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//-->ANINTERWEAVEPRESSWool fibers usually group together in clusters calledlocks.Bygently pulling a few sample locks out of the fleece, you candetermine thestaple length(or average length) of the locks (usuallybetween 3 and 8 inches), thecrimpor waviness of the wool, and thecount or thickness of the wool fibers (larger numbers indicate finerwool—80s is quite fine, and 40s is coarse). Coarse wool tends tohave fewer crimps per inch, and may be scratchy or itchy—but itwill be very durable. Fine wool most often has a lot of crimps perinch, and feels soft and comfortable next to your skin, but it does notwear well in a rug. These attributes can be measured precisely, butmost spinners just assess them by eye and by feel.Inrawfleece, the fibers are coated withgrease(lanolin and othernatural body oils), condensed perspiration, and dust; all this isremoved when the fleece iswashedorscoured.Washing your ownfiber is easy, although there are a few tricks to it. We suggest thatyou start with clean wool for your first efforts.1Washing reveals anylusteror shininess of the wool, and exposesits truecolor,which may be pure white, off-white, yellowish, silver tocharcoal gray, jet black, tan, or reddish brown. After washing, fleececan bedyed in the wool,or you can dye the spun yarn. Dyeing fleeceis fun, because there are many ways to combine different colors into asingle yarn with either very subtle or boldvariegation.cost for the latter is under $10) is excellent for loosening individuallocks and pulling out any short or weak fibers.Flickingworks best fora fleece with distinct locks and a staple length of 4 inches or more.Mini-combs, Viking combs,andEnglish wool combs(cost $50 to$150, and up) work best for wool with locks that are at least 4 incheslong. You can comb several locks at a time.Combingis a separatingprocess—it removes any short fibers as it loosens and aligns the longfibers. After combing, the long fibers are pulled into a smooth, continu-ous strand called atop(the short fibers are set aside for a different useor discarded); fibers can be pulled off with your fingers, or through atool called adiz(a small disk with a hole in it). A few mills are set up todo combing, and sometimes you can buy com-mercially combed tops of wool or other fibers.Handcardsorcarders(average cost $30 to $65)are good for preparing medium to short wool(staple length 4 inches or less);drumcarders(cost $150 to $500 or more) can handle short,Handcards and rolagmedium, or long wool, depending on how theyare set up.Cardingis a blending process, good for evening out the vari-ations in color, crimp, or length between different parts of a fleece; forblending different colors of dyed fleece; and for combining wool withmohair, angora, or other fibers. Wool can be lifted off a carder as afluffy, pillow-like, rectangularbatt.Spinnerssometimes roll batts into slender tubes calledrolagsor pull them lengthwise into longstrands calledsliversorrovings.2The cardingprocess can easily be automated, and there aredozens of small mills around the UnitedDrumcarderStates that sell carded batts or rovings;and battsome will custom-card wool that you supply.INTRODUCTIONSPINNINGTObasic ideas, tools, and termsStarting withWoolSHEEP’S WOOL IS THE MOST POPULAR FIBER amonghandspinners because it is easy to spin and versatile. There aredozens ofbreedsof sheep, such as Lincoln, Romney, Corriedale,Suffolk, and Merino, and each breed produces a unique type ofwool. By choosing from suitable breeds, spinners can use wool tomake warm, comfortable, and stylish sweaters, scarves, mittens,hats, socks, afghans, rugs, and many other kinds of garments andaccessories. One advantage to making your own yarn is that you canchoose the qualities in the fiber that you want to emphasize in yourfinished project. Yes, the results are definitely worth it!A singlefleece—onesheep’s annual growth of wool—usuallyweighs between 4 and 12 pounds. A good spinning fleece costsaround $4 to $12 per pound. Shepherds who produce good woolpay extra attention to their animals throughout the year. Some putjacketsorblanketson their sheep to keep hay out of the wool;those fleeces may be especially clean, although covering is notessential to the growing of good wool. The best fleeces will havebeenskirtedto remove any dirty, stained, or inferior wool; theywill also contain only minimal amounts of hay, chaff, or burrs,which are hard to remove.A lock of woolCrimpPreparing theWool forSpinningWool is easier to spin if it’spreparedby separating the fibers into aloose, fluffy arrangement. You can buy a fleece and do the washingand preparation yourself, or pay a little more (usually $15 to $25 perpound) for wool that’s been washed, dyed (if you choose), andprocessed.Special tools have been designed forpreparing wool andother