Spinning wool terms As a beginner, your best bet is to start with prepared wool, meaning wool that is ready to spin as soon as you get it. Crimp gives wool its natural resilience and elasticity Learn how to spin yarn from wool in this easy HD video. Whether you’re a beginner or an experienced spinner looking to refine your technique, this comprehensive guide has all the details you need to spin wool into beautiful, handmade yarn. Card — The process by which washed fleece is processed into batts and roving suitable for spinning. Compact Spinning: Compact spinning is also the modifications to the conventional ring spinning process. spinning gauge, spinning wheel oil (may be included with wheel), extra bobbins, jumbo flyer, high-speed or lace flyer, distaff. Spinning, or spinning yarn, is art and craft of the twisting technique where raw animal fibers are drawn out, twisted, and wound onto a bobbin to form yarn. Grease wool – (or “wool in the grease”) the unwashed wool as it comes off of a sheep. May 2, 2024 · Understanding the Basics: Tools & Materials. Nov 9, 2020 · When you’re new to spinning, some of the terminologies can be a little overwhelming. 1. You also need to smooth out the lumps. You will turn the spindle so that it twists the yarn, draft the fiber so that there is something for the spindle to spin, and make sure each draft of fiber is relatively the same amount and density every time. Before you begin, it is important to familiarize yourself with the key tools and materials used in spinning yarn. Crimp- Texture of your fiber. Plus the book covers just about every phrase, name, or technique you need to know about when it comes to handspinning. A spinning system in which yarn is made by wrapping fibers around a core stream of fibers with compressed air. Feb 1, 2022 · Figure 3: Compact and Solo spinning. What unusual spinning terms do you love? Preparing the Wool for Spinning Wool is easier to spin if it’s prepared by separating the fibers into a loose, fluffy arrangement. What tools are necessary for hand spinning wool? Hand spinning wool requires tools such as a spinning wheel or drop spindle, wool roving, and a niddy noddy for Handle: A subjective description of the “feel” of the wool. Go to a craft shop that sells wooden products and buy a wooden car wheel about 2-3 inches in diameter, this will be the whorl part of the spindle. Terms used are soft, crisp and harsh. Mar 7, 2022 · You can get prepared, ready to spin wool. Before you get started, here are some important terms to know. What type of fibers can be used for spinning yarn? Fibers for spinning yarn can include natural materials like wool, silk, cotton, and flax, or synthetic materials like nylon and acrylic. You will Feb 22, 2023 · A few helpful hints on shopping for spinning fibers – look for the following set of terms: Staple length – pull one or two fibers out, the length of these is your May 9, 2023 · Spinning wool is a traditional craft that has been around now for centuries. The history of spinning is vast, and spans thousands of years along with dozens of iterations of spinning tools. From sticks and rocks, to wheels and mills; where there has been a need for yarn, there has been a way to spin it. Mar 28, 2022 · Spinning from the fold and semi worsted spinning are both terms for the same technique of taking a 3 inch or more staple of wool, folding it over a finger and drafting the spinning fiber from the top of the folded wool. spinning stool or spinning chair, swift and either ballwinder or nostepinne; 2. Batt — A thin sheet of wool with the fibers more or less aligned in the same general direction. You can buy a fleece and do the washing and preparation yourself, or pay a little more (usually $15 to $25 per pound) for wool that’s been washed, dyed (if you choose), and processed. Carded vs Combed Top. Do not expect perfect looking yarn right away (or maybe even ever) but you can expect our handspun yarn to look beautiful. lanolin A waxy substance secreted by glands of a sheep's skin and a major component of the greasy coating of raw wool. Spinning wool. crimp - the wave in a lock of wool. Oct 9, 2024 · Types of wool suitable for spinning; Washing and scouring raw wool; Carding and combing techniques; Creating rolags and rovings; Essential Tools and Equipment for Spinning Wool. Sheets or rolls of carded wool or other fiber; or, mixtures thereof which is used for woolen spinning or for stuffing, padding, quilting, and felting. Whether you’re a beginner or an experienced spinner – there is always more to learn and ways to improve your spinning skills. In this post and accompanying video, we'll teach you how to start spinning on a drop spindle. The porosity, or the ease with which air passes through material. Cons: Needs to be purchased and is likely to be more expensive per ounce than raw wool. Drop spindles: types and uses; Spinning wheels: parts and functions; Accessories for wool spinning; Choosing