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RobA
Permanent Resident
2373 Posts |
 Posted - 12/11/2005 : 4:24:23 PM
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OK. I keep reminding myself I am making progress, and I am. On both the spindle and the wheel. On the wheel tonight I was working with the dark blue "English wool" I started with. Last week I got clumps of rope interspersed with something that looked vaguely Lopi-like. Today I was getting yarn. I am working with a thinner length of roving, and predrafting it, and moving and using my hands better. The frustration today is that I will suddenly have a very thin section that breaks and starting again has been a disaster. It took me a while to realize that when I was taking some of the spun yarn off the bobbin to attach the roving I was undoing some of the twist, so I kept breaking pieces farther and farther back. (Is that why each piece kept breaking off?) Grrrrr. But I actually got quite a bit of it spun and am off to take a break and do some knitting. I think I get the thin spots when my hands don't keep up with my treadling -- does that sound right? And how do you join the already spun stuff with the roving after a break? Nothing I try seems to be working. Twice I just tied around a new leader cord and started again, over the already spun yarn!
Rob http://roberta.typepad.com/robknits/ |
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Lissa
Permanent Resident
USA
4942 Posts |
Posted - 12/11/2005 : 4:43:28 PM
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The thin spots happen when you treadle faster than you're drafting. Slow down your treadling - WAYYYY slower. To join new fiber, untwist about 3 inches of the end of the broken yarn and fluff it out - hold a few fibers from the roving up next to the fuzzed-out end. Pinch just below the top of the joined part and treadle a couple of times, until the two ends twist together somewhat. WITHOUT letting the yarn wind onto the bobbin, slide the pinch towards you about an inch and let some twist build further into the join. When you've pinched past the join, you can continue to spin as normal. Wish I lived near you, so I could show you...
Lissa
During times of universal deceit, telling the truth becomes a
revolutionary act. -- George Orwell
Oh, and I now have a blog:http://knittnlissa.typepad.com/knittnlissa/ |
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RobA
Permanent Resident
2373 Posts |
Posted - 12/12/2005 : 05:57:26 AM
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Lissa, it would be wonderful to watch this sort of thing -- I have to find the local spinning group -- but your instructions were very clear! Thanks. I'll give both suggestions (especially treadling slower) a try.
Rob http://roberta.typepad.com/robknits/ |
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Linda513
Chatty Knitter
USA
125 Posts |
Posted - 12/12/2005 : 06:04:25 AM
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Rob I feel your pain. Something finally clicked for me yesterday though. I've found that I have to be the one who determines when the newly twisted fiber goes through the orifice and onto the bobbin - not the wheel. Before I was just letting the wheel pull the yarn in, whether it was ready to go or not. What I do now is I have a count of 3. 1 - 2 - pull. On one I pull my drafting hand back a couple inches. On two I unpinch and let the twist run into those new couple of inches. On pull (3) I let the yarn into the orifice. Its so hard to explain in words! But using this technique has resulted in more consistent evenly twisted yarn.
Linda
my blog: http://furryterrier.com |
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Lissa
Permanent Resident
USA
4942 Posts |
Posted - 12/12/2005 : 4:55:06 PM
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Linda, you have learned what is, in my opinion, the MOST important thing a new spinner can learn. It's so hard to teach someone that she can/should hold the new yarn out from the wheel until it is ready to be wound on without being able to show her...
Lissa
During times of universal deceit, telling the truth becomes a
revolutionary act. -- George Orwell
Oh, and I now have a blog:http://knittnlissa.typepad.com/knittnlissa/ |
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Linda513
Chatty Knitter
USA
125 Posts |
Posted - 12/12/2005 : 5:43:10 PM
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Exactly Lissa, and I don't know how, but it finally clicked with me. I wish I had an experienced spinner by my side, but in a way figuring it out on my own is very exciting!
Linda
my blog: http://furryterrier.com |
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Lissa
Permanent Resident
USA
4942 Posts |
Posted - 12/12/2005 : 9:09:43 PM
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Kudos to you!
Lissa
During times of universal deceit, telling the truth becomes a
revolutionary act. -- George Orwell
Oh, and I now have a blog:http://knittnlissa.typepad.com/knittnlissa/ |
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