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I've made two skeins of yarn now! They're both 2-ply plain brown wool, but I'm inordinately proud of myself. I'd take pictures if I had a camera. Now I'm starting to run out of roving the nice lady gave me, and I'm wondering where I should get more. What's a good place to buy cheap, beginning wool? I don't really want to get anything really nice until I can spin somewhat consistently. ...not that this is going to stop me from buying alpaca roving at the Farmers Market next week, but alpaca is delicious and I must have some.
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Nov 22, 2010 06:35
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MarsDragon posted:I've made two skeins of yarn now! They're both 2-ply plain brown wool, but I'm inordinately proud of myself. I'd take pictures if I had a camera. Way to go! I warn you alpaca is a jerk and will protest being spun. I never got the hang out of it till I just sat and spun 4 ounces over the Tour de Fleece; once you do, though, it's so awesome! So be prepared to be super frustrated with it some. Knitpicks has some roving, and I imagine that it's nice (as it looks to be the same blend as their actual yarn). The price isn't that bad at all, for how much you get. Another option is The Spinning Loft, which is one of my favourite stores. I rarely get to visit it in person, but even online the owner and her daughter(?) are the best--and they both know a lot about fiber, so if you have questions, they're happy to help. If there are any yarn stores in your area, you could also check if any of them happen to be yarn and spinning stores. If they are, you could give it a look. I know that's a lot less common, but maybe you'll get lucky!
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Nov 22, 2010 16:03
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Wedemeyer posted:This is tremendously beautiful. Thought I'd post some of my recently spun. I haven't been able to spend too much time spinning since I got a job, but on the other hand, hooray! i have a job. Romney dyed by Spunky Eclectic:  Click here for the full 804x605 image. Merino dyed by me:  Merino/Silk plied with a Romney/Alpaca blend.  more Merino dyed by me: 
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Nov 24, 2010 06:19
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SCOOTY I WANT THAT LIME GREEN YARN
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Nov 24, 2010 11:21
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It's in my etsy shop  http://algernonrex.etsy.com You'll get the 15% Goon rebate. (Offer good until 2011) I feel like a mattress commercial.
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Nov 24, 2010 21:45
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Scooty Puff Jr. posted:It's in my etsy shop Can you not sell it for like 2 days  I didn't notice you had 2 and I get paid on Friday. Man that is some great stuff.
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Nov 25, 2010 01:23
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I'll label it as reserved, and it shall be yours!
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Nov 25, 2010 06:02
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FelicityGS posted:Way to go! Good to know about alpaca...well, if nothing else it's something to strive for. I checked my local yarn store, and they had spindles and some roving in the back! I got some black and grey pencil roving, it spins up into a really pretty striped yarn. The spindle is a little light for me, I'd like something heavier...eventually. Thanks for all the advice!
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Nov 27, 2010 08:06
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Scooty Puff Jr. posted:I'll label it as reserved, and it shall be yours! And I am purchasing it as we speak! 
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Nov 28, 2010 01:36
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Two things to add here! One: I knit a hat for my grandmother out of handspun alpaca from this year's tour de fleece.  Click here for the full 1280x960 image. It's Fern Glade from Knitty Winter 08. I love that hat. Two: I dyed up some Corridale so that it changes from one colour to another over the whole yarn, in one slow shift. Or self stripes, if I spin it that way. I don't think I'll want to keep it, but I'm showing it off here anyway!  Click here for the full 1280x960 image.  Click here for the full 960x1280 image. There's enough here for a pair of matching-ish socks. I'm likely going to spin it up after all the holiday knitting is done and sell the yarn; naturally I'll post a picture of the yarn when it's done!
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Dec 1, 2010 23:12
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We finally got the etsy store open (yay) and put up the finished merino/mohair yarn I posted earlier: http://www.etsy.com/shop/TwoSiberiansFiber  And a couple of hats I had finished. I'll have more going up after Christmas, especially some art yarns I'm dying to play with. (Note: Kittehs not included with purchase) 
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Dec 2, 2010 00:46
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Anyone have a way to make hand carding FEEL more efficient? Or at least make it more fun? I have a WHOLE SHEEP'S WORTH of wool (I bought a fleece), and it needs to be carded before it's yarned. I don't have/can't afford a drum carder. Hand carding is boring to me. I somehow feel like I'm doing it wrong.
