How to Spin Fiber you don't like: turning Boring Merino Wool into Batts for Spinning

Hello friends! I was gifted a bunch of commercially prepared merino roving or combed top. And you know this is not my favorite type of fiber for spinning. So today I'm trying to remedy that; what can I do with this Merino fiber to make it into something that I will spin with joy and ease? I know! Let's put it through the drumcarder with some Flemish sheep and Belgian milksheep. The carding and blending of the fibers turns it into a more crunchy batt, which is also more visually appealing. And then we spin it in a woolen way, a long draw way, apparently. Because that is what this wool wanted to be spun in. And handspinners always listen to the wool, right?
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#crafting #spinning #carding #drumcarder #merino #wool #cardingwool

[@eyup951]

Oh no I have been tricked by my favorite youtuber into watching an amazing video whatever shall i do! XD I love the little caption jokes and the way you describe the music! And of course the yarn turned out so beautiful!!

[@MijnWolden]

I know, it's a tragedy 😂

[@leahgroess5361]

I really loved how emotive you were when reading the comments! Often when people read comments aloud (or even when I read a comment in my mind) it just feels muted and flat. I think you did a good job expressing what people were feeling when they wrote those comments. Also I love the colors of the base tops, but the blended batts are truly magical! Don't let anyone (including your own brain) make you feel bad for mixing that merino with your own wool to make something you actually want to work with. Based on those comments, I wonder if just mixing the different colors of plain merino top would loosen everything up enough to make it more pleasant to spin.

[@MijnWolden]

I did take up drama as a hobby as a teenager... I think it shows 😁

[@linr8260]

Also the dramatic rendition of the comments was A+

[@MijnWolden]

Making my drama teacher proud 😎

[@stephaniehannah2003]

I just love you girl. You are so boldly original. And I love how you spin yarn and then you make a wearable sweater. Your hobby just isn’t for the sake of accumulating a stash. It actually has a real purpose. Love it❤❤❤

[@MijnWolden]

I don't get having a Stash you don't use 🤔

[@deejcarter2003]

I love the transformation of blah wool to Wow.🤩

[@MijnWolden]

Thank you 😁

[@superdot6]

I love watching your videos while I crochet. I haven't gotten into spinning yet, but you never know.

[@MijnWolden]

It all started with crochet for me too 🤭

[@uschilou]

I've been keeping my eye out for a second hand spinning wheel 😂

[@MijnWolden]

I'll ask the spinning gods to help you in your search 😉

[@juliecoton9291]

Oh, so not mad at all ! And i've been double tricked, as I just wanted to casually watch your video while sewing my wedding dress and found me 18min later, having done absolutely zero progress xD This blue yarn is sooooo beautiful, i love it ♥ So much more nuanced and pretty than the plain blue, it's so good. Can't wait to see what you're going to do with it !

[@MijnWolden]

Ooooh sewing your own wedding dress! That's so Precious!

[@juliecoton9291]

@@MijnWolden Yessss, for now it's a silk chiffon nightmare but i'm so happyyy and i think it'll turn really good at the end xD (I hope !)

[@raesyarnaddiction]

You definitely fixed the boring fiber! Card it all!!!! I like the batts wayyyyyyyy better! 🖤🧶🖤

[@MijnWolden]

Yesssss

[@Laverne732]

I just visited a fiber festival this past weekend where I purchased multiple braids and honestly already made the comment that my home-prepared nests are so much easier to spin! I totally also bought 4 fleeces to spin … impatiently awaiting summer vacation so I can prep them!

[@MijnWolden]

Ooooh have Fun!

[@Bean_Box_Knitting]

Haha being tricked is fun! Looking foreard to finding out what the project is and loved the dramatic readinf of the comments - I imagined it being in a court room and arguing the value of home-processed, more rustic yarn. 😍 At christmas I got a blending board and hace been doing similar experinents with mill waste. I got about 250g of different shades of blue, 2 ply, but one batt was passed one more thab the other. Its so fun to spin, one has sort of mini stripes and the other is a gentle gradient. Both are way more fun than the original fiber. 🐑

[@MijnWolden]

Blending is so Fun!

[@elynapege6467]

Lovely yarn! It's not a trick if we willingly participate 😄 Also, I love to comment about mashed potatoes! Very accurate description. Never heard it better said! Can't wait to see your daunting vintage project 🧶

[@MijnWolden]

But it is a trick if you don't know what you're willingly participating in? 🤔

[@dominiquedagenais3066]

I love the 10 stitches blanket in the beginning of the video.

