Well that is not ALL I got in the post. I also had a chunk of white fluffy stuff. It is no longer a chunk, it is now a skein! I am so excited as I have used this new spindle and made yarn. I used the internet to work out what to do. It was a little hit and miss, but I am pleased with what I have learnt.
First of all I found this tutorial on YouTube.
I would like to thank www.theartofmegan.com for providing some very clear instructions of how to get started. However the first singles (bit of twisted wool) I produced was a smidge chunky.
So after this first chunky go, I had another look around on the internet to see how I could make things a little thinner next time. I found this illustrated guide and this made things a little clearer. I also watched this video, which gave me some additional pointers..
After this research I produced something a little more even, and thinner.
With each singles, I wound it into a centre pull ball, using my beloved ball winder. You can see more clearly the difference in the weight of the second singles below.
I then put each centre pull ball into a big mug (I always wondered what I could use these mugs for).
I pulled the singles from out of the centre of each ball, threaded it through handle of the mug and tied the ends together through the leader (bit of yarn that you attach the fluffy stuff too), that was attached to the drop spindle. I wound the spindle anti-clockwise this time and they plied together nicely.
As the singles were of different thickness, the resulting yarn looks very interesting.
Here's a closeup.
I then wound the finished product round the back of a chair and tied it in sections, so it didn't unwind. I have discovered that I have wound 10.6m from 50g of merino wool. It's not an awful lot, but hopefully my next spinning will be more efficient.
I soaked the skein and gently squeezed the worst of the moisture out. I then hung the wet skein over the dryer and hung a couple of hangers from the bottom to stretch out the skein as it dries. Hopefully it will be dry enough tomorrow to wind into a ball, and I will take another photo of the finished product.
I can't wait to have a go with the yummy colours that came with the spindle. I will be able to mix and match and have all sorts of fun. I got the kit from ForestFibres on eBay, and I'm pleased with the roving (the fuzzy stuff) and may order more from them in the future, unless I find somewhere cheaper, which is entirely possible. Of course all of this means that I have now got more fibre related things to spend money on.... like I needed any more. Though I am hoping that in the long term it will mean that I can save some money by spinning enough to cut down on my yarn purchasing. Well I can hope can't I?