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Dec 2, 2010 02:41
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It is pretty slow going. I felt like I was doing it wrong for a long time too--make sure you don't overload, but too little is bad too. I ended up discovering that combing is my favourite way. Another option is to use your carder to flick open the lock and just spin that straight off, though it won't get the same airiness that actual carding does. If there's a fibery store anywhere nearby, you could see if they rent out their drum carder--some places do something like that. As for fun, I usually listen to NPR, audio books, or podcasts. Sometimes I watch LPs, so long as I don't need to actually see every second of what's going on.
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Dec 2, 2010 03:03
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My yarn from you should ship faster so I can make myself something warm and show it to you. 
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Dec 6, 2010 10:00
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Argh, so busy knitting Christmas presents I have no time to spin...I'm gonna forget how!
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Dec 6, 2010 14:38
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Captain Stinkybutt posted:My yarn from you should ship faster so I can make myself something warm and show it to you. hopefully it will be there soon. 'twas shipped on tuesday.
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Dec 6, 2010 17:25
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Bob Shadycharacter posted:Argh, so busy knitting Christmas presents I have no time to spin...I'm gonna forget how! That's how I felt. Then I started spinning for five minutes before bed. I may still forget, but at least I'm playing with pretty fiber. 
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Dec 6, 2010 20:50
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Well, I'm the proud new owner of this: And I'm incredibly excited! I just had to share with like-minded individuals, as I won't be able to actually try anything until after finals. But yay!
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Dec 9, 2010 23:10
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rear end Crackers! posted:Well, I'm the proud new owner of this: Yaaaaaaaay! What kind of fiber is it?
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Dec 10, 2010 01:17
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I'm pretty sure it's wool. I actually got it for the person portion of PISSmass this year.
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Dec 10, 2010 02:28
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Welcome to the spinning side! I hope you have lots of fun once your finals are done.
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Dec 10, 2010 03:38
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Alright, so I'd like to get a few resources before diving in. What are a few good books/dvds I should pick up? I'm a much better visual leaner, if that helps. Thanks in advance!
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Dec 14, 2010 01:39
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rear end Crackers! posted:Alright, so I'd like to get a few resources before diving in. What are a few good books/dvds I should pick up? I'm a much better visual leaner, if that helps. Thanks in advance! Abby Franquemont's Respect the Spindle--the book has glorious photos, and there is a DVD available (you mention being visual). Abby knows her stuff, and everything you need to know to get started and do a bit of the more complicated stuff* is all there. *balanced plying, nondrop spindles
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Dec 14, 2010 02:42
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That looks great, thanks again. Now to put it on my Christmas list!
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Dec 14, 2010 02:57
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rear end Crackers! posted:That looks great, thanks again. Now to put it on my Christmas list! There's also a "teach your self visually handspinning" book which is pretty good as well.
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Dec 14, 2010 03:19
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In pretty pretty fibers that I've spun lately, I've managed to get 2 ounces of brown alpaca down in about two days. This fiber is so lovely, and I'm really proud of this batch of yarn. I don't know a yardage yet, but it varies from fingering weight to a few slubby bits of DK. It's very squishy, very warm, and balanced just enough. Click here for the full 1280x960 image.  Click here for the full 1280x960 image. I've got six more ounces left, but I'm not sure what I'm going to do with it. My next project is to spin a similar weight/loft yarn in white alpaca (2 ounces), black (2 ounces), and a dyed dusky green (2 ounces) so I can make a set of stranded mitts.
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Dec 14, 2010 03:29
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Amykinz posted:Throughout the years, I have noticed a curious phenomenon, many of the knitters I spoke to or read their blogs had started researching and practicing spinning. This lead me to two conclusions: 1) I want to spin!, and 2) Knitting is a gateway drug. Wow, that is really quite a thorough posting, I admit I haven't read through it all yet, I was just really exicted to find a spinning thread here. I just rec'd an Ashford Traditional Double Drive wheel for Christmas and, amazingly, 7 POUNDS of wool, already carded even. I look forward to reading through the rest of the thread and maybe having interesting info to add.
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Jan 8, 2011 21:40
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Captain Stinkybutt posted:Yeah I am all about playing with yarn. I'm trying so hard to drop spindle on and off but I really need to find someone to just show me in person what the hell I am doing wrong, which is pretty much what happened with knitting. Try to do it myself with books and Youtube, not so much. Someone in person, I pick it up in less than 12 hours. Have you tried to find a knitting or spinning guild in your area. They are one of those things you wouldn't imagine might exist but then you can magically find them. You may also search for local / semi-local fiber fairs, or sometimes even things like a ren-faire. Ravelry or Meetup might also help you find smaller spinning groups.
