the dropped spindle

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sally · Joined: 02 Jul 2006 Posts: 148

Havent been about much lately, shows, work, banquets, kittens, delinquent stepsons etc etc etc, but I'm back now, for the moment at least! Also off work today with a rotating mix of twisted ankle, sniffles and slight tummy upset, so I'm mostly fully functional just a bit slow.

Anyway, I digress. Gareth spent two days this week putting all my fabric in one pile, all my wool and fibres in anoter, all the costume in a third and so on. The various mountains are enourmous!

I need to do a bit of a tidy round the mountains then start a divide and conquer, but I need to do it in small stages so I don't end up with several smaller mountains that take up all the available space and undo all the good work he's done.

So, anyone up for small challenges of a vaguely fibery nature this afternoon?

wellington womble · Joined: 09 Aug 2006 Posts: 58

It's not quite the afternoon, but himself is in a bit of a state with a stiff neck, and I have had a hell of a day with difficult patients, so we are treating ourselves to a takeaway, which lets me off cooking. That means I have a spare or two, so I am going file a rough nail and ge the drop spindle out and have another go. Despite lots of pictures, I have so far completely failed to get the knack. After dinner, I shall then collapse onto the sofa with a book and boozy hot chocolate - I'm beat!

wellington womble · Joined: 09 Aug 2006 Posts: 58

Oh I can't bloody get the hang of this! If I hold the fleece above the starter string, then the fleece breaks, or the starter string becomes detatched. If I hold the starter string below the fleece, my fingers stop the twist running up into the fleece. And its wool, so I'm getting all greasy. will start again with Sally's spindle, instead of the one that came in the kit, and some alpaca tops I happen to have lying around (that's three separate lots of fibre I've got, and I can't even spin yet!)

Humph. If I can't get the hang of it in the next ten minutes, I'm skipping to the hot chocolate and the book!

wellington womble · Joined: 09 Aug 2006 Posts: 58

I give up! My sppindle is well and truly dropped - is this some kind of initiation rite? Laughing

Dinner, hot chocolate, book and bedtime for me - you lot can enlighten me later!

sally · Joined: 02 Jul 2006 Posts: 148

wellington womble · Joined: 09 Aug 2006 Posts: 58

Yes, but I can't get going! If I could just get the thing started, I think I'd be OK!. I might tie a knot in it (I keep dropping the spindle. The irony has not escaped me!)

Spinning Fishwife · Posted: Sat Nov 11, 2006 7:48 pm Post subject:

Twist a bit of the end of the fibres with your fingers then tie it onto your leader/starter string. No, it`s not the "right" way, but who cares? It should work. You can polish up your technique later.

Also have you tried the "park and draft" method? It seperates out the spindle twirling from the drafting bit, and can be a lot easier for beginners.

http://www.icanspin.com/parkdraft.htm[/url]
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sally · Joined: 02 Jul 2006 Posts: 148

thats pretty much what my destructions have- she can do it, I know she can Smile

wellington womble · Joined: 09 Aug 2006 Posts: 58

Well, I sort of can. I wouldn't want to knit with it (let alone wear it!) But I can see that the important bit is the teasing, not the spinning (why is it always the way that the bit you thought was important, turns out not to be!)

I think I'm putting too much twist into too thick bits of fleece - I need to less twist in less fleece, and that should make smoother yarn (well, as passable yarn, any rate!)

How do you stop it coming all undone again? or if you wind it round, does that just 'set' it a bit.

Thanks guys - I'll keep working on it (I did tie a knot in it! I don't what I'll do when I finish this bit of fleece - tie another one, I spose!) I also think I don't really get on with wool. I don't wear it or knit with it, so why would I be happy spinning it! I'll dig out some alpaca tops, and have a go with those)

Thanks guys - and especially Sally!

wellington womble · Joined: 09 Aug 2006 Posts: 58

OK - I can now see A) Exactly why its called a drop spindle, and B) Precisely why the spinning wheel was invented! I need two hands to draw the fleece out, and it would be so much easier if the tension was away from me and I could draw against it.

It's much easier with the alpaca, I suspect because the sheeps wool is pretty rough to begin with, and has been hand carded into small bits, whereas I suspect the alpaca has been machine carded into a long thin sort of shape. I must buy a book on spinning, and learn what these things are all called.

On the whole, though, a pleasing mini acheivement for a Sunday morning. Now I have to go and hoover. Harumph!