Time passes so quickly

[Nymphadora]

I will say that I much prefer to spin the angora on my drop spindles rather than my wheel.

Really? May I ask why, or what makes it more pleasant on a drop spindle compared to a wheel? I’ve been looking into learning how to spin, and with my clumsiness it seems like a wheel (or a kick spindle at least) would be the way to go, so I don’t have to do everything with my hands. Plus I’m used to using my feet/legs while sewing. So for some reason a drop spindle almost seems overwhelming to me, compared to a wheel. But since Angora is the most likely source of fiber I will eventually get into, it would make sense to learn to spin with that first.

Thank you so so much in advance for all your helpfulness and advice, and also for everyone else that pitches in with more information!

This place really is the best… I’ve finally found my people.

 

[SixGun]

Yeppers, Angoras are like potato chips, ya can't have just one LOL

I started spinning on my drop spindle with my home grown angora fiber about 5 years ago and love it! Once you master the angora, sheep's wool is easy peasy!

I have also used my angora fiber for bartering for spinning tools: a set of cotton hand cards and a really nice nostepienne! And I use it for prizes on ROC Day at my spinning guild.

I currently have 2 center pull balls of angora 2ply waiting to be crocheted into winter gloves for ME!

I will say that I much prefer to spin the angora on my drop spindles rather than my wheel.

So far, the angora on the drop spindle has turned out so much nicer, but I still have hope that I can get the Angora equally nice, because I just love the speed of the wheel. I do need more Angoras though, LOL! I'm kind of excited about my Lynx girl growing up. The blue, fawn, cream color all in one. Should be nice.

All this talk of yarns and guilds is making me dreamy!! I so need more rabbits and a a good fiber source to supply my Etsy store!

And Ferra. SABLE? That's amazing! :lol: My first fiber fest I had an adorable older woman behind me when I was trying to decide if I wanted to buy one bundle of rovings or two. She saw my struggle and laughed, and then told me, "She who dies with the most fiber wins!!"

I just saw a SABLE sign in my spinning shop. LOL! And, while I was there, the owner asked me if I would be her supplier for Angora fiber. So, even more motivation to get going.

I will say that I much prefer to spin the angora on my drop spindles rather than my wheel.

Really? May I ask why, or what makes it more pleasant on a drop spindle compared to a wheel? I’ve been looking into learning how to spin, and with my clumsiness it seems like a wheel (or a kick spindle at least) would be the way to go, so I don’t have to do everything with my hands. Plus I’m used to using my feet/legs while sewing. So for some reason a drop spindle almost seems overwhelming to me, compared to a wheel. But since Angora is the most likely source of fiber I will eventually get into, it would make sense to learn to spin with that first.

Thank you so so much in advance for all your helpfulness and advice, and also for everyone else that pitches in with more information!

This place really is the best… I’ve finally found my people.

I agree Nymphadora, I wish sometimes it was a little more active. I love the immediate responses on Facebook, but on RT, the people are so much more awesome!!

Although most people don't stick with drop spindles long term, I highly recommend learning with one. It will teach you the control and technique you need, at your speed, which you can then transfer to a spinning wheel. You can learn really good habits, and take it anywhere. I'm very glad I learned on a drop spindle. It would have just been too much all at once at top speed if I had learned on a wheel.

 

[Ferra]

Gah, I haven't had as much time as I want to respond to this thread while NOT on my phone. (Typing on that sucker can be a bit of a struggle).

Ferra, how did you get started, and are there really levels to progress through, and do people teach and mentor each other, and I just have so many questions!

With the program I'm in, it is not a "guild" program per se. (though I was a member of the local guild for a few years.) It is a post-secondary program run by Olds College here in Alberta - so it has 6 levels, and ends in a post-secondary degree in hand spinning. (Yes, this is about as useful as a degree in basket-weaving. Though if you want to get into that, they also run a "Master Weaver" program ) So that's how that works. Though the local guild teaches classes as well, they're a little less intensive. Just beginner and intermediate spinning lessons. Though a lot of people enjoyed those because they came with a wheel "rental" so to speak. A try-before-you-buy kinda deal.

