My Spin story

Firstly I must explain that I came to spinning because the price of knitting wool was just so high for good quality. So I decided to make my own.

I started with a drop spindle and instructions from youtube and away I went.

I loved it!

So I purchased some romney wool, and a bit of merino, and still I was really enjoying the whole process.

I knitted up a hat and some slippers, and then my husband said he'd really appreciate a jumper.

I decided my drop spindle just wasn't up to the job, so bought an old Ashford Traditional wheel after much searching.

We took it apart, and sanded the whole thing down, and then oiled it with beeswax and olive oil. We put it together and I still use a bit of string for the drive band. It is brilliant!

Anyhow, by now I had bought a little bit of carded alpaca, and the colours were just lovely, but sadly I didn't have enough for a jumper of such size!

So began the long search for the right shade of alpaca fleece.

The carded alpaca on offer was still too expensive, so I decided I would just have to learn to wash and card the fleece myself.

So I sent off for a fleece, and I bought a (rubbish) pair of old carders, and I just couldn't do it. The carders are very small, and the teeth are far too coarse, so I sent the fleece off to a mill to be carded.

When I asked about whether I needed to wash or sort the fleece, they said, no, the machine would sort it out!

So can you believe my dismay when the big bag of fibre returned all mashed up with bits of twig and dirt etc. Terrible.

Anyhow, my super husband says he wants it as his jumper anyway, and he doesn't care about the bits.

I'm not so sure about this, but I'll give it a go all the same. I have a feeling his jumper will be worn into the garage, under cars and other such jobs, so perhaps its just as well.

Anyway the top photos show the arrival of the alpaca fluff, and spinning underway, and a skein of brown alpaca awaiting a wash.

I hope to try some new types of fibre over time. I think I need a pair of socks.

So this is just a little journal to document my progress and mistakes along the way in the world of fibre craft.