Neauveau Fiber Arts

The Spinning Wheel (Ashford Country Spinner):

Every spinning wheel is different. I started spinning on a "single treadle" (one pedal) wheel. I found a "double treadle" (two pedal) wheel to be easier. I purchased the Ashford Country Spinner because of the bobbin that could hold hundreds of yards of yarn. It spins a little slower, so it's not the best for spinning thin yarns.

If you are in the market for a wheel, I would go to your local spinning guild and ask each spinner why they purchased the wheel they purchased. Make a list of what you want in a wheel before you buy. Try different wheels out at your local sheep & wool festival. The most important aspects to me were: (1) a large bobbin to fit as much yarn as I wanted and (2) a large orifice so I could fit large beads and fabric thru and (3) easy to use.

Here's a picture of my Ashford Country Spinner. She's called "The Black Purl".	This is one of the most important parts of the wheel. It's the tension. If you're having difficulties spinning, adjust your tension. Also, different tensions are better for spinning different yarns (low = bulky, and high = thin).	These hooks will guide your yarn to the bobbin. Make sure they're all facing in the same direction.
This is the bobbin. She's huge. I ♥ her. I can fit a sweater's worth of yarn on this bobbin. It's fantastic, I never have to worry about running out of room or my yardage being limited.	This clear stretchy band loops around the wheel and the bobbin and makes it spin. Sometimes wheels have different speeds which you can adjust by putting the stretchy band on a different groove in the bobbin. Higher goove = faster spin. Lower groove = slower spin. Fast = thin yarn, Slow = thick yarn. Mine only has one speed = slow.	This is a double-treadle wheel (it has two pedals). You can also get a single-treadle wheel. Single treadles are usually a little bit cheaper, but double-treadles are more comfortable. I've spun on both, and it's not as big of an issue to me as the bobbin size. But keep this in mind when you're purchasing. It's best to try out both styles before buying, find what works for you!