I agree that angora is nice on a spindle... but I like to do a lot of my fine, high-twist spinning on spindles anyhow. Cotton in particular really is really lovely on my takli, or on my french/russian/or tibettan supported spindles. The spindles are how I started out, and I've got some that can get some absolutely wicked RPMs going. It's also just a good time playing with a dangly-thing on a string.

 

[AnnClaire]

Nymphadora, the reason I like to spin my angora on my spindles rather than the wheel is the tactile feel of the fiber is more apparent with the spindle. I basically get to "finger" the luscious fiber longer than when spinning with the wheel. LOL

I also like to over spin the single and then under spin the plying. By doing this, even before washing the skein, the wool starts blooming and for the gloves I want to crochet from this yarn, I am wanting a really fuzzy yarn that isn't going to shed too much, yet be quite fuzzy.

Whether I get the final gloves I want is still to be seen, but I definitely feel that I have more control over the single and the plies with the drop spindle.

If I had blended the angora with another fiber, I would definitely sample on a wheel and a spindle to see which had the better "feel" then pick the tool for the bulk of the spin.

Just to give ya'll a goose towards getting Angoras I went to ROC day (fiber guild) and provided a gallon baggie of blaçk angora fiber às one of the prizes for Dirty Santa. The angora was "stolen" all three times!! LOL

Then, I sold two half bags (one black, one blue) of angora fiber for $15 each, then traded another half bag of white angora for a 4oz braid of the most beautiful (IMHO) braid of dark red fiber for spinning! Woohoo!!!!

 

[SixGun]

It is a post-secondary program run by Olds College here in Alberta - so it has 6 levels, and ends in a post-secondary degree in hand spinning. (Yes, this is about as useful as a degree in basket-weaving. Though if you want to get into that, they also run a "Master Weaver" program )

The issue of Ply I was reading yesterday (Winter 2016) had two separate articles from Olds College teachers and participants in the spinning program. I think you've got a heck of a program there!!

I also like to over spin the single and then under spin the plying. By doing this, even before washing the skein, the wool starts blooming and for the gloves I want to crochet from this yarn, I am wanting a really fuzzy yarn that isn't going to shed too much, yet be quite fuzzy.

Exactly the look I love about Angora. That wonderful, beautiful, GLOW!

I was voluntold by my mentors that I am taking rabbits to the nearby Guild meeting and spinning class as so many people have never felt Angora fiber as a whole, and never seen it still on the "hoof".

 

[AnnClaire]

Haha I took 8 week old EA babies to a guild meeting a few years ago! I also took the indoor corral so they were not in an actual cage and the ladies all had a blast watching and being able to reach in and pet the babies. Of course, the babies all ran over to any hand as they thought they were going to get a treat.

I have also taken an adult EA in full coat and it is hilarious to see the expression of surprise on their faces when their hand sinks into the fiber until it finally reaches the body in the center of the mass of fiber!!! LOL

 

[SixGun]

Haha I took 8 week old EA babies to a guild meeting a few years ago! I also took the indoor corral so they were not in an actual cage and the ladies all had a blast watching and being able to reach in and pet the babies. Of course, the babies all ran over to any hand as they thought they were going to get a treat.

I have also taken an adult EA in full coat and it is hilarious to see the expression of surprise on their faces when their hand sinks into the fiber until it finally reaches the body in the center of the mass of fiber!!! LOL

I see that at the shows too! I let people pet my buns. I'm odd like that. Their wool will be no worse for it, in my opinion, and the person will smile, guaranteed.

We took our 7 week old litter to a preschool for show and tell. Too much fun.

I love Angora. They are so people orientated. They love attention so much. Good thing they're gorgeous. I think our pet sitter would watch them for free.

 

[Nymphadora]

Alright, I promise not to entirely hijack this thread, but...

