# Buying wool for spinning



## hoggie (Feb 11, 2007)

I started to give spinning with a drop spindle a go a couple of years ago, and received a lot of help from folks on here who advised me where to buy a spindle, and some people sent me samples for spinning and a spindle for my DD as well.

Circumstances dictated that, having got off to a good start, we had to put it to one side.

Last night my DD suddenly announced that she wanted to get the spindles out and do some spinning so we sat and spent a very peaceful evening getting back to grips with it. DD is hooked!!!

I have said that I will buy her some wool to work on and promptly looked on ebay for some. But I don't REALLY know what to look for. I have found "tops" "roving" and some that is described as "scoured and carded". But I'm not 100% sure I know what those are. Also, I have found Wensleydale, Shetland, Merino and Corriedale.

Can anyone advise me as to what would be the best thing to buy please?

TIA


----------



## frazzlehead (Aug 23, 2005)

Well, you could always shop at Flannelberry Creek. 

I imagine you're using a drop spindle, yes? Any nicely prepared fibre will be fine ... top is smooth and all the fibres are in one direction: I find this tricky to spin on a drop spindle, but perfect for spinning from the fold on a supported spindle or a wheel ... but lots of people love using top for spindling, so it's personal preference.

Lots of what is sold as roving is actually top ... people aren't bothering to be specific. Roving is carded, so the fibres are all higgeldy piggeldy - which is exactly what you want for airy, woolen yarns. I find a good, open roving to be easiest for spindle spinning (or wheel spinning, actually).

Hopefully this isn't sounding too much like advertising - shop wherever you can, really! But we have a "Fibre Whisperer Surprise Package" that I think would be perfect: you specify however much you want to spend, and give us some clues - then we'll dig through the selections here in the shop and send you some surprises. For a new spinner, this is a great way to get a few different things to try - some top, some rovings, some dyed stuff, some natural stuff, even some blends (there's a lovely wool/mohair/bamboo that we just got in, and silk/merino is hard dislike ...)

Trying a few different fibres and preps is ideal for a beginner, so that's what I'd recommend. And be sure to include a silk/merino blend in that, because it's just wonderful. (Plus I find that it is one of the preparations that drafts the easiest, and ... silk! I mean, silk!!! Yeah, I have a thing for silk... does it show? )


----------



## Miz Mary (Feb 15, 2003)

I love etsy.com ..... put in the search box "roving" or "wool top" .... can be beautifully died ...all kinds of breeds .... I like shetland and merino ... BFL ..
www.etsy.com

Here's RedTartan's site .. she has rovings !! 
http://www.etsy.com/shop/RedTartanWoolies?ele=shop_open


----------



## Maura (Jun 6, 2004)

Merino may be too difficult for a beginner. I love Corriedale, but that might be too fine as well. Wensleydale will be long. A coarser wool is better for learning.

Contact the wool association/organization in England or Scotland. You may be able to get a pound of a few wools, and you would know who to go back to when you decide what you really want. You will want roving, which is carded, or a top, which is combed. I would think that you probably had roving before, so get that.


----------



## Marchwind (May 10, 2002)

Hoggie how are you and your daughter? I was just thinking about you a few weeks back wondering how your goats (?) and trees and things were doing. Your daughter must be getting big, it's been a couple of years hasn't it? So good to see you here again  Didn't you borrow or take lessons from a neighbor/village lady on a wheel?

I just orders some stuff from Frazzle's place. But you're in the UK right? Do you have an eBay for the UK? Can you give us a link to what you are looking at and we might be able to point you better. Or, are you on Ravelry? If not you might want to join there may actually be someone if not on your island close by that sells nice wool.

Gosh I'm happy to see you back here.


----------



## hoggie (Feb 11, 2007)

Thanks folks.

Frazzle - that sounds great but I am in the UK and I think the shipping would probably make it impractible? So the long "ropes" of fibre are tops and the "bundles" roving?

Miz Mary - Will have a look at etsy - although I have a feeling that is a US site also?

Maura - thanks, I will see if I can find out more. I didn't know there was a wool association but I guess it makes sense 

Marchwind - thank you. Yes we are both well, DD is 11 now nad growing into a fantastic young person. This may be her last year at home full time as she may be going to boarding school in September. She has won a specialist music place at one of the top music schools in the UK and, much as I don't want her to go away, it is such a huge opportunity that I don't feel I can say no. If she goes she will get top rate music tuition as well as being in a really good academic school. The only loser is me but she will get long holidays so I guess I just have to keep busy and be happy for her.

I did borrow a wheel for a while, but really didn't get on with it - it all happened too fast and felt totally out of control so that went back. At some point in the future I will try a wheel again, but for now we will stick to the spindles 

I'm not on Ravelry - I looked at joining when I was on here before, but I seem to remember there were a lot of rules about who could be a member and you had to apply and couldn't be sure you would get on? It put me off and I never did get around to joining.

