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Thursday 14 February 2013

Slave to the spinning wheel


In just shear determination to master this, I have been busy washing, carding and spinning fleece.  While I will not admit to being completely enslaved by my spinning wheel, I have come close to being trapped within it!
 

You see, I hold on too tightly to the yarn going in after I have drafted tufts and chunks, so it becomes twisted before it has even wound on.  Then I let go and my right hand gets pulled towards the bobbin and I almost face-plant the whole thing (a few times I thought I was going to get dragged from my chair!).  Then I took a few days off and felted some more Alpacas...

but the call of the wheel could not be ignored...

I think I am getting better...I knitted some to see what it would look like...



Today was my proudest moment, I plyed two together (though I think I was supposed to spin in the opposite direction?????????).

2y.o is always helpful, taking the whole thing apart when I have to quickly leave the room for something, and he was pretending to be otherwise occupied.  Other times he tries to 'catch' the wheel as it spins LOL

I spin very fast, I can't control my foot too well (this is not a reflection on my driving skills!), and I am sure there should be smoke coming off the wheel.  Today I had a bit more control, and actually had a rhythm going of drafting, pinching, releasing in time to my foot going up and down...then 2y.o stuck his hand in the wheel arghhhhhh!

9 comments:

  1. Ha ha Lisa I'm picturing you spinning flat out with smoke pouring off the wheel, your foot going at a hundred miles an hour, and then face planting it, but seriously well done, I love the little alpacas (but mine is the cutest) and the knitting is great, seriously you are good at everything you try, love Janine :)

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  2. I think you have done tremendously well! I also hold on too tight but I am no where near your standard - I tend to get pulled into the wheel and end up attempting to spin my fingers!

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  3. Hi Lisa, wow that looks great! I am still at the washing stage, and despite 2 soaks and washes Cookie's fleece still looks 'smudgy'. I think though because the water is now squeezing clean, then I have got the last of the dirt out. Picking and carding next! You're doing great... way ahead of my efforts, lol. :D

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  4. Hold onto some of that yarn...you can look back and see how quickly you advance! When I started spinning, I made lots of "rope", felt dead chuffed and very soon saw a change as I began spinning very fine stuff! Now I struggle to spin anything that isn't very fine, which means I have to ply 3 strands for anything other than lace designs! Spinning is totally addictive...I keep my wheel in the kitchen and spin a little whilst the kettle is on or something is cooking. I still reckon it takes around 10 hours to get 100g of 2 plied yarn!

    Oh...yes you spin in the opposite direction when you ply the yarn otherwise you undo your twist from the initial spin...it looks ok though! Well done!

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    Replies
    1. Thank you for the ply advice! LOL, I have made lots of 'rope' :)

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  5. There you go, "easey peasey lemon squeezy!" Well done Lisa, it's looking good. Shirley & Robbie

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  6. Is it true that spinning wheels spin the other way round in the southern hemisphere ? Or does that just relate to water going down the plug hole ?

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  7. I love your felted alpacas! You're way ahead of me with the spinning too. I seem to only be able to make "yarn" that looks more like it was shaved of a hippy's head than spun. Keep persevering, you're getting there.

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