For some people, learning to spin and/or weave comes as easily as breathing. For the rest of us it takes a bit more learning and loads of practice. The Guild exists to support your journey, rather than offer tuition and teaching. However there are many skills, and skilled practitioners within the guild who are happy to share and impart their knowledge and help you on your way to becoming a spinner, weaver or dyer. You just need to ask.
In the meantime, and to get you started, the internet is a great place to learn the basics.
The Ashford website has a wealth of instructional tutorials on many topics related to spinning, weaving and dyeing https://www.ashford.co.nz/spinning-tutorials-2/
In the meantime, and to get you started, the internet is a great place to learn the basics.
The Ashford website has a wealth of instructional tutorials on many topics related to spinning, weaving and dyeing https://www.ashford.co.nz/spinning-tutorials-2/
Here is a link to specific Weaving videos https://leavalleyguildswd.weebly.com/weaving.html
Here is a link to specific Spinning videos https://leavalleyguildswd.weebly.com/spinning.html
Listening to Spinners and Weavers talking can sound like a language you don’t yet know - but you soon will.
Here are a collection of common words and phrases you may hear, and what they mean.
Here are a collection of common words and phrases you may hear, and what they mean.
Spindle or Drop spinning terms
Supported spindle- A type of spindle that spins on a surface, like a cup, bowl, table, or the ground. This works particularly well for fine, short-stapled fibres such as cashmere or cotton.
Drop Spindle - A spindle that spins in the air, held up by spun yarn attached to your fibre supply. Also called a suspended spindle.
Turkish Spindle - a portable type of drop spindle featuring two interlocking arms that form a cross-shaped whorl. The spun or plied yarn is wound directly onto the arms to create a centre-pull ball, which remains intact once the spindle is disassembled
Whorl- A spindle’s whorl, usually disc shaped, can be at the top, bottom, or in the middle of the shaft for a drop spindle. The placement of the whorl can effect the spin of your spindle. This looks like a 'wheel' on most spindles. Usually at one end of a bobbin on a spinning wheel.
Half hitch- Type of loop used to keep your yarn secured to the shaft of your spindle.
Leader- yarn used to start a spinning project, attached to your spindle or bobbin. You can either use a length of yarn, or roll roving on your thigh so it is strong enough to support the weight of the spindle.
Cop- the cylinder of yarn wound onto your spindle.
Spinning Wheel Terminology
drive ratio: how many times the flyer spins for every revolution of the drive wheel, expressed as XX:1. The groove on the whorl determines how often the flyer spins. The larger groove on a whorl, or a larger whorl, will slow down the flyer speed. When you slow the flyer, you have to turn the drive wheel more often (by treadling more often) to add the same amount of twist to a yarn.
take-up/tension/draw-in: how quickly the yarn draws onto the bobbin. With higher take-up, the yarn will draw onto the bobbin more quickly, giving you less time to draft and less time for twist to build up in the yarn. Correct tension is a balance: too little prevents the yarn from winding on (causing over-twisting), while too much pulls the fibre out of your hands before it can be properly twisted
tensioning: the way a spinning wheel adjusts the speed of the drive wheel versus the speed of the flyer.
The method used to adjust this pull depends on your wheel's drive system:
take-up/tension/draw-in: how quickly the yarn draws onto the bobbin. With higher take-up, the yarn will draw onto the bobbin more quickly, giving you less time to draft and less time for twist to build up in the yarn. Correct tension is a balance: too little prevents the yarn from winding on (causing over-twisting), while too much pulls the fibre out of your hands before it can be properly twisted
tensioning: the way a spinning wheel adjusts the speed of the drive wheel versus the speed of the flyer.
The method used to adjust this pull depends on your wheel's drive system:
- Scotch Tension (Flyer Lead): The most common system. The drive band turns the flyer, and a separate brake band (often a string with a tension spring) goes over the bobbin. The speed of the flyer and the speed of the drive wheel are independent of each other. Ideal for any yarn weight from fine to super bulky, for any low-twist yarn, or for art yarns. Tightening the brake knob increases pull-on.
