I started spinning last year after impulse buying a lot of alpaca fiber from a local alpaca farm as it was soooo cheap (it was 1,5 kg for 36 euros 😅). I had no clue whatsoever on how to process it, but it seemed so much fun to learn spinning and processing it. I am now skilled enough to work on the fiber and it is by far the softest yarn I have ever felt in my life 😊 So naturally I have gone back and bought more kilos in different colours xD
Holy Dinah Kaci! You have done such an incredible job for those of us ‘on the fence’ about this new adventure. Thank you so so much for this info. It has struck a chord. And YOU look like you’ve taken to it like a duck to water. Beautiful results! Thanks again for this.
Way back when I was in elementary school, I was in spinning club and we all made our own diy drop spindles! I believe it was made with a pencil, cd, and some sort of hook. It worked great for a bunch of 10 year olds
I have the Kromski fantasia and after learning on the schacht ladybug I find it very good for a beginner at an affordable price…and the built in lazy Kate is at the back of the pedals so I don’t have the problem of having to hold it away from the pedals. I’ve been spinning for a year but my consistency is still not perfect. I’m finally using some of my handspun alpaca to knit a project. It’s turning out better than I thought with the variation in weight. Eventually I’ll get to a point that the weight is the same throughout and I can knit a garment. It’s so rewarding to go from raw fleece to finished project 😊
I resisted getting into spinning for years as I didn't really want yet another hobby. I did end up starting with a drop spindle last year but couldn't get the hang of it. I did end up getting gifted a vintage Ashford traditional from a friend that belonged to her late grandmother. I found working on a wheel a lot easier to pick up. This year I upgraded to an espinner which I really love. I also recommended the School of Sweet Georgia for lots of spinning classes. Plus they have zoom spining get togethers twice a month.
Hi Kasey, I went down the spinning rabbit 🕳️ hole😄 last August. I started out watching you tube,and got a drop spindle for 15.00 on Amazon. I still use only it to spin with. I began with a pound of white corradale,and so made my first yarn. I like to dye my yarn with food coloring. I got some really beau mixed colors. Chem knits on you tube has good dying videos. Since then I've processed raw fleece like Romney. Also spun Grey curly Gotland, Alpaca, Black Welsh Mountain, and a couple of pre dyed merino. 👍 Thanks😊
I love my Lendrum DT! It's so easy to change bobbins, has sealed barings so you don't have to oil it, and the fast and jumbo fliers make it super versatile. It's a wheel that's beginner friendly but will grow with you as you advance; well worth the investment in my opinion.
It is wonderful one can now learn spinning from online classes! I learned at a yarn shop 20 or so years ago and bought the wheel I learned on. People can check out nearby spinning guilds, or look for a fiber or wool festival where they have classes taught by the masters, as well as wheels to try out before buying. Sorry you have nothing closeby to you Kaci! You did a good summary!
What a fun episode! I bought my Lendrum about two years ago. I love spinning and started on a spindle about 7 years ago. I still love the spindle especially for traveling, but yes I love how efficient the wheel is. I agree with everything you mentioned. Thanks for inspiring me to keep up my spinning, I have been so busy with homeschooling and running the house that I haven’t made time lately 😬
You just threw me back 15 years mentioning Jacey. I have one of her maybe first year of spinning art yarns knit into a scarf. I’m just coming back to knitting and spinning and it makes me so happy she’s still going and successful 🥰
Thanks so much for this video. I have a few drop spindles that I’ve enjoyed. I bought a ladybug spinning wheel during covid and still in the box. So scared to even try it and my closest place to learn how to spin is an hour away. You have made me a little braver to start and give me guidance of learning on my own. Thanks so much!!!
I watched the whole episode without using the translation feature! 🤣 Mistake! Spinning is a complete different language. I did buy a spindle a few months ago and my first attempt looks like a jelly fish. 🥺 I'm going to try again in the summer.
Thanks to assembling my own spinning wheel I found I am really not afraid to play with the tension and other settings! So the assembly process really helped me become comfortable with my wheel from the jump
I just got a drop spindle at the Oregon flock fiber show and some Icelandic wool that has a really long staple length. It’s been really fun to learn and figure out! I’m so interested in those classes you mentioned about plying and drafting. Thanks for the great video ❤🎉
Niddy Noddy Niddy Noddy Two heads One body Here's one 'Taint one 'Twill be one By and by And so on... You get a nice rhythm going, and winding up a skein by niddy noddy is relaxing. Twist into a hank, and you can alway put it on a swift and make cakes with a nostepinne or a ball-winder. If you don't want to use a niddy noddy, use a skeinwinder (dedicated or certain swifts can do it, too).
