I’m VERY excited about today’s post! I’m going to show off my very first attempt at wheel spinning (exciting!) and hopefully pick your brains for suggestions about getting fiber. I’m hoping you can point me to some wonderful dyers!
My first Wheel Spinning attempt
My friend, Linda, is loaning me her spinning wheel for a month so that I can try it out. I drop spindle, but I had never used a wheel before.
So, I bought some Merino top from my local yarn store (3 feet of sheep by Frabjous Fibers):
And started spinning. I was pretty pleased with how it looked on the wheel:
And very happy with the finished bobbin:
I spun two identical rainbow-bobbins (by dividing each color of roving in half before spinning), because I was planning on plying. But, I ended up loving the way the yarn already was, so I left them as singles.
I love them! I’ve already started knitting them up…
Help me pick my next spinning project!!
While I’ve been bookmarking my favorite Indie Yarn makers for years, I haven’t spent much time looking at fiber (because I don’t really spin). So, I was hoping you could recommend some of your favorites to me!
I’ve found a couple that are pretty tempting. This red/blue/black combo from Gnome Acres:
And a super-bright merino/tencel blend from Taylored Fibers:
Choices, choices!
So, here’s the thing: I really don’t know much about spinning. I picked the Merino Top because I liked the rainbow colors… but there’s BFL, Corridale, other things I’ve never heard of… so I’m not sure what to do next!
If you’d really like to help me out, please leave me a helpful bit of advice in the comment section! What’s your favorite sheep breed to spin? Who’s your favorite Indie Dyer? Give me a pointer!
And in return, I promise to post photos of my newest spinning project!
OOOOOO! WOW! Very cool! What sort of rainbow project are they destined to become?
Thank you :) I’m knitting Wingspan (a shawl) with one of them… not sure what to do with the 2nd!
I’m really fond of FatCatKnits. She’s got some great fiber options other than just the traditional merino. If you’re up to something really interesting, she does a club where you get a different type of fiber each round, to try spinning different things. She’s also got a really active Ravelry group.
Cloudlover is another favorite of mine, mostly because of her color choices.
Spincerely is my very last favorite, and I hoard her fiber. She does a really good job with the spinning so things don’t get matted down.
Thanks so much, Jennifer! I’m looking them all up now! :)
Beautiful singles, art in themselves!
I just got my wheel last week and bought some new fiber :) I haven’t spun it yet but the LSY store owner said great things about Purple Fleece’s fibers, i got superwash merino. I also got a Rainbow colored braid of Polworth from Mad Color Fiber Arts. I’ve got some Frabjous Fibers too, a 4 oz braid of merino and 2 2oz braids of Polworth. I’ve never spun Polworth but i’ve heard it blooms when you soak it.
Thanks so much for the pointer, Candace!
Wow, this is SO gorgeous (the top picture) that I want to just get a bunch of these and put them behind glass to frame! Great job ;)
Thanks Kelly! Maybe ‘yarn art’ is my next calling in life ;)
Oh, they are so lovely! What a great spinning job :)
I’ve been spinning on and off for a few years, but I’m afraid I’ve never ventured further than spinning merino! I have some alpaca fibre, but I’ve heard that it can be pretty slippy so I’ve been saving it for when I feel I’m good enough to handle it! I hear that BFL’s a good starter fibre because it’s got a long staple length.