- Irish Tension (Bobbin Lead): The drive band turns the bobbin directly, and the brake band is applied to the flyer. This creates a very strong pull, making it ideal for thick or bulky yarns and art yarns.
- Double Drive: A single long drive band is looped twice (often in a figure-eight) around the main wheel. One loop drives the flyer whorl, and the other drives the bobbin whorl at different speeds. Tension is adjusted by moving the entire "mother-of-all" (the assembly holding the flyer) closer to or further from the drive whee. The function of a brake is performed by the double drive band itself through a difference in pulley sizes and controlled slippage.
Spinning Tools and Equipment
Niddy-Noddy: A tool that you can wind your spun yarn on to make a hank and to measure the length.
Lazy Kate: a tool that holds bobbins of singles for plying; tensioned kates have a spring and string or some other way to slow down bobbin rotation.
Treadle/Treadles: The foot pedals on a traditional spinning wheel that turns the main wheel
Bobbin: This is the cylinder that holds your spun yarn on a spinning wheel.
Flyer: a U-shaped component on a spinning wheel. This is a part of a spinning wheel. It rotates around the bobbin to simultaneously twist fibres into yarn and guide the finished yarn onto the spool. You will typically see this spin very quickly around the bobbin on a spinning wheel. that
Flyer hooks: can be fixed or sliding, through which the yarn is guided onto the bobbin.
Maiden: the upright wooden posts that support the flyer assembly and bobbin. They are mounted onto a horizontal bar called the "mother-of-all"
Drive band: the cord that connects the large drive wheel to the flyer or bobbin, providing the rotation necessary to spin yarn.
Types of Drive Band Materials
Tension knob: used to control the pull of the spun or plied yarn onto the bobbin.
Orifice: small opening in front of the flyer in a spinning wheel through which the spun yarn passes from the hands to the bobbin.
Orifice hook: tool made from bent metal used to pull fibre through the small opening (orifice) of a spinning wheel to begin the spinning process
E-Spinner: An electronic spinning wheel that uses power (mains electricity or battery) to spin rather than a treadle (manual foot pedalling). May start and stop via a foot pedal. Spin speed is often adjusted via a dial.
Lazy Kate: a tool that holds bobbins of singles for plying; tensioned kates have a spring and string or some other way to slow down bobbin rotation.
Treadle/Treadles: The foot pedals on a traditional spinning wheel that turns the main wheel
Bobbin: This is the cylinder that holds your spun yarn on a spinning wheel.
Flyer: a U-shaped component on a spinning wheel. This is a part of a spinning wheel. It rotates around the bobbin to simultaneously twist fibres into yarn and guide the finished yarn onto the spool. You will typically see this spin very quickly around the bobbin on a spinning wheel. that
Flyer hooks: can be fixed or sliding, through which the yarn is guided onto the bobbin.
Maiden: the upright wooden posts that support the flyer assembly and bobbin. They are mounted onto a horizontal bar called the "mother-of-all"
Drive band: the cord that connects the large drive wheel to the flyer or bobbin, providing the rotation necessary to spin yarn.
Types of Drive Band Materials
- Polyurethane (Poly-cord): Stretchy, grippy, and long-lasting. These allow for easier treadling and "set-and-forget" tension because they don't stretch out as quickly as natural fibres.
- Cotton: Traditional and inexpensive. Cotton bands are often used for double-drive wheels because they allow for some "slip," which is necessary for the system to function correctly.
- Waxed Cotton: Provides extra grip and durability compared to plain cotton, often used for both single- and double-drive setups.
Tension knob: used to control the pull of the spun or plied yarn onto the bobbin.
Orifice: small opening in front of the flyer in a spinning wheel through which the spun yarn passes from the hands to the bobbin.
