Hand Spinning E-Book

Pam Austin

• Herausgeber: Crowood
• Kategorie: Lebensstil
• Sprache: Englisch

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2018

Beschreibung

Hand spinning is a peaceful, wholesome and creative craft that can bring immense joy and satisfaction to a busy life. This beautiful book explains how to spin unique yarn using natural raw materials such as fleece, flax and silk. It aims to teach, encourage and inspire spinners to extend their skills and uncover the mystique surrounding the long draw, the hallmark skill of accomplishment in hand spinning. It includes over 200 supporting images and clear step-by-step instructions on spinning methods, fibre preparation, colour skills, dyeing, yarn structure, art and yarn design. It will bring inspiration and pleasure to all spinners, regardless of experience or expertise. Gives clear and precise instructions for the long draw, worsted and core-spinning techniques that determine yarn quality and performance; Outlines how to choose and prepare fleece, flax, silk and camelid fibre for hand spinning; Includes proven definite colour skills that will personalize and enhance hand-spun work; Describes dyeing animal and vegetable fibre and yarn, without special materials or equipment, using natural and synthetic dyes; Encourages use of classic yarn structures such as boucle, gimp, coils, and crepe, as design features for unusual visual and textural effect; Individual hand-spun work illustrates the concept of art yarn and the design process; Suggests projects for the mindful spinner, from making a Shetland hap to creating art yarn that has meaning, artistry and purpose. Beautifully illustrated with 204 colour photographs and 12 artworks.

Leseprobe

HAND SPINNING

ESSENTIAL TECHNICAL AND CREATIVE SKILLS

PAM AUSTIN

THE CROWOOD PRESS

First published in 2018 by

The Crowood Press Ltd

Ramsbury, Marlborough

Wiltshire SN8 2HR

www.crowood.com

This e-book first published in 2018

© Pam Austin 2018

All rights reserved. This e-book is copyright material and must not be copied, reproduced, transferred, distributed, leased, licensed or publicly performed or used in any way except as specifically permitted in writing by the publishers, as allowed under the terms and conditions under which it was purchased or as strictly permitted by applicable copyright law. Any unauthorised distribution or use of thistext may be a direct infringement of the author’s and publisher’s rights, and those responsible may be liable in law accordingly.

British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

ISBN 978 1 78500 374 5

Contents

Acknowledgements

Introduction

CHAPTER 1 One Thread at a Time

CHAPTER 2 Bewitched and Bewildered

CHAPTER 3 Essential Spinning Techniques

CHAPTER 4 Sheep Fleece: Nature’s Best

CHAPTER 5 Fibres for Hand Spinning

CHAPTER 6 Plying and Finishing Yarn

CHAPTER 7 Colour in Spinning

CHAPTER 8 Dying to Dye

CHAPTER 9 Yarn Structure

CHAPTER 10 Mindfulness and Art

Further Reading

Glossary

Index

Acknowledgements

To my family and late husband who deserve medals for their love, support and tolerance of my lifelong ‘wooliness’. The book would be of little value, and far less interest, without the inspired photography of Dorte Kjaerulff and watercolour illustrations by Jane Heynes. I am extremely grateful for their gifted work, and particularly for the enthusiasm and patience with which they delivered it.

To my daughter Jenny, and friends Gillian Petrie and Frances Cubbon for their personal assistance, mentoring and practical contributions.

To current pupils Erica, Frances, Jane, Mary, Rosalind and Val, whose accomplished work is credited where it appears.

To my teacher Elizabeth Palmer, whose unsurpassed standards have stood me in good stead for thirty years and more. And last, but not least, a thank you to my many, many pupils past and present for the sheer pleasure they have given me and, not least, for their generosity in helping me learn so much!

Pam Austin

Introduction

Before I introduce you to the skills and ultimate joys of the world of wool, I want to give you a small insight into the path that has taken me to this privileged position of fulfilment in my craft. This might help you to understand me as a person as I speak to you through this book.

