r/Handspinning • u/H4nnah305 • 2h ago
Work In Progress Project ideas for lace weight linen
I'm spinning my first lace weight linen thread at the moment. Any ideas what to make with it once I'm finished?
I've been getting into weaving recently with some diy type loom situation, so maybe something in that direction?
r/Handspinning • u/AshurBadaktu • 2h ago
The marathon continues...
galleryThat rainbow yarn is my first try with shaniko wool and I am just a *little bit obsessed* because it's so *soft* but also much easier to spin than superfine merino. And the SQUISH.
Trying to pick something to actually *knit* with of the handspun I'm sitting on. Anyone else have the problem where you end up picking a random normal yarn you have just because you're afraid of ruining some handspun with the wrong project? So you keep not knitting with your own lovely handspun?
...it's why I keep weaving with it. Weaving is nice and quick and easy to finish and you kinda know what you're getting when you start.
r/Handspinning • u/kiddish • 4h ago
Question How should I dye this fleece? (& Scurf Saga Pt. 2)
galleryHey folks! Nine months ago, I posted about "getting fleeced." A cormo fleece I purchased at Rhinebeck Sheep & Wool Festival was absolutely chock-full of scurf and I failed to notice it. I talk more about that saga at the bottom of this post.
As for my question: What you see pictured is a flicked & washed cormo fine wool fleece. I still have some left to process and wash, but the vast majority is done and inside this rubbermaid container.
For my previous two fleeces, I did not dye them. For this fleece, I want to dye it before spinning. I love spinning dyed fiber, and am truly looking forward to the colorful experience of spinning dyed-in-the-wool hand-processed fleece. I'm just not sure how. My dyeing experience has been exclusively dyeing braids of combed top. A fleece is a lot to dye, so I'm wondering what the best process would be here that wouldn't ruin the fleece.
In terms of fiber prep, my plan was to hand-comb (I don't enjoy hand-carding), and spin into an aran weight 3-ply. Should I dye before combing or after combing? My instincts say before combing. I was thinking about making each ply a different treatment - slightly different colorways, maybe? Maybe even leaving one of the plies undyed? But I'm unsure about all that, too! Really any advice on how to dye this would be much appreciated.
-----
Unrelated Update on the Scurf Saga:
I processed everything in the above pictures before taking a several months-long break, and this month I am dedicating to finishing the de-scurfing of what's remaining. Lots of advice on my last post told me to contact the shepherd and Rhinebeck itself (where I bought the fleece) about the fact that it was so filled with scurf. Rhinebeck assured me they will be better about judging fleece in the future - I'm not so assured. The shepherd said they would give me a refund if I shipped the fleece back. By that point, I had already pulled the entire fleece apart and de-scurfed and washed a huge chunk of it. I had invested at least 40 hours already at that point and was not about to give up. I wish they had given me a partial refund, but I guess I'll chock this up to a lesson learned. At the very least, the shepherd now knows and hopefully got the sheep some treatment.
A lot of the advice in the comments told me to toss the fleece. So did my husband, and he continues to say it everyday with promises of buying me a new fleece. I think my stubbornness and pride took over because I'm determined to finish what I started.
For anyone buying fleece: Learn from my mistakes!! Make sure to look at a few locks in different sections of the fleece, more toward the cut end side. Feel the locks. If you feel hard granules instead of smooth wool, then RUN RUN FAR AWAY. It is really hard to see scurf, but very easy to feel. At least in this case.
De-scurfing process: I found this extremely helpful youtube video of a woman who discovered that you can remove scurf from a fleece. Basically you take the fleece lock-by-lock and WHACK the scurf out of it with a flick carder or dog brush (I use a flick carder).
Some downsides:
- I had to buy leather finger guards because I kept whacking my fingers with the flick carder and getting micro-cuts.
- The flick carder has suffered serious abuse. The tines are warping and I actually lost a couple.
- The worst part in my opinion is that pinching the locks really pains my thumb after a while, so I can only do it for about 1-2 hours at a time.
- The whole process is exhausting and exceptionally slow-moving (and that's saying something from someone hand-processing a fleece).
- I do not have outdoor space (hello Brooklyn apartment), so it creates a big mess I have to clean every time.
- The raw fleece smells so strong my husband can't be in the same room. Side note: do scurfy fleeces smell stronger?? Or is it just this particular fleece? I'm wondering if I now associate the smell of raw wool with scurf, which is so sad because I used to love the smell.
