# Spinning Questions



## Kasota (Nov 25, 2013)

Methinks I am going to have some spinning questions so I thought I might start a thread so I can keep track of them. 

Is it easier to spin long fibers or short ones? Do short ones need more twist to them to keep together? 

How is spinning plant fibers different? Does it work like wool or do you have to do something different if you were spinning flax? I have seen some flax and some cotton on Ebay and was wondering how they might be different to work with. 

Thank you all in advance for sharing your spinning wisdom with me.


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## SvenskaFlicka (Nov 2, 2011)

Long fibers are easier. Short fibers need more twist. But they can be fluffier! 

Can't say anything about cotton, but flax needs to be moistened when you spin it. 

If you can find a copy, the Ashford Book of Spinning is a great resource.


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## betty modin (May 15, 2002)

Wool is a good fiber for the beginning spinner because it seems to want to hold together and become yarn easier than other fibers do. It's also usually less expensive, so one doesn't feel the stress to 'spin perfectly' right away. 

I spent several months on wool before taking my first series of classes using 'exotic' fibers-silk, alpaca, llama-and while I enjoy other fibers, I mostly spin wool. I've not gotten tired of it-even after 13 years. I've not spun plant fiber-I don't really like to knit with them either (-except for wash clothes and baby bibs.)

I'm a process spinner, not a product spinner, so I tend to only spin what I like-not only what I like to spin, but what I like to knit. Life is too short to do something for fun that you don't find fun!

betty


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## Marchwind (May 10, 2002)

I would say it depends . Shorter than 1-2" can be a PITA to spin, longer than 6" can too. Fibers like Cashmere, Qiviut, Bison, and Camel are very short too and although they can be spun alone, blending them with a longer fiber (usually wool) makes them easier to spin and extends their use. Me personally, I like about a 4" staple for spinning, in wool. You are correct that the shorter the fiber the more twist you generally need. That also generally means you will have a finer yarn in the end too.

Flax and Hemp maybe easier to spindle damp but it isn't necessary. It is sort of like spinning straw only a bit softer.

Some fibers like Angora, Alpaca, Cashmere and the like are slick, slippery and can be tricky to spin. They do not have the resilience, memory, or give of wool so they also tend to need more twist.

By all means try everything you can get your hands on.


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## Kasota (Nov 25, 2013)

Thank you all! 

So when you mix one fiber with another do you use a blending board? A carding machine?


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## Marchwind (May 10, 2002)

Or hand cards and fluff them with your fingers. It really depends on the fibers and how well you want it mixed.

There are no hard and fast rules to the fiber arts. One rule that is probably the only hard and fast rule, don't kill the fibers . So when you spin do NOT put a death grip on the fibers in your hand, do not over card them (yes you can over card them and kill them). Just relax, sit back in your chair and let it happen. Sow down the treadling, no reason to treadle like a mad person. You will have better control if you treadle slower.


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## BlueberryChick (May 12, 2008)

Marchwind said:


> One rule that is probably the only hard and fast rule, don't kill the fibers . So when you spin do NOT put a death grip on the fibers in your hand


Great point! I took a drafting class with Abby Franquemont last fall and she pointed out her own fingers while she was spinning. She said, "notice how my nails _don't_ change color?". It has been a great mantra for me. If I'm gripping the fiber so tightly that my nails turn white, I need to loosen up!


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## MullersLaneFarm (Jul 23, 2004)

I know there is another book out there now, but when I started spinning, I bought the book "In Sheep's Clothing". As I started using different fibers, I would take a lock and tape it into the book

It has been real helpful to me.

I like spinning flax & even cotton ... talk about two ends of the spectrum! The staple length of cotton is very, very short but I find it the easiest to spin long drawl.

When spinning flax, I like to spin it dry in the summer (when humidity is up) or just misted in the winter (when it is bone dry inside).

One thing to remember about blending various fibers together is you can't 'upgrade' a bad fiber by adding a better fiber to it. You'll just 'downgrade' the good fiber'.

Most fiber is renewable and there is new fiber growing all the time. Life is too short to mess with bad fiber.

What is bad fiber?? To me, it is wool that is brittle or has weak spots or is filled with too many burrs or too coarse (unless I want it for a rug). ymmv


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## Wind in Her Hair (Jul 18, 2002)

Kasota, pm me your address and I will get some helpful DVDs on their way to you. 

