Have you ever had a yearning to try something new and been completely at a loss in what direction to start? I'm at that point. Along with my many fiber hobbies I've been thinking about learning to spin for - oh - maybe the last decade or so...
I love repetitive motion hobbies. Knitting and sewing are up at the top of my list. Here's my question: For those of you that spin, how did you get started? Spindle, wheel, take a class, buy some roving and just do it? I don't think it'll be a matter of wondering IF I'll like it, it's more a matter of how to get started. What brand of wheel, what weight or type of spindle? I really need to slow down, settle and relax more. Many people have told me spinning can be very centering and relaxing.
It's been a toss up between dyeing and spinning. After a lot of thought whilst knitting I've decided that spinning and hand dyeing will both happen eventually ~ but spinning is intriguing me more. I practically drool over skeins of hand spun. Well - I do drool, but I try to be discreet about it.
How did you start to spin? Any words of wisdom to help start me on this journey would really be appreciated.
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9 comments:
I read a couple of books on drop spindles, and purchased a cheap one and BFL (Blue Faced Leicester). Suffice to say drop spindling isn't for me. I ended up giving it to a friend.
A couple of months later a local fiber shop (the Fiber Studio) had spinning classes where a wheel was provided for you. So I learned on a Louet. A lady from the Weaver's Guild in Minneapolis came to teach the class. The Weaver's Guild also had spinning classes, but I would have needed to rent a wheel.
Pam from the Fiber Studio allowed me to come to her shop and spin on one of her wheels as often as I liked. About a month later a dear friend's mother gave me a 30+ year old Ashford Original. It needed some work, but after a bit of love and $$ it worked well enough.
Honestly I didn't care for the Ashford. The pedal raised too high on the end where your toe goes and would give me leg cramps after only a half an hour.
Now I own a Lendrum, and I love it. A good friend of mine owns a Kiwi and swears by it.
I'd suggest a class, or at least a video. It's just so wonderful to have someone looking over your shoulder and helping you when something isn't going quite right. Plus the encouragement from the teacher can really help too.
Keep us posted on what you decide to do! I have a decent stash of handspun building up. Now I just need to actually knit with it.
After trying spinning at a fair, I decided to take lessons and learned on an Ashford Joy. Easy to carry but not that easy to use but it could be because I was such a novice. My daughter purchased a Lendrum and then I found a Lendrum on Craigslist in perfect condition, double treadle for only $300. Supposedly, double treadle is easier on the hips. I love my Lendrum. Good luck! Any questions, feel free to e-mail.
I think this is a terrific idea. I'll be interested in what advice you receive as someday I would like to learn too. I suspect a drop spindle is not too practical and would be thinking of a wheel of some sort.
I've been like that lately with sewing, toying with the idea but no idea where to start :) Don't know a darn thing about spinning, sorry!
I started drop spindling first and love it. I had someone show me briefly at a fair, but Priscilla Gibson-Roberts book, Spinning in the Old Way, is an excellent resource for drop spindling, it got me through. The most important tip I give to anybody starting almost anything, but especially this is to spin for ten minutes every.single.day. No less for sure, but hardly more. After ten to fifteen minutes you can get frustrated and it isn't worth it, or you'll have a good day, keep spinning and end up pretty sore the next day. After thirty days or so you will notice that your muscle memory neurons are forged and you can really keep it all together!
Don't get a cheap spindle, try to get an reasonably priced one and if you can have somebody that can drop spin try it out to be sure it spins well and is well balanced. Good fibers to start with are BFL and corriedale.
I do spin on a wheel, I have a Lendrum. You should try as many wheels as you can and decide what is important to you in a wheel. For me it was portability combined with ability to grow and the Lendrum has enough heads and things to make it easy to advance, unlike some of the portable wheels which are really starter wheels.
Can't wait to see what you do!
I have no good advice,other than get a wheel...what fun, but I am stopping myself from delving into the spin......
Thanks everyone for the really helpful comments! I'm getting a more clear picture of the direction I'm headed in. :)
Renee
I had many e-mails with Kris of Bockstark Knits - she totally encouraged me. I bought a spin off with many wheel comparisons and just went for it. I took a class at our local sheep and wool festival shortly after that, that really helpoed me figure out how to do it more correctly. I have gotte up to my elbows in fiber since - that is the only drawback:0
I see this is late, but I just have to have my say...LOL
I am a very new spinner two, and being pretty far away from resources...shipping a spindle (or making one) cost considerably less than a wheel, especially since it is like half the world...
Anyway I started with a cheap spindle, which I love, and I tried to adhere the "at least ten minutes every day" but I useually ended up with more than that, and on almost every day...
By now I do have two anrik wheels, both needing work, but I still think if I want to spin fine (umm, thin) yarn, I will use the spindle (of which I ordered a pretty light one)... It is like you can never stuff a wheel into your pocket (or bag) as you can a spindle, for now I feel I have more time to "react", it is easier to park it, if I encounter a problem... Maybe if I get better I will want to spin on a wheel, but for now... not that much.
As I have no resources, also noone to teach/show it to me, so I am relaying on videoklips (you tube I love you), Abby's klips (abby's yars) are really helpful and great.
Wish you lots of succes with spinning.
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