fibers. AFlicker and lockflicker, flickcarder,orpet comb(averageComb and topMakingYarnMany kinds of spinning tools are available today—everything fromsimple wooden handspindles to high-tech electric spinners, fromantique wool and flax wheels to modern wheels. The diversity ofspinning tools is a wonderful story in itself, but it’s important toremember that inhandspinning,it’s the skill and sensitivity of thespinner’s hands that shapes the yarn. The spinner is in control; thetool is just an assistant.When used with reference to commercially prepared fiber, the termstop, sliver,androvingareoften applied interchangeably, although there are technical differences between these forms of fiberpreparation.2TiplotsCut orbutt endgthlenletapSlessMany of us didn’t, however, and if what you’ve got is raw fleece, you don’t have to rush to the storefor clean stuff. If you’re washing your own wool, remember the following: don’t agitate, don’t changewater temperatures suddenly, and don’t scrub. If you do all those things, you will produce felt, notclean, spinnable wool, and you’ll find yourself embarking on a different craft voyage. See theEssentials department about washing wool (pages 14–16) in the Summer 2000 issue ofSpin.Oƒƒ.1No matter which tool you use, the process of spinning is basi-cally the same. The first step isdraftingor pulling fibersout of the prepared lock, top, batt, or roving. Draftingjust a few fibers at a time makes a very thinTwistingyarn; drafting many fibers makes a thickyarn.Twistingthe drafted fibers makesyarn. Twist holds the fibers together sothey don’t slip apart or rub loose; one of thespinner’s skills is determining the appropriate amount of twist for agiven yarn. At the start, you want enough twist to makethe yarn strong . . . and not so much twist that thestrand you are spinning turns itself into inde-pendent corkscrews. After draftingJoinand twisting a length of yarn,you can let itwind ontothebobbin of the spinning wheel orwind it onto a spindle by hand,then start drafting and twistingmore yarn. When you finish spinning one batch of fiber, you make ajoinby splicing on a new supply. A careful join is invisible in thefinished yarn.Turn the wheel (or spindle) one way and you getZ-twistyarn. Turn it the other way and you getS-Z-twisttwistyarn. By convention, most spinners turnthe wheel clockwise (Z) to make yarn fromloose fiber, but the only rule is that if youstartspinning in a given direction you need to keepS-twistgoing that way until you’ve finished with that bobbinor spindle (reversing directions untwists your work).Depending what type of fiber you’re spinning, thesteps of drafting and twisting may be done separately and insequence, or they can flow together into a continuous process.Spinners working with combed, long-staple wool often draft by mov-ing their hands just a few inches—about half the length of thefibers—in a gesture called ashort draw.Then they deliberately guidethe twist into the drafted fibers, making a smooth, denseworstedyarn. Spinners using short-staple wool that has been carded androlled into rolags may use along draw,moving one hand back andforth with a full swing of the arm, simultaneously drafting and twist-ing up to three feet of fuzzy, puffy woolen yarn before winding it on.You’ll see many variations and combinations of these techniques ifyou watch different people spin; as with most decisions in spinning,what’s “right” is whatever works best for the individual spinner andthe fiber. Because drafting methods can be so unique, there isno precise, consistent way of describing them.When you turn loose fiber into yarn, you make asinglesyarn (a single strand), with the fibers all twisted inthe same direction. Singles yarn can be finishedand used as is, but spinners oftenSinglestake an extra step, twisting twoor more strands of singlestogether to makepliedyarn, which is usuallystronger, more uniform, and easier to handlePlied yarnthan singles. The simplest plied yarn twists(this is a two-ply)two singles together in the opposite directionto their original spinning (Z singles, S plied).Abalancedyarn is a special type of plied yarn,where the twist used in plying exactlyBalanced yarnbalances the twist used in spinning andstraightens out the fibers. A balanced yarnis very calm and doesn’t kink at all.Basic spinning and plying techniquesproduce “plain-vanilla” yarn, lovely in itself and useful for all kindsof knitting, weaving, and other projects. A plain-vanilla spinner canachieve plenty of variety simply by using different types of wool(in natural or dyed colors), by varying thethickness and twist of the singles, andby choosing whether or not to plythe yarn. For even more variety,there are advanced techniquesfor making fancydesigneryarns,Designer yarnswith unique texture and color effects.before you use it, whether youare