You can thank Peter Greenaway for inspiring today’s post. His works tend to have a lot of lists and games and humour (twisted though it may be) in them.
This came about from watching The Pillow Book on Saturday. Amung other things, it is a movie about a woman writing a book of lists inspired by a 1000 year old book by a woman who made a book of lists. The other direct influence would be 26 Bathrooms.
A is for Angora rabbit, Alpaca and Ashland Bay
Angora rabbits make angora fibre. There are several types of Angoras, each with their own characteristics. In general, the best fibre is plucked from the rabbit, rather than being sheared. Unfortunately for me, these are one of the animals that I’m allergic to.
Alpaca fibre is one of my favourites to work with. It comes in a wide range of shades of white, greys, browns, fauns and a true black. Plus the animals are just so cute!
Ashland Bay is the seller of many lovely fibre lines.
B is for bobbins, ball winder and Bamboo
Bobbins – you need lots of them and it always seems you need one more when in the middle of a project. It’s good to have at least 5 or 6 bobbins, and bobbins in different sizes if you wheel can handle that.
Ball winders are very useful for winding up finished yarn and can also be used to wind up singles to make centre pull balls to ply from. Note – a centre pull ball doesn’t work well for really slipper yarn or ones like silk that have high twist and are grabby. The ball will just snarl and make a mess.
Bamboo is a fairly recent fibre available to handspinners. The main version available is a bamboo viscose top. It is a man made fibre made from the cellulose of the bamboo. Bamboo can also be retted and processed like flax and hemp, but it is not often seen available for sale.
C is for combs, Cashmere goats and cats
Combs are wonderful tools for making sleek and well processed top. There can be a lot of waste in the combing process, depending on the material. 50% or more. The process removes all the short fibres and neps and leaves only the longest fibres for the resulting top. Spinning from hand combed fibre is a real treat.
Cashmere goats are a large family of different breeds of goats. What makes it Cashmere is the fineness and consistency of the fibre. This is a wonderful fibre to work with, both by itself and in mixes with fine wools and silk. It requires a fair amount of twist to hold together when spun by itself. It is much warmer and usually softer than wool.
Cats. It’s kind of a love hat thing. Some of them love getting into your fibre and stash, so you have to watch out for that. You can also spin their fur into yarn, usually blended about 70% wool, 30% cat. Another animal that I’m allergic to.
D is for drum carder, drive belts and digital scales
Drum carders allow you to quickly process fibre into carded batts. They come in various sizes and with varying teeth density, depending on the type of fibres you want to process. The denser the teeth the finer the fibres that can be used.
It is always a good idea to keep a spare drive belt for you spinning wheel on hand, just in case. Most modern wheels come with poly cord belts. The material used for the drive belt can also affect how your spinning wheel performs. Different material will have different amounts of friction and this will change how the wheel behaves.
Digital scales are great to have around. I like to have at least two – a general kitchen scale that can do ounces and grams, and a smaller scale that can read down to 0.1 grams. The finer one is for measuring smaller amounts of fibre and chemicals.
E is for exotic fibres, endangered spiecies and Eco-spun
Exotic fibres are ones from more exotic animals, like camels, Bison, Musk Ox and Vicuna. These generally tend to be finer fibres, and more expensive because of their limited quantities and difficulties in harvesting.
There are many endangered species of fibre producing animals in the world. The ones we hear about most are the rare sheep. Deborah Robson has made it her passion to study these animals and with Carol Ekarius has written the book The Fleece & Fiber Sourcebook: More Than 200 Fibers, from Animal to Spun Yarn.
Eco-spun is a man made fibre that is made from recycled pop bottles. It isn’t the nicest thing to spin, but it is used industrially to make things like polar fleece.
F is for Flax, Firestar and finishing
Flax fibre is one of the oldest spun fibres in the world. The plant has to go through several process before it is usable fibre. The best fibre is called line flax. This is longest finest fibres produced, between 18 and 36 inches. After that there is second line, which is probably 8 to 12 inches, and then tow, which is the better fibers of the left overs. Tow is usually 4 to 6 inches, and are heavier fibres then line flax.
Firestar is a trilobial nylon. It has a triangular shape instead of a round shape. All those flat surface reflect a lot of light, so the fibre appears sparkly. It is like other nylons and can be dyed in normal acid dyes like wool. It provides glitter and strength when blended in with wool.
Finishing is important for all handspun yarns. It’s what gives it it’s final character. Finishing methods will depend on the fibres used and also the desired outcome of the yarn. Many fibres will bloom in the finishing, giving the yarn extra poof and sometimes a halo.
