# short fiber?



## lonelyfarmgirl (Feb 6, 2005)

How do you spin with short fiber? Is there some special process? I got a hold of some alpaca but it is all 2 1/2 to 3 inches long. Don't go into a rolag very well at all. Just too short. Do you just do it from the lock?


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## PKBoo (Apr 10, 2008)

I've been using Valkyrie Extra Fine combs to process my alpaca, then use a diz to pull the fiber off. (THANKS WIHH!!!) It's been working out wonderfully!

I was using a drum carder, but the alpaca is so fine that it just wasn't working well, and I wasn't happy with the results. 

I'm saving all of the 'waste' from the combs to use for chunky 'art' yarn.

Do you have a pair of combs, or can you borrow some from your local guild?


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## lonelyfarmgirl (Feb 6, 2005)

Is your alpaca short like this stuff I have? I do have cotton carders. I havent tried it on those.


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## Ana Bluebird (Dec 8, 2002)

Oh, it's great for blending---blend with wool, makes both better, makes great yarn.


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## Marchwind (May 10, 2002)

Try the cotton card those are intended for short fibers. When spinning, use an "inchworm" method of drafting. Put a lot of twist into it. Alpaca can be difficult to spin especially a short alpaca fiber as a first fiber. To avoid frustrations you may want to take Ana's advise and blend the short stuff with woo.l


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## MullersLaneFarm (Jul 23, 2004)

You might be surprised how well a long draw (or supported long draw) drafts for shorter fibers, especially on well carded rovings. The drafting triangle will just pull the fibers in from the rolag/roving.

Some of my best cotton yarns have been spun using the long draw


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## lonelyfarmgirl (Feb 6, 2005)

I will have to look up those terms, inchworm drafting and longdrawl. I did lay some over the white icelandic I just got from red tartan and they brushed together really well, and made nice rolags. I just used the shorter softer stuff of the icelandic and pulled the long locks out for later. This should be a good fiber for next to the skin clothes I would think. Its very soft.


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## Marchwind (May 10, 2002)

Photos, we need photos :bash: You can't keep teasing us about these fibers and your spinning without photos.


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## PKBoo (Apr 10, 2008)

lonelyfarmgirl said:


> Is your alpaca short like this stuff I have? I do have cotton carders. I havent tried it on those.


Mine is short too - it varies from 2 1/2 inches to 4, but most of it's about 3 - 3 1/2 inches. I want to start a notebook to record the different 'experiments' I've done - tape a lock, a sample of the processed fiber, strand of yarn, and small skein, just so I can remember what I've done  All I have now is pictures - so take pictures! (and who knows when I'll get to doing this notebook!)

Have you tried the cotton cards yet? I'm anxious to see how they work! I just did my first blending of alpaca and wool last week - it worked very well (pictures soon, I promise)


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## lonelyfarmgirl (Feb 6, 2005)

spinning? HA! I won't be posting photos of that pathetic attempt until I get a little better. I can post a picture of the rolags I made though. Is there any other form you put the fiber in to prepare for spinning besides rolags or roving?

The notebook is a really good idea. I think I will do that.

I haven't tried the cotton cards yet. Is the end result supposed to be the same as with regular carders? as in brush out the fiber and roll it off? 

Jeez, I feel like I am in fiber kindergarten. 
Thought I was done with that grade.:nana:


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## Marchwind (May 10, 2002)

LOL! Yes pictures of your FIRST spinning. You should be proud of that as we well be. Guaranteed it is "art" yarn, the kind that we al wish we could spin. Believe me when I tell you that down the line when you are spinning thinner and thinner yarns, you will wish you could be spinning that lumpy bumpy stuff. Seriously! Right now I'm having a devil of a time trying to get a yarn spun that is thicker than sport weight. I need to spin something just a bit thicker than worsted weight. Treasure what you are now spinning, it is very special. I'm sure some of the people here can post pictures of their "first yarns" so you will see, your yarn is perfectly normal.

So, yea, we want to see pictures of that stuff.


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

Here is my first spinning EVER. On the drop spindle. 











I had to knit it up really quick because I was sure it would unspin itself if I left it alone for a minute.


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## frazzlehead (Aug 23, 2005)

I'm laughing here because 3" fibre doesn't seem short to me! I suppose it's all relative to what you are used to. A 3" staple of anything would be long in my world. 

Alpaca is very tricky to spin on it's own - blended with some wool it's much easier to work with. And I had the same experience with my drum carder - the teeth are set for wool and it just won't do a decent job on alpaca (though my friend's drum carder with the fine teeth makes batts that are almost as smooth as commercial top!)

That said, how are you making rolags? I'm just curious because I find that with the hand cards I can make not-very-neat-but-quite-serviceable rolags from pretty much anything, even super short Down breed wools (like, 1-2" at most). I have never managed the nice, neat 'peel it off by hand' or 'wrap it around a knitting needle' trick, though, I just roll it up on itself by pushing the card up over the finished fibre 'backwards', if that makes any sense. 

Maybe that would give you a half-decent rolag to work from? Some of mine come out nice and perfectly cigar shaped, but usually they are a bit on the poofy side.  Spins fine anyhow!


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## PKBoo (Apr 10, 2008)

lonelyfarmgirl said:


> Jeez, I feel like I am in fiber kindergarten.
> Thought I was done with that grade.:nana:


LOL! You will progress very quickly through the grades! :clap: (and as Marchie said, you will be wishing you were back in kindergarten again in no time at all!)
So take pictures, and share please!

Here's a picture of a fingerless mitten I made (not with my very first, but shortly thereafter). So no matter what your first spinning looks like, you can make cool stuff!


