Saturday, August 12, 2006

Spinning Links

Well, an Anonymous person asked about spinning so here goes tips ( courtesy of a Spindlers Yahoo Group Posting):

I'd suggest trying the park and draft method which is beautifully
explained in a photo essay at
http://www.graftonfibers.com

just follow the links on 'instructions' to get there. P&D allows
you to focus on one aspect of spinning at a time, without
having to do it all at once. As you draft using this method, see
how fast the twist moves.... You might be drafting too slow or
pulling too much (too thick) fiber through your drafting triangle
for the speed of your spindle. Pre-drafting your roving will help.

You might want to take a look at the video library at
http://www.icanspin.com -- there are lots of good pointers
there that can help if you have no 'live' help nearby.

The best help, of course, would come from seeing someone
do this right before your eyes.

Hang in there! Good luck!

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Claudia,
Thank you for the pointers! We went to the Gravenstein Apple Fair in Sebastopol yesterday -- I got to talk to the woman who was spinning at the Sonoma Fiber Trail booth. Bought a bag of beautiful dyed roving. Can't wait for my wheel to arrive -- my husband ordered it for me for my birthday. I'm so excited.
It turns out that there is a small sheep grower near I live, so I am going to contact that person to see if she's willing to teach me. There's also a class in Kensington in September, but I'd hate to drive there after work... (her name is also Claudia. That's not you, is it?)
Thanks again -- I will stop by again to report my progress!
tamami

KnittinNurse said...

Hey Tamami! Sounds like u are off and running...And no, I am not Claudia from Deep Colors Studio in Kensington.

I have met Claudia and have heard good things about the Studio and plan on doing some workshops there as well.
http://www.deepcolorstudio.com

As mentioned already-The local to me spinning guild starts their membership year again in September and would be a good place to go once a month on a Sunday- it starts at 11 am and may fit your needs too.
http://www.spindlesandflyers.org/

There are a few newsletters to download as well. No meeting until September, email the contact person to get on the newsletter mailing list. I was a total newb and was given really nice support to get my wheel going, and tips on spindling abound. Lots of show and tell and library books- a real fun and supportive group. Judging by how far away many members come from, guilds must not be too commonplace around here!

Anyway, hope you are having fun!....Sounds like you are!

Claudia

Anonymous said...

Claudia,
My wheel arrived today and it's now built... and just then I got email from the spinner in the area. Sounds like she is willing to teach me! I'm also going to try coming to the September spindles and flyers meeting. I'm a bit shy about going to a meeting like this, but from what you said, it sounds like a nice, friendly group!
Now my only problem is -- how am I going to find the time to knit and spin on my free time...
Hope to see you at the meeting!
tamami

Tamami said...

Hi Claudia,
Got my first spinning lesson today! I've posted the report on http://designatedknitters.blogspot.com/
I think I'm going to enjoy spinning for years to come.
Thanks for all the tips and encouragement.
tamami

About Me

Marin County, California, United States
I work for 2 non-profits in Marin County CA (near SF) that serve the Developmentally Delayed. I was introduced to weaving and knitting at a very young age. Over the years I have always had knitting on hand. There was a time where I was severely chastised for being so old fashioned, so it is great to see the upsurge in the home arts now going on! I have expanded into machine knitting; fortunately there is a great Guild nearby that has really been great. Spinning Fibers is a new thrust as well, and felting has creeped in too. If only I had more time...