The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Food & crafts => Crafts => Topic started by: Lesley Silvester on September 16, 2013, 11:32:36 pm
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Does anyone know where I can get a lesson or two in the Shropshire area? I am really struggling. the people at my group are very good at giving me pointers and it seems to start going well but, as soon as they have gone back to their own wheels, it all goes wrong again. I don't like to keep asking as they are there to do their own spinning but I am getting so frustrated at not being able to do it.
What makes it worse is that I did learn years ago but took up weaving and my ex took over the spinning wheel. I seem to have lost the knack of co-ordinating my hands and feet. I need someone to sit with me and watch me for quite a while and talk me through it.
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Lesley, I can't help with spinners in your area but I would say just persevere. I am sure when you originally learnt to drive you wondered how you would manage the pedals, steering wheel and the gears all at the same time. Spinning is much the same. It's practice that helps to make it better.
I must say I am not a good spinner myself but have realised that during the year going to my spinning group my spinning has improved greatly. Just don't give up.
Have you tried iTunes vids?
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I'd post a question on UK Spinners on Ravelry. There will be someone or several, it's just finding out who they are!
They'll all tell you that 10 minutes practise a day - not more - will do more to help than anything, but there again I haven't come across anyone that's had a few lessons that doesn't feel it was worth it. ;) So if that's what you are wanting, you go ahead and push to get it my gal :-*
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Thanks, both and Sally, I'll do that.
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I know someone in Dolanog near Welshpool who might be able to help but not closer to you than that.
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Thanks, Debbie, I'll bear that in mind and, if I don't have any success locally, I'll be in touch.
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For me, what worked was just to sit down and work it out for myself. I never do very well from demonstrations, although they have been helpful with more advanced stuff. That way I could find a spinning method I understood, which suited me. I explored the qualities of wool, how it draws out, how it sticks together, how much twist you need (all from finger spinning), different fleeces etc, before I ever tried the actual spinning. I always like to really understand something, because if I don't know why something happens as it does, and I just copy what I've been shown, then I find it difficult forever. There's no 'right way' to spin, just what works for you. Suddenly it will click. So my recommendation is to practice every day as Sally says, without trying to follow the instructions you've had too closely. It sounds as if you are getting very tense and annoyed at the whole business - spinning never turns out right if you're uptight, so just relax and accept that it will take a few weeks of practising for a short while each day before you can produce a recognisable yarn. :spin:
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You're right. I am getting tense. The wheel is in the same room as me but all I do it glare at it occasionally. See, I'm even referring to it as the wheel instead of she/her and Betsy.
I have heard from someone on Ravelry who might be able to give me a lesson. I'm sure it won't take long before I get going. I already understand the principles as I learned before and remember that bit. It's just getting a continuous length of wool without it either breaking or the wheel changing direction mid-spin.
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It's just getting a continuous length of wool without it either breaking or the wheel changing direction mid-spin.
Lesley, I remember that stage well. I was there not long ago but my spinning is looking reasonable these days and it won't take long for yours to be the same.
What you are describing is all about getting a regular rhythm going. You could sit and practice that without any fleece at all. Give the treadle a try. It's good exercise for your ankles if nothing else ;D
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Sally, I can treadle for hours with no problem. It's when I try to treadle and draw out the fleece that it all goes wrong. However, all is not lost. Someone on Ravelry has offered to come and sit with me while I spin to see where I am going wrong.
Watch this space. :excited:
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there are spinning lessons up here - but when i excitedly enquired - it involved riding an exercise bike :o :o :o
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:roflanim: That's all I could find on google as well.
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I know you are talking about spinning wheels but I like this video for basics.
Learn how to spin wool fiber (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gBPMg6_CRIg#)
When I teach spinning I always encourage new spinners to ply commercial yarn first to get the feel of the wheel and the rythm.
Here is another instruction. Wool spinning by hand (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gOM7YvzGl3Y#)
Mind you, that lady's creaking wheel would drive me up the wall. I also suggest not to fill the bobbins at first as the more yarn you have on the bobbin, the harder it is to treadle.
Congrats with a very fulfilling hobby. :thumbsup:
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Thanks, Renee. I'll enjoy looking at these. I tried plying some commercial yarn on Saturday at my spinning group. At first it went well then I ended up with a bobbin full of yarn that was partly plied but mostly not. The person next to me thinks my drive band is slipping so I've ordered a new one.
Another spinner saw my post of Ravelry and has offered to come and watch me to see where I'm going wrong. Tomorrow's the day. :excited: :excited:
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Great. I see tomorrow is now today, so even greater
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Hope you gets lots out of it today Lesley :spin:
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It went very well. She brought her Joy with her and I used that. I found the double treadle much nicer than the single and managed to produce some reasonable yarn. She said that I am holding the fleece too tight and I do tend to grip it so I am working on being more relaxed with it.
She also had a go on my Traveller and said it was rather stiff but works ok. I had just put a new brake spring on it so that might have helped. Also need to oil it. My new drive band should turn up in the next couple of day so I'll see if that makes a difference.