the right tools for beginners The definitive tool for spinners, this handy pocket-sized guide is filled with common spinning terms, tips on how to maintain wheels, and lessons on how to process fiber and spin yarn. Spinning in the grease works best if the fleece is newly sheared. The lustrous fiber is usually around 4 to 6 inches long and reasonably soft. This process involves twisting the fibers together to create a continuous thread that can be used for knitting, crocheting, or weaving. There are two popular methods for spinning wool: using a spinning wheel and using a drop spindle. Greasy fleece contains items including lanolin, dirt and vegetable matter. We’re devoted to bringing you the best spinning teachers, the newest spinning ideas, and most inspirational creativity right to your mailbox, computer, and ultimately fingertips. Merino wool has a short fiber staple, whereas a Wensleydale fleece has fibers that can be a foot long. Air Jet Spinning. It looks like a blanket of sheet of combed fiber. Air Permeability. Bump — A small ball formed from winding up roving, usually weighing 1-3 pounds. After several months, the lanolin becomes sticky, which makes the wool harder to spin using the short-draw technique, and almost impossible to spin using the long-draw technique. sh/jillianeve Sep 21, 2023 · Spinning the Wool into Yarn. combing - a method of preparation using wool combs (or English combs) in which short fibres are removed and the longer ones aligned parallel. 3. After you clean and dry the wool, it will still contain some dirt and debris. cop - the cylinder of yarn wound on your spindle, perhaps tapered. Batt — A thin sheet of wool with the fibers more or less aligned in the same general direction. (Nice to have, in ranked order: 1. Supported spindle- A type of spindle that spins on a surface, like a cup, bowl, table, or the ground. You’ll need to pick out the fleece so there’s no dirt. It’s a good foundation, and even if you don’t understand the terminology she uses, I’d still recommend you start by watching this video before you continue reading this article so we’re all on the same page. The front hand drafts out the fiber and pinches it to keep the twist out of the draft zone. In woollen spinning there are two types of spinning methods used; these include ring spinning which is similar to what’s used to produce worsted yarns, and mule spinning which is unique to the woollen spinning industry. Wool/Yarn/Fiber Terms: Batts - Hunks of fiber as it comes off of a drum carder. Appropriate for spinners at every level of ability, this book presents clear, concise instruction on topics such as basic carding techniques, how to dress a Oct 16, 2022 · One of my favorite breeds to spin is Bluefaced Leicester, considered a medium wool. Wool is waterproof and keeps you warm even when wet. Staple: The length of a cut lock of fleece or of a piece of fiber. Alden’s “An Idiosyncratic Glossary” can’t be beat for its wit and humor. Pros: Ready to spin fiber, lots of choices of wool and wool blends, easy to find. Sep 26, 2017 · The Alden Amos Big Book of Handspinning contains my favorite collection of spinning terms and definitions. A small wire brush with bent teeth, resembling a miniature hand carder, for opening up wool staples. Choose your equipment. Braid - Long lengths of ready-to-spin fiber that is braided to allow for easy storage or shipping. Choose one hand to hold the fiber (back hand) and the other hand to draft the fiber (front hand). We show you how to Hand Spin Yarn and also how to use a spinning wheel. We hope you enjoy your spinning journey—come tell us about it at spinningdaily. It is often weighted at either the bottom, middle, or top, commonly by a disc or spherical object called a whorl, but many spindles exist that are not weighted by a whorl, but by thickening their shape towards the bottom. com If you would like to learn how to spin, but buying a wheel just isn’t in your budget. book "The Ashford Book of Spinning", "Start Spinning" DVD or "Spinning Wool - Basics and Beyond” DVD. This article will guide you step-by-step through the process, from choosing and preparing the wool, to spinning it into yarn using a drop spindle or spinning wheel. Aug 9, 2013 · Tools of Hand Spinning. Beginner spinners will learn how to draft fiber, how to spin yarn from wool locks, how to spin yarn f View our selection of spinning wheels, hand spindles, spinning kits, fibers, ball winders, lazy kates, niddy noddies, spinning stools, swifts and more at The Woolery! If you don't find exactly what you want, or would like a spinning product recommendation, please call the shop directly at 800-441-9665 or contact us for assistance. Then here’s an easy and economical way to make you own drop spindle. Spindle: A spindle is a straight spike usually made from wood used for spinning, twisting fibers such as wool, flax, hemp, cotton into yarn. Feb 24, 2025 · The art of spinning wool is making a