I made a decision to add the final four ounces of alpaca singles to the eight ounces on my bobbin and get it done. I've never tried to put this much fiber on a bobbin, but it looked to me like there was room, and it is so much easier and faster to spin on a started bobbin than an empty one, at least for me on an Irish tension wheel. Hopefully my final three 4-ounce two-ply skeins due the alpaca farm owner will be pretty uniform, a result I wasn't sure I'd get if I did the last four ounces on my miniSpinner. But look out. Once I get this alpaca done, I am going to put some serious fiber-stash-busting mileage on that miniSpinner! I am looking forward to spinning roving from my own beautiful sheep, other pretties in my stash - and some colorful stuff I'm trading for undyed roving via Ravelry.Other miniSpinner owners (even Beth of HansenCrafts, the maker of miniSpinners) have shared that when spinning in public they often get snarky comments about how they're "cheating" by using an electric spinner. I find that attitude sad and fascinating and amusing. Did the first people to use newly invented spinning wheels get those comments from other spinners who were still using spindles? (Probably.) Do we make those comments to people who put their clothes in a washing machine instead of scrubbing them on rocks in the nearest stream? Or shout ugly accusations to passing motorists because they aren't using a horse and buggy - or walking? While I love spindling and have had my own horse and buggy, I embrace and give thanks for the modern conveniences that give me, the homemaker, easier/faster ways to get what I need to done, so that I have a little time left over for those non-essential pleasures we call hobbies.
That's it for now from . . .
6 comments:
I wish I knew how to use the wool and mohair from my animals. Right now I just enjoy my animals and sell some babies. Maybe some day I'll have time and patience to learn.
I know of a couple of women who, because of bad knees, could no longer treadle a regular wheel. They loved their electric spinners. I've tried one, because of "formerly" bad knees, but I guess I'm just a traditionalist (and I spin pretty fast, anyway) and prefer my pretty wood tools! I'm all for technology, so long as I get to choose whether to use it or not!
We should talk about dyed stuff and trading...
Well said about technology. We often have romantic ideas about past generations because we admire the beauty of the tools. But like you said on NASSA CHAT...those folks were more than happy to ease their work load with technology. At least my grandparents were.
I don't think it's cheating at all. It's up the spinner to determine the yarn, not the wheel however it's powered. I'm reminded of the difference between water skiing and sailing - they're both boats and neither of them is wrong.
that alpaca's lookin' really nice! what kind of wheel do you have that has such huge bobbins?
That's an old Louet S10, but a newer three-speed bobbin. The two-speed bobbins that I have are even bigger! Louets rock in a lot of ways, IMO. :-)
Post a Comment