knitting, weaving, ordoing something else.Towashthe skein, fill your sinkwith comfortably warm water andadd a squirt or two of dishwashing liq-uid or shampoo; set the skein on top of thewater and press it down gently to get itwet. Let it soak for a few minutes. Liftthe skein out of the water, drain thebasin, and fill with rinse water of thesame temperature. Set the skein in the waterand press down gently again. Remove the skein,drain the water, and repeat the rinse. Squeeze the skein(don’t wring it) to remove excess water, and then let the skein dryon a towel or rack.1Feltinghappens when you agitate or rub wet wool, whether fleece,yarn, or fabric. It’s wonderful to make felt on purpose, but to avoidaccidental felting when you’re washing any wool product, be carefulto handle it as little and as gently as possible.If the yarn looks wrinkly or kinky after you wash it, you cansmooth it out bysteamingit, as you steam wrinkles out of a garment.Use a travel steamer or steam iron, or pass the skein over the spoutof a steaming teakettle; five to ten seconds of steaming is enough tosmooth most yarns.Admire your skein. It’s some of the best yarn in the world!How to use a niddy-noddy to make a skein1The same process works for washing raw wool. Wash in batches that fit your sink or basin, andgently lift the wool mass as you would a skein.Brought to you byFinishingWoolYarnAfter plying—or after spinning, if the yarn will be usedas singles—make the yarn into askeinby winding itonto aniddy-noddyorskein winder.Tie the skein inat least three places before you remove it from theniddy-noddy. Wool yarn usually gets softer andpuffier when you wash and dry it, and it alsoshrinksin length—usually 10 to 25percent, but sometimes even more. It’s agood idea to wash yarn and let it shrink®Individual issues available from fiber and yarn stores and selectednewsstands.Or, subscribe today! JoinSpin-Offeditors and contributors in exploringthe joys of using handspun yarn to create handmade treasures.$24/year (4 issues) Call (800) 767-9638 Dept. PSBThis brochure is available for the general advancement of the spinning community. If youwould like additional copies please contact Interweave Press at (970) 669-7672. Text by RitaBuchanan and Deborah Robson. Illustrations by Susan Strawn Bailey.Niddy-noddywww.interweave.com201 E. Fourth St., Loveland, CO 80537-5655INTERWEAVEPRESS [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
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//-->ANINTERWEAVEPRESSWool fibers usually group together in clusters calledlocks.Bygently pulling a few sample locks out of the fleece, you candetermine thestaple length(or average length) of the locks (usuallybetween 3 and 8 inches), thecrimpor waviness of the wool, and thecount or thickness of the wool fibers (larger numbers indicate finerwool—80s is quite fine, and 40s is coarse). Coarse wool tends tohave fewer crimps per inch, and may be scratchy or itchy—but itwill be very durable. Fine wool most often has a lot of crimps perinch, and feels soft and comfortable next to your skin, but it does notwear well in a rug. These attributes can be measured precisely, butmost spinners just assess them by eye and by feel.Inrawfleece, the fibers are coated withgrease(lanolin and othernatural body oils), condensed perspiration, and dust; all this isremoved when the fleece iswashedorscoured.Washing your ownfiber is easy, although there are a few tricks to it. We suggest thatyou start with clean wool for your first efforts.1Washing reveals anylusteror shininess of the wool, and exposesits truecolor,which may be pure white, off-white, yellowish, silver tocharcoal gray, jet black, tan, or reddish brown. After washing, fleececan bedyed in the wool,or you can dye the spun yarn. Dyeing fleeceis fun, because there are many ways to combine different colors into asingle yarn with either very subtle or boldvariegation.cost for the latter is under $10) is excellent for loosening individuallocks and pulling out any short or weak fibers.Flickingworks best fora fleece with distinct locks and a staple length of 4 inches or more.Mini-combs, Viking combs,andEnglish wool combs(cost $50 to$150, and up) work best for wool with locks that are at least 4 incheslong. You can comb several locks at a time.Combingis a separatingprocess—it removes any short fibers as it loosens and aligns the longfibers. After combing, the long fibers are pulled into a smooth, continu-ous strand called atop(the short fibers are set aside for a different useor discarded); fibers can be pulled off with your fingers, or through atool called adiz(a small disk with a hole in it). A few mills are set up todo combing, and sometimes you can buy com-mercially combed tops of wool or other fibers.Handcardsorcarders(average cost $30 to $65)are good for preparing medium to short wool(staple length 