for example of this trait Embarassed

). I might be sensible and see if I can really do it again before I order more. But that Wildcraft site is awesome Shocked

And your etsy link too Glynis, wow! Thanks!

I do have some questions, if anyone had the patience to help me?

So, getting this off the spindle, I can just wind it onto something else?

I've read in places that you need to set the twist - do you always have to do that? If so how? And what happens if I don't?

Does anyone have the direct links to things on n's blog about spinning? In the earlier posts in this section from last year she mentions links she's put up, but I can't find any of them now Confused

Glynis

I have only really just started myself, but I have removed the singles from the spindle by sliding it up the shaft and onto a plastic drinking straw. You can create two spools of singles and then ply them together.
If you push kebab sticks through the straws to create something for the straws to spin on and then create a "cradle " for them to rotate in (think shoebox with holes punched in the sides) it is possible to spin them together to ply.
Youtube is great for pictures of people doing these things Very Happy

PS My plying was awful because I had put too much twist in the singles Sad

FatCat

Thank you Glynis. I'll do a spot of poking around the internet for pics etc, the shoebox idea sounds really good too. And I hadn't thought that the twist in the singles would affect the plying, that's a bit of a worry. Sorry yours didn't look good after all that work. I'll have to see how mine goes. Thank you so much for all the help Very Happy

cazzie

Ooops wrong thread - now re-posted in correct one!

Wildpurl

Yay! FatCat is spinning too!

Yours looks good for a first go and no mistake - nice and even. There are always slubs in to start with, I wouldn't worry about them too much just now - at least that's what my spinnig teacher said. If you want to remove them, you unwind to where they are (making sure not to let the twist unravel) and hold the yarn about one inch away from the lunp on either side. Twist it in the opposite direction so the twist comes off and gently pull apart till it is the thikcness you want. Then let the twist run back into it.

Re the setting the twist, if you dn't do that then the yarn will be unbalanced and will unwind as soon as you let go of the ends. I think as Glynis says that the best way for a beginner is to ply two singles together. There is a whole class on spinnig singles and setting the twist.

Also, Dinae showed us how to finish the yarn after plying. Wind the plied yarn into a skein and tie the ends off so it is stable. Put some water that is hot, a bit too hot to keep your hand in, into a container large enough for the skein. We used Eucalan as you don't have to rinse it out - Socktopus sells it. Plunge skein into water without agitating. Leave for five minutes, then lift out, squeeze out water carefully. Snap the skein once at each end and then whack it gently twice. Roll in a towel to remove remaining moisture and hang to dry.

This makes quite a differnece tohow it looks btw, I don;t know if you tried this Glynis, but it may be that your yarn is fine and just needs finishing.

Auntie Noo

It looks fab for a first go FC - really even.

n sells fibre..... I wouldn't look though if I were you! Wink

FatCat

Thank you! I wasn't sure whether it was good or not very - it's really difficult to tell when you've never done it before and there's no-one around to ask in person. You lot are brilliant, I'm so glad I've got you all Very Happy

Thank you for all your lovely comments Very Happy

Carola, that's brilliant, thank you so much for all the advice, much appreciated. I might well try plying at the weekend when I've spun up the purple fibre too. (Social life? What's one of those then? Rolling Eyes

)

Hmm, guess I won't look at n's site just yet then Laughing

Maybe in an hour or so .... Rolling Eyes

pictish

Easiest fibre for starting to spin with is bfl, shetland or corriedale apparently Cool

Just in case you sucumb!! Meant to put the link to Twistfibre in earlier. You need to phone to order tho.

FatCat

You are wicked Shocked

Ooh, Twistfibre do have a lot don't they. I think what I've got at the moment is merino, which is rather nice. But yeah, I definitely need more! Twisted Evil

Thanks!

pictish

Well merino is definitely not as easy to spin - think it has shorter staple or something?? You're doing well Cool

Wildpurl

Erm well I had my first lesson two weeks ago...I bought some fibre as I left the class Embarassed

...now I've got some more handpainted BFL which arrived this morning from Warratah fibrecrafts, and another lot on its way from Southern Cross Fibres. Cool

I also got another spindle from an etsy seller in the US which arrived yesterday. It's a light one for spinning posh stuff to make laceweight. Shocked

So I shouldn't worry FatCat, just buy what you like, that's my motto anyway Laughing

FatCat

yeah, I've been resisting phoning Twistfibrecraft for the last hour, and it's just about too late now Rolling Eyes

I will be buying more though, on Monday I expect Laughing

Looking forward to seeing your laceweight Carola!

ClaireUK

Should I mention that I make made-to-measure spindles?????

www.sublimespindles.blogspot.com

Not that I wish to enable or anything (blushes)

Fi

Lovely pressie thoughtful mum.

Your yarn is looking fab too.

Glynis

I've got some lovely fibre (a painted mix with a lot of mohair in it) which arrived yesterday from Woolforbrains
but I keep looking at it and thinking "It's too nice for me to risk spoiling".
However I've got some the beautiful BFL that Hanne gave me on my drop spindles at the moment, so I know I can get over that "It's too nice" hurdle. Cool

CJ

yay - another one gets the spinning bug. Twisted Evil

It looks great FC. don't worry about over twisting, it does even out a bit during plying. Wink

I second the wildcraft recommendation. Karen is on ravelry too as goldfishgirl and her fibre is great quality stuff, unlike some I've got off etsy. Rolling Eyes

I've found shetland, bfl, finn and polwarth all lovely to spin. I've also had a fantastic corriedale/alpaca blend from spunky eclectic (she's in the US.) merino is also ok on a spindle, but I prefer it as a blend tbh.

if you want really quality spindles, a golding or a bosworth are the way to go. I've tried lots of different makes and they shine out and are fab - not cheap though unfortunately and you have to import from the States. I used a friend who posted mine on to avoid pesky customs charges. although Karen's wooden spindles are very very good too and made by her mum on their farm in Dorset. And she recently made me a custom resin one with horses in which also spins gorgeously. Very Happy

pictish

Karen at Wildcraft is lovely!!! I saw some lovely stitchmarkers on her site and emailed her yesterday to ask something about them. She answered very quickly and offered to make me some up specially that were more like the ones I'd seen a while ago - I got another email with a pic of the made-up stitchmarkers about an hour later Shocked

I will definitely be ordering some fibre from her when I'm spinning again Razz

modelwidow

That looks good FC, much neater/smoother than my attempt.

CJ

CJ

FatCat

CJ

if you search youtube, there are some amusing but good spinning stuff by Rexenne I think her name is. Wink

FC, I spin now and then. Laughing

FatCat

CJ

Oh, I thought you meant me. Embarassed

I'm a bit dozy today, DS woke up puking at some early hour this morning. Rolling Eyes

pictish

I used to be able to spin a bit FC - I got a wheel when we first moved up here 5 years ago and I used to spin for about 20-30mins most days - I kept it up for about 2 months then unfortunately bought yarn and knitting just took over Rolling Eyes

I was quite good, spinning nice and thin and even using Wensleydale as well which is harder to spin with cos it's quite sticky. I tried again recently tho and I was absolutely rubbish Embarassed

I need to do it tho cos I have a lovely wheel and Twistfibre sell loads of gorgeous fibre not too expensively.

And CJ I keep seeing your gorgeous stuff flashing by on Rav - that's how I know about Wildcraft and David at Southern Cross etc etc Laughing

FatCat

oh you so have to start it up again! I mean, you actually have a wheel and know how to use it, seems such a shame not to doing it anymore Very Happy

I now have this fairytale-esque image of your dusty spinning wheel, in a dusty corner of your Scottish castle - don't go pricking your finger on it! Laughing

pictish

The dusty bit is certainly true!!!! Laughing

I need to diversify a bit I know - knit less and do some other things like spinning, weaving (I also have a loom which I have only used once Embarassed

), tapestry, cross stitch - that's just for starters. But knitting has been such an addiction Laughing

CJ

yeah, drag out the spinning wheel, Ali. Very Happy

I've put my name down on the waiting list for a lendrum DT, so we can be matchy matchy. Razz

yeah, David's fibre is very yummy too, just as nice as Karen's but obviously a bit more pricey as it comes further. Wink

pictish

I saw that on the other thread Wink

I don't think you'll be disappointed Cool

Does it do things the Suzie Pro doesn't? *thinks she should know this maybe* Laughing

CJ

the lendrum packs away for travelling and is a bit more hardy. Wink

I want one to take away camping with me now we have a tent and are planning on regular weekends away. I need to spin for my sanity, hence I need a travel wheel. Twisted Evil

pictish

Ah!! Has Gromit gone then??

