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Andy
Seriously Hooked
USA
774 Posts |
 Posted - 01/21/2005 : 11:39:43 AM
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 Okay. I always liked wool. Real wool. I also don't have money, hardly enough to pay bills. Okay, so the attraction of finding almost free, but great quality wool fiber, is becoming obsessive. I paid a fair amount for painted fiber $13 for 4.4oz. for my daughter's birthday kneehighs. But I've heard of lesser prices, too. This whets my appetite to do the spinning necessary to have this great feeling wool running through my fingers both during spinning on a spindle (cheap, wheels are not) and also while plying it, winding a ball, knitting, and even while wearing it! Wow, triples my pleasure, how about you?? If anyone knows good sources for wool or fiber to spin, I'd love to hear about that! |
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Lissa
Permanent Resident
USA
4942 Posts |
Posted - 01/21/2005 : 4:03:12 PM
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If you're careful about the vendors, you can get great deals on Ebay. Ask me how I know.... ;-j
Lissa
Hey - I MEANT to do that!
Oh, and I now have a blog:http://knittnlissa.typepad.com/knittnlissa/ |
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KathyR
Permanent Resident
New Zealand
2969 Posts |
Posted - 01/21/2005 : 4:19:42 PM
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If you have enough money to buy a few good dyes you could get the cheaper natural rovings and handpaint your own! You wouldn't need many colours (you would mix your own!) and the dyes would go a long way. Try to find Deb Menz' book Color in Spinning at your library and be prepared to become tempted!
KathyR
Rudeness is the weak man's imitation of strength. |
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pjkite
Permanent Resident
1198 Posts |
Posted - 01/27/2005 : 11:58:54 AM
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I started spinning partly because I couldn't afford the yarns I wanted, but could scrape together the money for the fiber. There's also the part of me that just enjoys feeling fiber - that part really enjoys spinning! You're right, Andy - it's at least three times the fun. Not to mention the obsessive-compulsive part of me that enjoys the total control of the finished project I have by starting with the fleece/fiber, spinning exactly the right yarn, then knitting the project itself! :)
If you're careful about where you buy things, spinning can be much less expensive than buying commercially-spun yarns. As for dyeing, while acid dyes are definitely cheaper in bulk, you can go a long way toward coloring protein fibers (wool, silk, alpapa) with Wilton cake colors and white vinegar. If you run across a sale on unsweetened kool-aid, you can dye with it, too.
As for locating decent wool; do you have a local spinning guild? There are usually shepherds associated with those groups who have their own wool to sell at a good price. I buy some of my best fleeces that way. And from what I see on the various lists, Washington state has lots of shepherds!
If you're mostly interested in wool rovings (already washed and combed or carded), try Woodland Woolworks (http://www.woodlandwoolworks.com/) and Little Barn at http://www.littlebarninc.com/ . Both have top quality rovings at good prices. You may be close enough to WW to go there, too - I'm shaky on the geography of Washington.
In any case, have fun! Spindling is wonderfully portable and soothing as well as inexpensive.
Pamela Kite
East Tennessee
http://fiberlife.blogspot.com/
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Boogie
Permanent Resident
USA
3073 Posts |
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