4 inches or less);drumcarders(cost $150 to $500 or more) can handle short,Handcards and rolagmedium, or long wool, depending on how theyare set up.Cardingis a blending process, good for evening out the vari-ations in color, crimp, or length between different parts of a fleece; forblending different colors of dyed fleece; and for combining wool withmohair, angora, or other fibers. Wool can be lifted off a carder as afluffy, pillow-like, rectangularbatt.Spinnerssometimes roll batts into slender tubes calledrolagsor pull them lengthwise into longstrands calledsliversorrovings.2The cardingprocess can easily be automated, and there aredozens of small mills around the UnitedDrumcarderStates that sell carded batts or rovings;and battsome will custom-card wool that you supply.INTRODUCTIONSPINNINGTObasic ideas, tools, and termsStarting withWoolSHEEP’S WOOL IS THE MOST POPULAR FIBER amonghandspinners because it is easy to spin and versatile. There aredozens ofbreedsof sheep, such as Lincoln, Romney, Corriedale,Suffolk, and Merino, and each breed produces a unique type ofwool. By choosing from suitable breeds, spinners can use wool tomake warm, comfortable, and stylish sweaters, scarves, mittens,hats, socks, afghans, rugs, and many other kinds of garments andaccessories. One advantage to making your own yarn is that you canchoose the qualities in the fiber that you want to emphasize in yourfinished project. Yes, the results are definitely worth it!A singlefleece—onesheep’s annual growth of wool—usuallyweighs between 4 and 12 pounds. A good spinning fleece costsaround $4 to $12 per pound. Shepherds who produce good woolpay extra attention to their animals throughout the year. Some putjacketsorblanketson their sheep to keep hay out of the wool;those fleeces may be especially clean, although covering is notessential to the growing of good wool. The best fleeces will havebeenskirtedto remove any dirty, stained, or inferior wool; theywill also contain only minimal amounts of hay, chaff, or burrs,which are hard to remove.A lock of woolCrimpPreparing theWool forSpinningWool is easier to spin if it’spreparedby separating the fibers into aloose, fluffy arrangement. You can buy a fleece and do the washingand preparation yourself, or pay a little more (usually $15 to $25 perpound) for wool that’s been washed, dyed (if you choose), andprocessed.Special tools have been designed forpreparing wool andother fibers. AFlicker and lockflicker, flickcarder,orpet comb(averageComb and topMakingYarnMany kinds of spinning tools are available today—everything fromsimple wooden handspindles to high-tech electric spinners, fromantique wool and flax wheels to modern wheels. The diversity ofspinning tools is a wonderful story in itself, but it’s important toremember that inhandspinning,it’s the skill and sensitivity of thespinner’s hands that shapes the yarn. The spinner is in control; thetool is just an assistant.When used with reference to commercially prepared fiber, the termstop, sliver,androvingareoften applied interchangeably, although there are technical differences between these forms of fiberpreparation.2TiplotsCut orbutt endgthlenletapSlessMany of us didn’t, however, and if what you’ve got is raw fleece, you don’t have to rush to the storefor clean stuff. If you’re washing your own wool, remember the following: don’t agitate, don’t changewater temperatures suddenly, and don’t scrub. If you do all those things, you will produce felt, notclean, spinnable wool, and you’ll find yourself embarking on a different craft voyage. See theEssentials department about washing wool (pages 14–16) in the Summer 2000 issue ofSpin.Oƒƒ.1No matter which tool you use, the process of spinning is basi-cally the same. The first step isdraftingor pulling fibersout of the prepared lock, top, batt, or roving. Draftingjust a few fibers at a time makes a very thinTwistingyarn; drafting many fibers makes a thickyarn.Twistingthe drafted fibers makesyarn. Twist holds the fibers together sothey don’t slip apart or rub loose; one of thespinner’s skills is determining the appropriate amount of twist for agiven yarn. At the start, you want enough twist to makethe yarn strong . . . and not so much twist that thestrand you are spinning turns itself into inde-pendent corkscrews. After draftingJoinand twisting a length of yarn,you can let itwind ontothebobbin of the spinning wheel orwind it onto a spindle by hand,then start drafting and twistingmore yarn. When you finish spinning one batch of fiber, you make ajoinby splicing on a new supply. A careful join is invisible in thefinished yarn.Turn the wheel (or spindle) one way and you getZ-twistyarn. Turn it the other way and you getS-Z-twisttwistyarn. By convention, most spinners turnthe wheel clockwise (Z) to make yarn fromloose fiber, but the only rule is that if youstartspinning