Orifice hook: tool made from bent metal used to pull fibre through the small opening (orifice) of a spinning wheel to begin the spinning process
E-Spinner: An electronic spinning wheel that uses power (mains electricity or battery) to spin rather than a treadle (manual foot pedalling). May start and stop via a foot pedal. Spin speed is often adjusted via a dial.
Fleece terminology
Only sheep can produce wool, and this is shorn as a fleece and then prepared for spinning.
To “skirt” in sheep shearing is the process of removing lower-quality, dirty, or damaged wool (the "skirtings") from the edges of a freshly shorn fleece
“In the Grease” refers to spinning raw, uncleaned wool from a sheep, retaining its natural oils.
Other animals produce various fibre which can be spun. Most commonly Angora goats produce mohair; Angora rabbits produce Angora (I didn't say it was logical!), Alpaca, Camel and Lama hair can be used. Dog and cat hair. Silk from silk worms. In fact of you can get the hair, you can probably spin it.
Non animal fibres can come from a whole range of different plant sources. Examples such as bamboo, nettle, banana, soy, tencel, cotton & linen
Staple length- Length of the individual fibres in your fibre supply, equivalent to the length of an individual lock of shorn wool. For example Merino wool has a short fibre staple, whereas a Wensleydale fleece has fibres that can be a foot long. To find this pull a small amount of fibres from the fibre supply and measure the length. This determines how far apart you'll hold your hands as you draft. Can also refer to non wool fibre.
Lock- a small individual grouping of fibres that seem to cling together when shorn from the sheep
Butt end - the clipped end of the lock of wool
Crimp - natural texture in wool fibre. Like human hair, sheep fleece can be curly, wavy, or almost straight. Crimp gives wool its natural resilience and elasticity.
Lustre: a natural gloss or sheen characteristic of some wools and mohair.
Loft - A lofty yarn has air trapped within it and is light and bouncy.
Felt/felting - felt is a soft material from wool fibres that are tangled using heat, soap, water and friction. Certain fibres can felt during scouring or dyeing if care is not taken. Felt can be made into two or three-dimensional pieces by wet-felting or needle felting.
Fulling - A method of finishing woollen cloth similar to felting.
Scouring - removal of dirt and grease (lanolin) from fleece
To “skirt” in sheep shearing is the process of removing lower-quality, dirty, or damaged wool (the "skirtings") from the edges of a freshly shorn fleece
“In the Grease” refers to spinning raw, uncleaned wool from a sheep, retaining its natural oils.
Other animals produce various fibre which can be spun. Most commonly Angora goats produce mohair; Angora rabbits produce Angora (I didn't say it was logical!), Alpaca, Camel and Lama hair can be used. Dog and cat hair. Silk from silk worms. In fact of you can get the hair, you can probably spin it.
Non animal fibres can come from a whole range of different plant sources. Examples such as bamboo, nettle, banana, soy, tencel, cotton & linen
Staple length- Length of the individual fibres in your fibre supply, equivalent to the length of an individual lock of shorn wool. For example Merino wool has a short fibre staple, whereas a Wensleydale fleece has fibres that can be a foot long. To find this pull a small amount of fibres from the fibre supply and measure the length. This determines how far apart you'll hold your hands as you draft. Can also refer to non wool fibre.
Lock- a small individual grouping of fibres that seem to cling together when shorn from the sheep
Butt end - the clipped end of the lock of wool
Crimp - natural texture in wool fibre. Like human hair, sheep fleece can be curly, wavy, or almost straight. Crimp gives wool its natural resilience and elasticity.
Lustre: a natural gloss or sheen characteristic of some wools and mohair.
Loft - A lofty yarn has air trapped within it and is light and bouncy.
Felt/felting - felt is a soft material from wool fibres that are tangled using heat, soap, water and friction. Certain fibres can felt during scouring or dyeing if care is not taken. Felt can be made into two or three-dimensional pieces by wet-felting or needle felting.
Fulling - A method of finishing woollen cloth similar to felting.
