Woolgatherings BFL Roving
Until recently, I had absolutely no desire to learn to spin yarn. Why? I thought, when there’s so much perfectly wonderful yarn available, would I want to go to all the trouble to make my own? I can’t explain what happened. It sort of snuck up on me, this spin hunger. A friend gifted me a handmade inlaid wood spindle along with some purple/pink mystery fiber while learning to make it into yarn, I fell completely in love with spindling. I find this to be the most relaxing process. Completely different than knitting – spindling is more mindless and meditative for me. With no charts or patterns to follow, I just go to my happy place and watch the beautiful fiber become even prettier string, hypnotized by the loveliness of it all.
I taught myself spinning on a drop spindle with the help of Abby Franquemont’s book, Respect the Spindle and YouTube videos. I especially like how theartofmegan video breaks down spindling into a few easy steps, taking the mystery right out of it. As a brand new spinner, her method works for me perfectly – splitting my roving into thin strips, pre-drafting, then using the park and draft method, putting spin into my prepared roving and winding it onto my spindle. The resulting yarn is called singles.
Park and Draft
I’ve read that most new spinners tend to over spin their yarn. That’s where plying comes in. When you ply two or more thicknesses of your singles together, (spinning them together in the opposite direction than you originally spun them), it all tends to even out. I do this in the simplest possible way, winding them into balls of equal length, then twisting them together on my spindle. I know there’s tools that can make this process easier, such as a Lazy Kate, but for now, considering my thick and thin, slightly lumpy yarn – simple is best.
The fiber used here is Blue Faced Leicester from Woolgatherings Gosh, she has pretty stuff! I ended up with 85 yards of bulky weight 2-ply from the 4 oz braid. Next I’d like to try Polworth. This is the thing to aspire to, I think. To learn to spin different fibers.
Let me say, for the record, that I have no desire whatsoever to learn to spin on a spinning wheel.
None. I’ll let you know how long that lasts.
You had my thoughts exactly!! Meaning this: “When there’s so much perfectly wonderful yarn available, would I want to go to all the trouble to make my own”. I hope the mystic thing that happened to you won’t happen to me…
Just look away, Hanna! Save yourself while you still can! 😀
I’m pretending you did not show and tell us how easy it is to spin yarn.
Haven’t experienced using other wonderful yarn out there enough yet. lol
So, putting my blinders on for now!! lol Beautiful yarn, tho!
♥♥♥
i love this post and your handspun looks amazing..etsy is like a treasure trove of fiber..im buying myself a spindle for xmas for sure this year!
Yay for a new spindle! But there’s another treasure trove for you – the amazing array of gorgeous wooden spindles. I have such a wish list! Have fun shopping ♥
do you have any suggestions of a wooden spondle for a person learning to spin
thanks Julie
It doesn’t have to be beautiful or special, it just has to spin! 🙂 I’ve seen spindles made from CD’s and dowels that work quite well.
I have every desire in the world to learn how to spin but I’m so confused and scared to use a drop spindle. The horror stories that I have heard… but the urge to do it might win out… might.
It might? Oh dear, Amy. I’m afraid to tell you, I think you’re already lost. You’ll be spinning like a mad woman before you know it!
…and when it happens, I do hope you’ll come back and share photos…
I know. I’ve told my husband that if one just shows up, I’ll have no other choice but to learn… subtlety isn’t his strong suit… lol.
♥!
Well, you’ve got another convert here! I didn’t know spinning could be affordable (I thought you needed a $600 wheel and a room big enough to house it) so now I’ve bought myself some roving from Woolgatherings as well, along with a drop spindle 🙂 I’ve been looking through youtube videos as well and can’t wait to try it out! Any tips for a newbie? Your handspun looks gorgeous!
Hi Holly! Yay for spinning! Wish we still lived close so we could try it together. I loved the youtube video from The Art of Megan that I linked above. I think that really helped me alot by simplifying all the information for me. Also, all of Abby Franquemont’s videos are helpful. I’m a park and draft girl, trying to practice drafting while my spindle is in motion. I’m starting to get it….for very short periods. 🙂 I’d say, let pre-drafting be your friend and have fun playing! What spindle did you buy? I need more spindles! 😀 I bought some pretty Polworth fiber to try next.
I went ahead and got this kit I found on Etsy: http://www.etsy.com/listing/80474422/drop-spindle-learn-to-spin-kit
It comes with some roving and a little booklet. I hear the Ashford spindles are good so I just went with that one! Wasn’t sure what to look for but it seemed like a good deal, since it comes with some fiber to try out before I use the good stuff 😉 Thanks for all the tips, really excited to try it out! I agree that “parking” the spindle seems like a good approach for beginners. I’ll definitely blog about my attempts, I do wish we could make a “spinning date” in person! 🙂
Y’know what? That looks like a great deal! I’m excited to hear about your spinning adventures 🙂
I just found this blog entry today. Was it fate? I told my husband several years ago that if I ever said I wanted to learn to spin, he just needed to kill me then. (hee, hee) A couple of days ago, I was reading about spinning and looking at spinning wheels online. But I couldn’t see investing a lot of money in something I hadn’t tried and didn’t know if I would enjoy. I’d never even thought of a drop spindle. This shows you how much I really know about spinning. Perhaps I’ll do some research so I know what to ask for when Mother’s Day comes around. 🙂
LOL! I can so relate! There’s no way I could imagine wanting to do this and I still can’t imagine wanting a spinning wheel. I’m obsessed with the spindles and all that go along with them. I won’t say never though. I’ve learned my lesson. I’m a fickle crafter. Who knows what rabbit hole I’ll fall down next? 🙂 Hope you enjoy the spindling if you decide to go that route!
Okay, I’m intrigued. I’m one of those people who want to learn everything. I’ve been thinking about spinning for a while, but I really wonder about how practical it is financially. Yeah, I’m one of those, too. So, do you find that it saves money when compared to quality yarns? Or is it just one of those things you learn, just because you can? Because I can rationalize doing that if I have to. I know… I’m a mess. I can already see my husband shaking his head in bewilderment.
LOL Tammy! I cracked up when I read your comment because I’m so much the same way. I go in phases. Sometimes one little aspect, such as price, is so important to me, other times it’s the challenge, or environmental concerns(like when I got into dyeing with natural materials for awhile), etc etc.
Okay, so just like any other crafting, you can definately attack this from the angle that’s meaningful to you. If savings is the motivator, you can buy undyed roving for much less $$ and make it into a gorgeous yarn by dyeing it and spinning it yourself. For instance, at my LYS I was getting undyed superwash merino roving for 28.00 per pound – 7.00 per 4 oz.
Now the problem comes in, if you count your time into the value – forget it! You’ll have weeks of your time into this by the time it becomes a pretty skein of sock yarn. But it will be gorgeous and one of a kind too. If you buy some of the beautiful handdyed fibers available from indy dyers, you’ll already have the price of a skein of luxury sock yarn into it when you begin, but oh my goodness. The joy of it all. 🙂 It’s difficult to explain how the satisfaction in your finished object multiplies when you first spun, then knit the item.
LOL I was exactly the same. Why spin when I already had more yarn than I had time to use? Then my daughter asked how yarn was made and we got a pair of spindles. Then i had to try different types. Top whirl, bottom whirl, supported, turkish (my current fave). People would ask when i was getting a wheel, but with so many more types of spindles yet to try and so much easier to find a place for storing (or rather displaying), why would i ever need a wheel? Then someone gave me a wheel… Good luck.
Lol! And down the rabbit hole we go! 😂