There is a LOT of information out there - and much of it can be confusing or not applicable at this time. But by being exposed to it, it will be back there in your memory banks for later use. 

But truly, there is no substitute for "just doing it". 

I think of new spinner spinning much like the hours I spent riding green broke horses - you just need HOURS and HOURS and miles and miles in the saddle. 

Then suddenly, it will all click and your hands and feet and fibers and wheel will all be working in unison. 


As to the death grip and killing that little baby bird*, Judith MacKenzie says "You only want to have as much tension in your spinning as you want in your life." So, CHILL, buddy. Become ONE with the wheel and fiber. 

Seriously. 

One thing I have found to be very useful is to have new spinners spin off of minicomb - that elimates drafting and allows the spinner to see the fibers "holding hands" as the scales grab one another as you spin.

* the little baby bird is what Judith MacKenzie calls the fiber source - if you hold it like you are holding a little baby bird, you will be gentle - and you won't kill it - but if you are like MOST EVERY new spinner, you're gonna mangle that little baby birdie. When we start out learning to spin, we all do. :sob: :sob: :sob:


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## Kasota (Nov 25, 2013)

You guys are all the best. It's those little pieces of info that are so huge to me right now. 

"Don't kill the fibers."
"Notice how my nails don't change color?"
"Life is too short to mess with bad fiber."
"You only want to have as much tension in your spinning as you want in your life."
"Don't treadle like a mad person."
"I tend to only spin what I like-not only what I like to spin, but what I like to knit."

These things make sense to my heart.


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## hotzcatz (Oct 16, 2007)

No need to hoard fibers, those sheepies are out there making more faster than we can spin it.

I find sampling to be useful. If you've got a fleece or a couple pounds of fiber and you're not sure what to do with it, just spin up a little bit a few different ways and see which way you like best.

I'll spin a couple feet of as fat or as thin as I can get it, then overspin it a bit and pull it out from the spinning wheel and let it twist up on itself. That will then give me about a foot of two ply to see what the final results of that thickness would look like. Then spin a few different thicknesses and lay them alongside each other. When you find one you like, a sample of the single and a sample of the yarn can be kept with the fiber so you'll be able to remember what you were trying to do earlier if you want to have matching skeins.


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## Kasota (Nov 25, 2013)

Hotzcatz, that's great advice! 

I am going to keep a bit of a notebook with samples of what things are raw and then a bit of it spun up. That will help me keep track of what I'm learning. Cyndi mentioned she keeps something similar. 

As for hoarding fiber...not that I would ever do such a thing....:whistlin: but if someone should find themselves in that unlikely spot...what is the best way to store fiber? I was watching Three Bags Full and she showed some fleece that had a yellow stripe in it and said that she would wash that up right away or the fleece would be damaged. Is it best to keep them in a cloth bag or a plastic bag or a rubbermaid bin or ??


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## foolsgold (Jun 8, 2013)

If you are really interested in trying different KINDS of fibers check out the fiber binder club here http://www.dyedinthewool.biz/?page_id=10

They send you X amount of fiber each month with information on where it comes from and how it is used. Really nice imo. I need to pay for the whole year since I've just been doing it monthly but I really like it.


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## betty modin (May 15, 2002)

I store mine indoors in those large paper compost leaf bags. I use them from shearing time to store the fleeces, putting the fleece back in the bag after it's been washed and dried. Then storing the bags a bit squished and stacked-you can write the fleece type, animal's name and the year on the bag. I don't use plastic bags for storage-ever. I've had fleeces felt in them-not my shetland, but finer fleeces-just in storage.

I have shetlands, so the fleeces are small-3-5 lbs is a big fleece. I've also put two, sometimes three, bags into a large rubbermaid tub to stack for storage. But many fleeces live for years in just the tightly closed bags and don't suffer for it. The key is keeping things tightly closed-I lost some lovely alpaca fleeces in the beginning by not keeping the bags TIGHT against moths. I've also tried cardboard boxes, but found that I can't seal them as tightly as I can the bags.

