# My yarn, w/o a spinning wheel (pics)



## gone-a-milkin (Mar 4, 2007)

Various ladies here (and you know who you are!!) have been asking me, "When are YOU going to start spinning?" There has been talk of spindles and drafting and well, yeah. 

So here is what I did. 

I built my first spindle:












Then I fiddled with it all day and made my first yarn!!!










Marchwind pointed out that this spindle might be too heavy, and of course she was right. So I changed my spindle whorlie deal to a canning jar lid (a used one, of course) and did this.









These are the singles I made for my 2nd try.









And this is the finished yarn, after plying. 

There are only about 40 yards, so I need to keep working on it. I am NOT quick with the spindle yet. I have enough roving to do about this much again, then I will need fiber. All in all, this has been too much fun. I spent zero money and am actually making YARN!


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## gone-a-milkin (Mar 4, 2007)

And for kicks, here is what I knitted with that first wobbly yarn. I was so excited, I culd not WAIT to try it out...









It is going to be a cozy for my tape measure, after I felt it, but obviously it is a nest.


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## gone-a-milkin (Mar 4, 2007)

It is indeed a Silkie chick. I will NOT pluck them bald to make yarn, I promise.


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## Nellie (Oct 18, 2006)

Wow! You are amazing! I agree, it is a nest.


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## PollySC (Jan 17, 2006)

Absolutely beautiful.


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## Kiamichi Kid (Apr 9, 2009)

Hey that looks great...It makes me want to dig out my drop spindle


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## Cabin Fever (May 10, 2002)

A person can do all that *WITHOUT* a $$$ spinning wheel?!?!?!? Maybe it's a good thing that WIHH's wheel hasn't been delivered or paid for yet!

"Honey, I want you to make a phone call!"


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## Madame (Jan 1, 2003)

Cabin Fever said:


> A person can do all that *WITHOUT* a $$$ spinning wheel?!?!?!? Maybe it's a good thing that WIHH's wheel hasn't been delivered or paid for yet!
> 
> "Honey, I want you to make a phone call!"



A wheel is much faster!


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## Marchwind (May 10, 2002)

Cabin you dare and I"LL throttle you when I come down to help your long suffering wife. Remember all those guns and things you always buy yourself? Hmmmmm? Besides if you did that she would desolve :sob: into a puddle, then what would you have?


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## 7thswan (Nov 18, 2008)

That's wounderful and such a great Idea for the spindle. Mom makes those thingies with powered sugar on them.


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## mamajohnson (Nov 27, 2002)

Wow! Awesome GAM! Your first yarn is much much better than mine.


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## Marchwind (May 10, 2002)

WIHH I'm not really worried about you I know you can and do give as good as you get from that man of your  But still.......

GAM I am not at all surprised at what you have produced. You are just one of those people who puts there mind to something and WHAMO!!! It's darn near perfect from the get go. You have talent that's for sure


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## Wisconsin Ann (Feb 27, 2007)

WOW! That's all I have to say...just...WOW!

(and I did have to look twice at the cozy you knitted since at first I thought you'd managed to knit a chicken.  )


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## yankeeterrier (May 10, 2002)

That looks awesome.


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## betty modin (May 15, 2002)

I never did the hang of spindle spinning, but now I think I'll try it again. What wonderful yarn...and such a cute project. You are such a talented and determined woman. I hope your family appreciates you!
I wish I had room for a few more chickies-that silkie is so cute. Two of my children did poultry for 4H-we did shows all up and the coast for several years. I still keep too many birds because they just make me happy to watch them.
betty


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## gone-a-milkin (Mar 4, 2007)

7thswan said:


> That's wounderful and such a great Idea for the spindle. Mom makes those thingies with powered sugar on them.


I dont know what those rosette cookie thingies are called either. I had bought that kitchen tool for a dime, thinking to use it as a concrete mold, LOL. I sure didn't plan to use it as a spindle. I basically just tossed all the junk drawers in my house until I had made a mess for myself, inventing this particular spindle. I had thought of doing one with a stone donut bead, except they really do break. It is called a "drop spindle" after all. I wouldn't think that dropping those beads, on purpose  was a good idea.

WIHH, I had already decided to post my yarn pics, before your warning about CF....then when I read THAT, well...I am funny in that particular way. 

