So glad to be able to get back on here cause I have another question this beginner has run into: spinning fine wool. I have some angora goat mohair, very nice but very fine. I'm having trouble spnning it so it's consistent. Any hints?

Mohair is a different thing entirely from fine wool. It is generally longer stapled, lacks both crimp and elasticity and behaved different during spinning. Try moving your hands furter apart while drafting the fibers and see if that helps. If the fibers are quite long, you may be trying to draft too short for them. Mohair is more slippery due to the lack of crimp, it may just be getting ahead of you as you spin. Try splitting the roving into thinner strips or pre-drafting a section out smaller before spinning. If those don't help... we'll try something else!

Any real mohair experts out there? I rarely spin it anymore, so I'm working from old memories here.

Oh, so fine wool, like from Morino, is easier? I don't have experience with it yet either. But, yes, I am doing better predrafting smaller and working farther apart. I tried combining it with sheep's wool, but it doesn't combine very well either. Interesting. Guess I'll pass up buying that Angora goat for now.

Have just been to a Spin Out day - a lovely day with about seventy spinners from around Tasmania. One of the ladies was spinning her thread for the Longest Thread competitions (www.bothwellspinin.com) with her Ashford spinning wheel. She actually won at the last competition with a thread of over 1,000metres from 10g of raw fleece. But the winner of the hand spindle section spun 1,468.61 metres from 10g. That was Naoka Tamura from Japan. Is that just amazing fine spinning or what!! I know Carol used Merino for her entry and drafts with only 4-5 single fibres at a time. Sadly I continue to produce endless 8 ply.
.. Sara

Oh, how interesing. I didn't know anyone could spin that good!

OK, I'm having much better luck spinning this mohair--the predrafting sure helped a lot, also I found out if I card it more, it spins better. Actually I'm liking it so much that I'm thinking of buying a couple of angora goats. I found some close by that are $50 each--sounds like a good price, maybe? Do you think I could learn to shave them myself---I've done plenty of dog grooming---is it anything like that only with horns? <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

I'm new at this spinning too and am learning by trial & error. I bought some mohair and it was very clean so I started spinning it without doing anything to it, it was kind of slippery so then I hand carded some with some Alpaca. Made some fluffly puffy piles and spun it together. Not bad. I am hoping to dye it after spinning, hopefully.
Nice website here too!

Someoneelse - If you have the time and the patience, you can shear angora goats with a good pair of Fiskar sewing scissors. I wouldn't want to attempt that with more the a couple of goats, however <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

Raidercat - Thanks! Glad you like the web site.

Actually, Fiskar shears are what I use to shear my suri alpacas (I've also done the huacayas with them, but this year I'm having them "professionally" shorn so I can show the fleeces). It does take a long time, and I'm sure alpacas aren't any more patient than goats. However, it does give their fleece better staple lock and architecture the following year.