Any spinners!??

[oldhaus]

Oh yea, we're fiber hoarders, spinners, yarn hoarders... bunny wranglers... all of the above.

We have an Angora Rabbitry with Giant, French and Satin Angoras.

We have "some" spinning wheels, including a "Walking Wheel" and the toys that go with spinning. I love drop spindles!

We do it as a family thing, that is after our full time jobs (x2), High School, Middle School, College, and caring for the bunnies, and gardening plus a 150yr old house.

It's all a hoot!

Holler if you have Angora needs or questions!

nice to meet you all !!!

JLH

 

[MyZoo]

Oh yea, we're fiber hoarders, spinners, yarn hoarders... bunny wranglers... all of the above.

We have an Angora Rabbitry with Giant, French and Satin Angoras.

We have "some" spinning wheels, including a "Walking Wheel" and the toys that go with spinning. I love drop spindles!

We do it as a family thing, that is after our full time jobs (x2), High School, Middle School, College, and caring for the bunnies, and gardening plus a 150yr old house.

It's all a hoot!

Holler if you have Angora needs or questions!

nice to meet you all !!!

JLH

I know nothing about spinning but want to learn and I like angoras so I was hoping to combine both as something my daughter(13) and I can both do together...we currently have 3 rabbits(mini lop,holland lop & american fuzzy lop) so we are familiar with rabbit care and those with lots of fuzz.I would love any info you could offer on Angoras as well as spinning....

ETA: I know you said holler if you have any Angora needs or questions but I was wondering if you knew about American Fuzzy lops? Can you spin their fiber??

 

[Ninny]

Using a drop spindle is fun! That is what I have too. I wanted to buy a pretty one, but the super basic one was only like six dollars so I got that and it works fine Some day I wish for a wheel though.

Where did you find one for only 6 dollars?

 

[foxish]

I got a drop spindle for $6 on eBay. It's not fancy, but hey, it's a pretty simple tool to begin with, right?

The fibers might not be long enough, but once you have a spindle, you might try out spinning a big of the fuzzy lop's fur, just to see if you think you like the process. Of course, the shorter the fiber, the harder it is to keep it together to spin!

 

[freemotion]

Spinning is on my long-range project list....for now, I just got my grandmother's wool carders. Anyone know how to use them? Do you use them to prepare the fibers for spinning? They are two wooden paddles with bent wires that remind me of a dog brush, only much bigger. There are still fibers in the wires.

My grandmother used them to fluff up yarn from worn out wool sweaters, mittens, and socks, which she then used to stuff the most wonderful quilts. All the beds had feather pillows that she made, too. My dad still has one she made at least 50 years ago.

I would like to put them to use, but if not, they will be hung on a wall as a decoration. It seems like they would be very hard to use....it would take some muscle!

Does anyone spin dog hair? Seriously, I am not making fun!

 

[freemotion]

Found this wonderful site: http://www.joyofhandspinning.com/hand-carding.shtml

Isn't the internet fun? Now I sooooo want to try out my carders! It doesn't look so hard now.....and there are directions on this site to make your own drop spindle for almost nothing! Certainly no more than $6.

 

[foxish]

You can spin just about anything that remotely resembles fiber. Dog hair, cat hair, human hair ... Though I personally stick with mohair, llama, alpaca and angora rabbit! My mother-in-law keeps threatening to clip her poodle and get me to make some yarn for her! I've even seen feathers put into spun yarn. Some things are easier or more appropriate for spinning than others, of course.

I would think a Fuzzy Lop's fur would be fine for spinning. The only problem is that rabbit fur is so fine and so short it's difficult for a beginner. I know there are ways to get jsut the soft fur and not the guard hairs, but I don't know what they are. YouTube is great for stuff like that.

Definitely get a drop spindle and give that a try before investing in a spinning wheel, drum carder and such. Just a drop spindle and a bit of "roving," that is fiber processed into a rope for easy working, from eBay will probably run you about $20 total. Then you can try it out and know if it's for you! But if you try and try then throw the dang spindle across the room, then you haven't lost much. :-D

I'm still a beginner, but this is what I've found about the few kinds of wool I've spun ...

Llama and Alpaca: Sooo easy to spin, the fibers like to stay together and don't fall apart, a classic matte yarn texture

Angora Goat Mohair: Beautiful fiber with a nice sheen, longer fibers than alpaca or llama, my personal favorite

Angora Rabbit: Wonderfully soft and fuzzy, hella difficult to spin on its own because the fur is so short and likes to fall apart. I like to blend it with other fibers to add some softness and texture.

Bamboo: Spins like silk, long fibers, possibly the easiest thing I've ever spun. FANTASTIC to try out for a first-time spinner. You can get a sample of it here for less than a dollar. I've ordered this exact thing before, and it's wonderful.

http://www.etsy.com/view_transaction.php?transaction_id=21003857

 

[freemotion]

Foxish, I am in a very suburban/urban area with LOTS of dog groomers. What length of hair should I ask for? I don't want all the clippings!

Poodle hair is soooo soft. I have two, but they are clipped before it gets an inch long. They are incognito as terriers.

I also have access to mane hair from horses. The hairs are pulled (no nerve endings in the roots of mane hair) to shorten the mane in horses that are shown braided. I could possibly get bags of it. Do you think that would spin?

Thanks for the tips. I may have access to a raw fleece come spring. I just worry that I will suddenly "NEED" a buncha fiber animals once I give this a try!

 

[foxish]

I find hair that is 3-4" long is a lot easier to spin. I can't imagine that horse hair CAN'T be spun, but it would be very coarse, like rope. Though if that's what you're going for, hey, go ahead! It could be pretty cool blended with other fiber for a texture. I don't know how it would feel against skin, but you can always add a liner for things like bracelets and gloves. Here's an article on how to spin dog hair:

http://www.ehow.com/how_2074274_spin-yarn-from-dog-hair.html

Here's another interesting site from a place near me (huh, they're 50 miles away - funny what "near" comes to mean in Texas, with everything so spread out!). They work with a lot of different fibers:

http://www.vipfibers.com/

Good luck!

 

[Ohioann]

HI, new member, long time spinner and weaver. For those of you who don't have hand cards or a drumcarder you can use a "flicker" or small wire dog brush. First, wash the wool and keep it in locks, the way it was sheared. There will be an inside or cut edge and an outside or uncut edge. Place a piece of denium or canvas on your lap, hold a lock of wool by the cut end against the canvas and "flick" the uncut end with the dog brush. Your goal is to straighten and untangle the individual fibers so that they lay somewhat parallel. Then hold the end you have just flicked and flick the other end. This process will give you locks that are ready to spin. The wool cards when used properly give you a small roll of wool called a rolag which you then spin into yarn. Drum carders produce small sheets of combed wool called batts which you then strip pieces from to spin. And then of course you can send your wool out to a mill and get back batts or roving (rope like) for spinning. The method you choose depends on time, money and equipment available. I spin on a wheel. Have tried drop spindles but just not my thing. I had a friend, now deceased, that was a master weaver and drop spindle spinner, spinning both wool and silk. She was spinning silk in her hopital bed the day before she lapsed into a coma and passed on. What a great way to go, yarn on your spindle and a warp on your loom!