I made drop spindles this weekend!
I decided that I would try to DIY one before getting too invested in tools for spinning, but the supplies gave me enough to make 4 total for $2 apiece! So now I got two top-whorl spindles (I think that's what you call them?) and two spindles that I could use either as a top-whorl or (by making a half-hitch under a notch at the bottom of the long portion) a bottom-whorl.

Now I just need to find a good source for fiber... any suggestions? :mrgreen:

 

[SixGun]

So very awesome! I'd love to know more about what you bought to make them. My spindle needs it's little hook replaced, so it's out of commission. I bought new hooks, but how to get the old broken one out?

As far as finding fiber..... Craigslist, Google fiber shop too, facebook sell groups. In the morning I'll add some links to the internet shops that were advertised in the last issue of Ply magazine.

 

[Ferra]

Nymphadora: You've got some nice notches on those!

SixGun: How to get it out? Depends on the hook! Obviously anything cup-hook like with a screw base should twist out. But if the hook is straight wire, you can either try to grip it with pliers and try to rotate it until the glue holding it in cracks and the hook comes out. Alternatively if it broke flush with the wood, one could try to gently drill it out. This last method will be variably successful depending on the hardness of the wire used for the hook. Copper and bronze should drill out really easily, steel for instance, not so much.

The above advice is mostly based on my, and my husband's experiences building ourselves spindles, and should be taken with a grain of salt, of course. We're an N=1 kind of operation here. There are always a few rogue variables based on how the spindle was constructed in the first place.

 

[Nymphadora]

Thank you guys!

I got the little hooks and the nice wheels (they're supposed to be wheels for wooden toys) at Hobby Lobby with a discount (score!). And we had some 3/8" diameter oak dowels at home, which fit the hole in the wheels perfectly. Otherwise I probably would've gone up to Lowe's or Home Depot and bought some for a dollar or two each. I just sanded the parts really nicely, used some files to make the notches, and drilled a teeny little hole in one end to get the hooks started. Then just slide everything together (it actually fits pretty snug, so I don't think I'll bother gluing them for now). And voila, 4 neat dowels. I did use pliers to open up the hooks a little in the end, but that's easy enough.

I took a regular piece of yarn just to see how it would spin last night, and it seems to be pretty nice and even, not all wobbly like I almost expected. I don't know if they're too heavy, maybe, but they feel nice and sturdy to me. And I could always reduce the weight by cutting the wheels a bit thinner if necessary.

Overall though, I'd call this project a success! And it only took part of an afternoon!

SixGun, I think Ferra gave just about every suggestion for getting those hooks out (I hadn't even thought of drilling them out), but I'd start by trying to unscrew them out. It seems like most of the hooks I found had screws.

 

[SixGun]

It's a brass hook with a base, which broke off at the base, with the base flush against the spindle. I wish I had one of those drivers that gets out busted bolts, etc.

 

[Nymphadora]

It's a brass hook with a base, which broke off at the base, with the base flush against the spindle. I wish I had one of those drivers that gets out busted bolts, etc.

Ouch :x

Yup, that sounds trickier to fix than simply unscrewing it. That's a real bummer. Well... how far is your nearest Hobby Lobby?

(By the way, thank you for the Craigslist suggestion, I wasn't having much luck with finding local shops)

 

[SixGun]

Did you find some fun on Craigslist? In one of my FAcebook groups yesterday someone posted a link to a Craigslist ad. The woman had piled up what looked like 50 bags of washed wool outside her house. Free, First come first serve. It was Idaho. There were people from all over the USA coordinating trips. Not sure what happened there... but, what a find!

 

[Nymphadora]

Did you find some fun on Craigslist? In one of my FAcebook groups yesterday someone posted a link to a Craigslist ad. The woman had piled up what looked like 50 bags of washed wool outside her house. Free, First come first serve. It was Idaho. There were people from all over the USA coordinating trips. Not sure what happened there... but, what a find!

