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MijTink
Chatty Knitter
USA
240 Posts |
 Posted - 05/06/2004 : 08:57:41 AM
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Hello... Is Jacob combed wool roving top a good fiber for a beginner to start with on a drop spindle? Can't wait to start spinning!! Thank you!
Jim in Jax
"Confidence is that feeling you have before you understand what you are doing."
-Guarantee Reserve Guardian |
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Cayli1
Seriously Hooked
USA
635 Posts |
Posted - 05/06/2004 : 09:11:41 AM
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Jim,
Jacob is one I have not spun yet but I do have a sample of it. It is some what coarse for my liking. I would recommend either romney (which is softer than the Jacob) or Finn (which is softer than the romney). I personally LOVE finn and always recommend it as I think it is very easy to spin and is soft too. But if jacob is what you can get your hands on then go for it. Anything is better than no fiber to spin! 
Cayli in San Diego
Experience is something you don't get until just after you need it. |
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allyn
Chatty Knitter
255 Posts |
Posted - 05/06/2004 : 5:39:34 PM
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Jacob isn't bad. The only issue would be the colors. Since most Jacobs are multicolored, you'll have to decide whether to spin the colors together or divide them first. Just one more challenge on the road to spinning expertise! I started spinning using Corriedale. It's really easy to spin but mainly I started with it because it was readily available.
Allyn |
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jeniflower
New Pal
USA
35 Posts |
Posted - 05/06/2004 : 5:50:37 PM
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| i just took my first spinning lesson today - i have my first sad little accomplishment on my instructors niddy noddie - it was so fun! but, i am trying to find a good source for fibers to spin. i am planning on getting a wheel and accessories from Louet Sales but, i don't really know what the best fiber is to start with? i was working with roving today - i don't really know where it is from or anything about it since my instructor just had it for me so. . . any ideas? |
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Mokihana
Warming Up
USA
54 Posts |
Posted - 05/06/2004 : 8:11:09 PM
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I love to spin Jacob, but I think a good first fleece would be Romney or Coopworth...
Aloha,
Mokihana |
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jjarachne
New Pal
6 Posts |
Posted - 05/07/2004 : 12:06:20 AM
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The specific fiber isn't really as crucial as the preparation.
Sheep's wool is the fiber of choice and a medium to long staple length is preferable. Choose Romney over merino, for example.
The roving or top should be predrafted a bit to be sure the fibers will slide smoothly past each other. Commercial rovings are often fairly compacted and benefit by being split into quarters or even 6ths and predrafted.
Romney is often considered a good beginner choice because it is fairly long staple so it doesn't required a lot of twist to hold together.
Welcome to the world of spinners! |
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bearlin@pa.net
Posts |
Posted - 05/07/2004 : 04:26:55 AM
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| Cheviot is also a medium fber to spin. It generates a soft lofty yarn and I just happen to have a flock and lots of clean white roving! Let me know if you need any. |
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Susan T-O
Permanent Resident
USA
2481 Posts |
Posted - 05/07/2004 : 05:19:52 AM
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Wensleydale is a little coarse, but has a long staple. My first successfull drop spindling was with Wensleydale. However, if you like something softer try an alpaca/silk blend. And remember, pre-drafting will make any fiber easier to spin.
--Susan T-O in Long Beach CA
"He that would make his own liberty secure must guard even his enemy from oppression." --Thomas Paine |
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MijTink
Chatty Knitter
USA
240 Posts |
Posted - 05/07/2004 : 08:02:58 AM
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Thank you for the excellent information. In fact it was so good, now I'll have to get some of each of the fibers suggested! 
BTW, in my never ending quest for fiber on the internet, I came across a site I wanted to share. From what I have seen thus far, this site's prices seem very reasonable:
http://www.pacificwoolandfiber.com/Fibers.htm
Forgive me if I'm telling you something you already know; finding fibers is still totally new to me. Happy spinning to all!
Jim (AKA Hopefully soon to be spinner  )
"Confidence is that feeling you have before you understand what you are doing."