I am a woman of a certain age now, but let me take you back to the mid-1980s. My personal life was crumbling before my eyes with a failing marriage, no money and three children who needed me. Rather rashly, I spent my £12 weekly housekeeping on Jaeger yarn and some knitting needles. I knew of a spinning school based in a property where a beloved aunt used to live. I had spent happy times there as a child in her barn watching chicks hatch and stirring the boiling pig potatoes. It was a centre of positivity and happiness. So, of course, it was meant to be that I should learn to spin in that same spot. The rest is history and determination.

SPINNING IS FOR PLEASURE!

The purpose of this book is to enlighten, encourage and inspire spinners to learn new skills, and become competent, discerning and creative spinners, whose work brings lasting pleasure. There are so many ways to spin; a world of fibre and ways of preparing it. There is a whole spectrum of colour to work with and there are dozens of different yarn structures to choose from. Avoid the treadmill of 2-ply and aspire to spin yarn that is as exquisite and unique as the hands that spin it.

No-one has written the rule book on spinning. There are as many opinions about every aspect of spinning as there are stars in the sky; the range of hand-spun yarn is infinite too.

A comprehensive knowledge of spinning techniques, fibres, yarn structure and colour skills will instill the confidence needed to try something new. Hopefully it will inspire unique and beautiful yarn that has mindfulness and meaning – and experience the enormous pleasure this brings.The feeling of being ‘not very creative, or good with colour’ soon disappears when you know where to find inspiration and how to work with colour.

People are fascinated to watch a spinner take a raw fleece and turn it into yarn. It looks relaxing and peaceful. Using your senses to pick out the perfect fleece for hand spinning saves time and frustration.

Spinning is steady, rhythmic and mindful – and a satisfying way to enjoy what nature provides. It is a great use of natural resources, too: a low cost, environmentally friendly way to relax and enjoy leisure time. The UK Campaign for Wool is raising awareness of the valuable properties of wool and the result of this fascinating craft is a plethora of ‘woolly’ things to use, wear and offer as gifts.

There is much to learn; fortunately, you do not have to learn it all at once. After getting started with a drop spindle or simple wheel, the later chapters in this book can be worked through, or dipped into in any order as needed.

The purpose of the spinning wheel is actually quite simple: to make twist and store yarn on a bobbin. All the would-be spinner needs to do is learn how to put fibre and twist together and the yarn is made. Learn this one trick, and a lifetime of creativity and pleasure is in store for you. All learning requires a bit of effort, and like any dynamic activity – riding a bicycle, driving a car or swimming – if you stop, it falls apart! But spinning is not dangerous: you won’t drown if it goes wrong, nor is it particularly difficult.

A traditional spinning wheel has its own mystique. Watch the wheel turning, twist flowing along the fibre, bobbin spinning round and then, apparently, stopping still. It is mesmerizing to watch such a timeless skill: a fascinating mix of activity that somehow manages to look both busy and calm simultaneously.

With helpful instruction it should not take you long to spin your first skein. The sheer joy of holding your own first hand-spun yarn is totally out of proportion to the use most spinners make of it! It is fair to say that first spinning is usually ‘variable’, to find the kindest word, but it has its own unique value. It is the benchmark against which future work will be compared.

Start a record book and keep a sample for comparison and a measure of progress. Good pupils, like good teachers, never stop learning. There is no need to adopt unrealistic standards of consistency or accept rigorous judgmental standards. Spinners own their spinning and spin for their own pleasure and purpose. There is no right or wrong way to spin, nor is there a way of ‘doing it properly’. The correct way is the way that feels right for you.You spin. You rule how it is done. And the more knowledge you have of the subject, the more satisfying spinning will be.

There are recognized spinning techniques which have been used for hundreds of years, such as ‘long draw’ and ‘worsted draw’, which serve different purposes. However, a good yarn is one that is fit for purpose, and a good spinner has the knowledge, skills and discernment to choose a manner of spinning which fits their purpose.

The pleasure of drawing out an arm’slength of thread, seeing the lumps and bumps smooth out as the fibres attenuate, never ceases. Equally satisfying is combing out a fine Shetland fleece in the traditional manner.

Spinning is for pleasure and one of its many joys is spinning yarn that money can’t buy or be produced or replicated on a commercial scale. The purpose of a yarn need not be practical, such as to weave, knit or crochet into something else; the end purpose may be simply to make beautiful yarn, just for the joy of it. Many spinners make yarn simply for the purpose of art. All art is a personal, subjective response to something and, in this respect, the spinner of art yarn is no different from a watercolour artist. Art yarn is a spinner’s response to fibre, texture, colour structure, and so on; therefore it cannot be judged to be right, wrong or ‘spun properly’.

