Spinning

Spinning Alpaca roving is fun and easy to do. It can be done with several types of spindles or wheels. You can use the yarn you create to make your own special hand made products. You may wish to sell your yarn.

The first step is choosing fiber. Alpaca is the best choice for yarn that will be used close to the skin. Coarser fibers can be used to spin yarn for making rugs or items that will not be worn next to the skin.

You must decide if you plan to use natural colors or dye the fleece before you spin. Alpaca dyes easily and holds color well.

Spindles

Spindles have been around for thousands of years. The earliest date known is around 5000 B.C. Egyptian wall paintings include pictures of whorl spindles.

The basic parts of a spindle are the whorl or disc, shaft, and hook. Hooks are an option. There are 2 types of spindles, drop and supported.

Bottom whorl spindles are used for medium to long fleece. Choose a spindle with a light weight whorl if you are spinning fine fleece or wish to spin a finer yarn. They have a notch at the end of the shaft to catch the yarn while you spin.

Top whorl spindles are alo used for medium to long fiber and make a medium to fine yarn. These spindles have a small hook on top to hold the yarn while you are spinning.

Turkish spindles have 2 removable crossbars in place of the whorl. Yarn is wound over and under the bars while spinning which makes a ball.

Supported spindles are supported by something as you spin. My favorite of these is the Navajo Spindle. It has a large, heavy whorl near the base of the shaft. The base rests on the floor and the spindle is rolled on your leg.

Tahkli spindles are lightweigt and usually made with a metal shaft. It is twirled in a bowl or small container to keep the point in one place.

Russian spindles consist of a long wooden shaft. There is a small budlike whorl on the end. They are used to spin very fine laceweight yarn.

Wheels

Instead of yarn being wound onto the spindle shaft the yarn passes through an opening and winds onto a bobbin. The flyer type controls how the yarn is guided onto the bobbin. Flyers and bobbins have to travel at slightly different speeds in order for the yarn to wind on.

There are many different types of wheels. I prefer a small portable wheel as I travel a lot and take my wheel with me. It folds flat and fits in a traveling case.

There is a wide variety of traditional wheels available. There are even electric wheels and wheels built from PVC pipe. Your choice will depend on how much space you have and how much you want to spend.

How to Spin

Begin pulling the fiber out vertically. Do this slowly with consistent tension so the individual fibers glide past each other without seperating into multiple pieces.

What began as a short,thick section of roving will now be longer and thinner. It is now ready to spin.

Both spindles and wheels add twist to drafted fiber. Spindles operate upright and wheels horizontally. Spindles are rotated using a flick of the wrist and wheels are pedaled like a bike. The end product is the same.

To start spinning with a spindle you must have a leader. This should be a piece of yarn about 18 inches long. Tie the leader on to the shaft and wrap the yarn around the shaft several times. Slip the leader under the hook or in the notch.

Wrap your drafted fiber around the wrist of your nondominant hand. Leave about 12 inches loose and hanging between your forefinger and thumb. Pinch the fiber around the top of the leader yarn to hold it in place as you begin.

Spin the shaft with your dominant hand. You can spin it clockwise or counterclockwise but you must be consistant or you will untwist your yarn. As the spindle twists the fleece around the leader gently pull new fiber down a little at a time.

When you have a few feet of fiber twisted into yarn stop. Pinch the fiber where the twist ends with your nondominant hand. Use your dominant hand to unhook your yarn and wind it onto the shaft. Rehook or notch your yarn and continue on.

Spinning with a wheel will be simple after you have mastered a spindle. Like a spindle you need to attach a leader yarn to the bobbin. Wrap it around a few times and then around 1 or 2 of the flyer hooks. Pull the leader yarn through the orfice.

Wrap your previously drafted fiber around the end of the leader yarn and pinch the 2 together. Tredle your wheel in a clockwise direction. The twist will reach the pinching fingers of your hand and the fiber will start to grasp the leader yarn. As soon as they are fixed together let go and allow the fiber to start winding through the wheel orfice and onto the bobbin.

At the same time begin drawing the fiber out by pinching it and gently pulling. The twist will travel into the new fleece as it moves onto the bobbin.

To fix a break simply hold the 2 ends side by side, pinch them together and start treading. As the 2 fibers become entwined let go and allow the joined area to move onto the bobbin.

If the fiber is over-twisted and kinks before it even reaches the orfice or opening tread more slowly. If the fiber does not wind on to the bobbin the yarn may be caught on a flyer hook.

The flyer hooks on the wheel control where the yarn winds on the bobbin. As you fill one section of the bobbin you will need to stop and move the yarn over a hook or two.

If you accidently treadle in the wrong direction you will tangle. Stop and gently unwind the yarn .

No matter how you spin heavy yarn needs fewer twists per inch to hold it together than finer yarn. Shorter fibers need more twist than longer fibers.

Your Alpaca fiber to this point has not been washed unless you have dyed your roving prior to spinning. Washing your yarn after spinning "sets" the yarn as well.

You may wash your yarn by gently agitating it in a sink of water. I prefer to wind the yarn from the bobbin or spindle onto a plastic hanger. I then wash the yarn with a mild soap or baby shampoo while on the hanger. Rinse and squeeze excess water out. Hang to dry.

Spinning is fun and can keep you busy for hours. I have never been one to sit still. I find myself spinning as I watch tv or listen to the radio. It is a terrific way to relax after a long, hard day.

Specialty Yarn , Dyeing Roving , Weaving , Knit or Crochet , Alpaca Yarn , Spinning Supplies ,

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