I am sure that a wheel would be much faster. Possibly even TOO fast, in the beginning. At this point, I can KNIT faster than I can spindle the yarn.  It is unbelievably fun though, and not THAT hard to do honestly. I am having dreams of trying all the different fibers...you all know what I mean. 

Wisconsin Ann, LOL on knitting the cute baby silkie chick. I think that would be more of a felting project. With little shiny black beads for eyes?


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## vicki in NW OH (May 10, 2002)

Oh, that yarn is just beautiful. I'm inspired, I have to try a spindle.


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## Mrs. Homesteader (May 10, 2002)

Beautiful yarn. You did a great job. I love the little nest.


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## Katherine in KY (May 11, 2002)

G-A-M, you are so talented! To create such beautiful yarn on the first try and using a truly homemade spindle is amazing. Your enthusiasm just comes through your post and makes me want to get out the spindle again. I love to spindle. Now I'm wondering what you'll create when you get the weaving kick!


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## gone-a-milkin (Mar 4, 2007)

Katherine in KY said:


> Now I'm wondering what you'll create when you get the weaving kick!


"Weaving Kick"???!  

I see how you are! Let me at least master the spinning before
we get ahead to weaving, LOL. Although Franco has already 
planted many seeds for low budget looms into my mind. :gaptooth:


Thanks everyone, for your kind words.


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## gone-a-milkin (Mar 4, 2007)

3rd try. I did very little else today, besides spin this yarn. (shhh, dont tell!!!) 










It is DK weight, so I am getting finer singles, YAY!


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## rabbitgeek (Mar 22, 2008)

Great yarn you made!

My first spindles were made from wooden toy wheels and CDs.

Your yarn is way better looking than mine was/IS!

How come I never see tape measure cozy for sale in the Sears color supplement?

Thanks for sharing the pictures!

Have a good day!


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## Marchwind (May 10, 2002)

GAM fess up what's the red and where are you getting the fibers? Looking really good. I will warn you, when you spin with a spindle you will find that it is much easier to spin fine than it is with a wheel and your yarn will get finer and finer as time goes by.


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## gone-a-milkin (Mar 4, 2007)

rabbitgeek, I dont know WHY they dont have tapemeasure cozies...well, they have the little holsters that clip on your belt, I guess. I need a cozy though, the DH is always taking my knitting tape. Even though it clearly says, "Wendy's, NOT yours!!" on it in Sharpie, he doesn't read that writing. However, if it is ensconced in its own nest, perhaps it will become invisible amongst my pile on the table here.  Do you think? 

Marchwind, the red is some commercial batting that a friend sent me for felting. I forgot I had it until now. It is what I used to make those little felted cardinals (which I also found today, LOL). It is 'coarser' than the shetland cross (brown), and way easier to spin, because it is more uniform and longer staple. 

When it is gone, I guess I will have to get some more. Maybe a sheepshed order? Our local Fiber Fair is not 'til May 15th. 

I am okay with fine singles, I could always ply a bunch of them together, right? To make the yarn heavier? I will cross the wheel spinning bridge when I get to it. 

O! I am in love with plying.:kiss:


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## Marchwind (May 10, 2002)

Have you tried Navajo plying yet? [ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MOVXCHzDRKM[/ame]


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## gone-a-milkin (Mar 4, 2007)

Marchwind said:


> Have you tried Navajo plying yet? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MOVXCHzDRKM



 uhm...why No! Marchwind, I surely haven't. :stars:

Of course I have been spindling yarn for, like, 4 days!!!

Shazza was saying that she does some plying llike that,
and I have seen it done by the well, actually it was the Navajos....
But it was long ago, and before I got into any fiber crafting. 

Dont worry though, I will try it eventually. 
I think the proper spindle for that would be the....navajo spindle? LOL.


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## mamajohnson (Nov 27, 2002)

GAM - I think you should knit a lid for your tape cozy. lol.

I think your spinning is awesome. Your just spinning in leaps and bounds! I need more practice.


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## gone-a-milkin (Mar 4, 2007)

Hey Marchwind, those Navajo ladies were the ones I said took their fleeces and weighted them down in the creek with rocks to wash them. They would go back every day and rearrange the fleece, flip it over and stretch it out and reweight it, until it was clean (or clean enough, I guess).

I think they were Churro sheep fleeces.