While your video contains a lot of useful information I'm yet to find a 'beginner spinner's' guide to terminology. So your video, like every one I've watched, uses assumptive language ... ie ... everyone will know what a spindle is + it's use. Just a suggestion for new video 😊
Let's give a wider view. A sheep needs to be sheared, and the fleece is a mess. Firstly, it's thick with lanolin, which is good for your hands, but it's also full of twigs, and burrs, and all kinds of vegetable matter. Their rear ends are not to be processed, nor, really, the ends near the ground. So the first thing to be done is wash it, and wash it, and wash it, not hot, or you'll felt it, but eventually you can separate it into locks, which are combed using a carding machine into a batt, a pad of wool. From there, it's drawn off and passed through a diz, a metal plate with a hole in it. This produces a roving/top, a long strand of wool about an inch across. That's the point she starts off from. The dying can be done at any point. I open it up further, using hand combs to straighten the fibres into really floofy rolls (known as rolags) which make drafting (drawing out just a few fibres to spin together into the single thread) a doddle. Each fibre is a staple, and is going to be a couple of inches long minimum, four-five optimal, six on the long side. You'll pull a dozen, maybe fifteen threads together, pulling them gently out, adding more if it's getting thin, and the machine will spin them together and feed the strand onto the bobbin for you. Once you've processed your wool, the next stage is to ply it - ie turn it into two-ply, three-ply, whatever. That's simply using the machine running in the opposite direction to pull the strands off the appropriate number of bobbins in a bobbin rack (the lazy kate) onto another bobbin. At this point, you can run it off the bobbin onto a niddy-noddy, which is simply two crossbars at 90 degrees sufficiently far apart to create a skein. That can then go onto a skein holder to be feed a ball-winder, and that's something you should be at home with. I sometimes skein-off my singles as a way of measuring how much I've spun, and to even out the twist, then run it back onto the bobbins so I'm plying equal lengths, roughly. What other abstruse references have we? The twist happens because the bobbin's spinning at a lower rate than the flyer, held by a brake string, the "scotch band", which isn't the Pipes and Drums of the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards. So, to get started, tie a loop of wool about 18" long, stick one end through the other and hitch it onto the bobbin, and thread it through the hole in the flyer. Twist some strands from your fibre into a crude thread, and twist it into the wool, if necessary using some spit as glue. Start the wheel spinning slowly, and use one hand to draw the strands out from the other, which lightly pinches the fibre mass to control how many are being taken up. I usually find a gossamer thin-ness a couple of centimetres wide is about right - left hand draws, right controls. So in summary, your wheel turns the bobbin and flyer, the wool starts in the fibre mass, passes through right hand, then left, through the flyer onto the bobbin. There are actually two ways to draw it, in short lengths and long lengths. You'll find the wheel starts to force the twist through your left hand into the drafted feed, so if it does, slow a little and pinch tighter with your right hand to stop it sucking up more from the fibre supply than you want - you can always spin a little more if it's too loose, which can cause your thread to fall apart. If you over-spin, the thread can attempt to ply back on itself, causing a horrid mess.
Very informative and (for me) accurate video. I too am a very new spinner and have had a similar experience. The ashford kiwi 3 has been perfect for me. It was easy to experiment with tension and ratios and to problem solve when things weren't going right. I now have 8 bobbins! LOL. I was unable to draft the beautiful , expensive dyed 100% merino top that was used in a beginner class I took. I went on line to WEBS and bought 4 oz bags of different undyed fiber. I found my stride on falkland and have moved on to corriedale. Your first fiber tips are great! I bought a lazy kate because my singles got caught in the treadles during plying as you said. I will look into the craftsy classes. I have found the beginner spinning series at the School of Sweet Georgia to be helpful and now I'm working on the one called Taking Your Spinning to the Next Level. I think you will help lots of new spinners with this great video. Thank you!
So much fun. I understood many of the words you said. But, I pretend to understand all of them. 😂 Always love hanging out with you every week. Love you 😘
I decided to take knitting back up with the New Year...and also decided to take up spinning. Knitting has been going well...and my spinning class starts this Saturday. I won an Ebay auction yesterday for 4.5 lbs of raw wool...because I've become a "yarn snob", and figured it was ultimately going to be cheaper to spin my own yarn. If my ancestors did it, I can too! I am tall (5'11") and not a petite thing--thanks to my warrior king ancestors--so a sweater quantity of yarn will take more than some petite delicate person. Then, my daughter is 6'2", and my grandchildren will be tall...as well as the rest of my family...so I can tell I will be needing copious amounts of wool in my future. (I'm also trying to talk my daughter into buying land and raising a few sheep...and maybe angora rabbits...and mohair goats. Beware the rabbit hole...it is real!) As well...going down this fiber rabbit hole, I convinced the instructors at our local knit shop to hold a weaving boot camp over Spring Break in April that has become "invitation only" this first year. (I had a friend in college who had her own large loom and she sat me down before an expo, taught me the basics, and I wove for the expo...so I feel it's in my DNA.) And...because I like classes, I also asked them to do a "two at a time toe up" magic look sock class at the end of April. I sew, crochet, and quilt, so these are all "natural" in my fiber art journey.
Abby Franquemont taught me how to spin years ago. If you want to ask me any questions, please do. I try to spin every day and it's an important part of my life. So peaceful. You are doing a great job.
Hi Kaci,I started spinning 3 hrs ago during the Covid slowdown on an Ashford traveller. We have lots of Ashford wheels here in Australia. Another really good spinning podcast is Lisa of Soulful Spinning, I learned lots from her especially about fibre prep. Now that everything back to normal I go to a spinning group. Love seeing what you are up too!
