TMT: What's your current go-to spinning technique?
I asked on Instagram what your current go-to spinning technique is and loved the variety of answers!
They ranged from slightly flippant (but oh so very real):
" Whatever way my messed up wheel likes best that day 😢 "
" Dreaming about spinning! 😍 "
" “The hands-free” (being too busy to actually touch my wheel) "
To the tool/approach specific:
" Drop spindle 😍 "
" Core spinning, textured art yarns all the way "
" Chain plying is my happy place. "
" On my DT Lendrum, I’ve been enjoying Fractal spinning 🤩 "
" Cold soak a fleece, comb into top, spin greasy and then scour the yarn to finish. The grease helps the fibers grip so I can spin very fine. "
To draw style:
" Long draw ❤️ "
" Always short forward "
" Short backwards draw 😀 "
" Long draw, usually semi supported. Every time I have to short forward draw I get soooo impatient anymore 🤣. I spin about and ounce of laceweight singles and hour with my long draw technique. "
" For years I never liked spinning from the fold. Then I took classes with Abby Franquemont and learned some of the finer points. Now I can buy and spin the beautiful multicolored batts you make "
(side note: Created by Elsie B doesn't currently offer batts, just combed top & Elsie Bits, but yes - it's awesome to understand how to utilize different fiber preps!)
" Short forward draw "
" Supported long draw is my baseline "
" Short Forward Draw - I'm Finally Spinning Thin Enough That I Look Forward To Knitting My Hand Spun😊 " (yay! Congrats friend - that's a fun milestone to reach!)
" Short forward draw. I find it interesting that several others have mentioned this as well. I wonder if it’s because it’s rather meditative. Like rocking a baby to sleep. " (SFD is my go-to draw style too & I agree with its meditative aspect)
And this exchange between friends made me smile:
" [hey friend] Now I know how others feel when I get going on my tech talk, lol! You prefer chain ply, right? "
[tagged friend responding original commenter] " I do, mostly because then I don’t have to try to get equal amounts of singles on two or more bobbins. I always hated the leftover lengths of singles, it made my eye twitch, lol! "
(I personally abhor leftover singles too, so this makes total sense to me)
I shared all this to remind you that there's no one right way to spin - just what's working for you right now. I hope it gave you some insight to what's working for others & I'd love to hear your most utilized spinning technique!
* I've linked to a variety of videos and articles throughout this post in the event you want to do more learning about any specific technique or tool. I don't receive additional compensation for linking these, just the satisfaction of sharing the knowledge! *