#spin log

I’ve been neglecting my spin log for a long time but I’m back and I have a NEW WHEEL

This is another foundling that my dad found at a flea market. She’s in a much better condition as compared to our previous foundling and even has a system for regulating the flyer height. She works, even though the flyer is a bit wobbly.

She’ll stay in Italy and I’ll use it to spin when I visit my family.

I’m visiting my parents in Italy for the holidays and we found a guy selling an old wheel in this area, so we got it!

It was in good condition and had all the pieces (a rare find - most old wheels miss relevant pieces, like the flyer or the whorl), but since my dad is one of those crafty people we also made some customizations and added a system for adjusting the tension of the driving band and a brake system for the flyer.

Here are before/after pics:

Not much difference, but the wood looks more uniform.

today i proudly share this:

these are different fibers i got from sample packets, i was stupid enough not to label them after spinning so i have no idea of what is what, but i can tell from memory that there are:

cotton

murberry silk

rose fiber

hemp

mohair

mixtures of cashmere, silk, kamel, baby alpaca, polwarth in various combinations

natural black sheep fiber including jacobi, icelandic, zwartbles, welsh and i don’t know what else

this was also my attempt to get better at spinning chunky wool and at spinning while reading. my verdict is that while i think i can do chunky wool, reading works best with plying.

Working on my next arcane art: reading while spinning

I know - audiobooks exist. I have always listened to audiobooks when doing fiber arts, but I like reading more than listening, and I was missing it

With tatting, it somehow works once the pattern is engraved in my head and I can count in the back of my mind while giving attention to the book. It does take some mental effort, though, so it’s not easy when I’ve been working twelve hours in the office.

The mental effort of spinning is nearly zero, which makes it much more compatible with reading. The main challenge is, in my view, that I am still somewhat a beginner so my drafting and twisting is even less consistent if I’m not looking. I think it gets better with experience, with building more muscle memory, and with good fiber prep.

Another challenge is good posture - but that’s a challenge with or without book.

I’m visiting my family only for today so I had to spin hard to get a skein done with the new wheel! I did not do the skein bath (yet) but I spun and plied the whole combed top I brought with me. The new foundling has officially passed the test!

I’ve been quiet for a while but I think I can say it now

After months of trying and failing… I think I defeated my archenemy: I MADE A COTTON SKEIN

Here is a video cuz I’m a fancy Instagram spinner - below are my technical notes about what made cotton spinning work in the end

I already shared some observations in a previous spinning log about cotton, but now I found out what really worked for me:

16:1 ratio (the highest I have)

SCOTCH TENSION: it’s the most effective way to slow down the pull by the bobbin. This leaves the cotton “outside” for longer, giving it the chance to twist without being pulled and snapped (double drive is ok for plying)

Twist should go up into the rolag

I haven’t been spinning much in the last two weeks but I went on trying two of the fibers I got with the sample packet I bought: flax and mulberry silk.

I didn’t enjoy either of them.

As regards flax, I can totally understand why people who spin flax use a distaff. It’s not only useful to banish balrogs - it also keeps the straw off your legs, your floor, your apartment, your life. Did not happen to me since I get along with the balrogs in my neighborhood and I don’t have a distaff. Anyway here’s my flax sample:

Mulberry silk: the fiber itself is a dream to look at and to touch, as expected. While drafting it I thought it would be easy to spin because the fibers are long.

It was not easy to spin. I had troubles spinning it consistently and the result is a monster of lumps.

It’s still very shiny and soft and nice to look at. Here’s a video of my spinning.

i’ve been pretty good in the last few months with not succumbing to the urge of buying new spinning supplies and i’m almost done spinning all the samples i got with my sample packets!

so i feel entitled to snoop around the website of my supplier and make a wishlist:

alpaca wool - was in my sample packet and oh is it a delight to spin

dyed cotton - now that i’m a cotton master i want to go for dark cotton spinning

some more colored wool, need to decide if i want merino or corriedale and what colors

italian wool, they have it so why not

i’m also VERY tempted by some upgrades to my minstrel:

the jumbo flyer - i’m trying to get better at chunky yarn spinning because while i don’t knit or crochet much, if i do then i like to do it with yarn on the chunkier side