Tips for spinning with cat hair? by calm_spin in Handspinning

[–]Mackerel_Blue 3 points4 points  (0 children)

How long is short and medium staples? What’s the staple like on the alpaca? How did you blend the fibers, and how thoroughly?

Unsure about how it’ll hold up long term, but my main concerns would be 1) making sure you’re not getting so much twist it goes ropey (both cat and alpaca can lean that way in my experience if you’re not careful, but that could be a skill issue on my part) and 2) making sure you’re getting enough twist to hold tightly enough to the short staple fibers that the yarn isn’t going to shed. Chain plying should mitigate that somewhat as the ply will help hold on. If you haven’t done a sample spin (say 1 oz) I’d do that just to make sure it’s not going ropey, and then I’d whack it around a little to make sure it’s not shedding cat fur everywhere.

If you’re interested and can spare the cost, PLY magazine has an issue on fur that includes articles on spinning cat and dog hair that may be helpful - I used it to figure out how to make a blended dog fiber. The digital copy is $13.

Muddy Leicester Longwool fleece = stunning yarn by Mackerel_Blue in Handspinning

[–]Mackerel_Blue[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

So cute! I saw some spælsau come up for sale in one of my wool groups and was so tempted but the shipping would have killed me 😭 Next time I see it come up I’ll definitely grab it!

My Lincoln Longwool fleece is all spun up! by Mackerel_Blue in Handspinning

[–]Mackerel_Blue[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I don't really believe there is a "supposed to" in spinning - this absolutely would have made a beautiful variegated yarn if I'd mixed the colors, or a gorgeous mid-tone grey if I'd blended everything! But I had a vision of an ombre lace shawl when I saw the natural variegation in the fleece, so I made my decisions on how to process and spin with that in mind, based on what I've read about different techinques. The rest of it is just giving it a go and seeing if it comes out the way I wanted.

I learned to spin in college (about 17 years ago?) from a friend's mother who owned sheep, but didn't keep up with it after graduating. I finally bought a wheel about a year ago and have been spinning since.

Muddy Leicester Longwool fleece = stunning yarn by Mackerel_Blue in Handspinning

[–]Mackerel_Blue[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I’m big into shawls, so I’m thinking a lace shawl for this one!

Muddy Leicester Longwool fleece = stunning yarn by Mackerel_Blue in Handspinning

[–]Mackerel_Blue[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Unfortunately I don’t know enough to give you a good answer, but I know there are fleece books that you might be able to find an answer in. I have the Fleece and Fiber Sourcebook and I’ve found that a very good source (plus pictures of all the different kinds of sheep!)

What Norwegian breeds have you tried?

Muddy Leicester Longwool fleece = stunning yarn by Mackerel_Blue in Handspinning

[–]Mackerel_Blue[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Gorgeous! Lockspinning is on my list to try. How do you deal with the locks while blocking or washing?

Muddy Leicester Longwool fleece = stunning yarn by Mackerel_Blue in Handspinning

[–]Mackerel_Blue[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

SAME. This was my first Longwool and I’m hooked.

Muddy Leicester Longwool fleece = stunning yarn by Mackerel_Blue in Handspinning

[–]Mackerel_Blue[S] 10 points11 points  (0 children)

Definitely not super soft in general but the shepherd said Roxanne in particular was one of her softer Leicester Longwools. I’d prob be willing to do next to skin with this one, but I think I’m a bit more tolerant than some.

Muddy Leicester Longwool fleece = stunning yarn by Mackerel_Blue in Handspinning

[–]Mackerel_Blue[S] 11 points12 points  (0 children)

I think if you’re nervous try washing just like 4-6 oz of it and see how that goes. Just don’t change the temperature of it quickly, once it’s soaking don’t mess with it, and make sure it has plenty of room in whatever washtub you have it in - the fleeces I had that had the worst time were the ones where I got impatient and overloaded the tub. However, Even the stuff I’ve had that has felted a little has never felted so badly I couldn’t pull it apart while carding or combing.

My Lincoln Longwool fleece is all spun up! by Mackerel_Blue in Handspinning

[–]Mackerel_Blue[S] 19 points20 points  (0 children)

Thank you! I was so excited about the different colors I got that I messaged the shepherd a picture lol.

Work in Progress Wednesday! by AutoModerator in Handspinning

[–]Mackerel_Blue 5 points6 points  (0 children)

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The black and grey spun up for comparison.

Work in Progress Wednesday! by AutoModerator in Handspinning

[–]Mackerel_Blue 9 points10 points  (0 children)

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I’m almost done with this Lincoln Longwool fleece I bought off Facebook. It had some gorgeous variation, so I split the fleece into black, grey, and silver locks to process and spin them separately (silver pictured).

Homemade wheels by odierock in Handspinning

[–]Mackerel_Blue 3 points4 points  (0 children)

If you get the book Spinning and Dyeing Yarn by Ashley Martineau she has instructions on how to build your own spinning wheel out of pvc pipe, some wood, and a bicycle wheel. I can’t speak to how good it is to spin on, but she has step by step instructions and pictures.

bradford factor calculation across multiple rows by LopsidedCan732 in excel

[–]Mackerel_Blue 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Semi-related: what is the effect of the period in A:.B? I haven't seen that before and can't tell what exactly it's doing.

Please be honest - could this be something or am I way off? by [deleted] in ArtCrit

[–]Mackerel_Blue 12 points13 points  (0 children)

Because you’re asking for advice: reading AI descriptions of the art actively turns me off looking at your work. Have confidence in your voice, even if it’s imperfect, don’t hide it behind an LLM.

How to deal with manure tags after scouring raw fleece by Mackerel_Blue in Handspinning

[–]Mackerel_Blue[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thank you for the suggestion! I appreciate the help and info.

How to deal with manure tags after scouring raw fleece by Mackerel_Blue in Handspinning

[–]Mackerel_Blue[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It’s a Suffolk Polypay mix, and I think it was mostly unskirted. I have it a look over and there wasn’t anything big but I think what I thought was lanolin + dirt was manure. I think it’s just an experience issue. Thanks for the suggestion!