Grab a few strands of wool, twist them together, and voila, you’ve got yarn! Magic! Many knitters, weavers, and crocheters find themselves exploring how to make handmade yarn, however, creating your perfect yarn is a whole craft in itself. The process of washing, preparing, spinning, and finishing steps can alter the feel and structure of the final yarn. We set up this guide to help you along this journey and show that anyone can master this with a bit of time and practice. We would be delighted for you to be spinning with SweetGeorgia.
Table of contents
Equipment and tools: Spindle, Wheel or e-Spinner?
This is where many people find themselves at a crossroads. Spindle spinning has a low-cost entry point. Its portability allows you to spin wherever you go; offering a remarkable yield of yarn due to the ease of quick access to spinning anywhere. On the other hand, the wheel presents many options, including castle or Saxony, and different tension systems of Irish, Scotch, or double-drive, making it a preferred choice for many spinners. While the wheel has stood the test of time, e-Spinners, a more recent addition to the market, offer a compact-size and portable alternative. They prove especially valuable for those who may face challenges with traditional wheel treading or spindle spinning due to physical constraints.
Feeling a bit uncertain about where to begin? No worries, everyone’s journey is unique. To assist you on your spinning adventure, here’s a curated list of articles to guide you along the way:
- Suspended vs supported spindles
- Styles of supported spindles
- What is a Turkish spindle and why is it so versatile?
- Styles of spinning wheels
- What is the difference between Irish, scotch or double-drive tension wheels?
- e-Spinner comparison guide
SweetGeorgia Yarns offers a selection of wheels and e-Spinners to get you started spinning.
Materials: Fibre, Fiber and more Fi-baaa (not just sheep)
Equally crucial is the question of where to start with your choice of fibre. And what about non-wool options? In a market flooded with choices, the decision can be overwhelming. We’ve compiled a list of spinning articles and courses available at SweetGeorgia Yarns to ease you into this fibre world:
- Easy beginner fibres for spinning
- Cotton vs Flax vs Bamboo fibre
- What are the different sheep categories
- Hair fibres: Camelids, rabbits, dogs and more!
- Spinning Pure Luxury fibre, Silk
- The rarest fibres: Yak, Angora, Bison, Qiviut!
- What are synthetic fibres?
SweetGeorgia Yarns offers a wide selection of natural and hand-dyed fire options along with kits to sample various fibres.
Courses with in-depth spinning advice:
- Spinning Sheep Breeds
- Spinning Luxury Fibres: Silk
- Spinning Luxury Fibres: Camelids
- Spinning Luxury Fibres: Goats and Rare
- Working from Fleece
How-to Spin Yarn: Spin, Twist, and Thwack!
Let us get you started with some spinning basics.
Free How-to Articles:
- How to make a leader string (spindle, wheel and e-Spinner)
- How to park and draft on a spindle
- Practice treadling on your wheel with yarn
- Why am I getting a pigtail in my handspun yarn?
- Stop yarn from breaking away from your hands while spinning
- Easy plying techniques for yarns
- Making your own lazy Kate
- Finishing handspun yarns
Our Core Basic courses are:
- Spinning from Scratch
- Spinning with Supported Spindles
- Spinning with Suspended Spindles
- Spinning with e-Spinners
Amazing ‘next steps’ courses:
- Spinning Up a Level
- Spin-In Clinic
- Spin to Knit Socks
- Spin to Knit a Sweater
- Nuances to Spinning Better Yarns
A Twist on the Traditional!
Traditionally, spinners worked with raw wool. However, today, we have an abundance of colour options at our fingertips, along with equipment to enhance our fibre preparations. Interestingly, many enthusiasts view fibre and colour prep as a hobby in itself. And when you consider different art yarn techniques, the creative possibilities become limitless. Imagine adding embellishments like neps, optical mixing colours, or even creating loops in our yarns (boucle); there’s no limit to what we can create when we set our minds to it!
Colour and fibre articles:
- How to make a fractal yarn
- Marling colours in hand spinning
- Making a rainbow on the drum carder
- Hackles, combs and more hue blending
Popular colour blending courses
- Colour and Fibre Play I
- Colour and Fibre Play ll
- Carding for Colour
- Spinning Intentional Colour
- Spin a Hand-dyed Braid Five Ways
- Spinning Textured Yarns
More equipment and tools to assist in this colour/fibre prep journey:
- Blending Board
- Hand Carders
- Hackle
- Diz
- Drum carder
Support in Learning to Spin Yarn
Are you feeling like your head and hands aren’t talking to each other? Can’t understand a concept? We have all been there. Let us be there for you!
Resources:
- We have many free tutorials available to anyone at the School of SweetGeorgia. Explore ideas, concepts, how-to’s and more!
- Being a part of the School of SweetGeorgia, you gain direct access to our knowledgeable instructors. This means you can freely ask questions, bounce ideas around, and engage with other members of the vibrant fibre community as well. Curiosity is encouraged!
- SweetGeorgia Yarns invites everyone to join our open Discord channel. It’s a vibrant, inclusive community with numerous members and staff always there to help or just to chat.
SweetGeorgia Yarns has a beautiful selection of hand-dyed braids and if you are a School of SweetGeorgia member, you receive a discount on individual braids of fibre!
Further resources: Just Can’t Get Enough?
We get it. It is easy to want to learn more, try more and sample until the sheep come home!
Suggestions:
- The School of SweetGeorgia’s study groups allow members to dive deeper together and enhance skills and knowledge in a supportive environment.
- New course content is always coming to the School of SweetGeorgia based on suggestions from our community!
- Also, watch for new spinning tutorials and articles from SweetGeorgia Yarns’ blogs!
Also consider dipping your toes into our colour courses, starting with the free course, Colour Play. Or explore dyeing your own yarn or fibre. Whether it’s acid, fibre-reactive, or natural dyeing, we have you covered with many courses and articles. Or switch up how you use your yarns. If you are a knitter, maybe pick up weaving or crochet.
At SweetGeorgia Yarns, we thrive on the joy of creation and being a community of makers. Together, we explore new techniques, share the love of tactile crafting, and connect with fellow multicraftual makers. We’re delighted to have you join us on this spinning adventure.
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