Crappy Yarn

I made super-crappy yarn! But it's recognizable as yarn, not just roving wrapped around the bobbin, which is what I had before! And I made it!

So, turns out you're supposed to pinch the yarn as the wheel spins. This means that the fly wheel will continue to revolve around the bobbin, and the bobbin will turn because the fly wheel is. When there's enough twist in it, then you let go, at which point your scotch tension keeps the bobbin from spinning, allowing the yarn to wrap around the bobbin. I think.

First Real Day With Spinning

So, this is what I posted on FaceBook, with the addition of nifty hyperlinks (I may have been just a teensy bit steamed when I posted it. Husband was not amused):


Husband threw away (!!!) the cord I had set aside for my drive ... thingie. Not a shaft. A drive... cable. Thing. So, I'm using some Cascade 220 I had, spare (no such thing, but, whatever), and it's not working very well. And I think my ratio is all hosed. And there's not nearly enough twist in the fibers before they get wrapped around the bobbin. And I definitely need one of those orifice hook thingies, because my pipe-cleaner is getting worn out. And the AlpacaDirect video mentioned oiling the leathers and I don't even know what that is, much less did my $35 (read: thirty-five-goddamned-dollar) Ashford spinning book even mention oil.


Plan for tomorrow: hit the internet and figure out where to get an orifice hooky thingie and drive cable stuff and whether or not I really need oil and what kind and spare bobbins and what the hell I'm doing wrong that my roving is virtually unchanged when it hits the bobbin.


 In all fairness to the spouse, if the Things had not been messing with my wheel (!!!), the drive cable stuff wouldn't have been in the floor (!!!) where it was picked up and thrown out. In all fairness to fairness, who the eff finds a bunch of cord lying near the woman's new wheel, picks it up, and throws it away?!?

This is the picture of my fly-wheel/bobbin/leathers. And the shitty twine.

I haven't called the store in Spokane (yet). I've been lazy and laundering. I'll take care of that Monday.

As I posted later in FB, I had an as-I'm-falling-asleep epiphany, and think I know some more stuff to try. I'll check some stuff in the book and hit the YouTube and re-adjust my attitude (and tension levels hehehe) and re-try. I may try lubricating with cider instead of sewing machine oil and see if that doesn't help.