The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Food & crafts => Crafts => Topic started by: quiltycats on November 01, 2012, 12:52:06 pm
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I recently began spinning, using an Ashford traditional, keeping Ryeland sheep gives me a supply of wool, though I was lucky enough to be given 3 alpaca fleeces in lieu of a stud fee (no intention of charging so the fleeces were a big bonus)
I am absolutely hooked, and combine spinning with quilt making as time consumers. Now that I am sure I like it I too, really lust after a drum carder and keep looking out for second hand ones. My problem is I don't knit so what to do with the spun wool. Not being a knitter Im not sure how best to describe my wool..double knit? two ply? how do you know exactly how thick it should be? I seem to get a consistent thickness but have no idea what it equates to in knowledgeable kitting parlance. :-\
http://quiltycats.blogspot.co.uk/ (http://quiltycats.blogspot.co.uk/)
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Hi there quiltycats and welcome to the world of spinning :wave:
You don't have to knit to spin - you could learn to weave, or crochet, or to use a pegloom. You could also sell your yarn especially if you hand dye it :thumbsup: Or of course you could learn to knit :knit: :knit: :knit: it's great ;D
The usual way to describe handspun yarn is as wpi - wraps per inch. You wind your yarn around a ruler or special measure, with each wrap touching but not squashed up against the next one, then count how many wraps there are to an inch. You can also give an idea of its gauge by yardage per pound, but wpi is so much simpler.
Second hand drum carders are a bit like hens teeth but you might get lucky.
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Just as FW says re uses of yarn plus thickness.
If you join your local Weavers, Spinners and Dyers guild, you may find someone there who could lend you a drum carder or even who might be selling one.
Personally I have decided I will have to save up for a classic carder (http://www.classiccarder.co.uk/)
I also got back into knitting (ie I knew how to do it, but didn't) because of spinning :knit: and am now hooked on that too.... so much to do, so little time :D
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My local guild has a drum carder that they lend out but I decided to take the plunge and buy my own from Classic Carders. I am very pleased with it and can get through so much more fleece. I found that hand carding was a real chore.
Please do give knitting a try although you may have to perservere to get the tension right it will be worth it in the end.
I have recently been given some alpacca and have decided to try some felting with it (went on a felting course last Sunday ;D )
Sally
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Quiltycats, I would like to help out and so am offering to take any wool you spin off your hands. I won't even charge you. :-J :-J
Those classic carders look good and they're not as expensive as I thought they would be.
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Classic Carders - brilliant, good (and personal) service and even more important (for me) British made. You can even choose your wood!
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The pennies are going in the piggybank :)
Sadly, new tyres, a car service, an oil delivery and Christmas coming up, are all emptying it :P
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Fleecewife, thank you for the info, that helps a lot, as for the knitting ..... :thinking: once I find the rossetta stone of knitting patterns maybe I will manage it.
MGoM umm thanks for that very kind offer, soon as I have imported this bridge from brooklyn some guy has been selling me I will sort that out :innocent:
Classic carders should be paying you guys commission!! I will have to save up ...thanks for the welcome!!
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MGoM umm thanks for that very kind offer, soon as I have imported this bridge from brooklyn some guy has been selling me I will sort that out :innocent:
:roflanim: :roflanim:
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oh great, now I want one of those. It's on the Christmas list (combined with birthday). Am hoping Santa is nice :fc: :fc: :fc:
Dans :knit:
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Dans is that the bridge in Brooklyn or the classic carder :-J
I'm still wanting a set of hand careers to use on the fleece I have acquired feather than the dog brush :innocent:
Quiltycats I'm just getting back to knitting ( not that I've done much. Just bits now and again over the years) due to getting a spinning wheel. There are knitting groups out there but I'm finding my spinning guilds the best place for advice and am going to try an alien needle soon ( circular for those in the know ) I didn't know such things existed until a few weeks ago at a guild meeting.
It maybe worth you joining a local guild. I've found them invaluable.