Thank you for the spinning info!! I haven't spun in years and will be re-learning everything! I had a first generation Kiwi, I now have a Kromski Minstrel and I love it!!! I had an Ashford Traditional and as soon as I sold it I regretted it!! If you ever have an opportunity for a Ashford Traditional buy it!! Fun to spin on!!
I bought a Lendrum DT and almost two years ago and am very happy with it. I see you mention the School of Sweet Georgia in your comments. I recommend the class taught by Kim McKenna, “Nuances to Better Spinning”.
I'm a fairly new spinner from England and I really enjoyed your video. Have taken notes and looking forward to watching those you recommended. Am really envious of all your resources in the USA, hoping to find more over here. Grateful for the Internet though. Thanks once again for your delightful video.
Thanks Kaci. This was very informative. Having watched knitting videos for last few years, and then overlapping with their hand spun yarn, I said nope, I’m too old to learn how to spin. Well, you know the end of the story… I saw the e-spinners and said, YES, I can do that. I bought an Electric E-Wheel 6, from Dreaming Robots. I am absolutely in LOVE. Your recommendations for the classes is great, I will check them out, as I know no spinners, and am in a rural area. Happy spinning.
Loved this video. I made a few spinning wheels when I wanted to pick up knitting again. I had a broken bicycle headed for the trash; I removed a bent wheel and made a great wheel on a plank of old flooring. I also made a flyer bobbin wheel using the rest of the bike flipped over. It's hideous but absolutely does what I need. I can spin worsted, woolen semi, art yarn, you name it. I also made an uncountable number of spindles with disposable chopsticks and random objects, fully functional. 😂 Spinners... it's time to come out.🎉❤
THANK YOU for this video. I've definitely been interested into coming over to the dark side. ;) It's definitely hard to know where to start and this was so helpful.
My 1st and only wheel is the Lendrum DT. I love how it works for me. Mine came with a lazy Kate, fast flyer and jumbo plying head. It has been able to do anything I have seen others doing with their wheels. And it's portable!
Hi Kaci! Great show to spread enthusiasm and interest in spinning. For a beginner you have learned a great deal and articulate it well. I still consider myself a beginner also. I purchased a DT Lendrum with the accessory package oftensioned lazy Kate, extra bobbins, fast flier, and plying head and bobbin. Extremely pleased and worth every penny. I was coached for the purchase by Kim Biegler of Ewethful Fiber Farm& Mill. She has a podcast and a wool mill in Oregon. She has started a great Wool School course which costs $147 and you own it for life. It takes you all the way through to winding, washing, and making a finished skein at the end. Highly recommend. She’s a great teacher and very encouraging. I hope you check her out so you can wholeheartedly recommend her course to your viewers. She will get them happily spinning. Her course is about to start again soon. Thanks for all the time s as no energy you put into your podcast… it’s great!!!
I thought it was just me getting tangled in my treadle when plying on my kiwi 3. Glad to know it’s not just me plying weirdly! Love my wheel though, I will recommend it forever
I appreciate this video so much. You presented a lot of good information I found helpful as someone just becoming interested in spinning. Your mention of The Woolery caught my attention. I bought my ball winder there several years ago. It's a nice store!
I went down the spinning rabbit hole several years ago with my Spinolution Pollywog (love it!) and just graduated to the Bullfrog (also love!). I also learned sooo much from those Crafts classes!! And I agree that Nube is the worst to spin, but it has such beautiful colors!!
I started with a Schacht Ladybug 11 years ago and have never wanted another wheel. I love that Schacht's accessories are all interchangeable with its different wheels. A couple of years ago, I acquired a Lendrum DT and I really haven't taken that much time to get used to it. I need to play with it more to see if it's a fit for me. I always go right back to my Ladybug! Have you tried a Turkish spindle? I absolutely adore mine, and find them very used friendly!!
Hi, I'm from NZ and its so cool to hear you talking about NZ wool and Ashford spinning wheels. (I love Bonnies yarn and colour ways. ) Your videos are so inspiring ! I'm going to head down to the storage unit today to try to find my spinning wheels and fleece!
I learned to spin on a Lendrum DT and it’s still my favorite even though I have 3 other great wheels. A bit of advice: rather than getting a larger nitty noddy, I recommend a yarn weasel. It’s so much easier to use. Also, you can use your swift to skein make skeins.
Thank you thank you! I’ve begun the journey but getting frustrated. You have inspired me to continue and I hope you produce more spinning videos I am a huge fan of your knitting UA-cam and podcast. ❤
Thank you enjoyed your podcast am not a spinner but found it interesting would love to try i do have a drop spindle but forgot how to use it and perhaps the prices might stop me am on limited income. Like I said I enjoyed it.