All in all, I feel much more positive about it. ;D ;D ;D
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That all sounds very positive :thumbsup:
Busy this week but after the SSGF I'll take you through a step-by-step check over your Traveller to make sure it's all set up ok and moving correctly. Sneak preview, the first step is to take off the drive band and give the wheel a good spin by hand (push the spokes not the rim.) It should revolve 50 or so times before coming to rest.
I've bought a few second hand wheels now :innocent:, and the very best of them managed nearly 30 revolutions when I first got it home. The worst only did 15. I got them all up to 50 or 60 and it makes such a difference to spinning on them!
The very worst wheel I sorted out had been screwed together so tightly the wheel only turned 7 times. The spinner who was using it must have been developing seriously strong calf muscles ;)
Anyway, keep at it, 10-20 minutes a day ;) and you'll soon be proudly showing us your first usable handpun :excited: :spin:
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I'm glad it went well. Once you start to feel confident with it I am sure there will be no stopping you.
Sally, I will be interested in what you are going to say about the Traveller too. Mine had been sitting in a garage for the last 5 years after the mans wife died. It was very rusty. I have got it spinning ok but I was probably too keen to use it to give a proper going over. I will see how many revolutions I get from it later today.
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My new drive band arrived so I am going to fit it tomorrow and do some oiling. I didn't practice today as I didn't want to put myself off again by using a stiff wheel so I'll wait until tomorrow when it's all done.
Thanks, SITN, that will be helpful. I'll try the wheel trick.
I'm desperate to get weaving again but I have a ton of beans to blanch and freeze over the next couple of days. If only my stupid body would let me do as much as I used to in a day.
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Just realised I never did write up the step-by-step checks like I promised.
If you're still having problems with stiffness in the wheel, try this:
I have found it very helpful, as well as oiling everything pretty much every time I sit down, to always do the following checks:
- drive band off, brake band off, does wheel spin freely? Ashford say that if you give it a healthy shove (push the spoke, not pull the rim), it should do 50-60 revolutions before it stops.
- drive band on, brake band still off, does the flyer-and-bobbin spin freely when you treadle?
- Now brake band on, just enough tension that you can see it in the elastic band or spring (whichever you use), does the flyer spin freely (with the bobbin staying static) when you treadle?
As to what and where to oil, there's a video of Richard Ashford showing you where to oil a Traddy (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s01JVb2eaz4#ws), which it's pretty easy to translate to a Traveller. The only thing is he shows using oil on the treadle pivots, which many people say can cause the wood to swell, so it's better to use candle wax, sillcon wax or even Vaseline.
Another tip is, when replacing the bobbin it’s all too easy to not get the maidens absolutely perpendicular again. So always check they are parallel to the wheel.
Very old bobbins can get gummed up and need any old oil and gunky mess cleaned out with Isopropyl alcohol (IPA), meths or white spirit and a pipecleaner. Very very old bobbins are wood right through, and you may need to ream out the shaft if they are not spinning freely on the flyer shaft.
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Thanks, Sally. That's very helpful. I'll try that. :D
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Just for general information, here's the list of all the groups affiliated to the Guild of Weavers, Spinners and Dyers.
http://www.wsd.org.uk/guilds.htm (http://www.wsd.org.uk/guilds.htm)
You can either make contact before you go or just pop in on the day, there's usually a small day fee if you don't want to sign up for the year. Some guilds run regular teaching days but if not there will almost always be someone willing to sit with you and help you out with the basics and if you join there's often equipment such as wheels and looms available to hire.
There are other spinning groups too of course, not affiliated to the main Guild. So even if you can't make your local Guild day it's still worth phoning the local Guild secretary to ask if she knows of any other local groups or classes, or even a local tutor for one to one lessons.
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Good plan, if you're a long way from the nearest guild as we are it's not so handy to have to drive a long way for meets. I found a group nearer to me when we first moved here that had been formed by several of the guild members just so they could get together socially. It's probably the easiest way to learn to spin if you're in a rural area too, not all classes are geographically handy.
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I do belong to a local group and several people have given me help but, as soon as I seem to be doing ok and they move away, it all goes to pot again. It's strange because when I first had the wheel I spun and plied some lovely yarn and knitted myself a hat but now it keeps going wrong.
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Lesley, is everything ok with your wheel?
I was using the secondhand one that I recently got that had been stored in a shed. We were getting along ok and I was happy until someone said the band seemed a bit loose. Tightened the band and, hey presto, the spinning was different all together. Much nicer :thumbsup: :spin:
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I taught myself to spin from a superb little booklet by Hetty Wickens. It had little hand drawn diagrams in it and was so clearly explained that I'd recommend it to anyone.
After I discovered the Coventry guild I learned different techniques from the older ladies there and had a lovely day out once a month, which often involved a workshop of some sort or a visit from sellers like P&M Woolcraft.
After we moved up here I thought the guilds were too far away for me (60 & 70 miles respectively) although the Aberdeen guild now meets a lot nearer to us.
If you can get to a guild it's a lot of fun to join.
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I had a bit of a break as I was so engrossed in the needle felting but I know I need to be doing a little bit every day so I will get back into it. :spin: