Beginner’s Info: Part 3
This is the drop spindle version of spinning tutorials. The wheel version will be coming soon.
Time To Begin
Alright, you’ve got your spindle, some sort of wool, and a whole lot of excitement. Now you need a piece of pre-made yarn (commercial will do) about two to two-and-a-half feet long. Plain yarn is best. Don’t go for the fancy boucle or eyelash. Just some scrap yarn you have laying around. Alright, got it in your hand? This is your “leader” yarn. It is what makes it possible to easily begin the act of spinning. It’s what you’ll be attaching your fiber to and dangling your spindle from. In short, it’s your friend.
If you happen to be feeling ultra crafty and coordinated today, (or if you simply can’t wait long enough to go find yarn) the first tutorial below shows how to begin without a leader yarn.
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Beginner’s Info: Part 1
So you want to learn to spin? Good for you. You’re about to be initiated into the wonderful craft of spinning. Or, to turn it into its most basic process, the art of taking a handful of something and making into gorgeous yarns.
If you’re interested in spinning, chances are you’ve at least seen a spinning wheel before. Maybe you watched someone at a Living History demonstration, or perhaps you have a friend who keeps babbling on about their wonderful wheel, or maybe (like me) you picked up a magazine and got sucked into a world of color and texture. However you developed the interest you want to get started. So now is the time for me to stop telling you how much fun you’ll have and give you some hard facts.
What is spinning?
Spinning is putting twist into something to make it form a new, stronger shape. You can spin with three blades of grass and your fingers. You can spin with long strips of fabric and a heavy rock. You can spin with your hair and a messed up curler. But none of these are the cool ways to do it.
If you want to begin spinning, you’re going to need three things. Something to spin into yarn, something with which to spin that thing into yarn, and something to tell you how to do it.
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That was the question. Thankfully I figured it out. Throwing caution, a lack of a lazy kate, and normal procedures to the wind, I charged ahead into the unknown world of two ply. Here is the finished yarn I made from the teal/cream/brown variagated Romney roving. (Romney Jackpot)
Spun 2-ply
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I had to go without fiber for a few days. You can imagine my irritation. There I was, just beginning on the drop spindle, just getting to where I could actually do things with it, and I had to wait. Then one wonderful afternoon we came home from a day out and about (which included seeing a walking wheel! Also known as a great wheel) and found a box sitting on the front porch. Wha-hoo!
Natural Corridale, Carded
Here is the carded Corridale I got. At the time I didn’t realize it was carded, so when I started spinning it I was really suprised by how different it felt from the stuff I got at Hobby Lobby. It was much more . . . crinkled, and there were these little tiny knots or tangles that would come out of nowhere and put a big bump in my yarn. However, I figured it was the difference between wool breeds and kept spinning, despite the annoyance. (Top whorl.) I have come to the conclusion that I prefer the non-carded fiber because it drafts easier for me. Not that I wouldn’t like to try my hand at carding and blending fibers . . . (Carders are so expensive.)
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It all started in my aunt’s living room. My family and I were on vacation, and we were coming up with different ideas for cottage industries that I might be able to do. My dad thought of weaving, since I liked yarn, and in the process of researching looms and whatnot, my wonderful aunt brought out a copy of SpinOff magazine. I was hooked.
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