Thanks! That’s a good recap for people wanting to start spinning, and as an experience spinner I agree with it all! Could you show us more about that little spinning tool? I didn’t really understand the protractor part and getting the twist angle. Also, if you’re Canadian the Louet wheels are a good choice to look at as well. And if you come across a used wheel, try to find a more experienced spinner who can try it for you
Thanks Kaci! I am also new to spinning and chose drop spindling as I wanted to try something new, but just dip my toes in; I do not know any spinners nearby nor places for classes. I agree that (drop) spindle spinning is a slow process, but I have learned some things real fast--not that my first spin was great 🤣 but it taught me a lot. The fiber really makes a huge difference and my first was merino with "short" staple length which meant I didn't get the hang of drafting easily as it kept breaking but it certainly made me focus. I am now on Corriedale and it's so long and delightful and if I can get a good flow going, it is definitely more efficient once I can truly drop spindle rather than the inching or modified park and draft method. But, even though it's not a fast process, I actually use it for that reason, when I want something to just chill with in the morning as my brain wakes up or before bed. Confession: I dream of getting an e-spinner! Maybe one day I can find a budget-friendly used one. Happy spinning!
Thanks for this great video Kaci! I've contemplated if I wanted to go down the "spinning hole" and maybe one day when I don't have a toddler and more free time, I may give it a go!
This was a fun video to watch! I will definitely check out the craftsy videos. I’m hoping my local guild will do a spinning wheel class soon. I think the ashford traditional is a good beginner wheel too. There’s a lot of them out there that people can find at a good price used since they have been around for so long. I found one for fantastic price locally and have found it so simple to operate.
Great video for beginners!!!! I started with the original kiwi about 9 years ago and it took me so far! I think the lendrum dt is an awesome wheel and you can get accessories to help it grow with you as a spinner. When I started looking at sweater quantities, I was always given the rule of thumb of 2# of fiber to have enough to sample and swatch, plus the actual yarn for the sweater.
Is that cleaned or raw? The reason I ask is I bought 4.5 pounds of raw wool yesterday and hope to have enough for at least one sweater's worth of yarn when all is said and done.
I was also going to suggest the Electric Eel Wheel. I have a friend that spun a sweaters worth of yarn on her mini and then knitted a gorgeous sweater. I was blown away!! I love my little wheel..she travels quite well.
So exciting being a new spinner….Fantasia was my first wheel and still a favorite…..luv my lendrum toooo…..being a more experienced spinner doesn’t make the malibrigo easier to spin, it just means that I have enough experience to know I don’t want to work that hard to spin it!….hurts my hands…..thanks for sharing…..in joy!✂️🐑🌀🧶
Hi Kaci! Love your content ❤️ The class From Woolen to Worsted that you recommended... would you say that's most useful for wheel spinning? Or would it also be helpful when using a drop spindle? I have just recently fallen down the rabbit hole 🕳️🐇 and I am in full on learning mode ❤️
Thank you! So I think drafting is drafting no matter what your spinning on and so the drafting class is very helpful. It does show her drafting on a spinning wheel but it works either way
Hi and thanks so much for this informative video! I’m also from a small town in Oregon where there are no classes… question .. is it cheaper to buy the fiber & spin it compared to buying yarn ? I know it depends on the yarn , Im not talking about box store more like Farmers Daughter Fibers or spin cycle… thanks again for you great content!
If your using a spindle then yes. But it will take a long time for a wheel to pay for itself 😅 so your spending $24 on dyed wool that gives you 100 grams vs $34 for 50g of spincycle
I would say it is not less expensive, but it’s very gratifying. I have had several farmers give me sheep and alpaca fleeces for free or very low cost. After about a year of spinning I’ve gotten my yarn to a place where I really love it.
I have a tabletop swift with adjustable arms and a handle in the center that works great for skein winding. I actually prefer using that over a niddy noddy when I'm winding off my handspun yarn.
I started spinning last year after impulse buying a lot of alpaca fiber from a local alpaca farm as it was soooo cheap (it was 1,5 kg for 36 euros 😅). I had no clue whatsoever on how to process it, but it seemed so much fun to learn spinning and processing it. I am now skilled enough to work on the fiber and it is by far the softest yarn I have ever felt in my life 😊 So naturally I have gone back and bought more kilos in different colours xD
I’m trying hard not to learn to spin…and this video isn’t helping me! 😅
Holy Dinah Kaci! You have done such an incredible job for those of us ‘on the fence’ about this new adventure. Thank you so so much for this info. It has struck a chord. And YOU look like you’ve taken to it like a duck to water. Beautiful results! Thanks again for this.
Way back when I was in elementary school, I was in spinning club and we all made our own diy drop spindles! I believe it was made with a pencil, cd, and some sort of hook. It worked great for a bunch of 10 year olds
I have the Kromski fantasia and after learning on the schacht ladybug I find it very good for a beginner at an affordable price…and the built in lazy Kate is at the back of the pedals so I don’t have the problem of having to hold it away from the pedals. I’ve been spinning for a year but my consistency is still not perfect. I’m finally using some of my handspun alpaca to knit a project. It’s turning out better than I thought with the variation in weight. Eventually I’ll get to a point that the weight is the same throughout and I can knit a garment. It’s so rewarding to go from raw fleece to finished project 😊
I recommend making a niddy noddy out of PVC pipe. It's inexpensive and functional, although definitely doesn't look as nice as the wooden ones.
I would also add the Schacht Ladybug as a consideration for a beginners wheel. It’s a nice sturdy and straight forward wheel that’s made in the US.
I resisted getting into spinning for years as I didn't really want yet another hobby. I did end up starting with a drop spindle last year but couldn't get the hang of it. I did end up getting gifted a vintage Ashford traditional from a friend that belonged to her late grandmother. I found working on a wheel a lot easier to pick up. This year I upgraded to an espinner which I really love.
