| This description is based on the assumption that wool | | | | garment. |
| is the fibre being used. For hand-spinning most of the | | | | Removing the yarn from the wheel When spinning on |
| fibre spun is wool, or a blend containing wool. Most | | | | a spinning wheel, the yarn collects on a bobbin. Once |
| animal hair fibre is handled with only a few | | | | the bobbin is full, the spinner can either put on a new |
| modifications to the below description. Plant fibres are | | | | bobbin, form a skein, or ball the yarn. |
| prepared for spinning very differently. | | | | If the yarn is to be plyed then the most common |
| Sheep Shearing The first step in processing the wool | | | | action is to put a new bobbin on the wheel, and leave |
| is to collect it. Shearing can be done with use of | | | | the yarn onto the bobbin so that the spinner can ply |
| hand-shears (tools that look like big scissors) or | | | | directly from the bobbin. This makes for greatest ease |
| powered shears. | | | | when plying, but cannot be done if the spinner does |
| Professional sheep shearers can shear a sheep in | | | | not have enough bobbins. When plying from bobbins a |
| under a minute, without nicking the sheep once. At | | | | device called a lazy kate is often used to hold the |
| many state fairs there are sheep shearing contests, to | | | | bobbins. |
| see who can shear a sheep the fastest. These | | | | If the spinner has the end result (i.e. |
| contests mainly include older men, with only a few | | | | the yarn is already plied or is not going to be), then |
| youngsters. | | | | most likely they will make a skein out of the yarn. A |
| When the fleece comes off the sheep it should be in | | | | skein is a coil of yarn twisted into a loose knot. |
| one piece. Also, it is best if the shearer cuts close | | | | It is either formed on a niddy-noddy or some other |
| enough to the skin that a second cutting is not required. | | | | type of skein winder. |
| Second cuts make for very short fibres, which are | | | | Traditionally niddy-noddys looked like an uppercase "i", |
| more difficult and not as much fun to deal with and | | | | with the bottom half rotated 90 degrees [3]. Now days |
| spin. | | | | spinning wheel manufactures also make niddy-noddys |
| Primitive breeds, like the Scottish Soay sheep have to | | | | that attach onto the spinning wheel [4] for faster skein |
| be plucked, not sheared, as the kemps are still longer | | | | winding. |
| than the soft fleece, (a process called rooing) or the | | | | Rarely is the yarn balled directly after spinning. Normally |
| fleece must be collected from the field after it falls out. | | | | hand-spun yarn will be stored in skein form, and |
| Skirting Skirting basically means disposing of all wool | | | | transferred to a ball only if needed. (For example, |
| that is unsuitable for spinning (too short, has sheep | | | | knitting from a skein, unless done very carefully, ends |
| dung in it, etc.) One often could spin this wool, with | | | | up with the yarn in knots, so it is best to ball it first.) Ply |
| much extra effort, if one wanted. (The dung can be | | | | Plying yarn is when one takes a strand of spun yarn |
| washed out, the short fibres - though with greater | | | | (one strand is often called a single) and spins it |
| difficulty than longer ones - can be spun, and other | | | | together with other strands in order to make a thicker |
| objections can be similarly dealt with.) Thus this step | | | | yarn. There are several ways, the most common |
| can be skipped if necessary. It can also be done at the | | | | being regular and Navajo. |
| same time as carding. | | | | Regular plying consists of taking two or more singles |
| Cleaning Before carding the wool, it must be cleaned. | | | | and twisting them together, the opposite way. This can |
| At this point the fleece is full of lanolin and often | | | | be done on either a spinning wheel or a spindle. The |
| contains vegetable matter, such as sticks, twigs, burs | | | | most important thing to remember though is that the |
| and straw. One way to prevent the vegetable matter | | | | twist must go the opposite direction. If in spinning the |
| from getting into the fleece is to have the sheep wear | | | | single the wheel was spinning clockwise (which is |
| a coat all year round. | | | | called a "Z" twist, as on any given side the fibres |
| At this point there are two ways to go. | | | | appear to cross diagonally in the same direction as the |
| The first is to simply pick out the vegetable matter, and | | | | diagonal of a "Z"), in order to ply it the wheel must spin |
| move on to the next step. The lanolin is kept in the | | | | counter-clockwise (an "S" twist). |
| wool. | | | | This is because otherwise you are not balancing the |
| People who enjoy spinning 'in the grease' (i.e. spinning | | | | twist, just twisting it more. The concept is similar to |
| with the lanolin still in the wool) prefer this method, and | | | | when a heavily twisted piece of yarn is folded, and it |
| wait to wash the lanolin out until they finish spinning. | | | | twists up on itself. It is most common for singles to be |
| The lanolin can be left in the wool after spinning as | | | | spun with a "Z" twist, and then plied with an "S" twist. |