Scouring - removal of dirt and grease (lanolin) from fleece
Fibre Preparation Terminology
carding - a method of preparation using hand carders or drum carder in which fibres are separated and generally aligned. Short and long fibres are blended together.
Blending Board - A board with carding cloth attached. Used to blend wool together and comb it into the board in order to make a batt or rolls of wool that can be spun.
combing - a method of preparation using wool combs (or English combs) in which short fibres are removed and the longer ones aligned parallel.
Hackle - A comb (typically mounted on a table) for separating and blending fibres. You can layer and brush the wool onto the hackle and then pull off into long ropes to make into braids. Some hackles have 2 sets of tines.
Rolag: is derived from Gaelic and means something like “little roll.” Traditionally made on handcarders, a classic rolag is made from wool opened and carded into a lofty, fluffy preparation.Traditionally for woollen spinning you spin a rolag from one end, and your fibres end up circling around a hollow core as you use a fast longdraw technique.
Puni: seems to be derived from a Hindi word. A classic puni is a cotton preparation commonly spun in India on a charkha or takli. Punis are traditionally made with short fibres. A puni is prepared on handcards, after which the fibres are rolled on a stick and compressed by rolling this stick on a flat surface. Punis are a common prep for cotton and other very fine fibres.
Both Rolag and Puni are words used for the small rolls which can be made on a blending board. Neither is completely accurate, and sometimes the term “fauxlags” is used for these.
Hankies, caps, bells, and mawatas are common terms for silk preparations in which silk cocoons are stretched out wide and layered together. These do look rather like a handkerchief, cap, or bell, depending on how large they are and what they have been stretched over. These are typically spun by loosening the fibres from the middle and drafting (or predrafting) from the inside out to the edges. These preparations don’t lend themselves to spinning yarns that are as smooth as those from silk top or sliver would.
Batt: a carded blanket of fibres - usually a rectangle of fibres taken from a drum carder You can strip these, pre-draft them, tear off chunks, or roll them up, and then spin them with what’s considered either woollen or worsted technique; and you can pull them or tear them into rovings.
Roving: a length of prepared fibres cleaned and ready to spin, with the fibres combed parallel for worsted spinning.
Braid: Long lengths of ready-to-spin fibre that is braided to allow for easy storage or shipping.
Sliver (pronounced sly-ver): a variant of roving. a continuous strand of parallel wool fibres with no twist at all, while roving has a tiny bit of twist (not spinning twist, but a slight twist to the entire rope). Sliver is what mills generally call their intermediate stage.
Finger: small length of slivers (3'–4')
Top: a continuous untwisted strand of combed wool fibres made into a convenient package.
Blending Board - A board with carding cloth attached. Used to blend wool together and comb it into the board in order to make a batt or rolls of wool that can be spun.
combing - a method of preparation using wool combs (or English combs) in which short fibres are removed and the longer ones aligned parallel.
Hackle - A comb (typically mounted on a table) for separating and blending fibres. You can layer and brush the wool onto the hackle and then pull off into long ropes to make into braids. Some hackles have 2 sets of tines.
Rolag: is derived from Gaelic and means something like “little roll.” Traditionally made on handcarders, a classic rolag is made from wool opened and carded into a lofty, fluffy preparation.Traditionally for woollen spinning you spin a rolag from one end, and your fibres end up circling around a hollow core as you use a fast longdraw technique.
Puni: seems to be derived from a Hindi word. A classic puni is a cotton preparation commonly spun in India on a charkha or takli. Punis are traditionally made with short fibres. A puni is prepared on handcards, after which the fibres are rolled on a stick and compressed by rolling this stick on a flat surface. Punis are a common prep for cotton and other very fine fibres.
Both Rolag and Puni are words used for the small rolls which can be made on a blending board. Neither is completely accurate, and sometimes the term “fauxlags” is used for these.