Hope that's helpful-I'm interested in how others store their fleece stashes-

betty


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## MullersLaneFarm (Jul 23, 2004)

I do have some fleeces kept in those bags where you suck out the air. Most are kept in pillow cases inside Rubbermaid totes. Then there is the closet of hanging storage cubes that hold about a pound of roving each.


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## Marchwind (May 10, 2002)

I keep mine in plastic garbage bags and try together as much air out as possible. I'll tie a knot at the top and stick a label on it telling me what it is and what color. I'll also take a few cotton balls and put several drops of essential oils on them, Lavander, Patchouli, Cedar, .... To help keep bugs away. Not all of my fleeces are washed but they are well skirted.


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## Kasota (Nov 25, 2013)

WIHH - thank you so much for the loan of the spinning videos! Wooot!

Guess what Miss Kasota will be doing this weekend? :happy::clap::happy:

I have another question about using a hackle. (I got it right and didn't say heckle this time! lol!)

So I saw a vid where a woman was not using it for blending purposes, but using it to hold her combed wool and then using a diz to gather the wool from the hackle. 
My house is so tiny...I haven't really table space. I was wondering if a folding card table would be sturdy enough that I could use it for the hackle. I also have one of those brackets that you use to hold a comb. I've been thinking of getting a card table because it would be useful for so many things and yet I could fold it up when I wasn't using it. Would it work for a hackle or would it be too light weight? 

Here is the vid and this is what I want to try. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=noB8NnJzqoc

What do you think?


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## Wind in Her Hair (Jul 18, 2002)

I am afraid a card table is too "light". You could weight it down with something...someone. :grin:

I have used my porch deck railing and the er, uhm kitchen counter. I know some people freak out about working with fiber in the kitchen - but...whatever. 

I have used a heavy bar stool to clamp my swift to and that works nicely for me. 

Just give it a go and see what works. I LOVE combing. LOVE it-oh and i have a combing video I can send since you are playing with your fiber!


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

You could use the card table for your dining room table
and then you would have the heavy table for your fiber prep. 
Problem solved!


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## hotzcatz (Oct 16, 2007)

There are a lot of raw fleece stashed in the attic in garbage bags. Works for insulation as well as fiber storage. There are some stashed in pillow cases and hidden in the back of the hall closet (don't tell my DH!) there are some squished into five gallon buckets with the lid crammed on. There are gallon jars of bunny fiber on a shelf behind the spinning wheel. There are plastic bags of bunny fiber on a shelf, there are big ziplocks of bunny fiber. I think whatever works for you is the best method for storing fiber. Most of the bags & boxes have a name, fiber type and date written on them, some have a paper with information stashed in with the fleece.

Can you heckle folks with a hackle, do you think? Perhaps if you mount it on a light table and pull the table all over, that's heckling?


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## Marchwind (May 10, 2002)

I see no reason for you not to use your dinning room table, I used to use mine all the time. Of course you will clean it before you sit and eat.


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## Kasota (Nov 25, 2013)

GAM and Marchwind - if only I HAD a dining room table! I actually do not have a dining room table nor a kitchen table for that matter. Sigh. I would have room for a small kitchen table and used to have one but it broke and we replaced it with a free standing cabinet so we could use it to store the pots and pans. Used to keep those in the oven but every time we needed to use it we had to unload the oven and that was getting hard on mom in her elder years. We rarely ate in the kitchen anyway but use TV trays. Not ideal but it works for us. No dining room. My house brings "diminutive" to a whole new level. It could almost qualify as micro housing. LOL! And to think mom raised 4 kids in this house! She is tiny but I love her and we suit each other. I just sometimes have to be very creative...

Here is a picture of my wee home. The dog in the front gives you a bit of an idea of scale. She is all of 14 pounds. The other picture is one of my brother replacing a window for me. It gives a bit of scale, too. 

So - rethinking - I do have some things I could bring down the basement that would free up a little space upstairs where I could bring in a different table. I have an old table in storage in my brother's barn...it is not huge but it is mighty. Made of oak and has a top on it that is white enamel. That might work. It is only about 3 feet long. I used to keep it in my laundry room when I had my farm.


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## Marchwind (May 10, 2002)

Oooooo, I love your little house, so precious. But I do understand about tables and using space wisely. Here's a trick I have used in each house I have owned. I put a shelf around the top permeter of a room, say about a foot from the ceiling, more if you have room. It works great in kitchens and store rooms with not much space. I put cup or other hooks on the bottom side of the shelf to hang pots and pans or anything else that can be hung, and other things go on top of the shelf. Works great and gets things out of the way.