G is for goals, gifts and Gotland sheep
It’s usually a good idea to have a goal or purpose for the yarn you are spinning. If you are spinning with a specific end use in mind it helps you with decisions on how to process the fibre, spin it and finish it.
Gifts are always nice! A gift of handspun yarn or item is usually appreciated by the person who receives it. Just make sure that they are worthy of it and know what they have received is special.
Gotland sheep – from Sheep 101
Gotland sheep were first established on the large Baltic island of Gotland, off the east coast of Sweden. The Vikings brought Karakul and Romanov sheep back from Russia and crossed them with native landrace sheep, such as the Gute. Gotlands are polled. They have short, hair-tipped tails and do not require crutching.
H is for hemp, hankies (silk) and hackles
Hemp is another of the oldest fibres used by man. It is processed like flax, and can be up to six feet in length. It can be used for course things like ropes to fine clothing, depending on it’s quality. Hemp available to handspinners can be quite variable in terms of length and quality.
Silk hankies, or Mawata, are silk cocoons that have been softened, had the silk worms removed, and then stretched over a square frame. Hankies tend too come in packs of about 12-15 bundles, with each bundle containing about 10 cocoon layers. They are spun by peeling off one layer at a time and spinning that. Often the hankies are predrafted before spinning, as it can be hard to draft because of the very long fibres. They can be spun with fairly little twist because the fibres are so long, but more twist helps in the in the final yarn.
Hackles are used for blending fibres and colours of yarn. You can pull a roving off of then to spin from. Depending on how you pull the fibre off you can get a repeating colour way. Deb Menz has written a very good book called Color in Spinning that explains how to use the hackles. There are also several good YouTube videos on using hackles.
I is for Icelandic sheep and Irish tension
Icelandic Sheep – from Sheep 101
The modern Icelandic Sheep is a direct descendant of the sheep brought to Iceland by the early Viking settlers in the ninth and tenth century. They are of the North European Short Tailed type, related to such breeds as the Finnsheep, Romanov, and Shetland.
The breed is dual coated, with a courser outer layer call tog, and a finer down layer called Thel. The Icelandic lopi yarn is spun with both layers in the wool. They also desperate out each layer to use in products that require softer or courser yarns.
Irish Tension from Abby Franquemont – Choosing your first wheel
With single drive, braking action is applied to whatever item is not being driven by the drive band. If your drive band goes around a whorl attached to the bobbin, the bobbin is the thing that will start moving first, and this is called a bobbin lead system. In this case, braking action will be applied to the flyer, often with a leather strap that goes across the front of the flyer near the orifice. How tight this strap is controls how hard the pull is on your yarn as you are spinning.
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Bobbin lead single drive wheels have the easiest treadling action, but the strongest pull-in and it’s hard to get the takeup really really light.
J is for Jacob sheep
Jacob Sheep – from Sheep 101
The Jacob is a unique breed. Their most striking features are their four horns, two vertical center horns and two side horns curling along side of the head, and their spotted black and white fleece which is prized by hand spinners and weavers. The Jacob is an old, unimproved breed whose origins are obscure to say the least.
and I can’t think of any more J’s. NEXT!
K is for Karakul sheep
Karakul Sheep – from Sheep 101
The Karakul may be the oldest breed of domesticated sheep. Archeological evidence indicates the existence of the Persian lambskin as early as 1400 B.C. and carvings of a distinct Karakul type have been found on ancient Babylonian temples. Native to the plains of Central Asia, Karakuls differ radically in conformation from most other American breeds. They are of the fat broad tailed type of sheep. In their large tail is stored fat, a source of nourishment, similar in function to the camel’s hump.
and I can’t think of any more K’s. NEXT!
L is for Llama, Louet and lazy kate (preferably tensioned)
Llamas are members of the camelid family from South America. They are a larger animal than Alpacas. Their fleece tends to be not as fine and usually has more guard hairs in it. The hairs can be picked out if you want to make the softest preparation from the fibre, but it usually is not worth the extra effort.
Louet is an amazing Dutch / Canadian company that sells all kinds of fibre equipment and fibres. They are well known for their flax and flax blends.
A lazy kate is a device for holding spinning bobbins for plying yarn. Plying is usually easier if you use a tensioned lazy kate, as you won’t have to tension the yarn yourself when doing the plying.
M is for Mohair goats, Mother of All and moths (EEEEEK!)
Mohair comes from Angora goats. The finest fibre is from kid goats in their first and possibly second shearing. The fibre normally goes courser as the goat ages.
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Wool moths can be the bane of any spinner. They can do a lot of damage if left unchecked. If you find that some fibre / yarn has moths it is best to quarantine these and freeze them for a couple weeks, and to go through the rest of you stash that is around them. Things like cedar chips and lavender oil can help keep moths away from your stash.