Wish I could find a deal that good! Nope, unfortunately Southern California is severely lacking in wool-producers. Which is making me more and more anxious to get my rabbitry started, because I think I'm officially adding Angoras to the list. I love all the photos you guys have been sharing, and I was planning to have an extra hole or 3 just in case, anyway. So now maybe a pair of Angora will fill those nicely.

I'm just very impatient... but as DH keeps reminding me, better not get a ton of bunnies before we even have our own place. Looking at all the cute popples everyone's been sharing here and on Facebook, though... really testing my self control. :lol:

 

[SixGun]

My husband counseled the same, wait until we had moved into our next house. BE patient. And I think there was more but I stopped listening I think. I got 3 bunnies in October. I'm now saving two from this litter, and I just got permission to get another trio, buck and two does. PLUS>>>> PSFAngoras just talked me into a Satin Angora, so, I'll need at least a trio there eventually... So, In October of 2017, a year in, I expect at least 18, 6 month or older rabbits in my rabbitry. This may have been why my husband counseled patience. However, he is partially to blame. He loves them, and has stopped saying be patient. However, it comes with its own set of logistics now. We had planned a 12 hole rabbitry, with only 3 holes being taken up by Angora. That's not the way its working out, and so we're going to either divide the rabbits into more than one place in our home (we keep them inside to prevent having to worry about Arizona summers, well and spring and fall, too.) or build a new self contained rabbitry in our back yard.

I was impatient too. We planned for almost two years. It still took a while to find what we were looking for.

When you're ready, you guys might have to plan a trip. We're 7 hours from San Diego... A heck of a drive, but may be worth it.

 

[Nymphadora]

We had planned a 12 hole rabbitry, with only 3 holes being taken up by Angora.

Haha, this is almost exactly what I was planning!
Only I figured that I'd only keep a trio of Rex and then maybe a pair on Angora now that y'all have me hooked, and then the rest of the cages would be for grow-outs to have extra room.

When you're ready, you guys might have to plan a trip. We're 7 hours from San Diego... A heck of a drive, but may be worth it.

I actually made a 6 hour one-way drive out to Phoenix back in October on a crazy weekend trip with one of my friends that was visiting that area. And I wouldn't mind coming out there again, Arizona can be beautiful when it's not absolutely blazing outside!
:lol:
I'd love to come visit, especially when I've actually got the greenlight to go buy rabbits.

 

[Ferra]

I am beginning to realize that plans mean nothing to rabbits. Plan on keeping a certain herd size? Forget that! All the cute tiny buns will arrive. In contrast, I hear if you plan on increasing your herd 6 fold in a month, not one will take!

I keep making plans which then become invalid when new information comes up. See "hold back doe kit is a buck" and "runty doe slated for replacement is actually a Harlequin carrier producing 8 kits in her first litter." And "Practice with meat mutts for 2 years or so, and THEN replace whole herd with Angoras"

Plans? Pah!

 

[sunrise]

I love the talk about best laid plans! I went from 36 holes when we moved down to 0, but I kept 12 empty cages . Hubby said to be patient, wait till he built a separate rabbit barn he said, lol! I now have 2 satins, a buck on the way, and two angoras from sixgun! Now I'm hearing all this talk about satin angoras, how cool, my two favorite breeds all rolled into one! Do I see more cages in my future? You bet!

 

[PSFAngoras]

It's like AnnClair said, you can't have just one!! :lol:

Beginning of last year I had been out of angoras for nearly two years except my two favorites as pets. Then last September, unplanned, I got a pair of French that didn't work out and were replaced with nicer stock, and it all went down hill from there. Then in looking for a REW French Angora doe, I got a Satin Angora instead, and not three weeks later I'm slated to pick up a black buck for her and a chocolate chinchilla doe at the show next weekend.

I love my stupid bunnies. Life could get boring without them!!

On a side note, Hubby will be helping me learn a little blacksmithing so I can start making drop spindles with hand forged spindle parts, so they'll be super sturdy. Still have to figure out what I'm going to do for the whorl, but probably some scroll saw work. I'll post pics when I figure it out. Hoping to sell them on etsy eventually, but I have to figure out how to make them first!!