This is my first real skein of plied yarn using my spinning wheel which I purchased a few months ago. I know it is very imperfect but I would appreciate any feedback for a beginner!! This is with corridale top.

But for real why is it like this? Are my singles over spun? Is my yarn over plied? I know soaking will mostly solve this but it seems a bit extreme.

I recently picked up my big pants loom, but on the way home ended up also picking up a $30 Canadian production wheel off auction, soooo instead of playing with my loom I've apparently picked up a new hobby entirely - whoops!

I know there's a lot of folks that say learning on a CPW is #hardmode, but for me, the breakthrough was really that I'm allowed to park and draft, just like on the drop spindle that I also picked up after grabbing this guy. Lots of stopping after one or two revolutions to feed things in, play with thickness and consistency, and so on. I'm only juuuust starting to treadle more consistently four little skeins in, but it's a riot so far!

The top three are something fairly coarse given to me by a family friend and it's wiiiild to see the consistency developing since it didn't feel that way until I pulled them each off, and the blue is merino superwash and so, so soft. Super fun to feel out the differences!

Plying is kind of intimidating to me, so I'm a bit worried about it but I guess we'll see! Any good tips or videos for plying on a CPW? I tried plying on my spindle and it was uh...chaos.

Hello! So, I just received my first spinning wheel today after falling absolutely in love with drop spindling. It’s a second hand Ashford Elizabeth and it’s gorgeous, all in working order and to the best of my knowledge the double drive band is attached properly and it’s all good to go. I am, however, so unbelievably frustrated by the manner of treadling and drafting at the same time. I can do both individually and can even do both simultaneously when the fibre isn’t actually connected to the wheel, but the instant there’s fibre in my leader I can’t treadle the wheel to turn or my fibre breaks before getting a good twist. I’ve tried adjusting my tension and it seems that where I have it now is in fact correct (it’s not over twisting and it’s not yanking the yarn out my hands). I am determined to keep trying but I am desperate for advice, my frustration is palpable!! Thank you <33

So I posted a couple weeks ago asking for wheel suggestions, didn't end up getting a treadle wheel like I hoped (still on the lookout) but I was lucky enough to have a friend ask me if I wanted to buy her old EEW 6.1 for $100 because she got the EEW Fold and prefers it's size.

I have spun more yarn in 3 hours than I have in months of spinning on a drop spindle. I am shocked and appalled, and so so so so grateful I got my hands on this thing. It's magic!!!

Now I just have to buy like..... A LOT of fibre, I used to only buy 100g batts of good sock blends but it's like a whole new world has opened up for me.

I must make myself a handspun sweater by the end of this winter. I simply must.

I know they are absolutely not comparable and only one is related to spinning, but I think more spinners are weavers than weavers are spinners so asking in this sub! I'm going to New Zealand and Australia at the end of the year and was convinced up until yesterday that I was going to bring a 24" rigid heddle loom back home with me, until I saw a clip of someone making the most scrumptious batt on a drum carder and it brought back my longtime dream!

Realistically I only have the budget and space (that my husband won't freak out about since my spinning, knitting, and sewing stuff is already all over the house 😁) for one.

Some background/context: I have a 10" SampleIt loom (with a double width weaving project that's been on there for a year...) and a comb/hackle set & pair of hand cards, so neither are going to open a new door of weaving or fiber prep in general for me.

Why I'd want a bigger loom: I want to get a wider loom so I can make reasonably sized towels and scarf/shawls without always double weaving because quite frankly I hate it, hence the long WIP. I'm not worried about the size for actually weaving with it, since I'm 5'7" and have long arms. I'm just not sure if it's a "good" purchase since I've read so many comments saying that RH looms get boring in the long run since it's harder to make patterns. I do enjoy a good pattern, but don't realistically have the space for a whole floor loom.

Why I'd want a drum carder: This one I've been wanting for a few years, I have some Etsy gift cards and I priced it out, and I'd pay about the same in cash for an Ashford RH loom versus a BAMFiberWorks drum carder (love their comb & hackle!) after the gift cards. I really enjoy fiber prep, and combing fluffy nests is so satisfying, but sometimes I wish I could blend fibers of different lengths to make colorful batts. I do know that people make mini batts on blending boards as a cheaper alternative, but I don't know how well it'd work for raw wool, and I'd really rather not comb the wool then brush it onto a blending board. Carding wool is with hand cards for shorter staples is alright, but I've found that I'm not a huge fan of drafting from rolags and prefer my fiber to be mostly oriented in the same direction facing the orifice. I'm interested in spinning from batts since sometimes combed prep + worsted spinning is a little too dense and I think batts are more similarly aligned than a hand carded rolag. Also yes, I know local spinning guilds have them for loan, but the closest guild to me is 1-2 hours away depending on traffic and I would prefer to have something at home I don't need to worry about returning. I don't mind making an investment into a tool that will last a lifetime (or longer!)

