This counts, right?
Thank you, Claudia, so much for your instructions (see yesterday’s comments!). I started there, and didn’t get it. Went to the icanspin.com website and didn’t get it. Found the Grafton Fibers tutorial and started to get it. Messed around a little bit – put the spindle down, did some stuff, picked it back up again. Got a lot frustrated (but didn’t think about any of the bad stuff) and then I looked over Claudia’s instructions again and GOT IT! You pinch with the right while you spin, then switch to the left – draft out some yarn with the right – then pinch higher up and let the twist travel to the pinch! Genius! I was off!
It was light when I started. Dark when I stopped. I think three hours went by. Not sure.
A question – see in the third picture how the yarn is kinking back on itself – is that supposed to happen, or do I have too much spin in the yarn. You really need to draft it thin to get thin yarn, huh.
I don’t know. I’d like to think that some of the stuff I made is a little Manos like. And wow – those Manos people don’t spend too much time spinning their stuff do they.
Thanks for all your good thoughts – yesterday wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be and certainly not as bad as it could’ve been. And I’m confident today will be better. We’re getting a new bed delivered so I have a lot to do around the house to keep me busy and my mind at rest. And a big, huge bag of fiber calling my name.
Not bad. Hang in there, it looks you’re getting past the thick/thin thing pretty quickly. And in the future, when you want that effect, you won’t be able to do it to save your life. 😉
I consider spinning to be cheap therapy. Once you get the hang of it, there’s something meditative and soothing about the whole thing. At least spinning the singles part. However, I’m still a bit complusive when it comes to plying.
Good for you! you did it!
Although I am not an expert by any means at spindling, I DO know this. Keep doing it. It will not be long until you see improvements. In the meantime, BE MANOS!
🙂
Wow! Look how good you got in one day! And congratulations on the “good” day with the med-change!
Here’s a little trick that helps a lot in the beginning…it’s called “Park and Draft.” After getting the spindle going, “park” it between your knees. That kind of stores the twist so you can concentrate on the drafting out and letting the twist run up. And, one day, it’s just all there!
Hey, It looks better than my first attempts with my wheel. I’m trying to teach myself with websites too. Somehow the concept of drafting passed me by and my first efforts resulted in a thick, twisted, matted log of fiber. Nice.
That bottom picture looks great!
Nice. That would be Designer Yarn. Right there, baby.
Oh no! Claudia has another convert. And the quest goes on…….
BTW-I got your email and will respond sometime tonight. For now, the weather has me enjoying the very warm outdoors. Except when I come in for a refill and a blog check! 🙂
It looks better than my first attempt did. You’re doing great! And yes, it’s kinking up because it’s a little over-twisted, but you’ll (1) get better as you go and (2) a lot of that can be balanced out when you ply. Knowing the amount of twist needed was by far the hardest thing for me to get . . . well, after the first, frustrating attempts to have the yarn NOT break while I was trying to figure out how to draft, but that’s another story. Good for you!
Don’t stress out about too thick and thin or overspun or anything right now. For now, make designer yarn, like Claudia says, and teach your body to know the rhythm of the process. You will refine, endlessly, on that.
But to answer your questions, singles will pretty much always twist back on themselves because they are energized–there is twist in them that is not matched by a second ply. When you ply, you do it in the opposite direction, and so some of the twist in your singles will actually come out when you ply. Any amount of twist can be fine in a multi-ply yarn as long as you balance it in the plying, though of course it depends on what you’re going for. But you’re not refining or spinning to a specific goal yet, you’re just getting your sea legs. Keep spinning. You’ll be there before you know it.
Looks great! I’m glad you’re feeling a bit better too. Take care.
Wow…you are brave to attempt that alone. Someone told me 24 hours of practice and you’ll get the hang of it. I’m on about hour 7 or 8 and every day it’s a little better. New bed? Enjoy!
Three hours went by and you didn’t even know it.
What did I tell you about spindle hypnosis, eh? Hooray for you! Keep it up! My singles are curly too, but the great thing about curly is it all comes out in the little rinse. Note that I have yet to ply, though…
Thanks for coming to visit my sock – I really appreciate all the compliments! Nice job on spinning – I gave it one try and gave it up, but I might tackle it again some day.
Counts?! Of course it counts. Keep practicing. Everyone’s first yarn looks uneven (and hey, some people’s first yarn looks a LOT more uneven than yours does); it all comes together with practice.
And …what Cate said, about the plying.