So, you don't like spinning from batts.....

There are lots of reasons to spin from top as opposed to batts; not the least of which is one gives a woolen and the other, a worsted yarn.  If you don't like spinning batts because of all the joins, there's an easy way to turn a batt into a sort of roving.

All you have to do is tear the batt along its length until about an inch or so from the end. Then, tear the batt from the same end along its length again. Repeat until the batt is gone and you're left with something like this:

Here's a breakdown:

Note: this might not work well with a really directional fiber that's been carded into a really directional batt (all the scales on the individual fiber are facing the same way). You could get a batt like that if all the fiber was fed in one direction, say shorn end first. Directional fiber can be sort of hard to draft if you try to draft against the grain, so to speak.

Questions

Questions are a good thing, right? Well, since the advent of Facebook and the like, we can ask our fellow man anything and, more likely than not, get a lot of answers from a lot of people. I follow several groups on Facebook and on Ravelry (a site devoted to fiber) and there are lots of questions and lots of answers on both sites.

So, why is this a problem? Well, I think it is a problem on several levels. First, I have always believed that the more research that I do before I ask a question, the better my question will be and the more likely that I'll understand the answer. This served me well in my career as a Legal Nurse Consultant where I was often confronted with complex medical issues and had to find an expert to address the issue, potentially in court. If I understood a little more, I had a much easier time grasping the answers and even better, knowing when the answer that I was getting was just wrong.

That leads me to the second problem in failing to research before asking; not all who answer are right. I see this a whole lot in the forums on Ravelry and on Facebook. Folks ask a question and they get a lot of uninformed answers. When I first started spinning, I couldn't understand ratios as they apply to spinning wheels. A total mental block actually and I could have asked a million times and wouldn't have understood the answer. So, instead of asking I just kept spinning and kept reading. I read something spinning related every day; it is habit now and I learn something new all the time. I like to listen to other spinners too. I learn a lot that way as well.

And that is the third benefit to researching before asking. You need to find out who the experts really are. As a Legal Nurse Consultant, I accomplished that by reading the relevant literature, noting who wrote seminal papers, book chapter or whatever on the topic at hand and I called them first. The same holds true in the fiber world. There are experts out there and I'd rather get an answer from them than an opinion from non-expert.

 No, there aren't spinning police or knitting police or any other kind of fiber police who tell us that things must be done a certain way, and yes, questions really are great. But, I believe that to get the best information, you need to do some homework yourself so you can ask the right question from the proper source. Even better, you'll be better equipped to differentiate between good and bad information and opinion and fact.

1st Annual Vermont Fleece Sale

The Vermont Sheep and Wool Association held the first fleece sale last weekend. I (and the DH) had fun! First, Randolph, VT seems like a great town and has made the short list for our retirement. There are fiber people there and there's even a fiber mill there owned by a super nice young man!! What more? Mountains! Farms! A cool little town center. Close to Montpelier. 

Anyway, the sale was held in an old red schoolhouse on the campus of Vermont Technical College. There weren't a ton of fleeces but more than enough to have fun picking out a couple that I didn't need. And the prices were amazing; the Border Leicester was only $19.00. Best, 90% of the sales go back to the farmer. I'll be there next year. And, yes, I forgot to take pictures when I was there but here is the fleece eye candy (the white is BL and the gray, Romney).:

Using Art Yarn

In addition to spinning fine yarn, I do love to spin art or novelty yarns. I understand that a lot of folks don't use the fun and funky art yarns because they are at a loss as to how/ where to use them. One of my favorite blogs "Fibery Goodness" posted about this very topic this morning: But what do you do with it? Do take a look 'cause there are so many ways to use chunky, bulky yarns. Here's a pattern that I'm knitting now: High Flying Kit Art Yarn Shawl.

Art yarn is great featured as an accent.  For example, find a simple scarf or cowl pattern and a yarn that coordinates with your art yarn. Just add a row or two here and there and you'll have a unique piece. If you weave, a row or two of art yarn is great fun. You can even use an art yarn as a floating weft. How about crocheting (with fine crochet thread) a fringed yarn to collars or cuffs? A row or two of art yarn would be fun as an addition to the body of a hat. There are loads of way to use the stuff and it surely can add some dash to a lot of different projects.

It bears repeating....

Yesterday, I answered a question that someone had posted about a spinning wheel on Facebook. Someone had found a wheel for a song and wanted to know whether it was worth buying. Short answer? No. Long answer: the wheel was one of those Canadian SWSO's (spinning wheel shaped objects) that shows up pretty often. I'm NOT an expert but I did recognize the wheel. Anyway, I thought it might be worth trying to pull together some resources that I've enjoyed about buying a used, vintage or antique wheel.

First, my two cents. If you are one of those folks (like me) that enjoy the aesthetics of a wheel and need to like the look of the thing, don't buy one that doesn't appeal to you. You probably won't use it. Second, I believe you can learn to spin on an antique. People learned to spin on those wheels when they were new and you learn on one now. I'm not saying that it will be as easy as some of the "beginner" wheels out there but it can be done. Next, I strongly recommend against buying an old wheel that needs parts. Sure, you might be able to find a wheelwright to make an extra bobbin (about $60.00) but a flyer- bobbin assembly is usually specific to an old wheel and will cost about $250.00 to replace. Last and most importantly, do your homework. Read everything. Learn the anatomy of a spinning wheel; learn the terms, the abbreviations, join a guild, visit a shop that sells wheels, join a Ravelry group, a Facebook group, find a local spinner who can help......just study and learn. A wheel is a pretty big investment and worth every effort in picking one that is right for you and actually spins.

