A Little Spinning
I haven't been doing a whole lot of knitting for the past couple of days. Instead, I've been playing around with some more of my Handspun by Stefania roving, this one dyed with indigo. In spite of the recent influx of pink on this blog, blue is really my favorite color.
This roving (I wish I could remember what type of sheep it is from) has a relatively long staple -- 3-5" and makes for a nice learning fiber -- especially after I realized that I should work with it on my heavier drop spindle. Rather than trying to co-ordinate too much as I understand how the spinning process works, I am doing the spin and park method and drafting out the fiber while the spindle is parked. This has helped me understand the drafting process a little bit better, as well as to get a sense of how much twist is a good amount of twist.
I'm relatively pleased with how even this yarn came out. I feel like I am finally getting the handle on the drafting process, and how to do it in an even manner. What I am not so pleased about is how fuzzy this yarn is. I think this has to do with not catching all the fibers in the twist. Perhaps it's also a property of this fiber and it's just meant to make a slightly fuzzy yarn. In any event, it will soon be time to ply. I'm thinking of trying out plying via an Andean plying bracelet so that I can avoid having to figure out how to spin a second, equal length single to ply with.
Even though I haven't mastered drop-spindling by any stretch of the imagination, I am beginning to understand the addictive quality of spinning. It really is soothing and does help me clear my mind of things I'd prefer would leave my head. I'm beginning to think more and more about that Ashford Traditional that's waiting for a few simple repairs...
they look pretty even to me! I'm not a spinner though......I can imagine how it must be really relaxing.
I've found spinning to be totally addictive. I recently picked up a couple of spindles at www.simplemarketfarms.com, and I love my Briar Rose! Sleeping Beauty is probably the standard size, and Briar Rose is a bit smaller--And I keep spinning, and spinning, and spinning on the thing! I'm on my third hank, and with the small size of it, you can spin a very fine thread on it, and I think that even 2 plies would still be fingering or sport weight at most.... So that's miles and miles (ok, yards and yards) of natural colored lace-weight singles....now what to make with them.... Of course, there's still about a pound of the natural color left..... :)
Huge improvement! I went directly "to wheel" - yet another way to indulge our obsession!
Coopworth, I think.
The singles look great. Unless you are spinning from combed top (which you aren't...that's when all the little fibers have been pre-aligned for you) there will be some halo around a long-staple wool. Ply it and wet finish it before judging it too harshly.
You look like you're doing great to me! I've been neglecting my spinning lately (caught up in my Peacock shawl), but finally sat down at my wheel the other night and was reminded at how much fun it is. I did the park-and-draft method on my drop spindle for a while before I was able to actually, you know, drop without, um, DROPping! You'll get there, and more importantly, it sounds like you're having fun on the way. Woo hoo!
Oil up that wheel, baybeee....
Looking good! You'll be getting that wheel up and running in no time :)
Welcome to the world of spinning!! Now there is only one more addiction left for you--dying your own fiber to spin! That would be a perfect mate to your sock habit!
It looks beautiful! I kinda like the fuzziness too. It is so even! :)
That's a lesson I learned the hard way... my brain is not a safe place to store information. Now I write down all the pertinent info about a fiber and the finished yarn (wool type, source, washability, yardage, color, yarn weight, etc). Makes for a lot less frustration when actually using the yarn to knit up a project.
If I read more of your spinning posts - and I sure will - I think I will be drawn into the addiction of spinnig too. I already feel tempted. Looks lovely to my eyes!
i started spinning with a drop spindle in the last two weeks and i am addicted. i have gone through about a pound of rovings, and have dyed most of them with koolaid out of necessity. i cannot believe how thin and even your yarn is!! mine is very...textural. still gorgeous though. if you check back, i will be putting some more up to-morrow.
smoochies!
natasha
so, i got a wheel, since last i left a comment, a month ago...and i still think your yarn looks really great! strange question...what kind of camera do you take you blog photos with, they look great!