These are the two fibers we are going to be spinning today. The blue/white one in the foreground is wool roving. It's processed wool that I have dyed. The red curly pile in the background are wool locks. Less processed (right off the sheep) wool that I also dyed.	Untie the roving. And split it length-wise into thinner pieces. The thinner the pieces, the thinner your yarn.	Make a loop of thread (sewing thread for small bobbins, I use cotton worsted thread for my bobbin because sewing thread might break) and slip-loop it around the wheel (pull one end thru the other). This is called a "leader thread" because it "leads" your yarn around the Bobbin
Take the leader thread and put it thru the hooks on one side of the wheel. I always use the hooks on the left side out of habit. The ones on the right work just as fine. I honestly don't notice a difference. (I'm sure my naivety is going to cause lots of "there IS a difference!!" emails - ha!)	Bring the thread thru the hole in the top of the bobbin and thru the oriface (2nd hole) facing you. You should have about 12" or so of thread beyond the wheel (like, in between you and the wheel).	Now the whole setup should look like this (slip-looped yarn around back of bobbin, pulled tight, then thread pulled thru all hooks on one side, then thru 2 holes of bobbin). If it doesn't, try again!
Now, start pedaling. I always pedal to the right (clockwise). To the left or to the right, it doesn't make a difference. Whatever feels comfortable to you. Keep in mind you have to pedal always in the SAME DIRECTION throughout your spinning project or else you'll "untwist" it and make a wooly mess.	The leader thread should twist around the bobbin. If it slips, stop spinning and tighten it around the bobbin. Depending on your wheel, the leader thread may be pinned between the back of the bobbin and the round center tube - so it may twist around automatically every time.	When you've got it going, the whole thing will start spinning. The bobbin will spin, the thread will twist, and the hooks will spin around the bobbin, twisting the thread at the same time it wraps around the bobbin.
This is the leader thread twisted, keep the loop around your finger for adding the wool roving so you can start spinning yarn!!	Take the first piece of roving you're going to spin...	And put it thru that loop of leader thread.
Make a loop of wool with the roving.	And start pedaling again. The yarn will twist around itself and you're at the beginning of making a beautiful skein of handspun yarn!	This is where it becomes a challenge to explain without you experiencing it yourself. Keep pedaling, and as the yarn spins let it go and it will follow that leader thread thru the hooks and wrap around the bobbin.
VIDEO: see the process of spinning that single strand of roving and how it wraps around the wheel. Notice how gently it goes thru my fingers (I do not hold it back or yank it thru). This will come with practice!!	As you spin the yarn, it will wrap around your bobbin like this.	OOPS: Many first-time spinners will hold onto the wool too long, afraid to let it go, and it will begin to twist on itself and be too tight. First, try letting go of the wool a little more with your fingers to correct this problem. Otherwise, try loosening the tension. If the tension is too tight, the yarn will twist too quickly.
OOPS: My rhythm was off and the yarn slipped out of the hooks! This happens fairly often, just flip the yarn so that it's going thru the hooks and continue pedaling.	I'm at the end of my first little ball of roving and it's time to connect another! If you're a beginner, stop spinning and line up the end of your first ball with the beginning of your next ball.	All lined up and ready to go! Continue spinning again and the two ends will twist around each other and become tight.
You may get a little slub or nub where you have ends meeting, at least at the very beginning. With time you can eliminate these with lots of practice.	The back of the bobbin is getting kinda full, so unhook the yarn from the first hook and place it where it will twist around the next hook (one forward from the back).	Now the yarn will go around the bobbin in "front" of that hook, and fill up again. As each section fills up, simply transfer the yarn one hook forward to continue filling up the bobbin evenly and neatly.
Here are two ends I'm going to twist together.	And the slubbie that resulted. See, even the "pros" make mistakes too. Don't worry about it!!	Here is the bobbin filled from the back to front, I moved the yarn from hook to hook to make it nice and neat.
Once the front is full, move the yarn to the very back hook again to start a new layer of yarn on your bobbin from back to front.	FANCY TECHNIQUE! If the roving you separated is too thin, or if you want to try to make a candy-stripe yarn, take two sections of roving and put them together in your hands, about an inch apart in your fingers so they will twist around each other neatly.	VIDEO: If the roving is too thick, you can pull the wool out inch by inch to spin it. This is a "intermediate" skill and I would recommend trying it once you have mastered the basic spinning from thin roving technique. There is roving called "pencil roving" that's in the perfect size for spinning without pulling or separating beforehand.
Once the bobbin is full, and you're out of roving - you're done if you want a single-ply yarn! I will be continuing this tutorial with a "plying" lesson. You can take the yarn off your wheel and roll it into a ball. You can "set" the yarn by putting it on a skein-winder and soaking it in warm+ water and stretching it to dry. This will make the yarn not as twisty around itself. Since I'm going to ply this yarn, it isn't necessary to set it.	Here is the shiny thread I will be plying this yarn with. Make sure the thread you choose isn't too breakable, or you'll get reeeeally frustrated (trust me, I know).	At the beginning of the skein, tie the end of the yarn and the thread into a knot.
Here's the loop of leader thread again.	Slip that knotted piece into that loop and pedal until it's tight around it.	And begin to spin! If your yarn acts weird, doesn't twist naturally, doesn't look pretty, begins to cry, etc. - start over and spin in the OPPOSITE DIRECTION. When you ply it should happen naturally, beautifully, easily. When in doubt, try both directions and see what feels better. If the plied yarn untwists in your hands, you're going to wrong way.
Here's what the plied yarn looks like close-up. It doesn't untwist if I stop spinning and let it go slack between my hands and the wheel.	OOPS: my thread broke. Grrrrr... I tried it into a knot and continued spinning it into the yarn. Don't sweat the small stuff - life goes on!	Move the yarn from hook to hook to fill up the bobbin. Plying often goes faster than spinning, there's less to think about.
VIDEO: Here is a video of me plying the yarn with the golden thread. My cousin is holding it to the right of the video. At first I am plying it simply. Then I move my hands where the yarn is in front of me and this creates a more bumpy "boucle" effect. By moving your hands around, or changing the direction of the yarn - you can change the effect and style of how the thread wraps around the yarn. It's fun!!	When you're done plying the yarn, make another knot of the yarn and thread at the end to keep it from untwisting. You can set the yarn now (wrap it around a skein-winder, soak it in warm+ water, and stretch it until it dries - be careful not to break the thread!) or knit it now. I rarely "set" my yarns as I don't like how it hardens the texture. I like my yarns soft & fluffy (and I usually use them "hot off the wheel").	The finished ball. Isn't it beautiful?.

You can use a wool picker or hand-card the locks yourself by pulling them apart and making a really fluffy pile. The fluffier - the less texture. The curler - the more texture (and the more difficult to spin). I would suggest beginners leave as few curls as possible. But the effect of learning this technique is well worth the beautiful result.	Prepare your wheel as usual, with the leader thread ready to go.	Loop the first section of wool locks thru the loop of the leader thread.
Begin pedaling, twisting the leader thread around the wool locks.	And it will make yarn! Remember: Practice makes perfect!!	The yarn on the bobbin. Isn't this texture so beautiful?
Another view of the yarn as it is spun.	More on the bobbin.	VIDEO: See how I take the fluffy mess of wool locks and transform it into yarn. This takes practice!!!
I'm out of lock!	pretty.	the end!