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Jan 8, 2011 21:54
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Captain Stinkybutt posted:BFL, which is supposed to be the easiest thing in the world. It is in big lumps and I have some batting but I don't really have a way to try carding it if that's what I'm supposed to be doing oh god I don't even know I've never tried spinning from the locks themselves. When I first started playing with a drop spindle, my aunt gave me a fleece of suffolk. Not an ideal fiber, but excellent practive. Because I am cheap, I didn't want to invest in expensive tools until I knew if I wanted to continue. Went to the pet store and bought some little dog slicker brushes. something like this: http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3738209 they're not excellent because you can only work with a small batch at a time, but the shape is right and they're inexpensive and can get you started with your BFL.
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Jan 8, 2011 21:59
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Devi posted:Does anyone have any good resources for beginners that they'd recommend? A LYS does offer spinning classes but it's not my favorite store and I'd rather not go to them unless it's a last resort. They also focus on wheels and I'd like to use a drop spindle. I've sunk enough money into this yarn thing for a while. I was lucky enough to be taught by a member of my knitting group.. but she had an extra copy of a book that i bought from her. Its maybe a little on the super simple side, but it has a ton of good information on everything from how to get used to the spin of your tools, to analyzing the twist of your yarn. http://www.amazon.com/Spinning-Old-Way-High-Whorl-Handspindle/dp/0966828984 This is the only book I have specific to drop spindling, so I can't speak much on any others, but it's one I'm happy to have on my bookshelf.
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Jan 8, 2011 22:04
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I just got TWELVE POUNDS of a beautiful butterscotch colored fleece! I see sweaters and socks and baby blankets and and and...
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Feb 6, 2011 05:25
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Is it already cleaned? If so, huzzah! 12 pounds! Otherwise, plan to lose about 30-50% of that weight after the wash. (But that's still oodles of fiber, way to go)
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Feb 6, 2011 05:28
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For any NoVA area spinning goons, there is a Fiber Farmers Market today at the Vienna Community Center. It's being sponsored by my LYS. http://uniquitiesyarnshop.com/?page_id=10 There will be a spinning circle, classes, drum carder demonstrations and usually booths by Virginia Fiber Mills and Spirit Trail Fibers. Goodbye, half my paycheck 
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Mar 12, 2011 15:46
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I think I plied my latest yarn in the same way I spun it. I wondered why it didn't seem to be plying very well. I already washed and finished it, so do I just...deal? It seems to be holding together okay....overspun as hell, but I think I beat that out of it. (not that I can tell for sure until it dries)
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Apr 18, 2011 00:21
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Another option: Just spin it again in the opposite direction. You'll need to add lots of twist, since you're undoing the ply step to basically "re-ply" in the proper direction. Then set it some water, just like normal. Voila! I usually end up having to do it twice because I never get quite enough twist in the first go round, but if you're careful/pay more attention than me it shouldn't be an issue.
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Apr 18, 2011 18:03
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Thank you, SA for informing me that I could spin my own yarn without expensive equipment. There is a severe shortage of good yarn in my (Australian) town and I am sooooo happy to know I can make my own. Ordered a spindle and some fiber this morning ^_^
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Apr 20, 2011 03:10
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So I learned to core spin this week... It looks like happy! e: hurf durf I can't work imgur. Also, crappy cell phone pic.
TastesLikeChicken fucked around with this message at 03:45 on Apr 21, 2011 |
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Apr 21, 2011 03:39
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Just a heads up, the Respect the Spindle video is available for download for 10c for a couple of days, from Interweave. Its in their digital products section.
Big Bug Hug fucked around with this message at 06:49 on Apr 28, 2011 |
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Apr 28, 2011 06:03
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Big Bug Hug posted:Just a heads up, the Respect the Spindle video is available for download for 10c for a couple of days, from Interweave. Awesome, I've been meaning to get this for a while. Thanks for the heads up!
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Apr 28, 2011 06:16
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Big Bug Hug posted:Just a heads up, the Respect the Spindle video is available for download for 10c for a couple of days, from Interweave. Its in their digital products section. Thank you so much, hope to learn this summer and couldn't pass it up for that cheap! Going to cross post to the knitting thread.
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Apr 28, 2011 07:37
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