I found this Jacob (which I love the look of Jacob) but it is totally untreated and I don't have carders or anything yet so I am guessing this would be better to wait until we have a little more experience?
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Jacob-fle...erCrafts_Spinning_Weaving&hash=item337ec2dd7e

There was this Shetland which is described as roving
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Pedigree-...erCrafts_Spinning_Weaving&hash=item25791e6e60

This is the Corriedale - the colour is just an example as they do lots of different colours
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/100-Pure-...erCrafts_Spinning_Weaving&hash=item19d721af94

This is described as "natural wool" roving
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/100-Pure-...erCrafts_Spinning_Weaving&hash=item19d721af94

This is the Wensleydale but when I read the info further, it looks like a tiny amount of wool?
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Wensleyda...erCrafts_Spinning_Weaving&hash=item2ec35df5cc

This is an example of the Merino
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Soft-Meri...erCrafts_Spinning_Weaving&hash=item2eb9a18972

Mohair
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Mohair-Wo...erCrafts_Spinning_Weaving&hash=item232638fd9f

And this is just described as "white wool/fibre"
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/500g-Whit...erCrafts_Spinning_Weaving&hash=item2ec4eb1317

LOL - I seem to have put half the ebay page on here, maybe I should have just linked to the main page - sorry eep:


----------



## Marchwind (May 10, 2002)

Fantastic news about your daughter. You must be so proud of her . What a wonderful accomplishment, I wish her all the best in her musical endeavors.

As for the eBay links I would say the first 3 links ** might be the easiest fibers to spin for a beginning spinner. I personally think roving is easier to spin that Top or Sliver. Roving also comes in ropes. The difference is the alignment of the fibers in each. This is probably more info than you want but.... basically, the fibers in a Roving are all higgledy piggledy, the fibers in a Top/Sliver tend to all be perfectly lined up running side by side. It seems almost counterintuitive, but the Roving fibers (IMHO) are easier to spin and control.

**I was not including the Jacob in fleece in my top 3


----------



## frazzlehead (Aug 23, 2005)

Hoggie, shipping to the UK isn't cheap but it's not too bad.

You have lots of UK fibre places to shop as well ... Fyberspates used to carry rovings (GLORIOUS stuff) but I think they have switched to just yarns now. 

Hey, I just read a book by the lady who runs Blacker Yarns ... and they carry fibre for spinning! I bet you'd be happy with anything from them.

ETA Ravelry is wide open now. And there are lots of fibre groups for different parts of the world so I bet you could find some UK groups and get ideas from them!


----------



## hoggie (Feb 11, 2007)

Thanks 

Meant to say - nice websites Frazzlehead and Red Tartan. I will have to have a look into how much the shipping would cost.

I have now signed up to Ravelry - someone already had my name  So I am "eumaeus" on there. I will have to have a wander around on there and see what I can find. DD has said she wants some bright wool, so I think I am going to get her one of the matched bundles of Corriedale to be getting on with. And then look for something else afterwards. 

Another question (probably a daft one). Does the weight of the fibre correspond to the final product. For example - if I needed 5 x 50g balls of wool to knit something, and I bought 200g of fibre to spin - is that going to be about right. Or do I need more to allow for the variations in home spinning?

At the moment it is a purely academic question as we are nowhere near that standard yet - just wondering  

Marchwind - yes, I am incredibly proud of her - she has worked hard against the odds (one of the things that most impressed the head of dept she would be going to, is that she has reached the level she has on just one lesson a month - most kids reachign her level at her age are beign hot-housed and doing nothing else but music). But I am dreading her going all the same. 

I looked at Blacker Yarns - lovely - I might be tempted to get me something from there. DD is more into somethign bright at the moment, I prefer the natural colours


----------



## Marchwind (May 10, 2002)

Hoggie your calculations are about right. Especially if you are talking prepared fibers. oh may have a little bit of waste so it is always wise to get more than you think you will need for a project. You can always find uses for leftover yarn 

What is your daughters instrument of choice (I know you told us once upon a time). That s fantastic that she has gotten that far on one lesson a month, she is dedicated. Imagine what she can and will do being immersed in that culture  WOW!!! It will be hard I'm sure to have her so far away, she is so young. But you both will be alright. Find something to take up your time, learn a new skill. Think how wonderful it will be to see each other during her breaks from school. Please keep us posted on her progress.


----------



## hoggie (Feb 11, 2007)

Thanks  That gives me something to go on when I am buying anyway - although to begin with I think i am going to steer DD at knitting a scarf with what she spins - that way she can't run out of wool LOL

She plays the trumpet  She so wants to go to this school, she just loved it when we went for her audition. We won't hear about bursaries until February though so nothing is certain until then. I have made up my mind I will just have to grit my teeth and get on with it - so long as she is happy there I can cope. And they get much longer holidays than the school here so, in some ways, we will get more time together


----------