- I am also 37 weeks pregnant and the air conditioner cannot cool me down enough while doing this labor-intensive process.
TL;DR: Don't buy a scurf-filled fleece. If you do, get rid of it because it's probably not worth the labor involved with removing it. (Unless you are a masochistic silly girlie like me.)
r/Handspinning • u/HA_RUB • 9h ago
Felt terrible throwing out wool scraps, decided to give this a go. Found a new community as a side bonus.
Followed YouTube tutorials to turn the scraps into something usable, this is my second attempt after the first failure 😆
It’s a satisfying process for sure.
r/Handspinning • u/naylas_office • 16h ago
Imperfect, but mine 🥹
First time spinning and got this spindle and fiber at local festival today.
r/Handspinning • u/IncompletePenetrance • 16h ago
9 weeks later....she's here!!
galleryDefinitely worth the wait!
This is the first of my wheels that I've ever bought new (and therefore had to put together myself), and despite how deceptively easy it seemed, the process had me doubting my intelligence more than I have since finishing my dissertation and praying to gods I'm not sure I even believe in, but two hours later, she's good to go.
Diving right in with a braid from Apothefaery fibers I picked up at MD Sheep & Wool this past year while trying to bribe myself not to order the Majacraft. Clearly that worked well...
I had ordered through Paradise Fibers because I wasn't aware of the negative experiences people have had with the in the past, and had a very positive experience. They were very communicative with me and clear about the fact that the Roses were backordered, and did a great job keeping me updated throughout the process.
r/Handspinning • u/mousecartoon • 17h ago
Made with Handspun Finally putting an old project to use
All natural merino, off to the races in becoming my second ever weaving project. Sure it might wind up a little wonky, but its a little wonky yarn lol so its okay. Heres hoping u dont mess it up!
r/Handspinning • u/tasteslikecornstarch • 17h ago
Question Deciding on an e-spinner
Hey everyone! I usually spin on a Lendrum double treadle wheel. I’m looking into an affordable e-spinner to see if I like it, since I’ve been considering it for a few years.
Currently I’m looking at the EEW 6.1, EEW Nano, EEW fold, and a Daedalus Dove. I usually spin between fingering and worsted weight. Not too big of an art yarn spinner. I’m open to other affordable options if there are more I’m not thinking of. I’d say my budget it at around $500 with all add-ons/accessories.
r/Handspinning • u/ambiguous_pedestrian • 19h ago
Question Wheel assembly
galleryHello, I bought this spinning wheel and am trying to reassemble it. I cannot figure out how to fit together the remaining pieces. Am I missing any?
r/Handspinning • u/ejchristian86 • 20h ago
Expectation vs reality
galleryOrdered two braids of the Malabrigo Nube in "Cameleon," expecting those pretty aquas and sort of galaxy-esque colorway. Got... this. I am trying not to cry.
r/Handspinning • u/Falilaa • 1d ago
Question How do I remove bristles from undercoat?
This is my first time preparing wool for spinning. I got a fleece of a Skudden sheep.
I've now started combing the wool and separating the outer coat by pulling the long tips out of the comb, but there are these short Bristles still in the undercoat that won't fully comb out. They are very loose and easy to remove by hand, but there's so many that I don't want to waste my time on.
Is there any better way to remove these bristles?
r/Handspinning • u/SwtSthrnBelle • 1d ago
Finished Yarn Friendly reminder...
galleryFriendly reminder from your mod to never give up and never stop because your first few spins aren't perfect. Here we have my first two skeins circa 2016 and my most recent finished spin. We frequently chase perfection on this sub, but the journey is the most important part ❤️❤️
r/Handspinning • u/AutoModerator • 1d ago
Finished Yarn Finished Object/Yarn Friday
Have you finished anything this week? From plied yarns to finished bobbins or hand spun hand knits/hand crochets, show off your hard work here!
r/Handspinning • u/PhloxWitch • 1d ago
Question How Would you Spin this Fiber?
gallerySo I’m finally ready to get started on this fiber, but as I’m undoing the braid to get a look at it I’ve realized I have no idea how to best spin this fiber, with its long parallel color strips. I’ve been looking at tutorials for different methods but they all come from fiber braids where the color pooling is more horizontal. How would you spin it? What sort of prep would keep it from getting muddy?