CJ

yes, I sold gromit way back the week after I got my majacraft to a girl from shrewsbury who was looking for a traveller on ravelry. Wink

FatCat

well, I have my very first yarn! It's not the most even, varies in thickness from fingering to superchunky Laughing

but it is my first attempt at spinning and I'm really pleased with myself Very Happy

But I'd welcome some feedback, what do you think? Honest opinions please Very Happy

Plying it involved a shoebox, two wooden knitting needles and two looroll middles, it was rather a Heath Robinson contraption Laughing

but I just went with whatever I could find in the house. Wouldn't be ideal for plying more than a few yards at a time though.

There's not very much of it, about 26 yards, so I'm looking for ideas about what I could make with it - suggestions very welcome! Very Happy

franney

mmmmmmmmmmm barberpole! i likey! heart

no idea what you can make with it though? is it too chunky for a phone cosy?

pictish

Ooooh lovely!!!! I love that Cool

No idea of what you can make tho - you could always stripe it with something for a chunky hat or something.

Wildpurl

Well the colours are really nice, and it looks a lot better than my first yarn, quite a lot of it seems to be reasonably consistent in size. I think it shows tht with a bit more practice you will be getting much more consistent, that's ertainly been my experience. You could just knit it into a smaple square (i know that's a bit boring) - it's what I thought I might do with my first skein, so I could keep it as a record of my first efforts. Or a phone/iopd cosy sounds like a good idea. Or a needlebook cover?

CJ

It looks fab. Very Happy

I use the loo roll, box method for plying off my spindles too. Wink

FatCat

Thank you

It was just the fibre that came with the spindle, it was a starter kit, so 10g of white and 10g of purple, hence the finished colourway. I do like the stripiness of it, barberpoley it most definitely is! Thank you Carola, I do need to get in lots more practice and hopefully it'll get more even.

thank you all for the ideas too, perhaps an iPod cozy might work. I do like the idea of just a sample square too, after all, I've no idea how it'll actually knit up Confused

needlebook cover is a great idea, perhaps even a pincushion, hmm, I shall think on.

Thanks again for all your lovely comments Very Happy

Glynis

It looks fabulous FC!

FatCat

thank you Glynis! Very Happy

oh, wow, look what the postie's just brought me, courtesy of my mum again Very Happy

This lot will keep me out of mischief for a while! Shocked

There's 100g each of dyed merino in Blueberry, Raspberry and Beansprout and 100g of white alpaca. Any tips on using alpaca? That's new to me. Pah, I need the weather to be less hot, my hands are too sticky to spin at the moment Rolling Eyes

Mind you that's probably a good thing, I am actually supposed to be working .... Laughing

franney

they are gorgeous FC! Have fun spinning Very Happy

KnittingLadybird

FC that yarn is ace!...why not turn your square into a funky pocket? You could sew it onto an existing cushion and stick your remote control in it lol

FatCat

Thanks! I'm really pleased with it all.

Wildpurl

Wow! Fab fibre! Love the colours. No problem practising now anyway (apart from having to work, obviously)

I just spun an alpaca sample on Sunday, so with approximately 20 minutes experience I can say that it wasn't particularly difficult, in fact it should be easier than merino as the fibres are longer. For this reason, your fibre hand will need to be further away from your drafting hand than with merino.
I made mine into rolags after carding it, so it was very fluffy and light and what I believe is called woollen spun as opposed to worsted spun which is what you do with the carded and combed tops. But it will probably still be a bit more fluffy.

Ooh this spinning lark is that much fun that I think we need a CT&Y get together. Maybe CJ could give us tuition, but in any case we could just sit around all day spinning and squishing fibre and yarn.

Anyone interested?

franney

YESYESYES!! Carol, that's a fab idea Very Happy

I'd like to comment on your spinning but i'm too excited to now Very Happy

FatCat

Oooh. OK, sensible polite stuff first Very Happy

Thank you Carola, theadvice about the alpaca is really helpful. I shall look forward to giving that a go.

and now ...... SQUEEE!!! Yes yes yes, I really think we should have a meet up! toothy7

I can get to most places in the South, with a bit of planning, and with the help of Mr FC being based in London, I can get North too if need be Very Happy

There must be something we can all work out! Very Happy

CJ

I love spinning alpaca. what Carol said. Wink

It is easier than merino as it's not as slippy. Don't put too much twist in it though, else it feels like string apparantly. Laughing

I'd love a meet up - I'm in Shropshire though, so can't do south of england. Smile

FatCat

CJ

at FC.

well, technically I could possibly get to the SE of England, as my parents live in Bucks. But it would require DH to take time off and planning cos he'd have to have the kids - I'm not bringing them. Razz

Travelwise, I can get to Birmingham pretty easily in the car, Manchester/Liverpool/London on the train.