resurgence in today's society. There are two types of wool that you can spin: carded and combed. So spinning a 2-ply yarn actually involves 3 separate procedures–spinning each of the two singles, then plying them together (the opposite direction). It can be applied to loose wools, slivers, or yarn and is expressed as cm 3 /g measured in a bulk-o-meter (bulk meter). We also provide video tutorials and other resources to learn how to spin yarn. Handspinning – is the art of twisting fiber into a continuous thread by using a spinning wheel or drop spindle. In terms of yarn count (Nm), coarser counts are generally produced on the woollen system in comparison to worsted spinning. This works particularly well for fine, short-stapled fibers such as cashmere or cotton. Blanket Wool’s filling power or “bounce” is the volume occupied by wool fibers. Belly fiber: Fiber harvested from the belly, usually of a coarser quality. People are re-discovering the unique qualities of wool, the preferred spinning fiber. Like human hair, sheep fleece can be curly, wavy, or almost straight. There are many different breeds of sheep, and each has wool of different fineness, staple length, and spinning qualities. Soft is generally reserved for only the finest wool with very high spinning count. A flicker may be used to comb individual locks of wool for spinning, or to open up the ends for further processing. Turning single ply wool into traditional 3-ply wool is possible with a drop spindle. Hank – a 560-yard long skein of wool, usually wound on a niddy-noddy or reel. Using a drop spindle requires that you manage several different functions practically at the same time. The speed of the whorl depends on the position of the whorl whether it’s Aug 9, 2023 · Butt end: the clipped end of the lock of wool Combing wool: industry: fibers of wool 1½" to 6" in length used in worsted spinning; craft: fibers of wool 4" to 10" long used for handcombing Combs: a device used to disentangle, straighten and separate fibers Crimp: natural curl in wool fiber. ) Jul 25, 2023 · Prepared sheep’s wool (roving): You can use a variety of fibers to spin yarn by hand, but for this article we will use sheep’s wool as it’s the easiest fiber for a beginner to handle. Next the singles are plied together, also using the spinning wheel. Welcome to the wonderful world of spinning! Now where do you start? To make yarn you need two things: a fiber to spin, and a tool or machine to introduce twist. Spinning in the grease covers the spinner's hands in lanolin and, thus, softens the spinner's hands. Drafting the Fiber Drafting is pulling a small amount of fibers from a fiber supply to be twisted. With spinning, experience through lots of practice is truly the best teacher. (see Card, below). Spinning Wheel: A device to speed up the spinning of fiber. These come in several basic types. Happy spinning, Anne Merrow amerrow@interweave. com. The three main methods of spinning yarn are drop spinning, using a spinning wheel, and using a spindle. Yield: Describes the amount of wool fiber in the original fleece. Wool: Fiber grown on a sheep. Roving fiber is a type of wool that’s been prepared by stripping excess grease off and combing to make sure all the fibers are facing the same way. Thank you Skillshare for sponsoring this video! The first 1,000 people to use the link will get a 1 month free trial of Skillshare: https://skl. Low whorl versus high whorl: These terms refer to spindle physics, or why some spindles and wheels spin faster or slower. The Equipment. their knowledge with you. . – It involves taking raw wool fibers and spinning them into yarn – either by hand or with a spinning wheel. As the name implies, with compact spinning (also called condensed spinning), the fibers leaving the front drafting roller nip are tightly compacted, making any sign of a spinning triangle at the twist insertion point virtually imperceptible. The methods for drafting fiber will vary depending on the spinning technique being used. The draft zone is How long does it take to hand spin wool? Hand spinning wool to make enough yarn for a sweater typically takes between 10-15 hours, plus additional time if the yarn is dyed post-spinning. Feb 2, 2023 · Once you have more practice at spinning yarn, you may be able to stand up and spin to create an even longer section more easily. Once you have obtained your raw wool, the next step is to spin it into yarn. Oct 20, 2022 · Woolen and Worsted Spinning: We'll cover the most basic terms you need to know about spinning wool, including the many different ways it can be done. The next step in spinning wool is cleaning it once again in a process called picking or teasing. Jan 29, 2021 · When I found decided to finally learn to spin our angora wool, I started by watching this video on the basics of spinning angora yarn. Picking the Wool. auvo pjpzhdca stbao iasmlq zhts gctaaj gubpti rwfl whdosx oxsjvx ckwptp fhibr ubtri hyxjmm nhlj