A good quality yarn is one that suits the purpose of the spinner. Hence, even those new to spinning can quickly be spinning quality yarn. Learning is a process, so don’t make impossible demands; simply choose the purpose to suit ability. Far better to make a hot water bottle cover that gives years of service as your first spinning project, than start a lace-weight shawl with complex detail that never gets finished.

Discovering fibre is an adventure rather like travelling the Old Silk route. A world-wide abundance of quality fleece can be sourced, from primitive to modern cross-breeds, camelid, goat and rabbit fibres. There are traditional plant fibres too, such as flax and cotton, and exotic types like bamboo and banana, and of course silk.

Fibre is only one part of the equation of a yarn, however. Colour is as significant as fibre and the more you work with it, the more fun it becomes. Colour skills are an integral part of creating beautiful yarn. The architectural structure of yarn affects the way it reflects or refracts light, and its texture and performance, so you need to know about that too. Just as cookery has its classic sauces, you will find there are great classic yarns, like glorious shaped bouclé, gimps, crêpe and coils – these are not at all difficult, once you have the recipe.

The rewards of learning to spin are uplifting and wholesome. It takes effort, as any spinner will tell you. Like your first day at a new school, be brave, turn the page, and just get on with it.

You won’t be the first….

IN HER HANDS SHE HOLDS THE DISTAFF, AND GRASPS THE SPINDLE WITH HER FINGERS.

PROVERBS 31:19

1 One Thread at a Time

Getting started on a spindle, or wheel

The aim of this chapter is to show how to spin a simple woollen thread, by hand, with a drop spindle, or by spinning on a wheel. Spinning with a drop spindle was commonplace in all societies for thousands of years and is still the cheapest, easiest and most accessible way to get started. Aim to make a single thread, not commercial-looking yarn; that is not what hand spinning is about. Just let one thread lead to another, and avoid being judgemental.

Spindle whorls, round weights with a hole through which a stick was inserted, are common artefacts in museums. Images of spinners working with drop spindles (whorl on a stick), great wheels or charkhas can be found on ancient pottery fragments, stone carvings and illuminated manuscripts. Textiles rarely survive over the centuries but there are exceptions, such as the Peruvian Paracas textile fragments in the British Museum, which are over 2,000 years old and spun from camel or alpaca. From Europe we have the shroud of St Paulinus of Trier dating from the fourth century. Such textiles show levels of spinning and weaving expertise which are astonishing given what we know of the technology available at the time.

All of the images of spinners show them doing the same thing: mixing fibre and twist and drawing them out into a thread; this has not changed in 2,000 years. Spinning may look mysterious, whether it is done by hand or in a busy commercial mill, but it is simply a process of putting fibre and twist together.

STEP-BY-STEP

MAKING THREAD WITHOUT A WHEEL OR SPINDLE

This little exercise shows how simple it is to draw a long thread from a few fibres. It demonstrates the relationship between fibre and twist. It assumes availability of a few locks of wool, either straight from the sheep or commercially produced roving (a length of fibres loosely drawn out into a tube or sausage shape) – it does not matter which at this stage.

A wheel or spindle simply makes the twist, it doesn’t control anything – unless you let it – so for the moment just work with your hands. A woollen thread made by hand can be drawn out to up to a yard or a metre at a time. It is surprising how few fibres it takes to make an arm’s-length of yarn.

Children find the following step-by-step exercise easy to follow and love to see their handiwork spring into life as a wristband when the thread is folded in half and naturally twists into a yarn.

There is an inverse relationship between fibre and twist: thin thread needs lots of twist; thick thread needs a lot less – much less in fact. So as thread is drawn out and gets thinner, more twist needs to be put in to strengthen it. At this point you will understand why spindles were invented. Fingers get tired.

STEP 1 Gently tease off a few fibres.