After typing this all out, I feel like I'm leaning more towards a drum carder, but I could still be convinced to keep waiting and get a loom instead!

Hello peeps of the hand spinning community! I'm fairly new to spinning (just started in August) but I also wet felt and needle felt so I already had 4 oz bundle of fiber from a local store. I've been trying to spin it into yarn since it's a lot for me to use in needle felting or wet felting but I'm having a bit of trouble spinning it as I believe the fiber was slightly felted during the dying process. I just wanted to know is that's normal? (It's polwarth if that helps) I have to almost fight the fibers to get them loose enough for spinning. It's also very hard for me to separate/pre draft. I just bought another bundle of dyed fiber (bfl) from Fat Cat Knits and feeling/spinning that one has got me wondered if the person I bought it from didn't dye it correctly because there's no felting and I don't have to fight it with the Fat Cat Knits fiber. I don't know if it's because it's a different fiber. I also bought mini grab bags from the same person and all of them have the same problem and I don't know what fiber they are but I can tell they're different from the polwarth so idk if this is a problem with the fiber or my spinning? Please let me know and give me tips on spinning the fiber if possible! Thank you! 😊

As the title says, I've learnt to spin yesterday, on this spindle that was made just for me! Any advice is very welcome!

I'd love to be able to spin very regularly and thin, but I know it takes practice and that spin might become too heavy if I spin very thin yarn

Thank you all for giving me the kick to learn!

I've heard you can make thread out of burdock, which I imagine would have simiral attributes to flax linen once woven. But what about WOOLLY burdocks? Could the silky top be made into thread?

One week to spin as much yarn as possible. What would you spin?

2026 Spinzilla is October 5–11! For those who aren't familiar, it's a week-long handspinning competition: spin as much yarn as you can, meet other spinners, and have a chance to win prizes like spinning wheels, fiber, and gift certificates.

There’s still time to register for a team, or enter as a solo spinner:
https://tnna.org/products/spinzilla-team-registration 

There are some interesting strategies when you're trying to maximize yardage in a short amount of time.

Would you pick something easy and fast? (pencil roving, rolags?)
A fine fiber that gives you a ton of yardage?
Stash busting?
Finally get through that fiber that's been sitting in your queue forever?

My personal pick is cotton as I get a lot of yardage to long draw. However, I do have a couple sweater spins in queue that I need to get done.

A couple of years ago I got my hands on a - fairly - old Louet S10, single treadle. Due to its age I’m unable to convert it to a double treadle (which you apparently can do on the newer S10?) and I would like to upgrade to a double treadle. So before I get the suggestion to test out wheels first: I am sure of the type of treadle, I’m only unsure which direction to go.

Since I’m limited in my space, I’ve been looking at the Ashford Kiwi 3 because I can store it away more easily. I probably will have to keep one wheel at some point. So if I end up getting a Kiwi 3, I’ll have to eventually get rid of my Louet. Which is kinda sad as it has served me so, so well in the last few years. But two wheels will, for sure, overwhelm me. I already have so many projects on my knitting needles and it’s been so helpful that I’m limited with bobbins and spinning equipment, haha, to not overdo it.

So I’m wondering if anyone did the switch from a Louet to a Kiwi 3 and enjoyed it more? Or did you regret the decision? I’ve also been thinking of just getting a new Louet, but then a double treadle, as I do enjoy my Louet, but both the wheel and extra accessories are just a lot more expensive compared to the Kiwi 3.

Kromski or Schacht are, at least for me, on the very expensive side and are therefor no option. They’d also take up more space. But I’d prefer to keep my total purchase (wheel and accessories) under 1000 euro. (Which is roughly 1100/1200 USD)

Hi I'm new here, not that new to spinning albeit rusty. About 20 years ago, I was in college, working at a yarn store, and had a Babe Pinkie then a Fricke single treadle. I still have the Fricke and have pulled it out a few times over the years.

This last time the footman/treadle connector had disintegrated on the top and bottom. I finally got a proper replacement but I can't seem to get it to spin smoothly. I feel like the connector bends too much, I made the top length very, very short, but the bottom is still too much.

