Tag Archives: handspinning

Conservation of mass

Posted on May 25, 2012 by cliffhousealpacas

I’m stumped. It’s like an unsolvable word problem from grade school math. I start with 6 ounces of unspun fiber, intending to make 6 ounces of finished 2-ply yarn. I divide that roving in half, and spin a bobbin of singles … Continue reading →

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Yarn – Soft mist

Posted on May 21, 2012 by cliffhousealpacas

Happy Monday! Blech, eh? Pfft. Work days. Anyhoo, I had a busy weekend. In addition to doing battle with an overgrown forsythia bush, I spun about 300 yards of this medium weight grey yarn. This is Loredo’s fiber. He isn’t one of our … Continue reading →

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(Insert yarn name here)

Posted on May 15, 2012 by cliffhousealpacas

As you probably know, one of my favorite parts of spinning is coming up with an appropriate (or not so appropriate) name for my newly created yarn. Yet sometimes, I am just not inspired. This is one of those times. … Continue reading →

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Through thick and thin

Posted on May 11, 2012 by cliffhousealpacas

I’ve been having yarn weight mood swings this week. Last night I spun around 100 more yards of “Black Lace” yarn. Look at it next to the “Rocker Gurl” bulky yarn. Hard to believe I spun them both on the … Continue reading →

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Rocker Gurl Yarn

Posted on May 8, 2012 by cliffhousealpacas

I’ve been thinking about the design of this yarn for so long that I actually thought I HAD spun it already. I don’t really love pink, as a rule, but I picked up this rich and colorful silk roving over a … Continue reading →

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Fluffy white yarn

Posted on April 18, 2012 by cliffhousealpacas

Pillow soft and a creamy white, this yarn is my favorite of product of my almost painfully productive weekend. I’m calling it “Clouds Over Tuscany, Due” (“due” means two in Italian). I spun it up as a medium-bulky weight yarn, … Continue reading →

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And we have another hand spinner!

Posted on March 30, 2012 by cliffhousealpacas

Aunt Geri’s first yarn arrived in the mail this week! It is b-e-a-u-tiful. She’s named it “Desert Rain”, which is a lovely name for the soft blue and pastels (as someone who thinks about yarn names quite a bit, I … Continue reading →

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Cabled yarn: complete!

Posted on February 3, 2012 by cliffhousealpacas

My first cabled yarn is done! It did take a while, as I anticipated, but I like the finished product. You’ll remember from an earlier post that I had already spun a two-ply yarn that I intended to ply again … Continue reading →

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Cabled yarn: phase one (also, a note on twist)

Posted on January 27, 2012 by cliffhousealpacas

When we spin thread or yarn, we add twist to loose fiber to lock it together. This twist pulls the fibers closer, and the microscopic scales on the hairs rub against each other, catching and holding. To create beautiful yarn, you must … Continue reading →

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Two-ply: not just for toliet paper

Posted on January 26, 2012 by cliffhousealpacas

Mom asked me the other day if I ever thought about making a three-ply yarn, instead of my usual two-ply. I said, “Of course. Then I thought about the extra 33.3333333% more fiber we’d have to skirt, pick, wash, card … Continue reading →

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