STEP 2 Take a lock of fibre and hold it between finger and thumb of both hands so that the tips of the fibre are pointing up or down and loose fibres hang suspended vertically between thumb and forefinger of both hands. Keep hands close together, but leave fibres free to take up the twist.

STEP 3 With one hand, put in some twist by turning the fibres of one hand over and over, and keep the other hand still. If you let go the twist will escape, so keep hold all the time. Try not to move the hands apart. It will look a complete mess but don’t worry about that.

STEP 4 After two or three twists the twist will gather into one place and form a narrow neck. Now gently draw your hands apart and, as if by magic, it won’t break. Stop when your hands are about 8 inches apart; put in more twist to form your first hand-spun thread. It’s a great feeling! The longer the thread gets, the more twist you will need to put in. Be content with a fat thread at first as this will be less likely to break, and will need much less twist.

STEP 5 Without taking your hands off, put in lots more twist in the same direction and gently draw your hands even further apart. With luck you will feel it stretch as the fibres attenuate and the twist evens itself out along the thread. This feeling of stretchiness is rather like plasticity – the fibre stretches – but unlike elastic it does not shrink back.

STEP 6 Put in more twist until it feels strong and secure and will not stretch further. Now bring both ends together, keeping a finger in-between. Hold the ends and let go with the finger. The thread will quickly twist back on itself and form double, stable yarn. (This is actually ‘plying’, but more on that later.)

STEP 7 This can be tied to make a wristband or keyring as a keepsake. If it didn’t work first time, try again, paying careful attention to how you hold the fibres. Try to find the very satisfying, stretchy feeling as the fibres slip over each other; this feeling is what you will be looking for when spinning on a wheel or spindle in future.

STEP-BY-STEP

SPINNING ON A DROP SPINDLE

When you can make a simple thread by hand, the next stage is to get a spindle to make the twist for you. The method is exactly the same as above without a spindle: put twist into fibre, draw thread, add twist and draw. But a lot faster and more satisfying. Spindles come in all shapes and sizes but the easiest by far is the top whorl. This has a whorl at the top with a hook in it and a long spindle stem. A lightweight spindle, say less than an ounce or 30g is best to start with. You simply use it to do what your left hand did in the exercise above – make the twist. It is very important to hold the spindle in your left hand and turn it up towards your body, over and away from you.

When you think about it, spinning is only joining fibres together. If you can join a few fibres to a thread you can spin… so it makes sense to look very closely at how to join fibres to a ready-made thread. Attention to detail in how to make good strong joins is the secret of success.

The following step-by-step exercise demonstrates joining fibre to the previously made thread, which is what spinning is essentially all about: one thread leading to another.

You could use some ready-made yarn as your leader thread, but you would miss the learning opportunity of seeing fibre and twist come together in a carefully controlled manner. Once you have a leader thread attached to the hook than all you need to know is how to join new fibres to a leader thread. With luck, you will soon be spinning.

STEP 1 Firstly, take the spindle in your left hand and hook it into few of the fibres. It is easier to lay the spindle down on a table at first. Leave most of the fibres loose and hold a few at the outer edge of them between finger and thumb as before.

STEP 2 Now gently twirl the spindle up towards you and then away from you. This will put twist into the fibres, forming a neck where the twist has congregated.

STEP 3 When you see the neck has formed, draw out your thread as in stages 4–6 above.

STEP 4 As the thread becomes stronger it will support the weight of the spindle and can be twirled freely in the same direction as before. Once you have about 18 inches of strong thread, fold in half to make a stable yarn.

STEP 5 Unhook the thread and tie it securely onto the spindle stem to make a leader thread.

STEP 6 When the leader thread is attached to the stem with a clove hitch it will not slip.

STEP 7 Use a half-hitch to secure the leader thread to the hook.

MAKING JOINS

Admittedly the method shown is still rather slow, but it allows you time to think about what is going on and what needs to be done, and to do it. Have faith: after two or three goes the spindle will soon be spinning suspended in mid-air. For a start be pleased that you can manage fibre and twist, and make a thread that holds together. This is the most important thing a spinner needs to learn – as stated previously, the very essence of spinning is simply bringing fibre and twist together.

The next stage is to combine the stilted drop spindle movements into one cohesive flowing movement. While the spindle spins in mid-air, both hands are free to draft the thread.

