This week I spun one of my silly batts, the one from the fluff box.
As I suspected, the really short fibers I carded had a hard time holding together as yarn. I could have spun it slowly and carefully, after all cotton can be spun. But I wanted a robust looking fluffy yarn, not a high twist rope, so I decided to try and spin it with a stronger core. Not actual corespinning, where you paint the fiber onto a thread by holding the two at a 90 degree angle, I just ran the thread along in my fiber supply while drafting.
I tried to take a couple of pix of how I hold the fiber in my right hand, then I do a short forward draw with my left basically pulling at the thread and letting the roving run loosely inside my palm around the thread. When I spindle spin I draft and suspend the spindle with my right, but since the orifice on the wheel is to the left I felt it was more convenient to switch. It didn’t really take a lot of time to get used to, so now I can do both.
I’m keeping it as a single as planned, since the colours were mingled quite well enough on the carder already. And the thread simply keeps the fibers from drifting apart.
I may do another post on spinning short fibers – when I get around to that. After all I have God knows how many pounds of that Dorset sitting around…
Yes, I know that I’m spinning in my riding breeches, I just can’t be having with changing my outfit 5 times a day. I also did not sweep the floor for the photo shoot. I really think there ought to be staff for such things – or is that children?
