Spinning and Yarn Porn

[gnomenapper]

I am going to try to use my drop spindle tomorrow. No more staring at it and then putting it aside. I can't knit every day because I don't want to kill my wrist, so perhaps spinning will be a nice in between hobby.

Okay so here is what I have (not including books, I have a few of those my Mum -I'll pimp my Dad's blog too, it has embarrassing

Comments

[dianadisaster]

I'm very curious about that thingamajig that is in pieces, but i've never seen anything like it, that's for sure.

I still have my drop spindle, and I still haven't touched it. You said you had some youtube videos, though? Any recommendations? I need to be inspired, and not totally afraid of the spindle anymore.

[gnomenapper]

I have this one saved: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=drXid5cT0y8
But I just did a search on drop spinning, and a few others came up that look pretty good. I guess it depends on what type of spindle you have.. top/bottom whirl.

[gnomenapper]

That video I gave you actually was updated on her site: These look to be pretty great.
Grass_stained left a great link in my comments as well, which shows the 3 steps: drafting, spinning, and making the skein.

[ofparsnip]

I have a swift, but not a ball-winder (by choice), so I just wind by hand, and I have to say that I actually like it. There's no worries about winding the yarn too tightly, and I like "getting to know" the yarn a bit before I start knitting with it. :-) But that's just me.

Oh, and I really want to learn how to spin, but I have no time. Ask me again in a year and a half (after I've graduated and taken the bar, lol), and I'll say yes, I promise! :-D

Until then, I don't need ANOTHER addiction -- the knitting is enough. (But, let me tell you. That red roving? Makes me want to learn how to spin RIGHT NOW.)

[gnomenapper]

I have made a few balls- but most of the yarn I've used so far is ready to go. To wind up leftovers I've done the wind and wind around a piece of cardboard- but to be honest I'm pretty bad at it. :P

[grass_stained]

That unidentifiable thing is a niddy noddy. After you've spun the yarn on the spindle, you could wind it off onto the niddy noddy to either ply it with another strand of yarn, I think. I haven't gotten far enough into spinning to understand all the intricacies.

I've started spinning on a top whorl spindle (I sort of alluded to this on a blog post recently, with some pretty fiber I picked up from my friend Gherkin), but I'm discovering that I really need to perfect my pre-drafting. Eventually I'll get around to taking some pictures of my first attempts and sharing them. You appear to have a bottom whorl spindle, so our techniques are slightly different.

This lady has a few spinning videos, including one on drafting, that I find helpful. It'll be a bit different, because she does use a top whorl, but the drafting might bit at least might help

[gnomenapper]

Thank-you!!
I did see the post about the gherkin fiber and your interest in spinning- how is it going for you? I'm going to watch as much as possible and then see how it goes. I'm pretty anxious about it, but have dreams of sitting and spinning in the evenings while watching tv and such. My Mum is pretty much spinning anytime she can, just for the relaxation- and what she produces is amazing. I'm never going to be a weaver (she's amazing- in museums and such, feel free to check out the blog I linked to.) but spinning seems like it is attainable. But first things first- drop spindle then hopefully followed by a spinning wheel.
There are stories circulating about people finding great old spinning wheels in antique shops and such for super cheap, but in the past year I've yet to see one. Ebay prices are pretty much the same as retail prices.
I do enjoy my macro function- but I have to be more patient and wait for natural light. I think a great amount of talent in involved in your beautiful photos as well. ;)

[grass_stained]

Spinning isn't really going full-steam ahead for me at the moment. Partly because I haven't had time to really get into it, and partly because I'm waiting on a friend to send me a drop spindle and some spare roving (I'm borrowing a friend's spindle and roving, but I'd feel bad using all of hers up and then not having anything to teach her with). Hopefully I'll get some more quality time to practice soon, but I've got a few knitting projects that I MUST FINISH.

[gnomenapper]

This website has some great videos: http://www.abbysyarns.com/
She goes into real detail about the drafting and why things do the things they do. (I need to know everything- it's just my personality type. Some people can blindly go into something- not me, I need to know why things are the way they are so I can replicate it properly.)
A few entries down is her 2 part video that I'm really digging.

[kira_snugz]

ohhh once you get started, want me to send you some raw fleece? so you can try the entire process? its really easy, and it cool to be able to go, i did that from start to finish.

i've dropped off on my spinning lately, but i picked it up again with some mystery fiber this week.

and would you like some book recs?
i found this one book i got at the library was much better than any of the stuff i found online

[gnomenapper]

I would absolutely love that! I'm sitting here watching videos preparing to get started and I'm getting more and more excited. Once I have in my mind to master something, I'm as stubborn as a mule until I get it.
Starting from raw sounds amazing. The whole process is fascinating to me- from sheep to sweater sort of thing. If you can recall the name of the book I'd love to give it a look for sure.