She makes me think of fairies and unicorns 🦄

undercoat and guard hair spun together, dirty, with 0 fiber prep. just chunks of fur grabbed out of a bag 😭 sometimes there whole locks with the little curl and they make bumps in the yarn. it feels like him!

spinning up a lot of his hair to make a tapestry with my partner after he goes❤️ his name is rigby !!!

Hey everyone!

I’m processing the less desirable bits of an alpaca for the first time, and there are so many thicker, less textured hairs.

They’re not completely straight like the guard hairs I’ve encountered in the higher quality areas, so I’m not sure how to proceed. Do I remove all of the thicker hairs, or just accept this batch will be lower quality?

Thanks guys <3

A week ago I posted a picture of the first mini skein (25 grams) I hand spun with a Turkish spindle. I wasn’t super proud of it, so I immediately started on my next one (50 grams). Yesterday evening I finished it. My hands hurt, but I’m really happy with the result. In the second picture you can see the before and after, because I have a second braid to go through. I’m so excited about my progress and can’t wait to see what future spins will look like!

Hello, looking for spinning equipment advice! I’ve been saving up my dogs’ fur for quite some time and have enough to process now. I don’t plan to spin any fibre again in the future so don’t want to make a huge investment, but I am an architect and a woodworker so can build something if need be. What would you use to spin chiengora alone (no wool added in the mix)? Should I buy an e-spinner, build a spinning wheel, get a drop spindle? TIA! 🐶🐶

I got this wheel in 2009. I had to put it in storage for some years, and a friend was kind enough to put my things in her basement to save me storage fees. I just saw it for the first time in a long time and realized that at some point the scotch tension knob got lost.

I’m guessing I’m not the first spinner in this situation so I’m hoping some of you can tell me how you solved this problem or have suggestions.

I’m pretty handy and can get creative but I’d love to hear what others have done so I don’t have to reinvent the wheel (see what I did there?).

Fresh off the needles and still needs to be blocked but I am so happy how it turned out.

I've spun this yarn from 100% Shetland combed top, it is a 3ply yarn between fingering and sport weight. I knit the hoodie with 4mm needles.

I am especially fond of the light teal-blue drawstring and I love how it is encased in a tight knit strip that you close with the cast off. I will definitely knit this pattern again, I have already spun a sweater quantity of my black tweed yarn.

I still have more yarn to ply but my bobbin was getting unhappily full (I have a ✨vintage✨ Ashford Traditional!)

Super pleased with how thin I was able to get the artsy battlings spun up! Currently at 128 yards but have probably that amount left to finish. I need knitting project ideas! 🥰 it looks to be fingering/sport weight.

I hope you’re doing ok out there! I know you have a rough journey, but I think about you every time I use the site!

I found a ton of this wool at a second hand craft store! It was unlabeled so I'm wondering if anyone can tell what kind of wool it is? It's quite soft, with slight crimp and this lovely natural red-brown color. There's enough of it that I'm hoping I can make a sweater!

I bought a couple babydoll fleeces from a local farmer that knows nothing about wool. Most of the fleeces were too short to bother with, but I picked a couple that have some longer staple: 2-2.5”. I offered $5/fleece, so I’m not worried about the cost.

As I’m processing, I have a fair amount that I can’t spin. I’m bored after 20 minutes of trying to wet felt, and I don’t think this broken fleece would make decent felt anyway. Other than stuffing or compost, what have you used waste wool for?

I’m thinking I might make some little pillows or stuffed animals, and use it for the stuffing, but I seriously doubt I have it in me to make that many toys. 😆

Soooo pleased by this first skein from my new wheel. I split up four individual Shetland 1oz samples and tried to do a 1:2 fractal, but unfortunately one of my singles ended up a lot longer than the other haha so it's not quite perfect.

Also...and this is an issue I kept having over and over... my yarn keeps barfing up on the bobbin. I have no clue why and can't tell if it's a tension issue or something else I'm doing wrong. But at one point it got so bad the bobbin wouldn't turn right and I had to cut the yarn and start fresh on a new bobbin which was a big headache to rejoin later. A Kromski Fantasia, if anyone has any advice. I put a photo of it from before it got really off the rails; dog butt in the background.

Anyways, I'm just super excited about how far I've come in the last month. I'm so happy I found this hobby.

Yesterday I started spinning up this beautiful blend on my old top whorl spindle. However, I’m so used to spinning much thinner on my mini Turkish spindle that I’m having trouble keeping this one at the thickness I want. Any advice is greatly appreciated :)

First drop spindle with some spare roving from my mom. Kept it single ply to use it as accents in some small tapestries.