STEP-BY-STEP

MAKING JOINS

STEP 1 Hold the leader thread across a few fibres half-way down the staple. Lay the thread well over the fibres to ensure a good join and hold the leader thread firmly under your thumb. (If you were to have the fibre and leader all going in the same direction this would make a worsted rather than woollen draw; seeChapter 3: Essential Spinning Techniques.)

STEP 2 With your left hand twirl the spindle up towards and then away from you. In your right hand if you are still holding the leader thread securely with your thumb you will see fibres begin to attach to the lead thread as you put the twist in. It helps if you encourage the twist to move into the fibres by gently twirling the leader thread with your left hand. There is seldom enough twist for this to happen by itself, as twist naturally gravitates towards thin places.

STEP 3 Once the fibres are attached, gently release the pressure in your right hand and draw it away, leaving a few fibres free to form a roving (a tube or sausage shape of fibres) about 6 inches long. As you do this, twist will appear to jump into the thinner bunch of fibres and form a neck. Don’t worry about the fat clump of fibres – these will be drawn out during the next stage.

STEP 4 Still holding the spindle, continue to add twist and draw thread alternately. As you do so, try to feel for that stretchy elastic sensation that occurs when the balance of fibre and twist is just right and the fibres are able to form a thread. If it feels as though it might break, put in more twist. If it looks as if it will break, then rejoin again with more fibre placed crosswise as before. Hopefully you will experience a ‘eureka’ moment and draw a long thread!

STEP 5 Be careful not to draw the fibre out too thinly. Apart from the inconvenience of having to rejoin when you ‘run out of fibre’ (or you could say, it breaks!), it is more difficult to make a new join with a thin thread. Settle for a thick, strong thread at this stage. Unhook the leader and wind it onto the spindle stem, leaving enough to tie another half hitch and form the new leader thread.

STEP 6 Hold the leader thread in your right hand and roll the stem of the spindle down your left thigh to make lots of twist. It is important that it is your left thigh as this makes a Z twist.

STEP 7 Join on new fibres by laying the leader thread over them and holding with your thumb.

STEP 8 As the new fibres join, let in some twist and draw out a fat roving (a tube or sausage shape of fibres). Use each hand independently.

STEP 9 When you have a thick roving, stand up, roll the spindle down your left thigh to make more twist and quickly draw out the thread with both hands while the spindle spins in mid-air. Keep a close eye on the spindle as it will reverse and unspin all your good work once it loses momentum.

SPINNING ON A MODERN WHEEL

Modern wheels have an orifice through which the twisted yarn is threaded before being automatically wound onto removable bobbins. They incorporate bobbins and a flyer with hooks, which wraps yarn onto the bobbin for storage. They come in all shapes and sizes with either a single- or double-band drive mechanism. (The different types are illustrated and described in detail in Chapter 2.)

The single-band drive is considered easier for beginners. It incorporates a drive band that turns the flyer and a Scotch tension which enables the bobbins to fill automatically when required. The double-band drive is in fact a wheel with a single band that goes around twice! The double-band crosses at the top or bottom depending on the direction in which the wheel is turning, and this double band drives the bobbin and the flyer (wrapping) mechanism at the same time.

Whatever wheel you start with, it needs to be ‘tuned’ for optimum performance. This can be difficult for beginners as they don’t know if the wheel is properly set up or how to do so if it is not, so if in doubt, ask an experienced spinner for help.

The Scotch tension on a single drive wheel enables the yarn to be stored on the bobbin without having to stop the wheel. It is recognizable as a thread which goes around the groove on a bobbin and works like a brake, causing the bobbin to turn more slowly or stop turning altogether. It looks like a piece of fishing line with an integral spring, and goes around the groove in the bobbin at the open end of the flyer and is adjusted by a knob on the wheel.

If there is too much tension on the leader thread it is the Scotch tension that needs loosening off. If the bobbin won’t wind on then the Scotch tension is usually the reason why. The leader thread must always be under some degree of tension for the bobbin to wind on, but the less tension the better. This applies to the spinner as well as the wheel!

A wheel such as an Ashford traditional is a good one to start with. It has a single drive band that goes around the wheel and Scotch tension controlled with a spring.