I also recommended the School of Sweet Georgia for lots of spinning classes. Plus they have zoom spining get togethers twice a month.
Hi Kasey, I went down the spinning rabbit 🕳️ hole😄 last August. I started out watching you tube,and got a drop spindle for 15.00 on Amazon. I still use only it to spin with. I began with a pound of white corradale,and so made my first yarn. I like to dye my yarn with food coloring. I got some really beau mixed colors. Chem knits on you tube has good dying videos. Since then I've processed raw fleece like Romney. Also spun Grey curly Gotland, Alpaca, Black Welsh Mountain, and a couple of pre dyed merino. 👍 Thanks😊
Kaci don't tempt me !! I need to click off this video... but I won't ;)
Haha you would love spinning!
This video was soooo well done!! I wish I had in when I was just starting out ☺️
I love my Lendrum DT! It's so easy to change bobbins, has sealed barings so you don't have to oil it, and the fast and jumbo fliers make it super versatile. It's a wheel that's beginner friendly but will grow with you as you advance; well worth the investment in my opinion.
It is wonderful one can now learn spinning from online classes! I learned at a yarn shop 20 or so years ago and bought the wheel I learned on. People can check out nearby spinning guilds, or look for a fiber or wool festival where they have classes taught by the masters, as well as wheels to try out before buying. Sorry you have nothing closeby to you Kaci! You did a good summary!
Hey kaci I not to long got one of the ashfords. I am about to use this weekend.
What a fun episode! I bought my Lendrum about two years ago. I love spinning and started on a spindle about 7 years ago. I still love the spindle especially for traveling, but yes I love how efficient the wheel is. I agree with everything you mentioned. Thanks for inspiring me to keep up my spinning, I have been so busy with homeschooling and running the house that I haven’t made time lately 😬
You just threw me back 15 years mentioning Jacey. I have one of her maybe first year of spinning art yarns knit into a scarf. I’m just coming back to knitting and spinning and it makes me so happy she’s still going and successful 🥰
Thanks so much for this video. I have a few drop spindles that I’ve enjoyed. I bought a ladybug spinning wheel during covid and still in the box. So scared to even try it and my closest place to learn how to spin is an hour away. You have made me a little braver to start and give me guidance of learning on my own. Thanks so much!!!
I watched the whole episode without using the translation feature! 🤣 Mistake! Spinning is a complete different language. I did buy a spindle a few months ago and my first attempt looks like a jelly fish. 🥺 I'm going to try again in the summer.
Thanks to assembling my own spinning wheel I found I am really not afraid to play with the tension and other settings! So the assembly process really helped me become comfortable with my wheel from the jump
I just got a drop spindle at the Oregon flock fiber show and some Icelandic wool that has a really long staple length. It’s been really fun to learn and figure out! I’m so interested in those classes you mentioned about plying and drafting. Thanks for the great video ❤🎉
The craftsy classes that you recommended are currently 65% off for Presidents Day Sale!
Niddy Noddy
Niddy Noddy
Two heads
One body
Here's one
'Taint one
'Twill be one
By and by
And so on...
You get a nice rhythm going, and winding up a skein by niddy noddy is relaxing. Twist into a hank, and you can alway put it on a swift and make cakes with a nostepinne or a ball-winder. If you don't want to use a niddy noddy, use a skeinwinder (dedicated or certain swifts can do it, too).
While your video contains a lot of useful information I'm yet to find a 'beginner spinner's' guide to terminology.
So your video, like every one I've watched, uses assumptive language ... ie ... everyone will know what a spindle is + it's use.
Just a suggestion for new video 😊
Let's give a wider view. A sheep needs to be sheared, and the fleece is a mess. Firstly, it's thick with lanolin, which is good for your hands, but it's also full of twigs, and burrs, and all kinds of vegetable matter. Their rear ends are not to be processed, nor, really, the ends near the ground. So the first thing to be done is wash it, and wash it, and wash it, not hot, or you'll felt it, but eventually you can separate it into locks, which are combed using a carding machine into a batt, a pad of wool. From there, it's drawn off and passed through a diz, a metal plate with a hole in it. This produces a roving/top, a long strand of wool about an inch across. That's the point she starts off from. The dying can be done at any point. I open it up further, using hand combs to straighten the fibres into really floofy rolls (known as rolags) which make drafting (drawing out just a few fibres to spin together into the single thread) a doddle. Each fibre is a staple, and is going to be a couple of inches long minimum, four-five optimal, six on the long side. You'll pull a dozen, maybe fifteen threads together, pulling them gently out, adding more if it's getting thin, and the machine will spin them together and feed the strand onto the bobbin for you.
Once you've processed your wool, the next stage is to ply it - ie turn it into two-ply, three-ply, whatever. That's simply using the machine running in the opposite direction to pull the strands off the appropriate number of bobbins in a bobbin rack (the lazy kate) onto another bobbin.
At this point, you can run it off the bobbin onto a niddy-noddy, which is simply two crossbars at 90 degrees sufficiently far apart to create a skein. That can then go onto a skein holder to be feed a ball-winder, and that's something you should be at home with. I sometimes skein-off my singles as a way of measuring how much I've spun, and to even out the twist, then run it back onto the bobbins so I'm plying equal lengths, roughly.
