Skip to main content

My first hand-spun yarn!

Captain's Log, Stardate 01.22.2010

Since late December, I have been learning how to spin wool into yarn using a drop spindle. Yes! It’s true, I have gone totally Amish/old school.

(No offense to any Amish or old school people. I mean that in the nicest way.)

I don’t know why I suddenly decided to learn to spin. Or if I did know why, I’ve forgotten (I probably explained it to Captain Caffeine at some point, but now I don’t remember what excuse I gave to him).

Not having any yarn shops nearby that teach spinning, I bought a Cascade spindle online and some really soft, silky merino wool roving from Etsy.com. I read all kinds of online articles and watched youtube videos.

And I spun my first yarn! Here it is!





It’s a lace weight yarn (about 30 wraps per inch), since I like using finer gauge yarns over bulkier yarns. It’s rather uneven (although it’s not as easy to tell in the picture) and I didn’t ply it very well, but I made it all by myself!

Captain Caffeine does not appreciate the whole, “I made this all by myself from scratch” concept. He understands the “I made this by myself and saved myself some money” concept. Which I’m not sure is actually true in this case. Well, maybe a little, if I continue to use my drop spindle until it has worn down into a toothpick.

I also bought some more roving from Yarnmarket.com, made by Cherry Tree Hill, and some from Tempe Yarn and Fiber. I am currently working on the Cherry Tree Hill roving and am going to try a 3-ply next.

I also have been haunting Craigslist and found a listing for a secondhand spinning wheel! I picked it up yesterday! It was very inexpensive compared to a new wheel, which is perfect since I’m not sure how I’ll like spinning on a wheel. I haven’t really tried the wheel yet because I’ve been perfecting my drop spindle technique to get more consistent gauge singles.

So what do you think of my new hobby?
Labels:

Comments

Geekwif said…
I looks fantastic! Like something you'd buy at the store! I've thought about learning how to spin, but haven't done it yet. Now you've got me thinking again. :)
Fri Jan 22, 03:15:00 AM 2010
Shelley L. MacKenzie said…
Your yarn looks great! I really should pull out my drop spindle and work on my spinning again too...
Fri Jan 22, 03:33:00 AM 2010
Camy Tang said…
Thanks guys! Geekwif, it was really fun to learn how to spin with the drop spindle--the videos on youtube are pretty good. And it's really relaxing!

Shelley--you totally should!!! In fact, I think you should treat yourself to some really yummy fiber to get yourself in the groove again. ;)

Camy
Fri Jan 22, 02:36:00 PM 2010
misskallie2000 said…
Wow, This is a great hobby you have. I use to crochet but life got in the way and I so I quit 30 yrs ago. Sometimes I think I will start again but then don't. I have to many things I am doing now and just don't have time.

I am from Georgia
misskallie2000 at yahoo dot com
Tue Jan 26, 10:20:00 AM 2010
Camy Tang said…
I know, I wish I had more time too!
Camy
Tue Jan 26, 02:32:00 PM 2010
Carrie Fancett Pagels said…
Very pretty, and you are right about it being a very soothing activity (probably most of the time unless something goes terribly wrong!) - brain studies show that repetitive activities really are great for brain rest, very calming.
Mon Apr 19, 05:58:00 AM 2010
Sheila Deeth said…
That looks so lovely! What a fun hobby.
Mon Apr 19, 09:33:00 AM 2010
Camy Tang said…
Carrie, I love when you chime in b/c your psychology background is way cool! I'm glad you said that! Although that only affirms that I need to buy more wool roving!!! LOL

Sheila--thanks so much!

Camy
Mon Apr 19, 02:00:00 PM 2010
Carrie Fancett Pagels said…
If your hubby complains about how much all that stuff costs, just get a quote for the fee for therapy in your area ha! That is what I tell mine when he complains about the cost of my beads. At least you probably don't have yarn shows do you? Bead shows are budget killers!
Mon Apr 19, 05:38:00 PM 2010
Camy Tang said…
See Carrie, great minds think alike! LOLOLOL We do have a major yarn show here, Stitches West in the Santa Clara Convention Center every year. It's reeeeeeaally hard not to spend too much money when I go!
Mon Apr 19, 07:55:00 PM 2010
DaisyTea said…
Beautiful job, Camy! I'm proud of you for braving it and taking up something new! I myself have been thinking of taking up crochet because I came across a book on making cute little critters the size of hacky sack balls. And, well, when one sistah gets brave another sistah gets brave! :D Yay You! <3
Tue Apr 20, 08:10:00 AM 2010
Camy Tang said…
OMG those little critters sound so cute! You should totally do them!
Wed Apr 21, 03:39:00 PM 2010
Post a Comment

