# I spun yarn!



## CravenCrow (Feb 12, 2014)

Today I went to a sheep shearing at a local fiber farm and while I was there I bought a big bag of alpaca seconds for $2! Made my own drop spindle from hobby lobby supplies and about 2 hours later i have about 20ft of what is undoubtedly the most chunky, uneven yarn I've ever seen but I'm so proud of it! I've got plenty of fleece to practice on here so hopefully I'll get a little better before it's all gone. It looked so easy on the YouTube videos, haha. 
I suppose the next thing i need to focus on is getting a proper set of hand carders but I'm not really sure what to look for. I guess that'll be the next series of questions i burden Google with 

- Elizabeth


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## Pearl B (Sep 27, 2008)

Hello & Welcome CravenCrow

That's a great price on alpaca. Nice drop spindle you made too!
For your 1st attempt that's pretty good looking yarn too.


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## kentuckyhippie (May 29, 2004)

you might try using the wire type dog brushes to card with. they are reasonably cheap and work well for small amounts. that's what I use. that's nice yarn for the first time.


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

congratulations on that first yarn and welcome to the fold!

Look at you! You are doin' it!
Doesn't it feel awazing to connect in such a special way with such a primal art form?

Oh, and :cowboy: howdy from another displaced Texan.


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## Kasota (Nov 25, 2013)

Woooo hoooooo! You're doing it! You're doing it!!! Congratulations!!!  

Welcome to the fold! Be warned...this place is full of enablers!  Before you know it you'll be re-arranging things in your house to make room for more fiber goodies!


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## Marchwind (May 10, 2002)

CravenCrow welcome to The Fold! Congratulations on spinning your first yarn . It's always exciting. Save that first yarn to remember or make so wing out of it. I agree that using the dog slicker brushes would be a good way to begin. They are just mini hand cards anyway. When you buy hand cards you will have to think about what your favorite fibers to spin are, what will you be spinning the most of. If you love fine fibers then something with a fine carding cloth on it would be what you would want. You certainly would not want to get a coarse carding cloth for fine fibers it will harm the fibers. Get more experience under your belt and decide what you really like to spin before you decide on hand cards.


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## mamajohnson (Nov 27, 2002)

Very lovely first yarn ! I hated my first attempts. Everyone said soon I would have to work hard to do lumpy yarn, and they were right! Great deal on the alpaca, and you do have plenty to practice on. Be sure and share more pictures!


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## CravenCrow (Feb 12, 2014)

Im carding with cat brushes right now because it's all I could find at my local pet store. They seem to work well enough but they're tiny haha. 
Thank you for the compliments everyone! You guys make me feel great after my clunky spin start. Hopefully soon I'll be spinning brilliant yarn like everyone here!


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## Miz Mary (Feb 15, 2003)

AWESOME job !! It get's SO addicting !!! Now what will you do with your yarn ? Do you crochet or knit ?! Weave ?


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## Kasota (Nov 25, 2013)

> Hopefully soon I'll be spinning brilliant yarn like everyone here!


That is my hope, too. I'm very new to all of this. We just need to practice!


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## CravenCrow (Feb 12, 2014)

I knit and crochet. I've just bought a tiny little loom to try my hand at weaving but who knows how that'll go lol.


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## Taylor R. (Apr 3, 2013)

Your first yarn looks 100x better than my first yarn. Mine went from super bulky to lace weight within pretty much every foot or so . Your next attempt will probably look almost like you expect it to, and from then on it's all gravy.


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## CravenCrow (Feb 12, 2014)

Day 2 update: it seems I'm way better at a bottom whorl spindle than a top. It still has some really chunky sections though. Drafting out the right amount of yarn while keeping the spindle spinning seemed so much easier when I was watching someone else do it. 
I think most of this beginning yarn ill crochet into things that i can felt in the washing machine. I foresee a lot of chunky yarn in my immediate future @[email protected]


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## rabbitgeek (Mar 22, 2008)

Bravo! Welcome to the obsession!


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## Marchwind (May 10, 2002)

CravenCrow try adding a bit of weight to your spindle. If you can add even weight to the edge it would be best and it will help it spin longer too. Looking good! Keep it up :goodjob:


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## Taylor R. (Apr 3, 2013)

Are you using a park and draft method? That's the only way I can keep up with the drafting and keep the twist under control.


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## bergere (May 11, 2002)

Most excellent and it looks like you are a natural!


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## hotzcatz (Oct 16, 2007)

Good job, CravenCrow. Alpaca is a bit slippery to start with, you're doing well. Soft, too, isn't it? Whatcha gonna make with your yarn? Alpaca doesn't have much "sproing" to it, not like sheepies wool.


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## Candy (May 12, 2002)

Wow, your yarn looks wonderful. Enjoy your new hobby. :happy:


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## raccoon breath (Aug 5, 2010)

I like the yarn from both day 1 and 2. Both very usable. Great progress in such a short period of time.


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## CravenCrow (Feb 12, 2014)

Well ladies, I've finished my first woven tapestry made from my first spun yarn! It's a tiny little thing but i still feel like I've accomplished quite a lot. 
Im definitely hooked on spinning and I've convinced my dad and some friends to help me build a dodec spinning wheel over the weekend. For hand carders, i think I've decided on a 90tpi set. Wool and alpaca fleece seem to be the most available fibers from the farms in my area and so I'll prolly be spinning those most often. From my casual googling i think that 90tpi would work best for those fibers. 
Now i just need to perfect my washing technique haha


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## Marchwind (May 10, 2002)

You made a mug rug . How great! Will you please take pictures of your wheel in progress please and post it here for us to see? Those wheels fascinate me.


