Spinning Chatter

For those of you who don't know Kate has left Knit Picks and has also
left the Knit Picks community. She will certainly be missed.
Unfortunately when Kate left the community, it deleted any discussions
she had started. This was not her intention. So here is a new "Spinning Chatter"
discussion area. So please leave your comments here. In no
time at all, we will have this discussion filled with tons of
information. So if there is a comment that was discussed before and you
need a refresher please post again and someone will jump in as usual.

Tags: batts, breeds, dyeing, fiber, questions, roving, sheep, spin, wheels, yarn

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Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by cherylbwaters on May 1, 2012 at 11:15am

Wow, it looks like you are using a WooLee Winder!

Permalink Reply by wendy on May 1, 2012 at 11:52am

Ah, how I'd love to have a WooLee Winder, but I know that is not something that's going to happen in my lifetime. Too many other fibery tools I'd love to have first. Extra fine combs, English combs, large blending hackle, drumcarder, etc, etc, etc! Oh if only I were the King of Siam! lol

Permalink Reply by cherubhmm on May 2, 2012 at 1:13am

Wow, thank you guys for all your comments. Yes I think it is uneven winding on the bobbin when I spin. I must concentrate more. And yes, I do lose the end and can't find it again at times and have to use the dreaded scissors! I was also trying to be 'clever', and Andean ply (which I have done successfully before) but this time my bracelet got in a knot...I think my technique was off, and I ended up with a blue finger...two tight! So all in all a complete failure and yarn lost...I suppose I could have done something with it. At least it was only one bobbin, but a bobbin takes a long time to spin up for me.

A question...why and how do you put dimes (I think they are!) into your finished bobbin? Is it a tradition?? Also I'm heading back over to Florida...Miami Beach this time...any yarn stores there or is it too hot for Woolley hobbies!!

Permalink Reply by wendy on May 2, 2012 at 6:24am

I think, at least for me when first spinning - that most people forget that they need to move the single along on the bobbin because they are concentrating so much on the other motions of spinning, feet, hands, drafting, etc. I still find myself spinning along in la-la land only to suddenly realize I need to move the glide on the arm of the flyer so I don't have the disaster I had at first. The WooLee Winder is a great help for not having to remember this, as it does all the work for you and creates beautifully wound bobbins.

As far as yarn being lost, maybe you could use those bits and pieces with another yarn while plying, creating an art yarn all your own! But I hear you on the amount of time you spent on it. Consider it a great lesson learned.

The coin is used to give some kind of reference point as to the size or thickness of the single.

Blue finger syndrome - yikes! lol I've yet to try Andean plying. I was shown last month how to do it, but cannot remember how to start the wrapping procedure correctly. I guess that is what makes it work or not. I have just a bit of single I need to do this to so I can use this small bit of yarn to a project I've decided to lengthen.

ETA - Oh yes, have fun in Florida! I don't know about the yarn shops, maybe someone else will have an idea. :o)

Permalink Reply by Susan the Blue Lake Knitter on May 2, 2012 at 6:54am

I do know there is a good LYS in or near Sarasota, FL, but I'm not sure about Miami.

Permalink Reply by cherylbwaters on May 2, 2012 at 9:54am

Heather, here are the search results of my search for knit shops in Miami. Note that the first two are paid ads. The Woolie Ewe is near Dallas, TX and is not in Miami.

Permalink Reply by cherubhmm on May 2, 2012 at 1:13am

This is superb spinning...beautiful!

Permalink Reply by wendy on May 2, 2012 at 6:26am

Why thank you! :o)

Permalink Reply by christina | AlohaBlu on May 2, 2012 at 11:46am

what a great idea - thanks for posting the photos (and your spinning is lovely).

Permalink Reply by wendy on May 6, 2012 at 8:15pm

Thanks Christina!

Permalink Reply by wendy on May 1, 2012 at 11:20am

Ok I will try this again. I edited my reply and now I think it is lost in cyber space - lol

Heather, I am no expert, but what you are describing sounds like something that happened to me when I first got my wheel. I lost the end of the single, so I tried to find it using a piece of tape, just like Cheryl suggested. I could not find it, so I had to cut the single (yikes!) and try to unwind it. What I found, and I think may be the problem you are having , is that I had not wound the bobbin evenly enough, there by the most recently spun part of the single ended up underneath a previously spun part of the single because it fell down over it, and did this repeatedly. Does this make any sense? It was a mess. What I ended up doing to remedy this was to take the bobbin off, put it on the lazy kate, and then re-wound this single onto another bobbin. I had to be very careful, and it took a good amount of time, but I was able to un-do my mess. I was pretty pleased with the resulting yarns, and I learned a good lesson. :o)

Since that time, I have used Nutty's explanation of evenly winding a bobbin. I have found this to be extremely helpful, and I have not had this problem since. I make sure to create an "X" frequently to help keep the single from falling down over more recently spun fiber.

I hope this helps you. :o)

I don't know if the pictures will be above or below this reply, but maybe that will explain it much better. Good luck!

Permalink Reply by wendy on May 1, 2012 at 11:32am

OMG, These are amazing! What a nice friend you have. These are going to be fun to dye, if that's what you decide to do. No matter what you decide to do, these are going to be fun to play with. :o)

Susan, that is exactly what I was thinking. Isn't that just so 'cool beans'?