I washed it gently with wool soap and hung it on a door knob with a wood hanger as a weight, but it still dried kinky. Does that mean it's over spun?

Looking to giving it another go and aiming for double ply next.​

Are there any known remedies for removing scurf from wool?

This is definitely a bit harder than I thought it was going to be but it is so much fun! I have started spinning a little and I am loving it!!!

Pretty much what the question asks except I also want to see the yarn and projects you’ve made with it! I’ve been spinning on an antique flax wheel and I’m finally getting to the point where I can spin pretty thinly and I guess I’d like to see how far people have pushed the limits. I’m mostly a weaver, although I got my start knitting and crocheting but my goal is to one day spin my own warp!!!

Tldr: how exactly in line with each other must maidens be?

I have inherited an Ashford traditional, and am thrilled as it is my first wheel that I own. The maiden was broken off at the peg. I’ve sanded it down to mostly planar and rescrewed it in with a very long screw. I’ve added a small shim to make up for the sanding down.

It looks level, the eye is the same height as the other maiden... but i just can’t get the bobbin to turn (no draw in). I’ve oiled it up good, feel like i have it perfectly level-ish… what’s left to try?

(it spins with absolutely no brake band but even just the tiniest supppper slack brake band causes it to stop)… i suspect that the maidens aren’t as lined up as i think… could that be it? What else?

help is much appreciated. Can’t wait to get on it!

edit: added a picture.also- hesitating to buy new maidens because the wheel is so gorgeous

Hi all, I acquired some various blends of roving in a fb marketplace haul. A lot are in the normal braid/crochet chain that are easy to undo, but I have several in a format where it looks like they’ve been knitted together? They also seem to have bits of fluff and then more tightly spun blips.

Are these even usable for spinning? Weaving? Just pretty to look at? Should I try to undo them or just leave them as is?

Thanks!! (If I would be better suited in another sub, feel free to point me there too!(

Edit: thank you everyone for commenting. I now realise that in my impatience and eagerness to spin new colours I have been skipping the vital final step of wet finishing my hanks and letting them dry and probably also thwacking them at some point in the process so I can see what I can adjust. I will get that done right away so I can figure this out!

The fibre is Polwarth which is so easy to spin. I just have trouble with overspinning, resulting in a whole bunch of skeins that are extra twisty.

I've been doing 2 ply, and I read through a few posts on here and spent the time figuring out the ratios of the wheel and I've been spinning on the setting that gives me 4.5 turns of the flyer for each full turn of the wheel and it initially looked great! I thought I had won!

Then when plying it came to pass that nope I've definitely still been overspinning. Does anyone have any tips or advice on avoiding that extra twist?

I’m hoping someone here might know more about this old spinning wheel, or be able to point me toward a museum, historical society, textile-history group, or collector who deals with pieces like this.
The family history that has always accompanied it is that it came west in a wagon on the Oregon Trail. I don’t currently have paperwork proving that provenance, so I’m not trying to present that part as verified fact — I’d actually love to find someone knowledgeable who could help determine its approximate age and origin.
One of the things I find really interesting is how it was constructed for transportation. It breaks down into a surprisingly small package, which would certainly make sense for something being carried a long distance by wagon.
The main wooden carriage/base appears to have been hewn from a single piece of timber, and much of the wheel is joined and fitted together rather than relying on modern hardware. There’s a lot of hand work visible throughout it.
I’m in Oregon and would especially be interested in hearing from anyone familiar with 19th-century spinning wheels, Oregon Trail-era household items, pioneer artifacts, or historic textile equipment.
Ultimately I’d like to find the right home for it rather than have it continue sitting in storage. A museum would be great if it has genuine historical significance, but I’d also be open to speaking with a serious collector who appreciates what it is.
If anyone can help identify the style, approximate date, construction techniques, or recommend an organization/person I should contact, I’d really appreciate it. I can provide a lot more detailed photos and measurements.

A friend’s family have recently moved to an old farmhouse and share some land with a farmer who donated them a couple of fleeces that the Wool Board wouldn’t take. They gave them to me as they know I’m a big knitter and have just got into spinning.

The problem is I feel a bit out of my depth 😅 Would anyone be able to point me to some resources which guide you through processing a fleece? The friend sent some photos of the fleece and of the sheep on the farm but I’m not certain they’re the same breed as the fleece is a dark brown and the sheep in the picture are all white? (I would attach the pictures but I don’t have the option for some reason)

Any help would be much appreciated!