Hand making yarns

[redskies]

Chuffed to bits today. I've just bought a spinning wheel, something I've been after forever. I learned to spin as a child, and will need to do a short refresher course, but I'm really looking forward to using the wheel to make wool to use and sell, and teaching a couple of the kids to use it as well.

Next project, connected to my work, is to build a working replica of an iron age loom, on which I can use my wool

The other thing we're doing is making our own dyes, from lichen, crotal and various plants. I also have seeds to grow dyers woad this year too. There's a pan of lichen steeping on the stove right now, it's almost time to go strain it, then add wool and bring it back to the boil

(They used drop spindles in the iron age, we've got those already, hand made by a family member on a lathe, and use them. I'm seriously impressed with my 8yr olds ability with one, and the way she's picked up carding and making rolags!)

[ForgeCorvus]

Any advice on drop spindle use?
Its something I'm hoping to learn this year

[redskies]

Make sure you're using the correct weight for the yarn; the heavier the weight, the finer the yarn you end up with. The 'early models' had interchangeable stone circles on them, rather than fixed wooden ones, so they could vary them.

Don't try to go too fast, and don't be afraid of breaking the yarn; it's very simple to fix, you just 'unspin' a section, respin it and catch the fleece in the twist.

Once you've got the hang of it and are starting to get a feel for how it works, I'd advise moving onto a wheel. Drop spinning is cool, really cool, but it's so sloooow compared to using a wheel! Also, you get a shorter length of yarn before you have to wind it off the spindle.

And, be patient. If it's not going your way, put it down and do something else for a bit, come back to it later.

Good luck, and if I can help, please shout me and I'll do what I can

[ForgeCorvus]

OK, I know nothing about spinning apart from you twist and tease a short fat sausage of wool to make a long thin yarn...... How is the bit I need help with

Anything you can tell me will help

[redskies]

If you were here - or I was there - you'd be spinning confidently within about half an hour!

However, you're there, and I'm here soooo ...

Here's a very short video that shows a bottom whorl drop spindle in action - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cbu6x2ZCYFQ

And here's a slightly longer tutorial from a site I've found very helpful - http://joyofhandspinning.com/spinning-y ... p-spindle/


It's easier to answer specific questions, so have a go and see how you get on, and if you're struggling, tell me why and I'll try my best to help

[ForgeCorvus]

Bingo..... Thats just what I wanted

Now to give my tame woodturner yet another project

[redskies]

You can easily make your own, as long as you can get the weight on the whorl sorted. In the iron age, they used a piece of wood, a smoothed stick or similar and made weights out of stones with holes chipped out of the middle. The lightest ones produced the thickest yarn, the heaviest the finest. The techniques they used then still work as well today

[ForgeCorvus]

I've made them for Living History people, just never used one..... Strange I know

Clay works quite well too, once dried out it can be fired in a simple wood fire... I have made loom weights the same way

[modernwisewoman]

Have also purchased a drop spindle and plan to use it.

[ForgeCorvus]

Just making one today, its a four inch disk of slate (from a broken roof slate)..... Any advice on the spindle, which works best thick or thin ?