N is for niddy noddy, Navajo Churro sheep and needle nose plyers
Niddy noddies are handy tools for winding yarns into skeins. They typically come in 1 and 2 yard lengths. They can be made of many types of wood and PVC piping. The ones on PVC pipes can be handy for steaming yarns and washing yarns directly on the niddy noddy.
Navajo Churro Sheep – from Sheep 101
The Navajo-Churro was the first domesticated sheep introduced into North America. Brought from Southern Spain in 1514, Churro sheep became the mainstay of Spanish ranches and villages along the Rio Grande.
Native Indians acquired flocks of Churro for food and clothing through raids and trading and eventually incorporated them into their lifestyle. After nearly becoming extinct through a government sheep “improvement” program in the mid-1900’s, the breed is now recovering and becoming more popular, though still considered a “rare” breed.
Needle nose plyers are a handle tool to have around. They are great for bending the hooks on spindles to realign them to spin better. They are also useful for holding things while tightening and removing clips from more modern spinning wheels.
O is for oil, orifice and Oxford sheep
All spinning wheels require oiling of some kind. Check with your manufacturer to find out the spots that they recommend being oiled. On some modern wheels there are bearing that must not be oiled. An oil bottle with a long thin neck is useful as it can get into small areas and tight places.
The orifice size on you wheel is important as it will determine how thick a yarn you can spin. Some wheels come with options for larger orifices for plying and making thick yarns.
Oxford Sheep – from Sheep 101
The Oxford or “Oxford Down,” originated in Oxford County, England. The breed was the result of crossing Cotswolds and Hampshires. It has been contented that very early in the development of the Oxford breed, a small amount of Southdown blood was introduced. The breed has never become prominent outside of its own native area in England. Oxfords have been exported to many major sheep countries. The Oxford is one of the largest breeds of sheep .
P is for Polwarth sheep, pickers and perfection
Polwarth Sheep – from Sheep 101
The Polwarth is a dual-purpose sheep, developed in Victoria, Australia, in 1880. It is 75 percent Merino and 25 percent Lincoln. Polwarths are well suited to areas with improved pastures and are mainly found in the higher rainfall districts of southern Australia. The breed has been successfully exported to many countries, particularly South America where they are know as “Ideals”.
They have a lovely soft fibre. There are Polwarth and silk blends available that are just amazing to work with.
Pickers are used to initially open up locks before going through carders. They usually have a swinging bar with lots of deadly nails stuck in then. They can be a useful tool, but you must use care when working with them.
Perfection is something that can never be attained. After all, we are human, not machines. We can’t make our yarns perfect. Striving to better your spinning and understanding of spinning is worth it though.
Q is for Qiviut, quill heads and quality
Aha! Didn’t think I could come up with three Q’s, did you?!
Qiviut is the downy undercoat of the Muskox. It is a very fine, short stapled fibre, and is incredibly warm. It is rare and very expensive. You can find blends with Qiviut at more reasonable costs. It makes amazingly soft warm items.
Quill heads for spinning wheels are amongst the oldest forms of wheels made. Spinning happens off the tip of the quill, with twist being inserted as the quill turns around. The quill is then halted and the yarn wound onto the base of the quill. More modern examples of this type of wheel are the Indian Charkha and the Great Wheel / Walking Wheels of North America.
Quality. It is good to get the best quality materials and fibres you can afford to spin with. It will make your spinning experience more pleasant. Buying cheap or nasty quality materials will not make for fun spinning.
R is for Rubbermaid bins, ratios and rovings
You can never have to much storage for your fibres and yarns! Containers like Rubbermaid Bins are really useful.
Ratios are the sizes of the whorl on you flyer compared to the size of your drive wheel. For example, if your have a 5:1 ratio it means that your flyer will rotate 5 times for each time the drive wheel goes around. Lower ratios are good for low twist or fat yarns. Higher ratios will help in making high twist yarns and working with fibres that need a lot of twist.
Rovings are created from carded preparations. They are stripped from the carded preps, and contain fibres of various lengths and in a less parallel, more jumbled configuration. Rovings are good for producing more woolen style yarns that contain more air and are loftly and fluffy.
S is for spindles, swifts and Silk
Spindles are the oldest spinning tools. They come in many types and sizes. Typically the group into suspended, where the spindle spins in the air and feels gravity, and the yarn forms above the spindle, and supported spindles, where the bottom of the spindle is supported in a bowl or on a surface. With suspended spindles they typically break into two groups by where they whorl is located – top whorl and bottom whorl.