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## rabbitgeek (Mar 22, 2008)

Bravo!


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## MullersLaneFarm (Jul 23, 2004)

Great first yarn! I love your rug mug!!

I love bottom whorl spindles too. I'll second what Taylor mentioned about using the park and draft method to make drafting easier. Or there is always pre-drafting before you spin.


90 tpi is a good 'medium' carding cloth. For alpaca and finer wools, you'll be better pleased with a higher tpi, like 112 tpi.

You can always card medium & course wool on a higher tpi, but a lower tpi can make a mess out of fine wools. Get the highest tpi you can afford.


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## CravenCrow (Feb 12, 2014)

Well I made the wheel almost completely by myself! I didn't cut the wood though, I'm no good at that haha. If I'm honest it has the quality of a Jr high shop class project. The only part that i really don't like is the peg on the wheel for the tredle. Its screwed in on the back but it defiantly feels like it wants to come out so I'll be changing that soon. Also I need to get a stronger hinge for the tredle. 
The wheel in the instructions seemed difficult so I made a "nob wheel" out of a wooden plate from hobby lobby and some cabinet nobs from home depot. I changed the upper receiver to open up like one i saw on ravelry but the hinges and locks i was able to find are really quite flimsy and I'll be on the lookout for better ones. 
It works though, and as soon as I can get my tredle timing to line up with my drafting speed ill have more yarn to show you! Yay! (Right now my son is way better than using the wheel than i am.)


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## Kasota (Nov 25, 2013)

WOW!!!!! That is just delightfully awesome. Congratulations! Have you tried spinning anything on it yet? 

More pictures! More pictures!!!  

I love your "can-do" attitude and self-sufficiency. This thread is just getting better and better!


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## Miz Mary (Feb 15, 2003)

WOAH !! I have never heard or seen such a device !! Isnt that your spindle there on top ??!! How does it work ?


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## Marchwind (May 10, 2002)

Looks great! That was fast to make. I too want to know if you have spun anything yet? I would suggest that you maybe make the legs/feet a bit wider for more/better stability. I. Like the drawer knobs.


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## CravenCrow (Feb 12, 2014)

Miz Mary, its pretty much just a weird looking quill spinning wheel. The tredle turns the wheel which quickly spins the spindle to twist the yarn. 
I've had to make some more modifications. The instructions said that any hinge would do for the tredle and the tiny hinge i bought from hobby lobby wasn't holding it in place. So i went to home depot and bought a set of gate hinges. It works much better now. 
Also my wheel has a bit of a wobble to it, which caused the band to pop off the top of the spindle every once in a while so rather than remake the whole wheel i decided to use a bit of thin elastic for the band so now it stretches with the wheels wobble. 
Finally, the noise of the tredle hitting the base was kinda annoying so I hot glued a piece of felt to where they touch and now it doesn't make that noise. 
My spinning attempts haven't been that great so far. Apparently, just because i built it doesn't automatically make me an expert at the thing! Not fair!


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## Miz Mary (Feb 15, 2003)

coolist. thing. ever . thanks for the pics !! SO cool you MADE it !!!!!!


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## MDKatie (Dec 13, 2010)

Awesome! The mug rug is so cool, and the wheel is amazing!


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## Marchwind (May 10, 2002)

MzMary I posted about the wheel a few weeks back. It us called a Dodec wheel. The original plans came from Spinning Daily here http://www.spinningdaily.com/cfs-fi...pinoff/5661.Dodec-Spinning-Wheel-Brochure.pdf
There is a woman on Ravelry who made one and instead of knobs she had removable spindles, her extras. If you search here or on Ravelry you will find more info. I think there is actually a group for the wheels.


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## MullersLaneFarm (Jul 23, 2004)

Quill spinning is different than bobbin spinning. You spin off the point and out to the side, like would do with a Great Wheel.

If you square off that point, you could probably put on a cup hook an spin more traditionally.

The wheel is very cool!!!


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## Miz Mary (Feb 15, 2003)

THANK YOU Cyndi , now I GET it !!!! Whoda thunk ?!?!


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## AndiB (Jun 13, 2012)

I LOVE how you made your Dodec wheel. :clap:
I had been wanting to build one myself, but I didnt want to deal with all the small parts of the original wheel. I LOVE the plate and knobs. I can handle that!

And wonderful job of nabbing stuff to spin with. :thumb:Thats the hardest thing for me. I'll have to hone in my shopping around skills.


*grabs wood, and runs off, chuckling*


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## CravenCrow (Feb 12, 2014)

If you do the plate and nob method, be sure to buy longer bolts for the upper assembly because this wheel sticks out further than the one in the plans. Also, measure to find the center of the plate before you stick the nobs on. I didn't think to do it first and it was tricky to do it with all the nobs in the way @[email protected]


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## rabbitgeek (Mar 22, 2008)

Did somebody say "cheap" spinning wheel?
Check out my cardboard spinning wheel
http://www.rabbitgeek.com/charka.html


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