I really love your house, I would love to be able to find something like that here.


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## Miz Mary (Feb 15, 2003)

GREAT idea Marchwind !! Love your little house Kasota ... I was going to suggest a little shelf bolted to a stud in the wall .... that would be sturdy enough to clamp onto !

Maybe your stair railing ?? On a nice sunny day you could work outside !


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## Kasota (Nov 25, 2013)

Thank you for the kind words on my wee home. I really do love her, despite her limitations. And she is paid for, which is a HUGE plus. My dream is to put a different kind of porch across the front...one that would go all across the front of the house. I would like to have windows all around. It would be a great space to sit and spin so long as it was not the dead of winter. Or I could run a heat duct to it and make it 4 season. 

Great idea about the shelves! My upper kitchen cupboards are not closed in up next to the ceiling. I left them open so that I could store stuff up there. The upstairs has slanted walls so there is no way to put a shelf around there. I would wonk my head on it, but there is a wee space above the windows that I could put a shelf on. There would be enough room that I could store some books there. When I replaced the windows upstairs I did so with the kind that screw in to the outside...and that left me room to go around the inside of the window and build in a nice 5 1/2 inch sill. Perfect for growing a few flowers or herbs. I did the same thing when I replaced the bathroom window. 

I think I will ask my brother to dig that old table out of the pole barn. It really is the sweetest little thing. I couldn't bear to part with her when I moved out of my farm. She has that shabby chic look to her only it is not contrived. It's the real thing. The legs are painted and have that old cracked look. There is a little drawer in the front. I imagine there was a woman who used it to roll out pie crusts or whatever in an old farm house somewhere. I measured and I think I found a spot for her upstairs where I will be able to set up for playing with my fiber. 

Oh - and did I say that I want more fiber? LOL! I have it in my head to find something in grays. There have been a few fleeces on Ebay that looked very nice. I bid on a couple but they shot up at the last minute more than I wanted to pay and some others that were "buy it now" that were out of my price range. I will keep looking. I need to find someone who still has the wool on the sheep and reserve it. LOL! 

I have a space under one of the eaves upstairs that has an old cedar chest that belongs to my sister. Now that she has her own house she will take it back. Yay! That will free up all that space for...well, for fiber!


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## Marchwind (May 10, 2002)

Added insulation is always a good thing in northern MN Kasota


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## Kasota (Nov 25, 2013)

Someday, when I grow up, I want to be a supreme enabler...just like Marchwind! :bow:

It's insulation!!!!!! Wooooot!!!! 

So here is another spinning question. Well, more of a blending question. On Ebay from time to time I see things like "Mulberry Silk" or "Tussah silk noils." 

Has anyone used these? What's a noil? What is Tussah silk? I confess to loving a bit of shine...so I was thinking that having a bit of silky shine to add to other things might be nice. What are your thoughts?

My brother is going to come and get that cedar chest out of my space next week. Yay!! 

I was also thinking that instead of a shelf bolted to the stud...I could make something similar to those ironing boards that would fold down. I could maybe find a spot where I could do that. So long as it was sturdy it would not have to be deep front to back to set up my hackle on.... Going to have to ponder that one!


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## Marchwind (May 10, 2002)

How about this idea. My brother did this when he lived in the basement and it was pretty slick. Do the shelf thing from a stud only have it span over 2 or 3 studs. Instead of brackets to hang a shelf how about hinges. The table can be raised or lowered to be used. If you drop it to use you can have cables, rope, or chains that hold it up with eye screws in those same studs. Paint the underside with something nice. If you raise it up have leg that drops into place. You could also use it as an eating table if you needed it.


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## Marchwind (May 10, 2002)

Oh and Kasota, I believe they really did used to use wool for insulation back in the day. I know for sure they used news paper which wouldn't work at all compared to wool.


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## Kasota (Nov 25, 2013)

Marchwind, that is the PERFECT solution!  Thanks!


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## frazzlehead (Aug 23, 2005)

You can buy wool insulation, it's treated with bug-repellent stuff so the moths don't eat it, and it's often used in log homes in the cracks, apparently. The mill here makes it.