Hankies, caps, bells, and mawatas are common terms for silk preparations in which silk cocoons are stretched out wide and layered together. These do look rather like a handkerchief, cap, or bell, depending on how large they are and what they have been stretched over. These are typically spun by loosening the fibres from the middle and drafting (or predrafting) from the inside out to the edges. These preparations don’t lend themselves to spinning yarns that are as smooth as those from silk top or sliver would.
Batt: a carded blanket of fibres - usually a rectangle of fibres taken from a drum carder You can strip these, pre-draft them, tear off chunks, or roll them up, and then spin them with what’s considered either woollen or worsted technique; and you can pull them or tear them into rovings.
Roving: a length of prepared fibres cleaned and ready to spin, with the fibres combed parallel for worsted spinning.
Braid: Long lengths of ready-to-spin fibre that is braided to allow for easy storage or shipping.
Sliver (pronounced sly-ver): a variant of roving. a continuous strand of parallel wool fibres with no twist at all, while roving has a tiny bit of twist (not spinning twist, but a slight twist to the entire rope). Sliver is what mills generally call their intermediate stage.
Finger: small length of slivers (3'–4')
Top: a continuous untwisted strand of combed wool fibres made into a convenient package.
Spinning Techniques and Terms
There are lots of different styles of spinning. Common terms are longdraw (creates a woollen style yarn); short forward draw; short backward draw (both create a worsted style yarn).
woollen and worsted: terms that are used both as drafting methods that produce yarn with different characteristics, and as a description of types of fibre preparation.
drafting: pulling out the desired amount of fibre from the fibre supply to make it thinner before the twist enters the yarn. How thin you draft will impact how thin your yarn becomes. When using short-draw, the fibres are drafted before they are allowed to twist. In long-draw, the twist is allowed into the drafting zone and helps to draft out the fibres in a more random alignment.
drafting triangle: the pointed area of your fibre supply where the fibre starts to receive twist—the transition between unspun fibre and yarn.
Fibre supply: the unspun fibre held in your fibre hand.
singles: yarn that hasn't been plied, usually spun in clockwise direction (Z twist). You can use singles as they are, but these are usually plied for balance and strength.
plying - twisting two or more singles together to make plied yarn. This is done in the opposite direction that the singles were spun. usually anticlockwise (S twist).
twist: the "glue" that holds fibres together as yarn. If the spindle or flyer turns clockwise (to the left), it's Z twist. Often the direction for spinning. If the spindle or flyer turns anticlockwise (to the right), it's S twist. Often the direction for plying
setting the twist/finishing: soaking a skein of handspun, then allowing it to dry, to even out twist. You can also affect the texture by fulling the yarn or fuzzing up the skein. Books on handspinning usually describe many finishing methods for handspun yarn.
plyback sample: a small length of spun yarn, removed from the bobbin or spindle shaft and allowed to ply back on itself—you can see the amount of twist and the diameter of your yarn.
default yarn: the yarn you most often make, usually when you're not deliberately trying to make a specific yarn—what your hands default to as they draft from the fibre supply and release onto the bobbin.
WPI (wraps per inch) - a measurement of the thickness of yarn without making a swatch. Wrap your yarn around a WPI tool or a ruler, and measure how many times you can wrap your yarn in a one inch increment. Chunky and bulky yarn is fewer than 7 wraps per inch, Aran is 8, worsted is 9 and so on.
Here is how WPI corresponds with commercial yarn weights.
Yarn Weight—WPI
Fingering- 19-22
Sport- 14-19
DK- 11-13
Worsted- 10-12
Bulky- 8-10
Art yarn - A yarn that is deliberately created with inconsistencies, lumps, bumps and extra add-ins. There are lots of other descriptions and names for different art yarn techniques.
woollen and worsted: terms that are used both as drafting methods that produce yarn with different characteristics, and as a description of types of fibre preparation.
