Whew! I spent a lot of time spinning yesterday!

I filled my spindle twice yesterday! I also found a stash of fibre from 10 years ago that is still in really good shape! I even have silk and two silk spindles, one is a supported spindle. I found silk that I had been spinning years ago and i can't figure out why I thought I wasn't any good!

Anyway I've now spun some long staple prepared fleece and some short staple, spongy, unprepared fleece. The short staple is what is on the spinlde above. Here's what I think I learned!

1) Your draw should match your staple length, long draw for long staple versus short draw for short staple length

2) Long draw/long staple length works standing up. Short draw/short staple length I can do standing up, but it's easier sitting down. However, this was mainly due to supporting the fibre with a distaff either would be easy to spin standing up.

3) Spinning and walking is not as difficult as I thought it would be!

4) I can see how easy it would be to spin a lot of fibre while chasing a toddler around an open area all day, especially if you have a walking distaff.

5) Unsurprisingly, I want a distaff! I'm so glad my husband has a lathe!!!!!!!!! :)

Anyone else have useful things they've learned about spinning this month?

Cheers,

Erica

Comments

pammersw

I've gone from even but about the thickness of worsted yarn, to 1/4 that thickness this week, with practice and by watching other spinners! I have spun about 1.5 oz of roving this week. I've got another couple oz. in the bag and I wonder if I can completely fill the spindle to what they would consider full in the Andes! :shock:

Erica J

Well done pammersw!

I also learned how to get past my problem of having the death grip on the fibre source! I know from my days as a (gasp) Mary Kay lady, that the ring finger is the weakest finger. I realized that at some point I started drafting the fibre between my middle and ring finger. This is the best option for me, because my ring finger is not physically strong enough to put the death grip on the fibre source! :)

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