Swifts are great devices for holding skeins of yarn so that you can wind them into balls. They come in several styles and material, with the wooden umbrella swift being most common.
Silk is another of my favorite fibres. There are now several commercially available types of silk available. Bombyx silk is finest and whitest silk, and is fully cultivated. Tussah silk is a semi domesticated silk, with a light honey colour. Muga silk is a more wild silk, with a rich dark gold colour. Eri silk is a wild silk that is a white or reddish colour. Bombyx, Tussah and Muga silk can be reeled from the cacoons, and also made into top for handspinning. Eri can not be reeled and is always spun.
T is for tahkli, top and TPI
Tahkli spindles are supported spindles, usually made out of metal. They have a hook at the top of the spindle, making it easier to hook the yarn through. They are great for spinning cotton and other short staple fibres.
Top is a combed fibre preparation. The fibres are mostly of a uniform length and in a parallel configuration. Top makes for a smoother, denser yarn then a carded roving.
TPI (Twists Per Inch) is a measure of the number of twists a yarn has. To calculate TPI you can place your yarn at the edge of a ruler and count the number of bumps along the side of the yarn over an inch. Divide this number by the number of plies in your yarn. For example – a yarn has 15 bumps along the side. For a 2 ply yarn this would give a TPI of 7.5, and a 3-ply yarn would be a TPI of 5.
U is for unfinished projects, unwashed fibre and urea
Be honest – we all have unfinished projects. Things that got started but put aside for one reason or another. I find one thing that helps me with these is to try and keep all my unfinished projects in one area of my craft room. That way I know they are there and can find them when I need to.
Unwashed or raw fibre can be a spinners dream or nightmare. There are people that love washing and processing fibre. I’m not really that person. I can do it, but it isn’t my cup of tea. If possible, keep your unwashed fibre away from the rest of your stash, in case if may have critters in it that may not be good to let loose. I try to keep most of mine in the basement, where it is dark and cool.
Urea is used in dyeing with fibre reactive dyes, mostly on celulose based materials. It attracts moisture from the air and keeps the fabric damp longer so the dye will yield deeper shades. It also increases saturation point for direct application. It was synthesized in the 1700’s. Before then it was collected from urine.
V is for vegetable matter, variability and vodka
Unless your fibre came from a coated animal, you will likely have vegetable matter in your fibre. Most of this should come out in processing the fibre before spinning. When buying raw fibre make sure to have a look at the amount of VM in it. Try to get ones with as little VM as possible, unless you are willing to deal with that for the sake of a really good fleece.
All handspun yarn will have variability in it. It’s what gives it is charm and unique quality.
Vodka, and other alchoholic beverages, can be quite useful while spinning. Just remember moderation! There are also some dyes that require soaking in alcohol to allow the dye material to come out. Some of the harder roots and woods are like that.
W is for white fibre, waste and WPI
Having white fibre around is good if you like dyeing. It gives you a lot of options for playing around with colour.
Waste – there is always waste involved in spinning. There is waste in processing fibres, and waste in spinning. Some of that waste can be reused for other things, like carding up the remains from hand combing, or taking the bits left over from spinning and carding them into art batts.
WPI (Wraps Per Inch) is the measurement of the thickness of a yarn. There are many gauges and tools available for measuring WPI. An easy way is to just loosly wrap your yarn around a ruler for one inch and count the number of wraps. The wraps should touch each other, but not be cramed into each other. The Bellwether site has a good table for comparing WPI to knitting yarn sizes, and for figuring out how fine a single needs to be to give a given WPI for a final yarn.
X is for Xtreme Spinning!
Xtreme Spinning! Fat corespun yarns! Art Yarns! Yarns your mother would never make! Enough with the exclamation marks already! NEXT!
Y is for yolk, yarn and YPP
Yolk is a yellow bacterial stain that happens on fleece. It is best to avoid a fleece if it has signs of this on it. If you do find it on your fleece then process it as soon as possible. The heat from washing will kill the bacteria. If left unchecked the bacteria will spread and it will weaken the fibre. It also will become impossible to get that yellow colour out.
Yarn. Well, I don’t think I need to explain that one. We all want it, we all have it. NEXT!
YPP (Yards Per Pound). This is a measurement of the weight of a yarn. The higher the number, the finer the yarn is. The smaller the number, the heavier. The link for the Bellwether under WPI also includes YPP values.
Z is for Ziplock bag
Ziplock bags, in all sizes, are very handy for fibre projects. Small ones can hold locks and skein samples. Medium and large ones can hold fibre for projects and spindles. There are some kinds of bags that you can even use for doing solar dyeing!
Congratulations! You have made it to the end of the post! Time for some tea and a snack!