- woollen - A true woollen yarn is made from rolags spun with a long draw technique. The fibres are deliberately less ordered in the yarn. Woollen yarn is typically short staple fibres, irregular in length and prepared in a random arrangement, spun allowing the twist to enter the drafted fibres. Woollen yarn is fluffy, soft, light and have more stretch. Woollen yarns tend to have more bounce and will insulate better, because air has been trapped between the fibres; Semi-woollen yarn is spun woollen-style, using fibres prepared in a parallel arrangement. Because the yarn is smoother than woollen yarn, it will be less itchy when worn next to the skin, provided the fibres are not too coarse for comfort.
- worsted - a smooth strong yarn made from combed fibres spun short-draw and kept parallel in the spinning. Worsted yarn is typically long staple fibres regular in length, highly parallel in arrangement spun by pinching the drafted fibres and leading the twist into them, using fibres prepared in a parallel arrangement. Twist does not enter the drafting triangle until the forward hand stops pinching. Worsted-spun yarns tend to have more drape and less pilling; Worsted yarn is smooth, lustrous, hardwearing, and has good stitch definition for patterned knitting; Semi-worsted yarn is spun worsted-style, using fibres prepared in a random arrangement.
drafting: pulling out the desired amount of fibre from the fibre supply to make it thinner before the twist enters the yarn. How thin you draft will impact how thin your yarn becomes. When using short-draw, the fibres are drafted before they are allowed to twist. In long-draw, the twist is allowed into the drafting zone and helps to draft out the fibres in a more random alignment.
drafting triangle: the pointed area of your fibre supply where the fibre starts to receive twist—the transition between unspun fibre and yarn.
Fibre supply: the unspun fibre held in your fibre hand.
singles: yarn that hasn't been plied, usually spun in clockwise direction (Z twist). You can use singles as they are, but these are usually plied for balance and strength.
plying - twisting two or more singles together to make plied yarn. This is done in the opposite direction that the singles were spun. usually anticlockwise (S twist).
twist: the "glue" that holds fibres together as yarn. If the spindle or flyer turns clockwise (to the left), it's Z twist. Often the direction for spinning. If the spindle or flyer turns anticlockwise (to the right), it's S twist. Often the direction for plying
setting the twist/finishing: soaking a skein of handspun, then allowing it to dry, to even out twist. You can also affect the texture by fulling the yarn or fuzzing up the skein. Books on handspinning usually describe many finishing methods for handspun yarn.
plyback sample: a small length of spun yarn, removed from the bobbin or spindle shaft and allowed to ply back on itself—you can see the amount of twist and the diameter of your yarn.
default yarn: the yarn you most often make, usually when you're not deliberately trying to make a specific yarn—what your hands default to as they draft from the fibre supply and release onto the bobbin.
WPI (wraps per inch) - a measurement of the thickness of yarn without making a swatch. Wrap your yarn around a WPI tool or a ruler, and measure how many times you can wrap your yarn in a one inch increment. Chunky and bulky yarn is fewer than 7 wraps per inch, Aran is 8, worsted is 9 and so on.
Here is how WPI corresponds with commercial yarn weights.
Yarn Weight—WPI
Fingering- 19-22
Sport- 14-19
DK- 11-13
Worsted- 10-12
Bulky- 8-10
Art yarn - A yarn that is deliberately created with inconsistencies, lumps, bumps and extra add-ins. There are lots of other descriptions and names for different art yarn techniques.
And when all is spun and plied
Finish - soak your skein to set the twist, then dry by hanging the skein. Opinions differ as to whether a skein should be weighted or not as it dries. The process of finishing helps to create a balanced yarn.
Thwack - when wet some people wack their skein against a solid surface to help even out the twist. This can also help to slightly full (felt) the yarn if desired.
Snap - when wet some people snap the skein sharply putting hands inside the skein and pulling sharply apart. This is also intended to set the twist.
Thwack - when wet some people wack their skein against a solid surface to help even out the twist. This can also help to slightly full (felt) the yarn if desired.
Snap - when wet some people snap the skein sharply putting hands inside the skein and pulling sharply apart. This is also intended to set the twist.