As for silk... noils are little lumpy bits, like when you see raw silk fabric, you know how it has those little bumpies? It's just the bumpy bits. It makes neat little fluffy 'slubs' in your yarn.

Tussah silk is fairly smooth, like combed top. very slick and slippery but lovely to blend in (or to spindle spin from the fold!). Mulberry silk means they ate mulberry leaves. The stuff I had was quite noily and made a very lovely textured yarn but I'm not sure if that is true of all mulberry silk or just that particular prep.

Silk is fantastic.


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## Marchwind (May 10, 2002)

You have to have super smooth hands or wear gloves. It's kind of like spinning spider web silk, probably the same sort of thing just not sticky. But even if you think you have smooth hands silk will snag on any flake of skin you could possibly have and not known about.


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## MullersLaneFarm (Jul 23, 2004)

It is so strange to wear gloves when spinning because you can't feel the fiber. Unless you have 1860's rich southern belle hands, you'll need gloves for straight silk (not so much for blended).

A trick you can try is to put about a tsp of oil in your palm, then a tsp of either sugar or salt & scrub well for a good minute or more. It does bhelp a bit.


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## Wind in Her Hair (Jul 18, 2002)

I started opening up a silk hankie yesterday - and wow - I did not know I had so many rough sponts on my hands - oh my. The silk attached, clung to, and got hung up on everything!  I managed to draft it out and wind it into a little bird's nest for spinning later - but ewwwwww. :shocked:

ewwwwwwwwwww

I MUCH prefer silk top blended into my BFL - you still get the silkiness and sheen of silk and the strength of silk but the BFL kind of makes it easier to spin.


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## Geoprincess55 (Mar 19, 2013)

I've actually spun the tussah silk noils alone, just as they are. Very slow going but you end up with a soft, bumpy yarn, almost like a boucle. Makes a lovely trim on a knitted item but I sure would not want to do a whole sweater with it.


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## Kasota (Nov 25, 2013)

Geoprincess, if you have any pictures I would love to see some! 

There is so much silk to choose from. Tussah. Tussah tops. Noils. Hankies. Sari Silk. I love the ones with lots of color. I love the ones that are plain and could be blended in to something of another color.


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## hotzcatz (Oct 16, 2007)

What a cute house! Yeah, porches are a great idea! Enclosed porches all around would increase the space and you could make them so you'd not have to heat them during the winter, I suppose. Help insulate the rest of the house, too.

Do you need any silkworms? Someone may give me some next month. Although, there's probably not many mulberry trees with their leaves out around your house at the moment, are there?


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## Kasota (Nov 25, 2013)

Hotzcatz, thank you for the offer but I haven't any mulberry leaves. I don't know where I would keep them if I did!


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## PlicketyCat (Jul 14, 2010)

I have several wall-mounted drop-leaf tables in my wee cabin. My favorite is a 2x4 cleat bolted to the studs under my kitchen window with a 1 1/2" thick top. The stationary piece is a 2x6 screwed flat on top of that cleat, doubling the depth of my window sill, and the leaf is a slab of butcher block. 

I augered a few different sized holes along the edges so I could bolt things through it, which is much sturdier for me than clamping especially anything where you have to pull or turn with any force.

I used a locking support on the drop leaf and added chain attached to eye bolts on the front corners running back (diagonally) to eye bolts on the top corners of the window frame in case I'm working with something heavy... when the chain is unhooked it's completely hidden by the curtains.


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## hotzcatz (Oct 16, 2007)

That almost sounds like a workbench top, PlicketyCat. Have you tried using "bench dogs"? Those are useful to keep things from sliding around. What do you usually mount in the holes? Any fibery tools?

Do you ever find any qiviut stuck to the shrubbery when the musk ox are shedding in the spring? That would be a lovely fiber to play with.

I always prefer fiber from nearby when ever possible, I don't know if other folks also like local fibers or not.


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## MullersLaneFarm (Jul 23, 2004)

Whoa! Plickety has musk ox running around? Oh will you be my new best fair weather friend? ; D

I like using local fibers also. Thankfully, their are plenty of folks keeping fiber flocks within a 60 radius of me.


