Thursday, November 16, 2006

A day without mail is like a day without sunshine

Oh happy day.
Look what I got...

and there's still more to come.

This is both of my Elann orders (Christmas gift yarn and Ribbi Cardi Yarn)

and some sock yarn

from this Etsy seller.

I like it, I call it the Kermit Yarn. She called it "Down by the banks".

I also did some spinning:

This is a Babe Spindle that I bought off of E-bay. I read the directions and tried before but didn't really get anything but thick tangled nubbies (is that a word?).

I still have think and thin nubbies, but it's better. The roving is not very soft, so I'm thinking I needed to do more w/ it before trying to spin. I did pull it apart a bit, but then it just broke off into pieces, which were harder to spin back in.

I found this site, and this one, with more directions.
The video is cool and she makes it look so easy. My spindle is apparenltly 2.2 oz but it feels so light.

Anyways, I"m thinking I want to get some roving and practice.

I just heard about a woman who spins--angora and wool and has all these skeins of yarn and is just now learning to knit.
I can't imagine being surrounded by gorgeous fibres and not being able to do anything with it!

Anyways, any spinning tips would be greatly appreciated.

3 comments:

Jillio said...

predrafting is always a good idea. you'll get more uniformity in your spinning. when you pull off a bit of the roving, take note of how long the little hairs are. that's your staple length, and when you predraft, you don't want to pull the hairs longer than the staple length or they will pull apart like that.
they say blue faced leicester is the easiest to spin, or even stuff like corriedale. if you can, get your hands on different types of roving to see which you like best and which is easiest for you to spin. if it's well prepared, it will practically draft itself.
also, spindles that have most of the weight distributed on the rim spin longer than those with the weight focused on the center. it's a physics fact. something to think about if you're thinking of getting another spindle.
oh, and try different drafting methods. the latest spin to knit magazine has a section on drafting from the fold that you may be interested in.
err...yeah. hope that helps!

Anonymous said...

yes, yes YES! to pre-drafting!
It will do wonders for ya!!

& I agree, a day witout mail is sad, nice haul!!!!

Anonymous said...

Oh I love mail, but then again who doesn't. I want to see your ribby yarn. I'm knitting a square and trying to get my mom's gloves done so you may just catch up to me. Spin on!!