in a given direction you need to keepS-twistgoing that way until you’ve finished with that bobbinor spindle (reversing directions untwists your work).Depending what type of fiber you’re spinning, thesteps of drafting and twisting may be done separately and insequence, or they can flow together into a continuous process.Spinners working with combed, long-staple wool often draft by mov-ing their hands just a few inches—about half the length of thefibers—in a gesture called ashort draw.Then they deliberately guidethe twist into the drafted fibers, making a smooth, denseworstedyarn. Spinners using short-staple wool that has been carded androlled into rolags may use along draw,moving one hand back andforth with a full swing of the arm, simultaneously drafting and twist-ing up to three feet of fuzzy, puffy woolen yarn before winding it on.You’ll see many variations and combinations of these techniques ifyou watch different people spin; as with most decisions in spinning,what’s “right” is whatever works best for the individual spinner andthe fiber. Because drafting methods can be so unique, there isno precise, consistent way of describing them.When you turn loose fiber into yarn, you make asinglesyarn (a single strand), with the fibers all twisted inthe same direction. Singles yarn can be finishedand used as is, but spinners oftenSinglestake an extra step, twisting twoor more strands of singlestogether to makepliedyarn, which is usuallystronger, more uniform, and easier to handlePlied yarnthan singles. The simplest plied yarn twists(this is a two-ply)two singles together in the opposite directionto their original spinning (Z singles, S plied).Abalancedyarn is a special type of plied yarn,where the twist used in plying exactlyBalanced yarnbalances the twist used in spinning andstraightens out the fibers. A balanced yarnis very calm and doesn’t kink at all.Basic spinning and plying techniquesproduce “plain-vanilla” yarn, lovely in itself and useful for all kindsof knitting, weaving, and other projects. A plain-vanilla spinner canachieve plenty of variety simply by using different types of wool(in natural or dyed colors), by varying thethickness and twist of the singles, andby choosing whether or not to plythe yarn. For even more variety,there are advanced techniquesfor making fancydesigneryarns,Designer yarnswith unique texture and color effects.before you use it, whether youare knitting, weaving, ordoing something else.Towashthe skein, fill your sinkwith comfortably warm water andadd a squirt or two of dishwashing liq-uid or shampoo; set the skein on top of thewater and press it down gently to get itwet. Let it soak for a few minutes. Liftthe skein out of the water, drain thebasin, and fill with rinse water of thesame temperature. Set the skein in the waterand press down gently again. Remove the skein,drain the water, and repeat the rinse. Squeeze the skein(don’t wring it) to remove excess water, and then let the skein dryon a towel or rack.1Feltinghappens when you agitate or rub wet wool, whether fleece,yarn, or fabric. It’s wonderful to make felt on purpose, but to avoidaccidental felting when you’re washing any wool product, be carefulto handle it as little and as gently as possible.If the yarn looks wrinkly or kinky after you wash it, you cansmooth it out bysteamingit, as you steam wrinkles out of a garment.Use a travel steamer or steam iron, or pass the skein over the spoutof a steaming teakettle; five to ten seconds of steaming is enough tosmooth most yarns.Admire your skein. It’s some of the best yarn in the world!How to use a niddy-noddy to make a skein1The same process works for washing raw wool. Wash in batches that fit your sink or basin, andgently lift the wool mass as you would a skein.Brought to you byFinishingWoolYarnAfter plying—or after spinning, if the yarn will be usedas singles—make the yarn into askeinby winding itonto aniddy-noddyorskein winder.Tie the skein inat least three places before you remove it from theniddy-noddy. Wool yarn usually gets softer andpuffier when you wash and dry it, and it alsoshrinksin length—usually 10 to 25percent, but sometimes even more. It’s agood idea to wash yarn and let it shrink®Individual issues available from fiber and yarn stores and selectednewsstands.Or, subscribe today! JoinSpin-Offeditors and contributors in exploringthe joys of using handspun yarn to create handmade treasures.$24/year (4 issues) Call (800) 767-9638 Dept. PSBThis brochure is available for the general advancement of the spinning community. If youwould like additional copies please contact Interweave Press at (970) 669-7672. Text by RitaBuchanan and Deborah Robson. Illustrations by Susan Strawn Bailey.Niddy-noddywww.interweave.com201 E. Fourth St., Loveland, CO 80537-5655INTERWEAVEPRESS [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]