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## PlicketyCat (Jul 14, 2010)

hotzcatz said:


> That almost sounds like a workbench top, PlicketyCat. Have you tried using "bench dogs"? Those are useful to keep things from sliding around. What do you usually mount in the holes? Any fibery tools?
> 
> Do you ever find any qiviut stuck to the shrubbery when the musk ox are shedding in the spring? That would be a lovely fiber to play with.
> 
> I always prefer fiber from nearby when ever possible, I don't know if other folks also like local fibers or not.


I actually have a set of 4 adjustable bench dogs/stops (repurposed lumberyard yard sticks & thumbscrews) that fit on/into that table. They come in real handy when I'm stretching canvas, assembling frames or making up soil blocks for garden seedlings. It's nice to be able to use my drop extra "kitchen" counter space as a proper shop table for small projects when it's too cold to be out in the garage. The drop leaf doesn't take up much space

Gee, I have all sorts of appliances and tools that I routinely bolt on that table... grain mill, food mill, sausage mixer/stuffer, pasta machine, tobacco shredder, hackle, rope maker, inkle loom... to name a few. I got tired of the clamp and suction ones popping or sliding off whenever I added a little muscle to them 

Unfortunately, we don't have musk ox right around here. Although I could probably send you some grizzly and black bear fur come spring when they're rubbing all the trees LOL. We do have "tundra cotton" though, and that spins up fairly nice once you get the seeds out, it's longer and silkier than cotton, makes really nice thread if you have patience and is good for tatting and other delicate stuff. It's also pretty fluffy and adds nice textural elements for felting projects.

Oddly enough, I actually carded and spun our malamute's undercoat shed for two winters... OMG, that "yarn" crocheted the warmest slippers EVER. Dog yarn, seriously, it's major toasty and wicks/sheds even better than wool!


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## MullersLaneFarm (Jul 23, 2004)

I love working with the undercoat of our Border Collie & English Shepherds.

Tundra cotton ... that sounds real interesting. Would you consider a trade of that for something???

Wow! I just looked up images of tundra cotton on Bing. very cool!


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## PlicketyCat (Jul 14, 2010)

We're right on the edge of tundra cotton (_Eriophorum)_ range, so any appreciable harvest isn't guaranteed on any given year. If I find a big patch this year while I'm wandering our acreage, I'll let you know and we can work something out


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## MullersLaneFarm (Jul 23, 2004)

Sounds like a definite maybe. I can live with that.


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## Wind in Her Hair (Jul 18, 2002)

PlicketyCat said:


> I Although I could probably send you some grizzly and black bear fur come spring when they're rubbing all the trees LOL.


Howdy, PlicketyCat and welcome to the Fold!

I have a serious qiviut affliction/love affair and thankfully, I have a bunch of it I got in a trade from a fellow that wandered the tundra and had several years of musk ox fiber they rubbed off on scrub trees and rocks. I spun up a bunch for him in trade and I have my "portion" to make me a special qiviut earflap hat. 

HOWEVER - I would SERIOUSLY take you up on the black bear and grizzly bear fur - sale, trade, whatever. I know how they love to scratch their backs on trees to mark their turf - we have seen a black bear do that in our yard - but I would LOVE to have some bear fur for a special project!

SERIOUSLY. My living room is decorated with bear paw casts and bear paw snow shoes - so...I NEED this fiber. I REALLY REALLY do.  PLEASE keep me in mind should you find some fiber this spring. No amount is too small.

Did ya know that they have found musk ox fossils as far south as Texas? I find that amazing.

(Currently reading my copy of "Arctic Lace" - all about qiviut and Musk Oxen.


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## PlicketyCat (Jul 14, 2010)

OK - I'll definitely keep my eye out for tundra cotton this summer and bear rubbings this spring :thumb: If we take any nuisance bears this year, I can clip the odd parts of the pelt as well (I don't need to worry about "trophy" export restrictions for a bit of hair).

Hmmm -- I can actually buy tundra cotton seeds from the wilderness rehab center and have a nice flat boggy area to plant it in. Maybe a possible cottage industry there catering to fiber artists who like funky exotics.


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## Marchwind (May 10, 2002)

If tundra cotton us cotton grass, you can find that in Minnesota WIHH. I know I've seen it around but it was never in big quantities. I'm not sure if it is the same thing but it does grow in MN.


