I bought this lovely, hand-painted braid of BFL from Greenwood Fiberworks, in colorway ‘Calypso.’ The rich shades of blue, aqua, green, brown, and purple are indeed reminiscent of the sea.
I split the braid and fractal-spun it on my Ashford E-spinner 3. It’s 2-ply worsted, 114g, about 322 yards, and averaging 12 wpi, Z-twist. I like the blended, slightly muted color changes of a fractal spin. It’s so soft and fluffy - I can’t wait to stitch it into something wearable.
While there are definitely some spots that are significantly thinner or bulkier (I swear they tend to find each other when plying), I definitely think I’m getting more consistent. I want to spin for a sweater this year, and that means spinning a lot of fiber at the same thickness…practice, practice, practice!
I’m not sure what it looked like to begin with, but it’s very pretty now. The colors are soothing. How many skeins would you have to make for a sweater?
This is so beautiful! I love to look at your hand-spun yarn. It definitely intrigues me that someone can start out with a batting and get something so gorgeous and useful.
Thank you! No, I don’t sell what I make. I tried that for a while and, gotta be honest, it sort of sucked the enjoyment out of it. I’d consider it on a one-off basis, but I don’t think I could make a business out of it or do custom orders.
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Lynx
(In a world where you can be anything, be kind.)
8
I started with a spindle, too, and I loved it but wanted to go faster. My first wheel was the Electric Eel Wheel Nano - a tiny, somewhat finicky e-spinner that was a total blast to use once I got the feel for it. (EEW has another (big) electric wheel, the 6, coming out in the next couple months that has a price point around $250 that I didn’t want to wait for…beta testers for it loved it, though.) I love my Ashford e-spinner 3. It has a decently light touch, absolutely flies, and has huge bobbins (8+ ounces). It’s so easy to use and it’s good and portable. I got a battery for it for Christmas, so I can spin anywhere now (translation: usually my couch). I’ve even taken it camping a couple times. 10/10 would recommend.
AIMR
(Linda -2024 Choose Projects that You Want to Do :us:)
12
Hard to believe that you can turn that into lovely yarn…I have a real appreciation for handspun because I have learned so much from people like you who spin…and of course, each skein is unique and a sign of the spinners talents…just gorgeous…
It takes some practice, but what doesn’t? Jump in and give it a shot! Starting with a spindle would give you the basic skills of drafting and putting twist to the fiber. A simple spindle is cheap (also, easy to make yourself), most varieties of wool aren’t expensive (BFL and corriedale are two breeds that are great for beginners), and there are tons of great video tutorials on YouTube.