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## gone-a-milkin (Mar 4, 2007)

mamaj, I think that I am NOT going to knit a lid for that cozy.  

Once I felt it, it will probably fit good enough. It is a disguise, more
than anything, for the tapemeasure....


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## Marchwind (May 10, 2002)

Yep Navajo-Churro sheep :hijacked: A friend of mine used to own the largest herd in the US, that was in Wisconsin.

You know, I'm not sure how you would navajo ply on a navajo spindle.


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## Nellie (Oct 18, 2006)

Oh man, you are really going to town! What are you going to make out of it?


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## ajaxlucy (Jul 18, 2004)

I am so impressed. It's just beautiful!!!


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## luvzmybabz (Sep 8, 2008)

Marchwind said:


> Have you tried Navajo plying yet? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MOVXCHzDRKM


SHe has quite a personality but I spent 2 hours looking through her videos and book marked them to go back to. I have been a little overwhelmed at the thought of spinning which maybe sooner then I thought hubby consented to letting me get a wheel when we get our taxes back. But her videos make me think I could actually do it. Starting another thread with tons of questions!!!!


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## Marchwind (May 10, 2002)

at luvzybabz


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## Shazza (Nov 20, 2004)

Wow GaM beautiful yarn.....it looks like it requires great patience......
I lerve the yarn that Navajo plying makes.....it has such a lovely look to it and is neat as a pin.....when ever I ply two singles I hate the barber pole affect, until its knitted, then it isnt too bad. You are very clever GaM, and I love your chicken :O.


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## gone-a-milkin (Mar 4, 2007)

Shazza, the barberpole effect would be a good description of this yarn, LOL.
I will have to try that Navajo plying, yes.

I am not the one with Patience.


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## gone-a-milkin (Mar 4, 2007)

WIHH, 

You are so sweet to me. 

I was raised with the statement that "We are all artists in this family. You just need to find your own favorite medium". ( I know, I am lucky to have such a cool mom, and grandma too!) This concept gives me infinite freedom to try new things. I have worked to instill the same idea into the minds of my own kids. Art is not only in the finished product, but in the thinking and process as well. Even sweeping the floor can be artistry.

I dont know how to NOT be creative.
Even if all I am doing is creating artful excuses, LOL.
Life would be so dull w/o new learning, I cannot imagine it.

I really practice at not taking my creative efforts too personally.
Laughing at the wobbliness of my first yarn brings me liberation!

I am so excited for you and your wheel, I hope you know that.


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## gone-a-milkin (Mar 4, 2007)

Okay, I knitted something out of my homemade yarn.










I had thought this yarn was DK weight, wrong! It was a very light fingering. The hat is
made on size 3 needles. I need to get better at WPI measuring. 
I must have made my wraps too loose when I did it?


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## Marchwind (May 10, 2002)

Great job GAM  When measuring WPI I lightly lay the yarn strands next to each other. Snug but not tight. Clear as mud right


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## Mrs. Homesteader (May 10, 2002)

You did a wonderful job GAM!!!


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## gone-a-milkin (Mar 4, 2007)

That is indeed my husband.
He does not wear glasses in real life.
That is his disguise.


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## AnnieinBC (Mar 23, 2007)

The hat looks great! Thanks to reading this, I am off to google spindles, lol. I thought I would have to have a wheel to spin wool. I have a lot to learn...


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## Marchwind (May 10, 2002)

Annie I think GAM posted pictures of her homemade spindle on one of these threads.


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## AnnieinBC (Mar 23, 2007)

Thank you Marchwind, I will do a search


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## PKBoo (Apr 10, 2008)

GAM - you are amazing! I am so impressed with the yarn and the hat - I never even tried drop spindling since I didn't think I'd have the patience for it. 

There's a wheel waiting for you out there somewhere - it was meant to be!


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## gone-a-milkin (Mar 4, 2007)

farmwannabe said:


> There's a wheel waiting for you out there somewhere - it was meant to be!


Aww, you are so sweet.  I dont have Patience, but I can be patient.
My wheel will come when the time is right. In the meantime, there are lots of lovely commercial yarns out there. & spindling is really fun (if slow...) 

Annie in BC, welcome to the forum! Ask anything, you will get lots of different opinions to sort through. :gaptooth:


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## AnnieinBC (Mar 23, 2007)

Thank you GAM!


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