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## PlicketyCat (Jul 14, 2010)

Yes, tundra cotton is cotton grass. The variety that I saw growing in Minnesota and the Dakotas is a different variety than the one that grows up here. The L-48 variety looks more like a pom-pom or raw cotton boll, but our variety is longer and more like a fluffy bunny tail.


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## Kasota (Nov 25, 2013)

I am continuously amazed by the things that pop up on threads! 

Now I have to go google tundra cotton. I have never heard of such a thing!


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## PlicketyCat (Jul 14, 2010)

You know, there are some folks one river over who raise buffalo and they were talking about adding some musk ox if ADF&G would issue them a permit. Next time in the village checking mail, I'll drop a postcard in their mail slot and see if they did get their musk ox and whether I can get some shed from them.


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## Kasota (Nov 25, 2013)

Do buffalo shed out anything worth playing with? There is a man at our church who raises them. My mom once made scarves for this couple and they turned around and gifted her with a huge wicker basket full of buffalo meat. Oh, that was good eating! We have an open invitation to visit his place.


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## PlicketyCat (Jul 14, 2010)

We have two varieties of tundra cotton up here:

Eriophorum callitrix (arctic cotton):









and Eriophorum scheuchzeri:









They say that it's "unsuitable for textile manufacturing" because of the bristles, but I think they're easy enough to remove if you're hand-picking and hand-processing. Granted, it would take a huge amount to harvest enough for any substantial project!


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## PlicketyCat (Jul 14, 2010)

Buffalo do shed their undercoat in the spring if it's cold enough for them to get a winter coat where you live. I don't know how nice a fiber it is to work with though, or how hard is it to get guard hairs and such out of the downy undercoat. I know their top coat is kinda coarse and scratchy. Of course, there's always a lot of VM and dirt in shed & rubbings; but I don't think I'll be walking up to a buffalo with a curry brush LOL


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## Geoprincess55 (Mar 19, 2013)

Experienced spinners, Help please. I am spinning a 50/50 targhee/suri alpaca. Spinning woolen, and my sample looks to be about DK weight in 2 ply to itself. But I want to add sequins already on a thread (commercial "yarn"). What would be the best way to do this? This fiber is so soft and fluffy and, as a newer spinner, my singles are a bit inconsistent. Should I just ply the sequin thread to a single or will it turn out limp and weak? Would you recommend instead doing a 3 ply of 2 fiber singles with the sequins? If so would it be best to hold all three strands and ply all at once, or do the fiber first as 2 ply and then send it through with the sequin yarn? Hope this makes sense. Appreciate your help.


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## Marchwind (May 10, 2002)

If it were me I would do it as a 3-ply, plying all three together at once. Or do a two ply of your yarn and then add the third spinning in the opposite direction of your two ply.

Kasota you can spin Bison fibers. It is a beautiful rich brown and very soft and warm. If you process it yourself you have to dehaired it. You can buy the prepared fibers and yarns. It is expensive. Here's a little bit about it. http://www.spinningdaily.com/blogs/liz/archive/2010/10/19/the-magic-of-judith-mackenzie.aspx


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## Wind in Her Hair (Jul 18, 2002)

I have some raw bison fiber and it is pretty coarse and wooly. I have yet to clean it or to try and dehair it - but that project is coming up in the queue. :grin:

along with the yak and the camel and the cashmere and the... :grin:


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## Geoprincess55 (Mar 19, 2013)

Thanks Marchwind. This fiber was a bit pricey and I really want it to turn out. Now to figure out how to do an all-at-the-same-time 3 ply. I tried again tonight to add a photo but my computer absolutely refuses to recognize my new camera.


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## MullersLaneFarm (Jul 23, 2004)

GeoP, do you know how to chain (Navaho) ply? 
You can add beads directly to the yarn this way, depending on the size of the beads you want to add.

Chain ply a foot or so, stop.
Put a bead on a crochet hook, hook the crochet hook at the bottom of the loop & slide the bead on & up the yarn. Continue chain plying stopping & placing beads.


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## Geoprincess55 (Mar 19, 2013)

This is such a great place and everyone so kind and willing to help each other!


