Hand-spinning

[gius]

do any of you think of making your own yarn ?? i always meet knitters who are into this...

 

[Fillipovna N]

I quite like the idea of it... You're able to control the outcome and get exactly what you want. The fact that you're able to dye it yourself is quite interesting, too. I plan on trying it out soon.

But knowing me, I'd take it so far as to move to a farm and raise sheep

 

[gius]

It's so tempting ^ haha
I take my friend's angora rabbit.. it sheds its hair every once in a while
My auntie also used to have a llama that they'd pick the shed hair for me Now the only one alive is the mean one that doesn't let anyone near it...

Also you don't have to dye
you can also twist two or so different-coloured yarns together
I know a weaver who does this with her jacquard tapestries, she never dyes her own colours

 

[haute femme]

My mom heard of some company that you send your poodle fur in to and they'll make yarn out of it We have poodles, so my mom was really into that idea..

 

[gius]

spinning yarn - instructions

^ haute femme does your mom remember the name of the company ?

-

If you are guys are interested,
there are instructions for making your own yarns here
http://www.homestead.org/AllenaJackson/Spinning/GettingStartedWithSpinning2.htm

You make a spindle.. a thing for spinning/twisting 'hair' into yarn
The materials to make one are so basic, cheap
Two CDs, a dowel and a hook!
That's it

I have one myself already... And made some yarn with it last night

 

[haute femme]

^ http://www.vipfibers.com/ is one.. there are a few others though.

Gius what type of yarn did you make? I'd love to see some

 

[gius]

here is my yarn
it is just plain black Merino wool

it is a bit thin in real life, but still strong (i can hang weights from it and it doesn't break). the thickest parts are 2 mm; the thinnest are half a millimetre

 

[gius]

bump*

i mixed it with rayon today

 

[haute femme]

^how cool! you could make some really great stuff with that!

 

[Fillipovna N]

That's some really interesting yarn, gius! It looks very metallic.

 

[gius]

Thanks guys

Metallic? That would be interesting...
There is a slight sheen from the rayon
if you look closely
like a nylon cord

The only thing with the CD spindle I'm using is I spin it often instead of focusing more on the yarn-making. Eventually I will get a wheel

 

[Fillipovna N]

In the photo, it looks sort of like a metal-wrapped cord... That'd be neat to see used in clothing.

There are actually yarns that have stainless steel in them, and they're surprisingly drapey and soft by the looks of it. I think only the brand Habu has made yarn like that, though.

I remember seeing a blog from a woman who owned her own alpacas and spun her own yarn, as well. If I can recall the name of it, I'll post it here. It was pretty informative.

 

[gius]

Nice! You know Habu. Can I ask, where are you from? I don't know a lot of people who know that company. I have been making a list lately actually of what I want to order from them Will be using my sibling's credit card. I've seen several designers who have made/used fabrics that had steel in them but yeah Habu is only one I know of who actually sells the yarn to the public too.

This book is really great about making interesting yarns.
Spinning Designer Yarns by Diane Varney
It has maybe 90% text than pictures, but the theory is there and perhaps you'll create something more original with the ideas.

amazon.com

 

[Fillipovna N]

I'm actually from a small town in Canada, haha. I heard of them online, and looked into their products--they're quite innovative. The texture of their yarns look amazing!

Also, this is the blog I was talking about earlier: http://rosemaryknits.blogspot.com/search?q=spinning

 

[gius]

haha wow So many different kinds of spindles. I'm amazed by the toy one, built from K'nex blocks. And she uses a bicycle as a spinning wheel! Amazing !!! Thanks for the link! Perhaps I can come up with my own spinning contraption too.

 

[Fillipovna N]

I was quite impressed by that blog when I first found it; I still am

And you're welcome!

 

[purly]

There is such a fabulous wealth of information on this site!

I own a Majacraft Suzie, which I had shipped in from New Zealand.

The thing I like about it is the conical orifice. So I can spin with beads and unusual fibers.

I started with a drop spindle that I bought off ebay. It cost about $20. Eventually I got tired of it taking so long to do anything that I got a real wheel. It was a big investment. Something like $500!

I taught myself to spin using videos on the internet. I want to take professional spinning classes someday, but I only have time on the weekends and I haven't found a class that fits my schedule yet.

 

[purly]

So here is some of my early yarns. These are done in 2-ply acid-dyed merino:

The blue/purple colorway I called "Tampa".
The pink/orange/purple colorway I called "LA Sunset"

 

[purly]

This is a three ply acid-dyed merino done using the navajo technique:

I called it "cornucopia".
The image was done using my scanner. Plop the yarn on and scan

 

[purly]

This was done using a fluffy carded merino plied with thread:

I called this one watermelon.