| well, making the fabric or garment water repellent. If | | | | Navajo plying consists of making large loops, similar to |
| one doesn't want to spin in the grease, the other option | | | | crocheting. First make a loop about 8 inches long |
| is to take both the vegetable matter and the lanolin out. | | | | through the loop on the end on the leader. (A leader is |
| Washing the wool at this stage can be a tedious | | | | the string left on the bobbin to spin off of.) Start |
| process, if you let it. Some people wash it a small | | | | spinning all three strands together in the opposite |
| handful at a time very carefully, and then set it out to | | | | direction than that they were spun in. When only 2 to 3 |
| dry on a table in the sun. Other people will stick the | | | | inches remain of the loop, pull a new loop of yarn |
| whole fleece in a tub of water and soap (dishwashing | | | | through the loop, and continue spinning. The new loop |
| detergent works well), let it sit, swish it around, and refill | | | | should be around 7 inches long. Repeat this process |
| the tub with new water occasionally until the fleece is | | | | until the yarn is all plied. Only one single is necessary, |
| clean (of soap and dirt). One carding mill puts the | | | | and if the single is already dyed this technique allows it |
| fleece in a washing machine (that has been slightly | | | | to be plied without ruining the colour scheme. This |
| modified for this purpose) and melts the lanolin away | | | | technique also allows the spinner to try to match up |
| by soaking the fleece in very hot water. All these | | | | thick and thin spots in the yarn, thus making for a |
| methods work. The thing not to do when washing | | | | smoother end product. |
| fleece is to rub it against itself too much. If the fleece | | | | Most spinners (who use spinning wheels) ply from |
| gets agitated, it will become felt, and then spinning it is | | | | bobbins. This is easier than plying from balls because |
| impossible. Felting, when done on purpose (with | | | | there is less chance for the yarn to become tangled |
| needles, chemicals, or simply rubbing the fibres against | | | | and knotted if it is simply unwound from the bobbins. |
| each other), can be used to create garments. | | | | So that the bobbins can unwind freely, they are put in |
| Carding Before spinning it is a good idea to get the | | | | a device called a lazy kate, or sometimes simply kate. |
| fleece into a slightly more manageable state. It is | | | | The simplest lazy kate consists of wooden bars with |
| possible to spin directly from a fleece, if it is a very | | | | a metal rod running between them. Most hold between |
| clean one, but it is much easier to spin a carded fleece. | | | | three and four bobbins. The bobbin sits on the metal |
| Carding by hand yields a rolag, a loose woollen roll of | | | | rod. Other lazy kates are built with devices that create |
| fibres. | | | | an adjustable amount of tension, so that if the yarn is |
| Using a drum carder yields a bat, which is a mat of | | | | jerked, a whole bunch of yarn is not wound off, then |
| fibres in a flat, rectangular shape. Most carding mills | | | | wound up again in the opposite direction. Some |
| return the fleece in a roving , which is a stretched bat; | | | | spinning wheels come with a built in lazy kate. Picture |
| it is very long and often the thickness of a wrist. (A | | | | of lazy kates, with tension device. |
| pencil roving is a roving thinned to the width of a pencil. | | | | Washing If the lanolin was not washed out before, this |
| It is often used for knitting without any spinning, or for | | | | is the point at which it gets washed out, unless the |
| beginning spinners.) Many hand-spinners send their | | | | lanolin is to be left in the cloth as a water repellent. |
| wool out to carding mills to be carded, as one | | | | When washing a skein it works well to let the wool |
| good-sized fleece may take weeks to card with a | | | | soak in soapy water overnight, and rinse the soap out |
| drum-carder, or an eternity by hand. If the fleece is | | | | in the morning. Dishwashing detergents are commonly |
| sent to a carding mill, it must be washed before | | | | used, and a special laundry detergent designed for |
| carded. | | | | washing wool is not required. The dishwashing |
| Most mills offer washing the wool as a service, with | | | | detergent works and does not harm the wool. After |
| extra fees if the wool is exceptionally dirty. Other | | | | washing, let the wool dry (air drying works best). Once |
| hand-spinners simply buy their fibres pre-carded. | | | | it is dry, or just a bit damp, one can stretch it out a bit |
| Spinning Hand spinning can be done many different | | | | on a niddy-noddy. Putting the wool back on the |
| ways, the two most common being by use of the | | | | niddy-noddy makes for a nicer looking finished skein. |
| spinning wheel or the spindle. | | | | Before taking a skein and washing it, the skein must be |
| Spinning turns the carded wool fibres into yarn which | | | | tied up loosely in about six places. If the skein is not |
| can then be directly woven, knitted (flat or circular), | | | | tied up, it will be very hard to unravel when done |
| crocheted, or by other means turned into fabric or a | | | | washing. |