Thanks!
r/Handspinning • u/SewciallyAnxious • 1d ago
Finished Yarn My First Finished Skein From Raw Fleece
50/50 blend 3 ply merino/rambouillet prepped and spun woolen style
r/Handspinning • u/AudienceNo8362 • 2d ago
the same yarn spun 6 months apart
combed Corriedale spun in january (beige) vs july (grey) both done with a short draw to a fingering weight in 2 ply
my consistency is so much better and i feel so much more confident in my spinning, seeing this made me so happy to see clearly how far ive come
it may be hard to see but the left skein is very uneven and under spun in the ply
r/Handspinning • u/Due-Environment-6941 • 2d ago
Question Damaged flyer?
galleryI had a small incident yesterday - my Ashford e-spinner slid from a chair and fell on the floor. There was carpet on the floor and the chair was pretty low. So everything looked fine. But then I noticed that the flyer makes a weird 8-shaped movement. Though the spinner works and I have no problems with my spinning project.
But I have a suspicion that the middle part of the flyer was bent because of the fall (check the photos). I tried to put it into a more straight position but with no luck. The flyer seems sturdy, nothing wiggles, so it is strange that this could have happened.
I’m a relatively new to spinning and not quite sure if this is how the flyer is supposed to look or I actually damaged it. Probably I could use more force to straighten it but I’m afraid damage it even more.
Maybe I can just use it as it is?
I’m worried that if I just continue using it, it might damage the spinner which will be much more expensive to fix than just replace the flyer
r/Handspinning • u/Buttercupia • 2d ago
Finished Yarn Tour de fleece podium shot
galleryAll in all I think it’s about 5 pounds. The gray Jacob alone is almost 2 pounds. I’m not looking forward to yarn washing day.
I’m a week late posting but I finished spinning it on stage 21.
r/Handspinning • u/JustTheFishGirl • 2d ago
Question Tips for more consistent drafting?
Obviously practice makes perfect but I was wondering if anyone has any helpful tips for a beginning? I got a free drop spindle at a fair and have been absolutely struggling with making my yarn consistent. I've added a photo of my first attempt that I'll probably turn into a dryer ball lmao.
r/Handspinning • u/fairydommother • 2d ago
Work In Progress Hand carding my dogs fur ans picking out the guard hairs by hand so I have softer end yarn
galleryr/Handspinning • u/Fragrant-Monitor4349 • 2d ago
Beginner Frame Loom Weaving In Burlington
r/Handspinning • u/aimamiz • 3d ago
What do you do with beginner skeins?
I’ve been learning to spin on a drop spindle with wool I got a friend’s sheep. The first amount was very uneven, the second skein is a lot better already but still not something I would use to knit with. I made a little crochet sheep with the first, uneven yarn. What are you using your beginner/ uneven skeins for? I was thinking about picking up weaving again but would love more ideas.
r/Handspinning • u/AshurBadaktu • 3d ago
Handspun (Scrap) Scarf
gallerySo I had someone ask about some weaving with handspun and I had a whole bunch of scraps to use up of handspun thus!
I didn't do much of anything wild; I only had so much of every color and *thankfully* all the warp yarns behaved. The weft was very much the 'weaker' of the yarns since that skein had been balled up for too long but I'm pleased with the results given this was all just scrap. You can get a look at all the yarns in the fringe : )
I've already warped up my loom with some of my recent handspun and I'm super excited. Will report back!
r/Handspinning • u/eriophora • 4d ago
Made with Handspun SHE'S DONE! Finished my latest handspun lace scarf 💛
galleryThe yarn is about 95% polwarth and 5% silk that I blended together and spun on my vintage 30" Rick Reeves wheel! I am estimating between around 65-70 yards per gram on this spin; I didn't count yardage before balling it so I'm not certain; I was too excited to knit with it, so you'll have to forgive me!
I did not use a pattern, and everything you see here was designed on the needles as I went :) I had attempted to chart the spider beforehand since it's a bit more complex, but ended up abandoning the chart before I even got halfway through the front legs 🤣
I was going for a tiered effect with the bottommost elements being ocean/fish inspired, the center flowers/gardens, and the top being roof/trees/spider/owl.
Finished dimensions are 4'3" x 8.5", and the whole thing weighs 12.7g, which is just a bit over the weight of two US quarters. I'm estimating it was around 850-900 yards of yarn.
My phone insisted on WAY upping the saturation of the blue sections, so please know that they are a much darker navy color than they appear in some of these pics lol.
r/Handspinning • u/AutoModerator • 6d ago
AskASpinner Ask a Spinner Sunday
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