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## PKBoo (Apr 10, 2008)

gone-a-milkin said:


> I had to knit it up really quick because I was sure it would unspin itself if I left it alone for a minute.


:hysterical: :hysterical: :hysterical:


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## lonelyfarmgirl (Feb 6, 2005)

I try to get some pictures on here tomorrow. the rolags I do off the hand carders are easy to me, but I tried to do the same with the short alpaca and it just didn't work. It just unrolled back out to flat.


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## Marchwind (May 10, 2002)

Alpaca is a very slippery fiber and not at all like wool.


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## lonelyfarmgirl (Feb 6, 2005)

Yeah, it almost seems, well, maybe lifeless? to me compared to wool. I am not sure how to say what I mean.


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## frazzlehead (Aug 23, 2005)

What you're noticing is the effect of not having memory - alpaca lacks the 'sproing' of wool. 

This gives alpaca the beautiful drape it has when knitted/woven, and it's 'lack of memory' (meaning things like ribbed cuffs stretch out and won't go back like they do with wool). 

I have been thinking lately that alpaca has a lot of the same qualities as silk, just with a shorter staple and less shine.


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## lonelyfarmgirl (Feb 6, 2005)

Ok, I would agree with that. Its not shiny at all. Just kind of dull, and well, there.
Wool, is shiny and poofy and THERE.


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## Marchwind (May 10, 2002)

Wool is also easy to work with and forgiving

Ditto what Frazzle said, I would also put Mohair in that group with Silk and Alpaca.


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## frazzlehead (Aug 23, 2005)

Some alpaca is shiny - suri, in particular. And if it is spun fine and worsted, you can get very lovely silky stuff that makes a stunning shawl.

My spinning skills aren't up to it, but a friend of mine makes sock-weight three-ply out of alpaca, and it's absolutely amazing. 

Each fibre has it's place ... but I'm mostly a wool girl. Some alpaca blended into the wool is sure nice, though - I have some brown merino top that I'm blending with natural black alpaca and it's coming out quite nice. Very manly, somehow.


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## lonelyfarmgirl (Feb 6, 2005)

well, I took the requested photos, but alas, photobucket is not working properly, so I cant post them. mohair is goat, correct?


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## PKBoo (Apr 10, 2008)

lonelyfarmgirl said:


> well, I took the requested photos, but alas, photobucket is not working properly, so I cant post them. mohair is goat, correct?


When you are in photobucket, just click on the IMG box (it will copy), then paste here, and your picture will magically appear!

I think mohair is from angora goats, and angora is from angora rabbits. That always confused me, and I'm still not sure if I got it right here :hrm:


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## lonelyfarmgirl (Feb 6, 2005)

Thats not the problem. When the picture begins to download and that stupid ad plays that say doesn't affect your download, actually does. the download locks up and when the ad stops, it doesn't resume.


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## Marchwind (May 10, 2002)

You could try going over to Flickr.com. That's where I've had all my photos for years.


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## lonelyfarmgirl (Feb 6, 2005)

I am not sure how the get the photo from flicker to here. the image numbers are different then photobucket.


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## Marchwind (May 10, 2002)

Okay on Flickr once you load your photos click on the photo you want to share. Above the photo is a button that says share, click that. The drop down will have several choices. Where it says, Grab the HTML/BBCode Make sure BBCode is clicked at the very bottom. Click on the link in the box and copy it. When you come over to here to past it. Make sure you click on the little picture icon at the top of the message you are typing. When that opens delete the http:// that is highlighted in the pop-up window. Paste you link into that window and click "ok". then you are done.


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## lonelyfarmgirl (Feb 6, 2005)

ok, screwed up, trying again.


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## lonelyfarmgirl (Feb 6, 2005)

this is some rolags that are black alpaca blended with the white icelandic I got from red tartan








[/url]
IMG_5497 by dollyrockfarm, on Flickr[/IMG]

the next two pictures are of the first stuff I spun. It is also the white icelandic I got from red tartan.








[/url]
IMG_5499 by dollyrockfarm, on Flickr[/IMG]








[/url]
IMG_5501 by dollyrockfarm, on Flickr[/IMG]


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## Marchwind (May 10, 2002)

Ooooo, that looks like nice stuff to spin. Good work on the spinning. How is the drafting coming along? Those rolags look like they will draft nicely.


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## lonelyfarmgirl (Feb 6, 2005)

I didn't really have too much trouble drafting them out. It seems they just went so fast. The lady I got the wheel from gave me a bag of alpaca ..roving?
its one continuous piece that was done by a machine. I couldn't draft that at all. It felt like I was trying to stretch, well, felt. It's so tight. 
Are making the rolags like that the best way to prep it for spinning or is there another I don't know about?
I want to try spinning the icelandic as it sits. I am separating the tog from the other part. I like it so much, I think icelandic sheep is what I want. I haven't had the opportunity to get my hands on mohair yet, but so.


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## Marchwind (May 10, 2002)

The main trick to spinning is knowing the length of your fibers. Why you ask? Because you need to know this so you know how to hold your fibers in your hands and how far apart you need your hands when drafting. If you have fibers that are 3-4 inches long you can't hold you hands 1-2 inches apart. Well you can but you have to be willing to let go of your fibers. Do NOT kill your fibers by squeezing them to death. This is the whole point of having a drafting triangle. Literally a triangle of fibers between your hands, that allows you to see just about each individual fiber before it is twisted and drawn into the orifice. This triangle is, to me, a way to separate the fibers so they can move past and trough each other. *THIS* is where all the control is, in that drafting triangle. I'm sure you can find a zillion videos online that talk about the drafting triangle and how to control your drafting. Once you master the drafting triangle you can pretty much make any yarn you like.


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