Good "turning wool into yarn w/ hand carders & a drop spindle" videos:

[big brown horse]

Picking and carding:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BC78Me8tqxA

How to make a predrafted wool roving to spin with:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AmiM_YNm4Nk&feature=related

Drafting wool for spinning:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Us0nk_ryMDI&feature=related

Spinning roving with a drop spindle:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7gXTWgMeMgI


Finishing yarn and wrapping a skein:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-4v4lM0oozc&feature=related

Just for yuks, dying wool with kool aid:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SKMw-5B15HI&p=9F91CBC241ED495B&playnext=1&index=6

 

[Rebecka]

Oh how funny! Those are most of the videos I taught myself with. A few tips. Consistency is paramount. When just starting out, spin every single day. Even if its only for a few minutes. You might have heard of the park and draft method... don't do it. You might tell yourself that you will ease into the ' right' way later. I personally found it slowed me down considerably. I hope you love this as much as I do!

 

[Niele da Kine]

My friends who have a "picker" call it a "breaker" so perhaps the implement goes by different names in different places? It's a gnarly beast, no doubt but it does break up the fleece nicely. They have a drum carder, too, so between the pair they can process wool pretty quickly.

I like the video on making the roving, that would save from having to "park and draft" don't you think? It's kinda fun that they use a CD for a drop spindle, it's gotta be a really light spindle, I'd think. Wonder what kind of fiber they are using? They probably mentioned it, but my computer doesn't have sound.

 

[Bethanial]

Glad to know I'm not the only one without sound on my 'puter!

 

[Niele da Kine]

Yeah, I've torn this wretched box apart and put it back together several times and still no sound. I think it's something on the motherboard. The next 'puter will probably have sound, but most times even when the sound works I keep it turned off. At the moment, most of my spare time is taken up in building a spinning wheel. I've got a new design for a variable ratio spinning wheel, it should go from 4:1 to 20:1 without having to change bobbin whorls or bands or anything else. At the moment, it's half on the drawing board and half in real life. There's seven angora rabbits out there growing wool as fast as they can and it's hard to keep up with just a drop spindle.

 

[freemotion]

Building your own spinning wheel??? That needs its own thread (pun intended!! ) and pictures, etc!

Please?

 

[Niele da Kine]

It's building a spinning wheel without a lathe and without any instructions so at the moment, it's a lot of design work and then finally into the workshop to get some parts made until the next change in design sends it back to the drawing board. If it turns out well, then I may make and sell spinning wheels, if this design works really well, I may patent it, I dunno, it may not be profitable for a niche market tool to be patented.

All I know is I wanted a spinning wheel and they were too expensive to just go out and buy one. I wanted a variable ratio so there would be more speed choices than most spinning wheels offer and I'm still chewing on how to have automatic bobbin winding. Stopping the flyer to move the yarn onto the next set of hooks just seems so wrong. So at the moment, I'm halfway through working model #1 although I think it is variation #14 or so by now. I've been keeping notes but sometimes I forget and just make changes.

After figuring out the spinning wheel itself, then there will be modifications to make it look pretty - I think that's an important aspect, too. There should also be the rest of the yarn handling tools as part of the spinning wheel. Lazy kates, niddy noddys, ball winders, etc.

 

[Beekissed]

BTW, has anyone seen or heard from Sally lately? I'm worried about her and Sam.

 

[Blackbird]

I just chatted with her the day before yesterday. Sam had an appointment to look at a lump in her throat (tonsil tissue?) that they thought might be cancerous. It wasn't, thank golly, and they removed some of it.
Otherwise Sam has been doing some physical training and that sort of thing to get back in the game.

SS won't let her log in using her account, that's why she hasn't posted, not sure what's with that but it's been that way a couple months.

 

[Beekissed]

She needs to report that on BYC to Nifty....we miss her!!!

I lost her address or I would be writing to her and her PM box is full, of course.

Please tell her we miss her, BB?