What other abstruse references have we? The twist happens because the bobbin's spinning at a lower rate than the flyer, held by a brake string, the "scotch band", which isn't the Pipes and Drums of the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards. So, to get started, tie a loop of wool about 18" long, stick one end through the other and hitch it onto the bobbin, and thread it through the hole in the flyer. Twist some strands from your fibre into a crude thread, and twist it into the wool, if necessary using some spit as glue. Start the wheel spinning slowly, and use one hand to draw the strands out from the other, which lightly pinches the fibre mass to control how many are being taken up. I usually find a gossamer thin-ness a couple of centimetres wide is about right - left hand draws, right controls.
So in summary, your wheel turns the bobbin and flyer, the wool starts in the fibre mass, passes through right hand, then left, through the flyer onto the bobbin.
There are actually two ways to draw it, in short lengths and long lengths. You'll find the wheel starts to force the twist through your left hand into the drafted feed, so if it does, slow a little and pinch tighter with your right hand to stop it sucking up more from the fibre supply than you want - you can always spin a little more if it's too loose, which can cause your thread to fall apart. If you over-spin, the thread can attempt to ply back on itself, causing a horrid mess.
Very informative and (for me) accurate video. I too am a very new spinner and have had a similar experience. The ashford kiwi 3 has been perfect for me. It was easy to experiment with tension and ratios and to problem solve when things weren't going right. I now have 8 bobbins! LOL. I was unable to draft the beautiful , expensive dyed 100% merino top that was used in a beginner class I took. I went on line to WEBS and bought 4 oz bags of different undyed fiber. I found my stride on falkland and have moved on to corriedale. Your first fiber tips are great! I bought a lazy kate because my singles got caught in the treadles during plying as you said. I will look into the craftsy classes. I have found the beginner spinning series at the School of Sweet Georgia to be helpful and now I'm working on the one called Taking Your Spinning to the Next Level. I think you will help lots of new spinners with this great video. Thank you!
Old school spinning spinner’s suggested 2lbs for a sweater quantity
Pretty sure we’re best friends! I have bees chickens sheep and am at the beginning of learning to spin. I’m terrible so far.
So much fun. I understood many of the words you said. But, I pretend to understand all of them. 😂 Always love hanging out with you every week. Love you 😘
You're the best! Love you ❤
I decided to take knitting back up with the New Year...and also decided to take up spinning. Knitting has been going well...and my spinning class starts this Saturday. I won an Ebay auction yesterday for 4.5 lbs of raw wool...because I've become a "yarn snob", and figured it was ultimately going to be cheaper to spin my own yarn. If my ancestors did it, I can too! I am tall (5'11") and not a petite thing--thanks to my warrior king ancestors--so a sweater quantity of yarn will take more than some petite delicate person. Then, my daughter is 6'2", and my grandchildren will be tall...as well as the rest of my family...so I can tell I will be needing copious amounts of wool in my future. (I'm also trying to talk my daughter into buying land and raising a few sheep...and maybe angora rabbits...and mohair goats. Beware the rabbit hole...it is real!)
As well...going down this fiber rabbit hole, I convinced the instructors at our local knit shop to hold a weaving boot camp over Spring Break in April that has become "invitation only" this first year. (I had a friend in college who had her own large loom and she sat me down before an expo, taught me the basics, and I wove for the expo...so I feel it's in my DNA.)
And...because I like classes, I also asked them to do a "two at a time toe up" magic look sock class at the end of April.
I sew, crochet, and quilt, so these are all "natural" in my fiber art journey.
Abby Franquemont taught me how to spin years ago. If you want to ask me any questions, please do. I try to spin every day and it's an important part of my life. So peaceful.
You are doing a great job.
Kaci, have you considered adding angora rabbits to your mini farm? They are great for the garden and you also get amazing fiber 😊
Fuzzy bunnies, combed for a yarn that halos. ❤
Hi Kaci,I started spinning 3 hrs ago during the Covid slowdown on an Ashford traveller. We have lots of Ashford wheels here in Australia. Another really good spinning podcast is Lisa of Soulful Spinning, I learned lots from her especially about fibre prep. Now that everything back to normal I go to a spinning group. Love seeing what you are up too!
I agree, Lisa is good to learn from
I have a kiwi3 just purchased and having a time getting it to take up. Any suggestions
Do you work with linen, and do you spin flax?
Thank you for the spinning info!! I haven't spun in years and will be re-learning everything! I had a first generation Kiwi, I now have a Kromski Minstrel and I love it!!! I had an Ashford Traditional and as soon as I sold it I regretted it!! If you ever have an opportunity for a Ashford Traditional buy it!! Fun to spin on!!
That’s what I just bought and I love it. The ashford traditional.
I bought a Lendrum DT and almost two years ago and am very happy with it. I see you mention the School of Sweet Georgia in your comments. I recommend the class taught by Kim McKenna, “Nuances to Better Spinning”.