Popular Posts

Tabi socks, part deux

Captain's Log, Stardate 07.25.2008 (If you're on Ravelry, friend me! I'm camytang.) I made tabi socks again! (At the bottom of the pattern is the calculation for the toe split if you're not using the same weight yarn that I did for this pattern (fingering). I also give an example from when I used worsted weight yarn with this pattern.) I used Opal yarn, Petticoat colorway. It’s a finer yarn than my last pair of tabi socks, so I altered the pattern a bit. Okay, so here’s my first foray into giving a knitting pattern. Camy’s top-down Tabi Socks I’m assuming you already know the basics of knitting socks. If you’re a beginner, here are some great tutorials: Socks 101 How to Knit Socks The Sock Knitter’s Companion A video of turning the heel Sock Knitting Tips Yarn: I have used both fingering weight and worsted weight yarn with this pattern. You just change the number of cast on stitches according to your gauge and the circumference of your ankle. Th...
18 comments
Read more

She insulted a hat 👒 and ruined her Season

Welcome! My name is Camille Elliot, and I write Christian Regency Suspense with slow-burn romance and a touch of the supernatural. Thank you for— “Cut!” Lissa, one of my characters, shouts and stomps onto the stage. I stare at her. “I’m not filming a commercial.” “It doesn’t matter. You’re being boring.” I shift uncomfortably, because she’s probably right. “Well then, what should I say? I’m writing a blog post for someone who doesn’t know anything about my books.” “If you start with pleasantries, I will hide your tea,” she threatens. “ All of it.” I gasp in horror. “You wouldn’t!” “Try me!” “I was just going to ask readers to subscribe to my newsletter.” “I shall topple into the shrubbery as I fall dead asleep on my feet.” “Rude,” I mutter. “Maybe start with an explosion. Or at least a hideous hat that ruins my reputation forever.” “Your reputation wasn’t ruined,” I protest. “You were simply unfortunately overheard.” “As I insulted a hat.” “Then maybe you shouldn’t insu...
Post a Comment
Read more

Grace Livingston Hill romances free to read online

I wanted to update my old post on Grace Livingston Hill romances because now there are tons more options for you to be able to read her books for free online! I’m a huge Grace Livingston Hill fan. Granted, not all her books resonate with me, but there are a few that I absolutely love, like The Enchanted Barn and Crimson Roses . And the best part is that she wrote over 100 books and I haven’t yet read them all! When I have time, I like to dive into a new GLH novel. I like the fact that most of them are romances, and I especially appreciate that they all have strong Christian themes. Occasionally the Christian content is a little heavy-handed for my taste, but it’s so interesting to see what the Christian faith was like in the early part of the 20th century. These books are often Cinderella-type stories or A Little Princess (Frances Hodgson Burnett) type stories, which I love. And the best part is that they’re all set in the early 1900s, so the time period is absolutely fasci...
2 comments
Read more

ICRS Wednesday

Captain's Log, Stardate 07.13.2007 My plane was leaving Atlanta at 4:45 pm, so I had a few hours to kill before heading over to the airport. I went and took some pictures of the ICRS floor: Here’s the Zondervan booth: On your way down to the conference floor, you have to use four elevators going down to the exhibit hall level. Zondervan made a huge banner for the 2nd elevator, and guess who’s on it with her name even bigger than Karen Kingsbury??? Um, yeah … I kind of took a lot of pictures of MY NAME BIGGER THAN THE SIZE OF MY CAR!!! Update: My husband mentioned that the above might seem like crowing or bragging. I hope it didn't come across that way. I was just awed and excited at what Zondervan has been doing for me, a mere debut author. I feel very blessed in the publisher God has given to me. I chatted a bit with Kay Marshall Strom, who is just the nicest person. I also saw Rachelle Gardner (my macro editor), her friend Vicki Caruana, and Jenn Doucette. We had a lively co...
14 comments
Read more

Mansfield Park (BBC 1986)

Captain’s Log, Supplemental Blog book giveaway: To enter, go to the blog links below and post a comment there. Valley of Betrayal by Tricia Goyer It Happens Every Spring by Gary Chapman and Catherine Palmer Jane Austen miniseries I love Jane Austen. She’s my favorite classic writer, and I even bought audiobooks of her novels and listen to them again and again. I also love Amazon.com and visit my Gold Box every day (not that I buy that often). One day I had a deal for the entire set of DVDs of miniseries produced by BBC of Jane Austen’s novels. No, I didn’t buy the set—but it made me curious, and so I put the miniseries on my Netflix queue. The miniseries are all rather old. I just finished Mansfield Park . I’m quite divided on it. Costumes: score 4. They were mostly really rather nice, appropriate to the character’s background and income, and not too flamboyant, although there were several places the women’s headgear was just way over the top. Acting: score 4. I l...
6 comments
Read more