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Vanwa_Meleth
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Post All Spinners!
on: November 18, 2010 08:21
I was wondering if there were any other people here who spin yarn.
Lastande_Took
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Post RE: All Spinners!
on: November 22, 2010 06:32
Why yes, I dabble in handspinning. I prefer spindles to a wheel, actually. Once you learn a couple handling tricks it's nerly fast as a spinning wheel, and much more portable.
Vanwa_Meleth
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Post RE: All Spinners!
on: November 22, 2010 07:17
What kind of spindle do you have?

I have a reconstructed pre-columbian supported spindle and two top whorl dropspindles.
Lastande_Took
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Post RE: All Spinners!
on: November 22, 2010 01:56
Wow, you've got some neat stuff. I have a generic top whorl and bottom whorl, a tiny supported cotton spindle, and I've used a Navajo spindle. With a top whorl, you can roll it down your leg and get some serious RPMs going. Really, it'll buzz, it's rotating so fast.
Vanwa_Meleth
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Post RE: All Spinners!
on: November 23, 2010 07:54
Cool!! What do you spin?
Lastande_Took
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Post RE: All Spinners!
on: November 23, 2010 01:11
I've done a lot of wool (generic white wool, black Shetland wool), some llama, a llama/wool blend, even horsehair from my pony, who has an incredibly thick winter coat. I saved the hair when I brushed her. It was a pain in the neck to spin, but fun. I've done some very fine cotton thread with my supported spindle, but I usually make a general-use yarn that's around worsted weight.
Vanwa_Meleth
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Post RE: All Spinners!
on: November 23, 2010 01:17
How about Icelandic sheep? We have about fifty of them, and we spin that, as well as exotics. Bannana fibers look really cool, I want to try them soon!
Lastande_Took
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Post RE: All Spinners!
on: November 23, 2010 06:55
No, never worked with Icelandic fleece. I've tried spinning pineapple figers, but it took so long to get so few fibers that it wasn't worth it.
Vanwa_Meleth
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Post RE: All Spinners!
on: November 25, 2010 02:07
If you get the chance, try some. If it's prepared and spun right, I believe it makes lopi yarn. Which is really warm, especially if in the form of a sweater.

I've never seen pineapple fibers, I'll look for some!
Lastande_Took
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Post RE: All Spinners!
on: November 27, 2010 04:26
I don't know where you can buy pineapple fiber. I got mine by scraping all the pulp off of pinapple leaves when we bought a fresh pineapple. Very... labor-intensive. :S But the little bit I did get was fun to play with
Vanwa_Meleth
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Post RE: All Spinners!
on: November 27, 2010 07:02
I've been looking on the internet, I can't find them. I'll have to try scraping the leaves next time we get a pineapple!
Ohtariel
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Post RE: All Spinners!
on: November 28, 2010 04:08
Hi. I don't spin but I was looking through your thread and your mention of llamas caught my eye.

I recently added a llama to my sheep herd and because of all the dried out thistles (not to mention the heat) in the summer, it looks like I'm gonna have to shear him. Should be easier said than done since he's recently discovered long range spitting. But I was kind of wondering if there was any use I could put his fleece to. I only have one llama so marketing it is not an option.

Does llama fleece make good yarn?
Vanwa_Meleth
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Post RE: All Spinners!
on: November 29, 2010 03:48
Yes, it does. Though not having done it personally, I'm not quite sure how it will turn out. But if the fleece has alot of matts and vegtable matter, it will make selling or using it hard. If the llama is reasonably well behaved, you could try using a dog brush or a carder to try to get the thistles out.
Lastande_Took
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Post RE: All Spinners!
on: December 09, 2010 04:28
Yeah, you can't do anything with a thistle-y fleece. If you can get the junk out of your llama's wool, it will be rather desirable fiber. The only time I spun llama, I carded it with sheep's wool to make about a 50/50 blend. The wool made the llama more manageble, as it is pretty slick. But very, very soft and fluffy.
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