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Dans is that the bridge in Brooklyn or the classic carder :-J
That's the classic carder but the bridge might be more likely :-J
I keep telling myself I'll get one if I save. Then I remember the small matter of the wedding I'm having and the smallholding we are hoping to buy. Dog brushes it is!
Dans - yet to venture to her local guild but really should.
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Dans,
Perhaps you can put the drum carder on your wedding present list :roflanim: :roflanim:
Sally
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Dans,
Perhaps you can put the drum carder on your wedding present list :roflanim: :roflanim:
Sally
Oh I have been tempted. It's the same as a toaster really. Toaster makes toast for us both. Drum carder helps me spin which helps me knit which clothes us. It could work right????? :innocent:
Dans
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Worth a try, Dans.
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Just as FW says re uses of yarn plus thickness.
If you join your local Weavers, Spinners and Dyers guild, you may find someone there who could lend you a drum carder or even who might be selling one.
Personally I have decided I will have to save up for a classic carder (http://www.classiccarder.co.uk/)
I also got back into knitting (ie I knew how to do it, but didn't) because of spinning :knit: and am now hooked on that too.... so much to do, so little time :D
Second all that.
Our Guild has a drum carder it can lend out, recent discussions on Ravelry about drum carders always come down emphatically on the side of Classic Carders.
Like jaykay, I got back into knitting (could but didn't) because I wanted to use what I spun, and now I am totally hooked on making my own clothes with my own homespun :knit: :knit:
Even with extremely basic knitting skills, you can very easily make things which are seriously useful to smallholding / outdoorsy types - scarves, wrist warmers, tube socks that fit anyone, for instance.
And once you have joined a spinning / knitting / crocheting / fibre group, you will never be short of people very willing to help you with anything that you are struggling with and happy to show you techniques you haven't come across. :)
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And you can make lots of very individual Christmas gifts that cost time but not much money.
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QC, I just had a look at your blog, and the Traddy in the pic there (a) is very nice :thumbsup: and (b) does have at least 2 speeds. So you can ply at a higher ratio than you spin, which will reduce the boredom a lot. ;)
On the flyer, slither the drive band over into the groove nearer the front; you will need to tilt the mother-of-all to retension the drive band. Do this by twiddling the knob on top of the mother-of-all.
Shout if that made no sense whatsoever! :D
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QC, I just had a look at your blog, and the Traddy in the pic there (a) is very nice :thumbsup: and (b) does have at least 2 speeds. So you can ply at a higher ratio than you spin, which will reduce the boredom a lot. ;)
On the flyer, slither the drive band over into the groove nearer the front; you will need to tilt the mother-of-all to retension the drive band. Do this by twiddling the knob on top of the mother-of-all.
Shout if that made no sense whatsoever! :D
:roflanim: :dunce: That's what that fancy embellishment is!!! Might need to sort out a new drive band as the twiddly knob is twiddled to the greatest extent it will go, unless I am missing another trick? :thinking:
Cheers Sally
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Okay.
- Twiddle the knob down until the MoA is flat on the deck.
- Keep the drive band on the larger whorl (where it is now.)
- Now tighten the drive band to fit. (Yes, cut it and tie another knot. And/or replace it.) It should be taut but not so much that there's no give in it; you should be able to depress it with your finger by about an inch.
- Now shimmy the drive band over to the smaller whorl and use the tension knob to retension the drive band.
Ply away :)
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Okay.
- Twiddle the knob down until the MoA is flat on the deck.
- Keep the drive band on the larger whorl (where it is now.)
- Now tighten the drive band to fit. (Yes, cut it and tie another knot. And/or replace it.) It should be taut but not so much that there's no give in it; you should be able to depress it with your finger by about an inch.
- Now shimmy the drive band over to the smaller whorl and use the tension knob to retension the drive band.
Ply away :)
Cheers Sally, I have new drive band string in my emergency fix kit so I will get that done soon, probably once I have spun up this Ryeland/Alpaca mix. 20% Ryeland 80% Alpaca, it is spinning beautifully just now so I dont want to mess with anything till the boring less thinking intensive, plying :thumbsup: