Still haven’t found a dedicated handspinning community, but I’m hoping this will tempt some of y’all to the dark side 😉
I spun this last year, but haven’t yet found a project worthy of it (open to suggestions!). Fiber is Merino wool, colorway is Tie Dyed Popsicles by the Wooly Witch, spun on my Babe’s Fiber Starter wheel. It’s about 15-16 WPI, so roughly a light fingering weight, and 170g. Planning to leave it a single since plying it might muddy those glorious, glorious colors, and that would be a travesty! 😍
Still a fairly new spinner, all things considered, and mostly self-taught, so I’m open to any constructive criticism and willing to answer any questions y’all might have! Thanks for letting me briefly invade your knitting space! 😁
How expensive is it to get started and how would you get started?
It depends if you can source the wool cheaply. If so, it’s about £40 for a drop spindle and some carding paddles. Otherwise, you’ll have to also factor in the costs of the fibre. Costs add up as you progress, of course… a spinning wheel would be your next big expense
I mainly buy dyed top roving, so I don’t actually do any of the carding myself. I really want a blending board to make my own blends, but life keeps getting in the way. Maybe someday…
I know a lot of spinners actually prefer spindle spinning to wheel spinning! Personally, I went through quite a few different kinds of spindles before deciding I wanted a wheel, but I have a close friend who prefers the more precise control of spindle spinning
The way I started was actually by going to my LYS’s celebration of World Wide Spin in Public day which falls on the third Saturday in September! But all you really need is a drop spindle and some fiber!
(Disclaimer: I am in the US, so this is all based on what’s available here and all monetary values are in USD.)
A basic starter spindle should run you between $15 - $20, but they’re actually really simple to DIY if you prefer. My first spindle looks like someone assembled it in a craft store (which, honestly, they might have), but it gets the job done!
As for fiber, my favorite places are The Spinnery Store (I buy directly from their website, but their fiber is on Etsy under slimchicken) and BlueMoonAlpacas on Etsy, but any combed top roving will do. Corridale wool is my favorite, but most of what you’ll find for cheap will probably be Merino. A lot of it will be in 4 oz braids, but 1 oz is plenty to start.
After that, I’d highly recommend JillianEve’s Drop Spindle for Beginners video on YouTube! She has a wide range of spinning tutorials and guides and does a great job of explaining things!