I was so proud of myself for finishing the bag of blue fluff yesterday - until I went stash diving and found *the other bag* full of 250g of prepped blue fluff for this project. Whoopsie. Guess I'm going to fill at least two more bobbins with this.
So far so good! I’ve exceeded my goal each day!
Guys 😭
I've found moths in my pheromone moth trap on my closet. Now I'm looking through my yarn stash Ina separate closet and found this. They are very small, hard things. When I opened one some orange goo came out. Could these be moth eggs?
I'm kinda freaking out here
New to spinning - first time Tour De Fleece participant. Early race injury!!
I was very fortunate and had the opportunity to rent two Kromski spinners. A Sonata and a Symphony.
So gorgeous!
I drafted and spun for a few hours Saturday and Sunday. Some right handed crochet. I’d been having some finger pain on and off after days of sewing or crocheting. I am a software engineer so I type constantly during work hours.
Unsurprisingly I guess, I’ve got some bad pain now. My left wrist specifically. I didn’t spin yesterday and iced it. Today it’s in a brace.
I know I have to rest it but how long?! Does anyone have rules of thumb or advice on being smart about hand and wrist pain?
I’ve got two gorgeous wheels for the next few weeks.
I got a new spindle, and I'm wondering if it's user error or the spindle, but it isn't great.
It gets a lot of wobble and backspins very quickly. Instead of a round cup hook on top, its square, but I make sure the yarn is coming off of the top of the hook. I'll post an up close picture in the comments.
i’m gonna spin by color and play with the layout of them for a shawl when i finish!!! also my rambouillet cobweb!!! i finished the bobbin there’s 30-40 grams or so on there i cant remember. several large chunks of top around 7g and then another oz of rolags (trying things to figure out my wheel and see what i like!)
Fiber: 75% Blue Faced Leicester, 15% mohair, 10% silk, blended and dyed by SweetGeorgia Yarns, in colourways Natural and Tanzanite
Yarn construction: 4 ply (2S, 2Z, plied in S) opposing ply, 17-22 WPI, 25° twist, 1500-1900 ypp grist (it's pretty dense lol)
Tool: Ashford Traditional wheel on the 12:1 whorl
Sock pattern: Cabled Trellis Socks by Westknits on Ravelry
Took about a month alternating between spinning 12g batches of each colour and knitting. This was my 3rd pair of socks ever so I'm pretty excited about these! Took a lot of swatching in the beginning to figure out the opposing ply but it was worth it.
I just barely fit all of this on one bobbin! It’s late, I’ll measure and finish it tomorrow.
Bought a kit two days ago and wasted half the fiber with my first few unsuccessful attempts but I finally got the hang of it and this is my very thick and thin first skein! Not what I was going for but I’m obsessed with it
Hi all, I’ve just purchased a (beautiful!) Russian style supported spindle, and was wondering if anyone had any advice for using it when it arrives! I’ve got a little metal dish to spin it on (as it has a metal tip) and I’m very comfortable spinning on a drop spindle already so hoping it’s not massively different! One specific thing I’m wondering is how on earth do you get the fibre to stay on the spindle and near the top when I’m spinning, as theres no hook like I’m used to on my drop spindles.
Any other general advice is appreciated!
Edit: Wow, thanks for all the helpful tips and encouragement! I probably won't be able to respond to everyone but I appreciate you all. 😍
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Hi everyone! I've been an avid knitter for nearly 30 years but never had the slightest interest in learning to spin. (Even when I worked for a year in a LYS that taught spinning classes!) Last fall I watched someone spinning at a fiber festival (which I've done many times before) and since then I've been increasingly interested in trying it out. I wonder why my interest suddenly increased. Anyway, I ordered a drop spindle (top whirl) and a small package of gorgeous purple Corriedale fiber, and they are now on my table. I'm finding myself a little bit nervous to start trying, but not because of how hard it will be to learn. I'm actually afraid that I'll like it so much that I'll devote less time to actually knitting! Have any of you experienced stress from how to divide your time between spinning and knitting, and if so, how did you figure out a balance? (I'm aware that I may be jumping the gun here, because it's entirely possible it'll be too frustrating and I'll give it up, but this is where my head is at the moment...so excited but also nervous.)
79m, 14.5g, and the takhli I spun it on. Very uneven! But one of my TDF goals is to make progress with cotton and flax, and this spin has taken some of the fear away. Now to wash it, and allow myself some wool for the afternoon.
Hello Spinners! I am new to the craft and have been LOVING my drop spindle. I would love to purchase a wheel at some point. I was just poking around Facebook marketplace and this popped up in my area. I wasn’t necessarily looking to buy a wheel this soon but if this is a good find then would consider it. I would love to know if this is a good deal / is it worth buying?
Thanks for any advice you can offer!
This would be my first wheel. Double treadle. Asking price is $700. About 20 years old but appears well cared for. Apparently comes with 4 standard and 2 jumbo bobbins, the jumbo and regular flyers, a lazy Kate, and newer drive bands for both flyers.
Planning to go test it out in the morning.
I learned to spin a few months ago on a different castle style wheel (Kromski maybe). Since then have experimented with drop spindles.
There are several features of the Lendrum that I like:
-Scotch tension
-Compactness and portability
-Flexibility. Jumbo to very fast flyers exist...if i can get ahold of them
-Adjustable thread guides (seems like a smart feature)
The price seems reasonable based on research but I wasn't sure how the age might factor into this. Also of concern is the fact that the wheels themselves aren't being made anymore, although it appears that replacement parts can still be ordered from the Lendrum website? Any input appreciated. Thanks!
Hi everyone,
I’m currently looking into buying a modern spinning wheel (most likely something like a Kromski Sonata Encore or an Ashford Kiwi 3).
Many of these wheels use sealed ball bearings in the wheel hub. In theory, they are supposed to be very low maintenance and long-lasting. However, I also read mixed opinions about whether these bearings can actually fail over time or whether replacement is difficult or even intended at all.
So I’d really appreciate some practical experiences from long-term users:
Thanks a lot in advance for sharing your experiences!
This is what those two bobbins ended up looking like. Really quite happy with how they turned out for something that was in time out for over 12 months. Not sure if I want to weave or knit with them so I will have a sit and think about that.
Hi guys, I just bought my first raw fleece, skirted and scoured it and it came out looking like the first photo. I dont have carders yet so a friend lent me a blending board and said that would work instead but it came out like the second photo where the fibre just won't align and look clumpy. I just wanted to know whether switching to carders will fix the problem or if it's because I felted my wool when scouring.
My first TdF project is a 150g Romney braid which I divided into three parts.
This will be a true 3ply sock yarn, the first bobbin is done and the second one started!
Love how this is coming along ❤️
And its with rose fibre because the wool i have needs washing and carding first . I can see myself getting the hang of it more and getting more consistent but it is definitely much harder than I thought it would be.
Day 2 of TDF and I'm 100g down on my 2lb BFL challenge and I've got time to spin to spare tonight to get ahead for the weekday spinning sessions 🥳
The plan is to get the singles finished by the end of TDF and then to ply them with any remaining time/ after TDF concludes.