Here's a list with a few resources. This list is certainly not all inclusive and isn't in any particular order:

1. Abby Franquemont is a great teacher and a lifelong spinner:
    http://abbysyarns.com/2008/12/choosing-your-first-spinning-wheel/

2. This video by Abby is a must watch:
   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=if_cNDFr-xs

3. https://thewoolmerchantsdaughter.wordpress.com/2013/02/23/3-really-bad-examples-      of-antique-spinning-wheels/

4. This is link to a great group on Ravelry. These are nice folks with loads of knowledge that they are happy to share:    
    http://www.ravelry.com/groups/antique-spinning-wheels

5. Another great group on Ravelry; this one specific to CPW's (Canadian Production Wheel):    http://www.ravelry.com/groups/cpw-lovers

6.  And still another great Ravelry group:
     http://www.ravelry.com/groups/working-wheels

7. Here's a list of spinning guilds by state:                      
   http://www.interweave.com/spin/resources/spinning_guilds/

8. A list of fiber events. There are wheels to see and people to meet:
     http://www.knittersreview.com/upcoming_events.asp

9. Amelia Garopoli is another long time spinner with a great blog; "Ask the Bellwether":
    http://askthebellwether.blogspot.com/2009/01/where-can-i-find-used-spinning-               wheel.html#.VYPc8vlViko

Lastly, don't forget the library. There are tons of books on spinning and even if your library doesn't have the one you want, they can probably get it on loan from another library. The bottom line? Do your homework and you'll stand a much better chance of getting a great wheel.

Tools that I love....

Yep, it usually looks about like this when I'm working.

DH asked me this morning which of the spinning things that litter our home is my favorite. I had to think about that. Alot. Spinning wheels didn't count so that did narrow things down but not by much. I defined "favorite" by most useful and here's the list that I came up with:


1. Drum carders (Pat Green/ Fancy Kitty)It is so much easier to drum card than to hand card. My old hands just aren't up to much hand carding.

2. Reel winder (antique);
Like my hands, my shoulder doesn't work like it used to so a niddy noddy was tough. The old reel cost very little and I wouldn't trade it for anything. I just count the rotations because the weasel isn't reliable.

3. Spool rack (Leclerc);
All those bobbins have a home! The rack holds all of them with room for more. It is a dream to use for plying as a sort of kate and the bobbin winder attaches to the top.

4 Bobbin winder and styrene spools (Fiber Artists' Supply and Leclerc);
You really do get a better yarn if you wind a single off the bobbin and onto a spool before plying. These two sure do make the job faster.

5. Pat Green flicker brush;
Cleaning a drum carder is just one of those jobs where you gotta do it and it isn't any fun; this brush helps.

6. Umbrella swift (Stanwood);
Makes unwinding a skein a breeze; nothing tangles and so much easier than a chair back.

7. Ball winder (Royal);
Better than I can make and a whole lot tidier to use yarn prepared into a cake than something I wound into a ball.
  


These are the tools that I use all the time and would hate to live without. As I look at the list, I suppose the reason that they make the list is that they are labor savers.  I got along without each item in the list for a long time and accomplished the same tasks but having them around surely does make the job of getting yarn made a whole lot easier.

Drive Bands

My dream wheel was always a 30 inch Schacht Reeves in cherry. After a lot of saving, a got one about a year ago. It is a thing of beauty but we just didn't click; my CPW was just way more fun for me because it has a more aggressive take up.  I was complaining about it and my friend, Lisa, suggested I change the drive band. Well, first, wishing I'd thought of that myself, I started trying different material the second that I could. I tried hemp first. The hemp is the kind that is used for stringing jewelry and it was perfect; nice and grabby and gave me the take up that I like. Big problem? Noisy. Really. Noisy. And, I really can't stand a noisy wheel.

Next, I tried some candle wick (size 2/0). Pretty good but too thick for the wheel. So, off to order something thinner from Amazon and retie the original drive band. I ran a candle over the band which helped a ton.  Now, I wait for Amazon to deliver a thinner candle wick.

Tying a drive band is a pain but it really isn't that hard.  Here's how I do it:

1. Cut a 6 yard length of material (this is plenty for most wheels and leaves plenty to tie). If you know the length needed, cut to size and add 6 or so extra inches for the knot.

2. Tear off a couple of pieces (an inch or so) of masking tape and put them someplace handy so you can get them easily,

3. Remove the flyer/ bobbin assembly. Move the MOA as close to the wheel as it will go,

4. Wrap the end of the band around an upright twice so you'll  have two big loops,

5. Tie the two ends of the band very loosely,

6. Pull the band into two equal loops,

7. Loosely tape the loops to the drive wheel in a couple of places,

8. Get the flyer/ bobbin assembly back on the wheel and make sure the drive band goes over the assembly,

9. Untie the loose knot and pull until the drive band is tight over the whorls (the tape should fall off easily),

10. Tie a square knot and ta da!

I use a tiny drop of white glue on the knot and let it dry completely before trimming the ends. You can run the knot and/ or band with candle wax or beeswax now that it is on the wheel, should you desire.