[Fleecewife]

I was wondering what other spinners are working on.  I have been concentrating on Hebridean fleece for a few years now but the other day I bought a pale cream alpaca fleece so I've started spinning that.  It comes out slightly thicker than I would have expected, but pretty much the same as all the other alpaca handspun I've seen.  Makes me itch though, probably all the floating fibres. I'm hoping to ply it with a darker alpaca I bought last year to make a cosy shawl for breakfast in bed in the winter    I was also wondering about adding glitter to it somehow.  I don't like angelina but wondered about beads.  Does anyone do that?

[Fleecewife]

Oh no replies    I thought there were other spinners on here.......

[knightquest]

Sorry, I know nothing about spinning. I did however find your description of what you were doing fascinating. I think in life, I am a maker rather than a talker for instance or a planner so I am amazed when people like yourself have the confidence and ability to do what you are obviously good at and produce something tangible at the end.

Keep up the good work and post piccies if you can 

Ian

[Fleecewife]

Thank you Ian.  With spinning, it looks difficult but is actually extremely easy once you get going.  I taught myself because I had sheep and loads of fleece and it seemed the obvious thing to do.  Mostly I make working jumpers, socks, hats and so on, and do demos at shows, but I do fancy a nice luxurious shawl for when I pretend to be waited on hand and foot 

For pics, I can take them but haven't yet worked out how to post them here - computers I'm not good with    That's what OHs are for - I make him socks, he posts my pics  .

[Fleecewife]

Incidentally Ian, is your dog in the pic a malamut? Sorry if I've got that wrong....does it have an undercoat?  I used to have a huge dog, Wolfhound cross Anatolian Karabash who had a wonderful undercoat.  I collected bags of it ready to spin with wool but OH threw it out one day when he thought I was just being untidy  .  Then she died - the dog.  So I had no lovely dog fur to spin (my current terriers don't shed).  Dog fur apparently makes incredibly warm clothes, but has to be mixed with wool to spin and tends to smell of wet dog if you get caught in a rain shower 

[knightquest]

Hello Fleecewife, yep he sure is a Mal and boy does he shed  We also have two Leonbergers who shed too. We take them to the park every weekend and it looks like something has died there lol

If you want, we'll keep the fur for you. Does it matter if any of the top coat comes with it too?

By the way, I spend a lot of time with the dogs and probably smell like a wet dog anyway 

Ian

[MurmuringWheel]

Didn't know if I ought to answer as I spin for a living, rather than as a hobby.
Well, I spin as a hobby too when I have time!

I've just finished a lovey grey shetland fleece comission, I'm onto a bag of Estrela mountain dog now, which is looking pretty good so far. Next on the list will be a Ryeland for a TAS member.

I've never blended any dog hair with wool to spin it though, and if washed correctly after spinning, it doesn't smell of wet dog!

I'm a bit of a shawl addict, are you knitting or crocheting yours?

[Fleecewife]

Hi Ian.  Yes please, I'd love some  , just enough to try - maybe a supermarket carrier bag full?.  I'll ask Murmuringwheel about the guard hairs but I would think it's fairly difficult to avoid including some. Thank you and your dogs in advance

[Fleecewife]

Hi Murmuring Wheel.  I'm glad you replied - spinning is spinning    I'm amazed and impressed that you can make a living from spinning.  How long does it take you to spin, say, the Shetland fleece?  I assume you wash and card it too.  Do you charge by weight, or yarn length, or time taken?

I thought you needed the wool to help the dog fur to hold together?  Interesting that you don't !  What would be your answer to Ian's question about whether it matters if the bag includes some of the top coat?  Would you pick out the guard hairs or include them in the yarn?  How do you prepare the dog hair for spinning?

My shawl will be knitted (can't crochet very well)  and will not be a wedding ring type as I definitely don't have the patience for that.  Also the alpaca is coming out thicker than I had intended.  I love shawls too and have several hand knitted ones, but none which are also handspun - yet !

Have you used additives like angelina? I bought some but have never used it as it seems too coarse and artificial.

[scotelf]

Hello, I'm new to this forum but interested in spinning, so I hope you don't mind me posting here.

I had a little introductory lesson a few months ago, and was rather taken by it. I started knitting and crocheting again this winter after a long time off (Basically I used to work too much, but since I left, I've much more time on my hands  ) From that I wanted to find out more about yarn/fibre, spinning and dyeing. The wheels are pretty expensive though, even a second hand one.

[Fleecewife]

Hello Scotelf.  Don't be put off by the price of wheels.  For learning, a spindle is fine and once you have mastered that you can spin on anything.  Are you in Scotland?  Anywhere near Biggar?  If you need help/support with spinning that's where I am    Otherwise there are Guilds all over the place where you should find someone with helpful advice and maybe wheels for sale.

[scotelf]

Hi, I am in West Lothian, and have one of my horses grazing in Lanark at the moment, so I'm in your area quite frequently. I haven't a clue about the use of a spindle for spinning, but would love a try 

[MurmuringWheel]

Hi Fleecewife,

I'm sometimes amazed I can make a living from it too!

It depends on the size of the fleece ( I'm amazed how Shetlands can vary in size!) and the thickness I'm spinning, but on average if I'm spinning it DK-ish, I can get a Shetland done in a good 8 - 10hour day.
I don't card unless it's very difficult to draft, or I'm blending colours together. I normally spin in the grease and wash the skeins afterwards. My charging methods vary as each job is so different, depending on a lot of factors, ie. how clean the fleece is, do I need to do lots of picking bits out and preparation, thickness of yarn and what the customer wants to use the finished yarn for.

Most dog hair is long enough to hold together by itself, you just need to change the drafting technique sometimes and pay attention to how much twist is going in. If it's nice open hair, I just grab a handful and spin, no preparation necessary. As for guard hairs in the fibre, all I would suggest is spinning a short piece, plying it back on itself and feeling it against your skin. Some guard hairs are very prickly but some you hardly notice and they can add a nice texture to the yarn.

One thing I would say to Ian: if you are going to save the hair, please make sure you store it in a cardboard box or paper bag, if you keep it in plastic, Fleecewife will have a large lump of felt to deal with!

And, no, I haven't tried angelina. One day I will find time to experiment!

[knightquest]

OK cardboard box it is then 

Ian

[Fleecewife]

Hi Scotelf.  Can you pm me when you are going to be in the area and we can have a prelim meeting.  I bit busy just now with trying to rescue the very wet hay, but into Sept should have more time (ha  )

     Re: what are you spinning ?
« Reply #11 on: August 09, 2010, 05:57:10 PM » Quote 

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Hi, I am in West Lothian, and have one of my horses grazing in Lanark at the moment, so I'm in your area quite frequently. I haven't a clue about the use of a spindle for spinning, but would love a try