I'm a fairly new spinner from England and I really enjoyed your video. Have taken notes and looking forward to watching those you recommended. Am really envious of all your resources in the USA, hoping to find more over here. Grateful for the Internet though. Thanks once again for your delightful video.
Thanks Kaci. This was very informative. Having watched knitting videos for last few years, and then overlapping with their hand spun yarn, I said nope, I’m too old to learn how to spin. Well, you know the end of the story… I saw the e-spinners and said, YES, I can do that. I bought an Electric E-Wheel 6, from Dreaming Robots. I am absolutely in LOVE. Your recommendations for the classes is great, I will check them out, as I know no spinners, and am in a rural area. Happy spinning.
Loved this video. I made a few spinning wheels when I wanted to pick up knitting again. I had a broken bicycle headed for the trash; I removed a bent wheel and made a great wheel on a plank of old flooring. I also made a flyer bobbin wheel using the rest of the bike flipped over. It's hideous but absolutely does what I need. I can spin worsted, woolen semi, art yarn, you name it. I also made an uncountable number of spindles with disposable chopsticks and random objects, fully functional.
😂
Spinners...
it's time to come out.🎉❤
THANK YOU for this video. I've definitely been interested into coming over to the dark side. ;) It's definitely hard to know where to start and this was so helpful.
My 1st and only wheel is the Lendrum DT. I love how it works for me. Mine came with a lazy Kate, fast flyer and jumbo plying head. It has been able to do anything I have seen others doing with their wheels. And it's portable!
Thank you now all I need a wheel😂
Spinning looks so fun! I'm curious if it's hard on the wrists or if that can be mitigated with technique/different styles.
Hi Kaci! Great show to spread enthusiasm and interest in spinning. For a beginner you have learned a great deal and articulate it well. I still consider myself a beginner also. I purchased a DT Lendrum with the accessory package oftensioned lazy Kate, extra bobbins, fast flier, and plying head and bobbin. Extremely pleased and worth every penny. I was coached for the purchase by Kim Biegler of Ewethful Fiber Farm& Mill. She has a podcast and a wool mill in Oregon. She has started a great Wool School course which costs $147 and you own it for life. It takes you all the way through to winding, washing, and making a finished skein at the end. Highly recommend. She’s a great teacher and very encouraging. I hope you check her out so you can wholeheartedly recommend her course to your viewers. She will get them happily spinning. Her course is about to start again soon. Thanks for all the time s as no energy you put into your podcast… it’s great!!!
Cheap by no means $700 for the cheapest one. Wow. If you can afford it, go for it.
See my comments above for a low cost alternative
@@blufrogknitsandsoaps I forgot about him. I have his yarn counter.
Look for second hand wheels. I got my first wheel, an Ashford traditional for $100 and my dream wheel, a Schact Matchless for $500.
Love that music! What is it?
I thought it was just me getting tangled in my treadle when plying on my kiwi 3. Glad to know it’s not just me plying weirdly! Love my wheel though, I will recommend it forever
I appreciate this video so much. You presented a lot of good information I found helpful as someone just becoming interested in spinning. Your mention of The Woolery caught my attention. I bought my ball winder there several years ago. It's a nice store!
I went down the spinning rabbit hole several years ago with my Spinolution Pollywog (love it!) and just graduated to the Bullfrog (also love!). I also learned sooo much from those Crafts classes!! And I agree that Nube is the worst to spin, but it has such beautiful colors!!
Your video and music is beautiful! The best I’ve seen! Please keep it up. I’ll be back and I’ll tell all my friends. Well done!
I started with a Schacht Ladybug 11 years ago and have never wanted another wheel. I love that Schacht's accessories are all interchangeable with its different wheels. A couple of years ago, I acquired a Lendrum DT and I really haven't taken that much time to get used to it. I need to play with it more to see if it's a fit for me. I always go right back to my Ladybug!
Have you tried a Turkish spindle? I absolutely adore mine, and find them very used friendly!!
Oh thank you so much for this video. I’m just getting into spinning as well service is so helpful. Thank you thank you thank you sending you my love.
Hi, I'm from NZ and its so cool to hear you talking about NZ wool and Ashford spinning wheels. (I love Bonnies yarn and colour ways. ) Your videos are so inspiring ! I'm going to head down to the storage unit today to try to find my spinning wheels and fleece!
I learned to spin on a Lendrum DT and it’s still my favorite even though I have 3 other great wheels.
A bit of advice: rather than getting a larger nitty noddy, I recommend a yarn weasel. It’s so much easier to use. Also, you can use your swift to skein make skeins.
Thank you thank you! I’ve begun the journey but getting frustrated. You have inspired me to continue and I hope you produce more spinning videos I am a huge fan of your knitting UA-cam and podcast. ❤
Thank you enjoyed your podcast am not a spinner but found it interesting would love to try i do have a drop spindle but forgot how to use it and perhaps the prices might stop me am on limited income. Like I said I enjoyed it.
Thanks! That’s a good recap for people wanting to start spinning, and as an experience spinner I agree with it all! Could you show us more about that little spinning tool? I didn’t really understand the protractor part and getting the twist angle. Also, if you’re Canadian the Louet wheels are a good choice to look at as well. And if you come across a used wheel, try to find a more experienced spinner who can try it for you
I am trying to slow my videos down to make them more relaxing like yours. they are just so cozy.
Thanks Kaci! I am also new to spinning and chose drop spindling as I wanted to try something new, but just dip my toes in; I do not know any spinners nearby nor places for classes. I agree that (drop) spindle spinning is a slow process, but I have learned some things real fast--not that my first spin was great 🤣 but it taught me a lot. The fiber really makes a huge difference and my first was merino with "short" staple length which meant I didn't get the hang of drafting easily as it kept breaking but it certainly made me focus. I am now on Corriedale and it's so long and delightful and if I can get a good flow going, it is definitely more efficient once I can truly drop spindle rather than the inching or modified park and draft method. But, even though it's not a fast process, I actually use it for that reason, when I want something to just chill with in the morning as my brain wakes up or before bed. Confession: I dream of getting an e-spinner! Maybe one day I can find a budget-friendly used one. Happy spinning!
Thanks for this great video Kaci! I've contemplated if I wanted to go down the "spinning hole" and maybe one day when I don't have a toddler and more free time, I may give it a go!
This was a fun video to watch! I will definitely check out the craftsy videos. I’m hoping my local guild will do a spinning wheel class soon.
I think the ashford traditional is a good beginner wheel too. There’s a lot of them out there that people can find at a good price used since they have been around for so long. I found one for fantastic price locally and have found it so simple to operate.
Yay! More spinners in the world! The School of Sweet Georgia has excellent classes as well, on many topics.
Great video for beginners!!!! I started with the original kiwi about 9 years ago and it took me so far! I think the lendrum dt is an awesome wheel and you can get accessories to help it grow with you as a spinner. When I started looking at sweater quantities, I was always given the rule of thumb of 2# of fiber to have enough to sample and swatch, plus the actual yarn for the sweater.
Is that cleaned or raw? The reason I ask is I bought 4.5 pounds of raw wool yesterday and hope to have enough for at least one sweater's worth of yarn when all is said and done.
@@joannathesinger770 cleaned, the recommendation was for top or roving. I’d double it for a raw fleece
🌈❤️
Thank you Kaci that was very interesting am thinking of trying a drop spindle
This is exactly the video I need! Thank you, Kaci!
Not me researching whether or not I can rent a wheel in my area 🧐. loved this!
Enjoyed watching this and all that you are learning!
Wonderful content, aesthetic and music!
Does anyone know a website to shop for used spinning wheels?
Thank you for all the great information!!!!!!!!!
Another low cost e spinner that is very portable is the Electric Eel Wheel.
Thank you I just added it!
I was also going to suggest the Electric Eel Wheel. I have a friend that spun a sweaters worth of yarn on her mini and then knitted a gorgeous sweater. I was blown away!! I love my little wheel..she travels quite well.
That is the espinner I have. It is really affordable and works great.
So exciting being a new spinner….Fantasia was my first wheel and still a favorite…..luv my lendrum toooo…..being a more experienced spinner doesn’t make the malibrigo easier to spin, it just means that I have enough experience to know I don’t want to work that hard to spin it!….hurts my hands…..thanks for sharing…..in joy!✂️🐑🌀🧶
Very helpful!!! Thank you!!!! - kimberly
I'm interested in all this for sure !!!! ❤
I know nothing about this so very cool to see, thanks 😊
Thanks so much for an interesting episode I am just beginning my adventure with spinning and this was most helpful.
Glad it was helpful!
You reading my mind Kaci?
😘
Are you having fun with your new wheel?!
Beautiful Kaci. Wow…..
What a superb topic!
Hi Kaci! Love your content ❤️ The class From Woolen to Worsted that you recommended... would you say that's most useful for wheel spinning? Or would it also be helpful when using a drop spindle? I have just recently fallen down the rabbit hole 🕳️🐇 and I am in full on learning mode ❤️
Thank you! So I think drafting is drafting no matter what your spinning on and so the drafting class is very helpful. It does show her drafting on a spinning wheel but it works either way
@@YoungfolkKnits Awesome! Thank you for the recommendation ❤️
Hello from St. Louis M!
Hi and thanks so much for this informative video! I’m also from a small town in Oregon where there are no classes… question .. is it cheaper to buy the fiber & spin it compared to buying yarn ? I know it depends on the yarn , Im not talking about box store more like Farmers Daughter Fibers or spin cycle… thanks again for you great content!
If your using a spindle then yes. But it will take a long time for a wheel to pay for itself 😅
so your spending $24 on dyed wool that gives you 100 grams vs $34 for 50g of spincycle
I would say it is not less expensive, but it’s very gratifying. I have had several farmers give me sheep and alpaca fleeces for free or very low cost. After about a year of spinning I’ve gotten my yarn to a place where I really love it.
Thanks for the info. I am wondering about the niddy noddy- wouldn’t a swift do the same thing??
I have a tabletop swift with adjustable arms and a handle in the center that works great for skein winding. I actually prefer using that over a niddy noddy when I'm winding off my handspun yarn.
@@gizmofox5995 Thanks! I am just teaching myself to spin on a drop spindle- with the goal of eventually getting a wheel
@@beverlythompson3246 I started out on a drop spindle too! Spinning is such a fun hobby, it's great to see more people getting into it.