If you have read any of my posts, I wrote last summer on how I processed the wool, cleaning it, sorting it, pulling it, dying it and finally carding it into fluffy batts ready for spinning.
The final step, which took much longer than it should have, was spinning the batts into yarn.
I had a friend who taught me the ropes of hand spinning, even gave me a hand spindle, but she also gave me a great book which was an invaluable tool for reference when she wasn't around.
It is called "Spin Dye Stitch - How to create and use your own yarn" by Jennifer Claydon and I would highly recommend it if you want to start your own adventure of making yarn. Here is a link to it on Amazon.
http://www.amazon.com/Spin-Dye-Stitch-Create-Yarns/dp/1600611559
So I am one of those people who just dive in and try something out, trying to learn it myself. I am sure there are also great classes out there at your local knitting store, but I really think we shouldn't be afraid to try something on our own. I mean maybe you make a huge mess, who cares? that is half the fun! And we learn so much more by our failures then when we get something on the first try.
The book I recommended starts off with instructions on how to spin with a drop spindle or a wheel. I used a drop spindle. You have to start with carded or combed fiber; I was lucky enough to have wool from my sister's sheep that I had processed and carded, but you could easily pick up some fun fiber at your local yarn shop.
I learned to spin using the park and draft technique. Spinning has two parts, the twist and the pull.
The pull or draft is what makes your yarn thin, the twist is what keeps the fibers together. The park and draft helps separate the two processes and I found was really great for a beginner. Basically, you put lots of twist in a short piece of yarn, and then release that twist as you pull your fiber. I am sure I am doing a terrible job explaining it, but I bet there's at least two dozen youtube videos about it.
Once you spin some yarn, you have to take it off your spindle, to spin MORE yarn. My friend gave me the great idea of buying those little plastic practice golf balls with the holes in them. You slip the end of your spun yarn into the hole and then unroll your yarn onto the ball. And then spin out more fiber.
Now that you have all these golf balls of yarn, you will have to ply your yarn. I guess you don't have to make two ply yarn, but I think it makes for a better and more stable yarn for knitting
The book I recommended gives great instructions on plying the yarn. I thought the most useful tip was to use coffee mugs to hold your balls in. Trust me, if you don't keep your yarn balls contained, things can get tangled up pretty quickly! And make sure you have time when you sit down and do this. It is not something that you can put down and come back to later. And remember, whichever direction you spun your yarn, you have to go the opposite direction to ply. If you spun clockwise, ply counterclockwise.
After you have plied your yarn, it has to get put onto a niddy noddy to make a skein. What a cool name for such a strange thing! I have heard they are expensive, but you can easily make one yourself for a few dollars getting pvc from the hardware store. The book explains how to use one, but I confess I always get mixed up and have to look it up online too. Here's a good site I found that explains how to make and use a niddy noddy
http://astheyarnturns.wordpress.com/constructing-a-pvc-niddy-noddy/
Here is my yarn all wound out onto the niddy noddy.
Once you have made your skein, you have to wash it in warm water and then let it dry so that it will 'stabilize' Be careful when washing it, you don't want to agitate it or it will felt. What I did was use a Tupperware with a small amount of soap meant for wool washing. Shampoo works pretty well too. After the water has been filled, put your skein in. Make sure you have tied 4 bits of string around your skein to keep it from tangling up. Let it soak for ten minutes, then pull it out. Fill the Tupperware with warm water; let it rinse, then dry it by rolling it carefully into a towel. I then hang mine over a plastic hanger, and weight it with 3 plastic hangers (the weight is very important) and let it dry for a day.
And you have a skein of yarn. The last step, is to put your skein into a ball. If you have ever bought a skein of yarn at the store, you know how important this step is. If you try to knit from a skein you will soon have a tangled mess.
I used a yarn ball winder from Knit Picks and my husband who had the great joy of holding my yarn.
They are a great resource for all things knitting http://www.knitpicks.com/
Here is the winder and my finished yarn.
Now the fun part comes, knitting a sweater for my niece from home spun yarn that came from her family's sheep. What a great feeling and a great connection to our roots.
Happy Knitting!
