Spinner’s Bucket List

Last Friday, I was talking about setting goals for improving your spinning and Sandy commented, asking about my “bucket list” of 80 things to do with spinning. Here’s my starter list. I’ve broken the items up into four categories: Knowledge (background/general info), Skills (ability to do these things), Control (ability to do these things with greater control), and Experience (developing the depth and breadth by experiencing variety).

Many of these same topics can be found in programs like Old’s Master Spinner program. I picked through the program syllabus for ideas and then added more items to do with dyeing and colour work in spinning. There’s only 80, so I encourage you to suggest or add more! Maybe go through the list and check off what you know and then what you feel confident about. Then look at the holes in your list and see if they are areas that you want to dive into?

1. Knowledge

Spinning

1. Describe the characteristics and quality of wool
2. Describe the history of sheep, wool and spinning
3. Describe the production and harvesting of wool
4. Describe fineness classification of wool and types of wool
5. Describe the procedures to wash, dry and store wool
6. Describe tools and methods to prepare wool for spinning
7. Identify characteristics of fibres that influence fibre preparation
8. Describe how spinning wheels work
9. Describe the differences between different spinning wheels
10. Describe the principles of spinning
11. Describe vocabulary for spinning and wool
12. Build a spinning library

Dyeing

13. Describe the difference between types of dyes (acid, natural, etc.)
14. Identify the source and availability of natural dyes
15. Describe the differences between mordants used in natural dyeing
16. Describe how indigo dyeing works
17. Describe basic colour theory
18. Understand the difference between optical vs colour mixing

2. Skills

Spinning

19. Spin on a spinning wheel
20. Spin on a drop spindle
21. Spin on a supported spindle
22. Spin on a charkha
23. Spin using long draw drafting technique
24. Spin “over the fold” drafting technique
25. Spin a woolen yarn
26. Spin a worsted yarn
27. Spin a novelty yarn
28. Spin a plied yarn
29. Spin a Navajo-plied yarn
30. Wind a skein of yarn using a niddy noddy
31. Measure handspun yarn by twist angle, wraps per inch
32. Calculate the amount of fibre needed for a sweater or project

Fibre Preparation

33. Learn to hand card fibres
34. Learn to blend fibres smoothly using a drum carder
35. Learn to make a mixed (crazy) batt
36. Learn to use mini-combs
37. Wash and prepare a wool fleece
38. Prepare a fibre blend suitable for sock yarn
39. Prepare a fibre blend suitable for a specific purpose

Dyeing

40. Calculate and mix dye stock solutions
41. Calculate dye required for immersion dyeing
42. Dye wool/protein yarn and fibre by immersion
43. Dye wool/protein yarn and fibre by hand painting
44. Dye wool/protein yarn and fibre using natural dyes
45. Dye cellulose yarn and fibre by immersion
46. Dye cellulose yarn and fibre by hand painting
47. Dye cellulose yarn and fibre using natural dyes
48. Prepare an indigo vat
49. Dye yarn and fibre using indigo

3. Control

Spinning

50. Spin low-twist singles yarn
51. Spin a true worsted yarn
52. Spin a true woolen yarn
53. Learn techniques for controlling the size and texture of handspun
54. Spin gossamer weight yarn
55. Spin a bulky, lofty yarn
56. Reproduce a commercial yarn
57. Spin yarn for a specific end use
58. Spin yarn to suit fibre characteristics
59. Spin yarn specifically for knitting and crocheting
60. Spin yarn specifically for weaving (warp vs weft requirements)
61. Spin yarn with a specific twist per inch

4. Experience

Spinning

62. Spin from a wool fleece
63. Spin alpaca
64. Spin llama
65. Spin cotton
66. Spin mohair (kid and adult)
67. Spin pure silk (bombyx and tussah)
68. Spin bison fibre
69. Spin camel
70. Spin cashmere
71. Spin hemp
72. Spin angora
73. Spin flax
74. Use synthetic fibre in wool blend for spinning

Working with colour

75. Spin a 2-ply fractal yarn
76. Spin a 3-ply fractal yarn
77. Spin a self-striping sock yarn
78. Spin a marled/barber pole yarn
79. Blend 2 or more colourways using combination drafting
80. Blend 2 or more colourways by plying together

So, what’s on your list?