-Guarantee Reserve Guardian |
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Spinnerella
Permanent Resident
1040 Posts |
Posted - 05/07/2004 : 08:51:53 AM
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| Most people will recommend starting with Coopworth or Romney because they aren't terribly slippery...you do end up with ROPE, but that's okay at first. I purchased a sample pack from Woodland Woolworks that might be a good way to try different fibers: you will get a large variety of 1 oz samples (they have several different assortments) and you will get lots of experience with different fibers for the $25 they charge. I particularly love Finn, but even their American wool top is quite nice. Their Merino is extremely nice, but not a great one to start with. I am working with a bunch of their Jacob top right now and it is quite soft and silky, unlike the stuff I bought at Maryland Sheep and Wool last weekend. I have also had fun with Shetland....that will spin very fine almost without thinking about it, even on a drop spindle. Another good source of fiber that I rarely see mentioned on this board is Halcyon in Bath, Maine. Their sample packs are not as nice as Woodland....not enough to actually try to spin, but they have a lovely selection. |
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RoseByAny
Permanent Resident
USA
12598 Posts |
Posted - 05/07/2004 : 09:51:48 AM
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Another fun source for fiber is www.cyberfibermall.com - there's a ton of shops there, and you can really get an idea of what things should cost. Even if you don't buy, it's fun to window shop!
"Choose your friends by their character and your socks by their color. Choosing your socks by their character makes no sense, and choosing your friends by their color is unthinkable."
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BlueStocking
Sustaining Member
USA
945 Posts |
Posted - 05/08/2004 : 09:03:23 AM
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For beginning spinners, I recommend roving rather than combed top. Since the fiberes are not all lined up as they are in combed top, they are easier to predraft and much loftier to spin.
Finn is a really good choice. It's soft and will spin into a really nice yarn.
Jen
"What would you attempt to do if you knew you could not fail?"
Yarns and Rare Spinning Fibers: http://www.spirit-trail.net
http://TheSpiritTrail.blogspot.com
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katies1969
New Pal
USA
6 Posts |
Posted - 05/09/2004 : 3:16:38 PM
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Hello all! Can anyone explain to me what I am doing "wrong"? I first started spinning on a drop spindle with some corriedale and although it's a little rough (felts beautifully) I can get a beautiful spin going and can get it very thin. However the finn that everyone raves about being easy to spin is almost impossible for me. I can't seem to pull those long (it seems like one long rope) fibers out. I have to split it into like 20 long "chunks" of fiber and then spin whereas the corriedale I can pretty much spin from the roving and just even it out as I go. Without seeing me do it can any of you pro's get what I am doing wrong? Thanks in advance!
Katie
http://www.carpediemdesigns.50megs.com |
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Phaedra28
Gabber Extraordinaire
485 Posts |
Posted - 05/09/2004 : 4:39:33 PM
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My guess is that you've just made the jump -- unknowingly -- from roving to top. Roving was easier for me when I started, so I second BlueStocking's advice there, but top takes a little more work. For one thing, you have to predraft it a bit more carefully, since all the fibers are arranged in neat little lines. That means that the cursory predrafting that works for rovings -- with more or less random arrangements -- don't work nearly as well. Stripping top and then predrafting until you have felt EVERY fiber move will help.
Top also goes a little faster for a lot of people, which is part of why it's popular, so it may just be getting gripped by that twist before you're ready for it.
I hope that helps.
Das war ein Vorspiel nur. Dort wo man Bücher
Verbrennt, verbrennt man auch am Ende Menschen.
--Heinrich Heine 1820 |
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HeidiP
New Pal
13 Posts |
Posted - 05/11/2004 : 11:21:53 AM
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Jim, I learned to spin ginned cotton on a drop spindle -- it was readily available to me at the time and being in South Texas climate made sense. I would recommend Wensleydale -- very long (8-12"), fine (can be as fine as 30 microns), curly fleece, and kemp-free (no coarse guard hairs). It is very soft with a lovely shine and dyes beautifully. It It is one of my favorite fibers to spin. Leicester is also a good choice. I would be happy to send you a small sample of both at no charge if you would like to try them. Happy Spinning!
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