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## Geoprincess55 (Mar 19, 2013)

MullersLaneFarm - I don't know yet how to ply 3 singles at once, but I do know how to chain ply (YouTube is a great thing). I did not know I could add beads that way. I am so excited! I am definitely going to try it! Thanks so much.


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## Marchwind (May 10, 2002)

In thinking again about this, I think I would do the two ply of your yarn then add the thread with the sequins. So when you add the sequined thread you wil spin the wheel the opposit direction you spun it to ply your yarn. Another words, if you are spinning your single a 'z', you ply 's', and you will add the sequined thread 'z'. I think you will have more control of the way it looks and will be a smoother looking yarn.


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## Geoprincess55 (Mar 19, 2013)

Marchwind- I think I'm going to do the 2 ply yarn first, as you suggested. When I do this, i think I should overply the 2 singles, right? Then spinning back "z" with sequin thread should result in a balanced yarn?

MullersLaneFarm - I am definitely going to try the beading on my next spinning project. I have a couple of beautiful art batts from Hello Purl in browns, oranges and golds. I haven't spun them yet because I wanted to do something special with them and wasn't sure what. Oh my goodness; adding some beads is perfect! Funny, most of my life I have been so conservative, but now I want some girly-girl bling! Can't wait to try this!


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## Marchwind (May 10, 2002)

Yes, that should work  I can't wait to see how it turns out.


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## Kasota (Nov 25, 2013)

> Funny, most of my life I have been so conservative, but now I want some girly-girl bling! Can't wait to try this!



GeoPrincess, I am so right there with you! I have always been a bit of a tom-boy. I went from tom-boy to very conservative...and now the older I get the more I find I like some sparkle. Tasteful sparkle, lol... but sparkle even so. My sister cannot get over the fact that I actually curl my hair every day during the week. 

I'm looking forward to seeing pictures of your blinged out yarn!


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## Kasota (Nov 25, 2013)

WIHH, I have been truly enjoying the vids you sent. I was watching the one of Rita Buchanan today...the part where she talks about having a tempo like music made so much sense to my brain. I had to laugh at how she would have students "air spin" to practice. 

I am trying to treadle slooooowly. Maybe I could find some music with a slow treadle tempo... 

I also really enjoyed the part where she showed how she takes her fiber and spins some thin, some medium, some bulkier and attaches it to a card or she might spin some of different twist and attach it to a card and put notes on it. I can see where that could be very useful. 

Mom and I didn't get to the yarn store today. We're going to go tomorrow and then I am coming home and spending some more time spinning. 

I'm amazed that people get so comfortable and relaxed and their hands so experienced that they can spin and read a book at the same time. 

Thanks again!


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## Geoprincess55 (Mar 19, 2013)

I will definitely post pictures when I get it finished. It will be awhile, as I am an exceptionally slow spinner and still having to concentrate on everything I'm doing. I am only on the second bobbin now of the roving. Plus, my hand surgery is tomorrow and that usually prevents knitting/spinning for about 6 weeks.


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## Kasota (Nov 25, 2013)

Geoprincess - sure saying prayers for your hand surgery that all goes well and that you have a speedy recovery!!!


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## Marchwind (May 10, 2002)

Kasota I've taken workshops with Rita before, she is a wonderful teacher. Does she talk about twist, and having energized yarn? She had us over spin and ply some yarn and then toss it into a bowl of hot water and watch what happens. It was her teaching us about not putting weight on a skein of yarn when you hang it to dry. Long story which I can tell you once you get to that area of you spinning.


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## Kasota (Nov 25, 2013)

Marchwind, yes she DOES talk about that and gives a little demonstration. I was amazed to see the hidden twist in the yarn! 

I also liked the part in this vid where she showed how she uses plant trays to wash fleece! I thought that was very ingenious. I used to work at a local greenhouse and I know I can get some nice sturdy ones from them.  

I would love to take a workshop from her. She seems so relaxed and the advice is so common sense...it's things I can wrap my mind around. Like putting a card or a piece of paper on your knee to help you visualize the length of your draw and keep it consistent with whatever number of treadles you are using. 

I really enjoy how she talks about her love of the fiber itself and the process of making yarn. She so obviously loves what she does.


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## Marchwind (May 10, 2002)

She is a very matter of fact teacher. If you ever have a chance to rake a class from her do it.


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