BellaOnline Forums Hobbies and Crafts Spinning Beginning to Spin

I was so happy to find out you have a section on 'Spinning'. I have wanted to learn how to spin for some time now. Because of health reasons I had to put it on the back burner. Just lately I've been looking at wheels and even plans to make one of my own. On one site the person suggested using a spindle that could be made from old cds and a dowel to spin and using dog combs to comb the wool, as an enexpensive way to get started.

Would love to know what you think and would appreciate any advice.

Sincerely,

Yes, you can make a spindle from old CDs, a piece of a dowel, and a cup hook. You also need a grommet to reduce the size of the hole in the CD to make it fit on the dowel.

Another option is a piece of dowel, a wooden toy wheel from a hobby shop, and a cup hook.

Yet another option is a large bead mounted on a wooden skewer. This would be a support spindle, rather than a drop spindle so sharpen both ends of the skewer. You will also need a small bowl to support the spindle. With this type of spindle, you spin off the point so no hook is needed.

Dog combs work very nicely for combing wool. Small batts of wool may be cared by using 2 slicker brushes.

It's quite easy to make the equipment needed to start spinning.
But fair warning - it can become addictive very rapidly

Dear Lyn, You can't imagine how happy and somewhat amazed to see the article about making your own spindle and using it, in the newsletter. Thanks for the response to my post as well. I think this will be one habbit I will gladly become addicted to.

What is your opinion about spinning from wool/hair from angora rabbits. I would like to find a way I could grow some of my own spinning materials. I've read about flax but that seems rather difficult.

Thanks for your advice.

Sincerely,

Angora bunnies produce great spinning fibers. They are easy to keep but do need regular attention to their coats to prevent matting. The drawback is that they are small and, while they give a lot of fibers for their size, they don't give all that much over the period of a year. Of course this problem can be solved by having lots of bunnies

Angora fibers are warm and will halo but the fibers are not very elastic. Many spinners blend angora with wool to provide elasticity and to stretch the supply of angora. But if you have the type of angoras that are pluckable, then you can spin right from the bunny when it's blowing it's coat.

Wow! That is fantastic to know. Are some breeds of Angora rabbits pluckable and some not? I've got Christmas obligations calling at me now but after the first of the year this is definitely something I want to look into further.

Thanks so much,

I'm no expert on angora bunnies but I believe that the English angoras are pluckable but that the giants have to be sheared. Not sure about the French and German or if those may also be called the giants.

I've just read your article about not needing another hobby. It went right to my heart. I had some sheep and couldn't take care of them because of health reasons and it broke my heart to have them sold. They were my wooly children.

I'm now getting better and working toward being able to get two. Here in OK there aren't many shearers and the ones you can find are simply in it for speed, not quality of fiber cut. I assure you shearing time was as stressful for me as it was for my little flock.

I heard about a hormone that was used in Australia which caused the wool to break off at skin level and the sheep didn't have to be sheared. Are you familar with this? If so what do you think of it?

I guess I'm suffering from the "I want to do it myself!" syndrome. I want to be involved with everything from 'sheep to sweater' but it seems like there is so much to learn and like most humans I want to know it all now, yesterday being even better.

Wanted you to know how much your articles mean to me. You are doing what I want to do and you have encouraged me so much. Thank you.

Thank you for the kind words, MsMae

Yes, there is a method of chemically shearing sheep but I do not think it's available in the States. The sheep is given a drug treatment which causes a natural wool break and a netting is placed on the sheep's body to contain the wool. Later the netting is removed and the fleece can be lifted right off the sheep. The disadvantage is that each sheep must be caught and handled twice - once to give the meds and once to remove the fleece. I also think there may be something about the potential for sunburn since the break would occur right at the skin.

It's hard to find small flock shearers everywhere. But you don't need a pro - get or build a blocking stand. Then put the sheep on the stand and simply clip the wool with a good sturdy scissors. Many small flock owners do this because they can't find a shearer. The disadvantage of this method is that you don't get the fleece in one piece. But it is always possible to sort the wool by grade as you clip it

There is a lot to learn about spinning and, of course, that multiplies if you also raise the sheep or other fiber animals.
For me one thing just led to another and another and another.

I have made arrangements for a spinning lesson this weekend. I hope I can get in the rhythm and get my hand, feet, and eyes in sync.

It's kind of like patting your head while rubbing your tummy and tapping your foot when you're first learning.
But it comes with practice. Practice only about 15 to 20 minutes at a time at first because it's easy to become frustrated when things just do not want to work right. As it starts to come together increase the length of your practice sessions. It really doesn't take all that long to learn but there is a learning curve. You are training your hands to do a new job and they will learn with practice.