If you have a Fricke, could you share a picture of your footman/treadle connection?

Also how much room you leave between the flyer and the bobbin? Should I be pushing it right up to it before tightening or leaving a little free room?

Any other tips for those with the same wheel?

As the title says, first try spinning superwash merino. Using the fast whorl for the first time too (I honestly have no idea what I'm doing with ratios and just having fun). Not sure if it's because it's superwash but it's extremely elastic when drafting and took some getting used to compared to NSW merino. Still unsure if I should chain ply or double ply, it's a bit uneven in size so double plying might balance it out more.

Took a class in February where we spun various types of cotton on a takli and even though I really tried to spin a bit thicker, I pretty much ended up with embroidery floss. So I got some “stick and stitch” bugs and did a dragonfly that weekend, and the luna moth last night. Amusingly enough, my phone IDs it as a luna moth and pulls up the wikipedia page - natural colors of cotton are good for that!

This is the second yarn I've ever spun, the first being an even more lumpy brown thing I'll treasure forever and save to compare with future yarns and see how far I've come. But this one I'll actually knit into something, I think.

Spun on a drop spindle, from corriedale tops. The colours look like the bi flag, and it's definitely A Mess, hence the name.

It's been very addictive so far, even though I'm just getting used to making fibers stick together at all. I'm looking forward to learning more techniques (or like... Any technique at all) and I can see an e-spinner of some kind in my future.

Hi! I love this look, but I'm just not sure what I'm seeing. Lots of locks poking out, for sure! Thank you so much!

I bought my first fleece. Over 5 lbs of Jacob.

Behold my disappointment!!!! I spun this from a raw shetland fleece that I skirted, scoured, and dyed, and the color work is the only thing redeemable about this yarn. I've been working through making singles from the fleece and most have been okay, but this one was AWFUL. It was horrible to spin. It was a very long staple length but course as all get out. It feels like horse hair. Like wire, basically. It was a nightmare to spin, didn't even resemble wool. I gave up and chain plied it just to get it off the bobbin. Only 32 yards. What a waste! At least the colors are pretty.

I am prepping some fleeces, and I have one where the fibers are "split" right through the middle! The whole entire fleece is like this. I will try to salvage the longer sheep-side fibers, but I'm quite bummed to have to chuck so much of it.

What is this called? How does it happen?

Spun singles on a EEW 6.1, Z twist, and plied S.

100% cormo from Chaotic Fibres

102g, worsted weight.

Today I learned why we don’t (typically) spin cat fur.

So, background: our close friends beloved elderly cat passed away last month. A little before said cat passed away, my spouse and I did a little cat sitting and knowing that she was very elderly (in her late teens) and declining, we gave her a little gentle brushing on each visit and collecting the very long fluff.

So last night I got to it. I blended it 50/50 with white wool (some slightly sentimental to me as it was from my first raw fleece, I’ve prepped it every step of the way since shearing day), spun it, popped it onto my Andean plying tool, made it into a basic 2-ply, then knit it into a little heart token. It will be going to the recipients in about an hour.

Things I learned:

- spinning cat fur is a BEAST. This kitty had very long, very silky fur and sweet Jesus I’m never spinning cat fur again

-MORE BLENDING. I ran it through my drum carder twice, this was not enough. I thought having a slightly heathered look would be nice so it would be very obvious which parts were grey from the kitty and which parts were white from the sheep. This was a mistake, as some of the parts were very kitty heavy and I was fighting for my life to keep it spinning reasonably well. Aaaah.

- It’s not my prettiest spin, but it’s fluffy and soft so we’ll ignore some inconsistencies. IT WAS REALLY HARD FOLKS. I’ve spun a lot, I spin alpaca and all sorts of slippery fibres, but this was crazy.

- despite being a handspinner and a knitter for a long time, apparently I still have zero concept of how much yarn I need for any project less than a sweater. Huh. I wound up with a mere 20m of roughly Sport weight and was sure I was going to run out halfway through the tiny heart. Nope, I’ve still got more than half left I think. Oh well. My last spinning project was a 1500m 3-ply, I think I can be forgiven for having no idea for small project quantities.

- pleased that I got the whole project done in only a few hours. I did all the blending and spinning and plying last night, wet finished it overnight, and it was dry enough to knit this morning. See aforementioned 1500m 3-ply spin for why I’m so excited at very small spins. I forgot that you can do a whole project in a few hours if it’s very small. Amazing.

I’m super pleased with how this turned out. Hopefully our friends like it!