[@MijnWolden]

Thanks! It's a tunisian crochet 10 Stitch blanket 😁

[@linr8260]

That yarn is impressionism in skein shape T.T Also, I have to say, your wheels do noticeably look shiny and healthy after their spa from the other day :D (Personally I can see the snowbird thing haha it just has that feeling of casually walking along while surrounding by twirling snow)

[@MijnWolden]

I love impressionism, both in painting and skein shape 😁

[@TheMayLight]

Nat 20 crit role on bringing that fiber back to life!

[@MijnWolden]

Spinningwheels are hypnotic machines confirmed

[@bethholness5153]

Goblin chaos blue, love it all.

[@MijnWolden]

♥️

[@DeniseODaniels]

i love your videos. i could watch them over and over. In your videos is always tips on how to do better on everything. i love the yarn u made. it is very lovely.

[@MijnWolden]

Thank you ☺️

[@DeniseODaniels]

@@MijnWolden ♥

[@etienne6916]

oh no! not the bobbin popping again! D: the yarn is really pretty! :) I feel like adding variation in colors really adds a lot instead of spinning a solid bloc of one "perfect" color! :) can't wait to see what you will do with it! :)

[@MijnWolden]

Bobbins be popping 😅

[@hawthorngrove3629]

You made boring blue into beauty

[@MijnWolden]

Thanks!

[@alexvanderpol1]

Beautiful yarn! And a totally valid reason to "trick" us 😁

[@MijnWolden]

Once a trickster always a trickster 😅

[@BeQueerMakeStuff]

Your "ocean batts" are lovely! You successfully inspired me to dye with dandelions this week, by the way! It worked a treat! I dyed a small amount (1.3 oz) of a commercially prepared merino top and it made it much more fun to play with. Now though I'm wondering if I should copy you and try indigo too LOL PS I love how much humor and delight you pour into the editing of your videos, too. Your joy is wonderful.

[@MijnWolden]

Always welcome to copy my shenanigans 😁

[@kamalanorris307]

I loved this video even before seeing it- great title! I’m with you that variegated colors are more fun to spin than solids- my personal pet peeve is superwash fiber, which is often what hand dyers use to make beautiful braids with but which is so much less enjoyable to spin….

[@MijnWolden]

I've heard this said more often about superwash indeed. In essence every fiber is just coated in plastic...

[@jeanneb6320]

I've only recently discovered the fun that spinning up batts is! Those skeins are gorgeous, I can't wait for you to have a full sweater amount of them, it's gonna be glorious!

[@MijnWolden]

I know it will 😁

[@AndreaAlexander]

I can't wait to see what you make with those gorgeous skeins 💙💙💙 I have mixed feelings about using Merino on its own. Sometimes I like the super crisp, "artificial" look when making art yarns because it lets more wacky spinning techniques really pop. But I do agree that, for the most part, I'm more likely to mix it with something else to add a bit of texture! Happy spinning 🥰

[@MijnWolden]

It's my year of big bright colours apparently 😁

[@resourcedragon]

If you'd spun either of those commercially combed tops on its own the result would have, I think, been a rather sad, flat jumper (or whatever you are going to make). Carding them together with your own indigo-dyed fleece was exactly what they needed. You've now got a lovely interesting wool with lots of what I call "visual texture". The skeins you held up went beautifully with your green dress, I reckon the finished garment will go with just about anything.

[@MijnWolden]

Yes, much more visual interest indeed

[@raevynwoods9403]

oh I love th yarn you made! and those batts already looked so much more... alive.. than the merino!

[@MijnWolden]

It does, right?!

[@bagladysendtheferalspinner3761]

Yente, what a beautiful combination. I'm in the middle of making a cinnamon combination on my drum-carder. Cheers-Laura

[@MijnWolden]

Cinnamon sounds great!

[@saraht855]

I had some super tight commercially prepped top and carding it alone made it soooo much better to spin. Also, having watched you for months and months doing it, I finally learned how to do a plying bracelet! Lifesaver :D

[@MijnWolden]

Yay for plying bracelet!

[@dvorak920289]

Good idea to spice the fiber up! About the colour, I love it! I recommend you knit a shirt sleeved blouse for you, it will compliment your face a lot!❤ I spun a blue commercially prepped merino like yours and the colour leached on my fingers so much that after spinning my hands looked like a smurf. But wet setting the yarn normally solves this problem.

[@MijnWolden]

Yeah my red commercial merino made the wet set bath quite pink too...

[@caylarivera2804]

I am glad im not the only one frustrated by spinning merino top. I just finished some malabrigo top and it was so beautifully dyed, but the drafting stressed me out so much. I ususally spin and do fiber crafts to get my daily dopamine hit and this brings the oposite of that reaction. Good to see a better way to put these fibers to good use! Now i just have to save up for a drum carder so my wrists don't fall off from hand cards lol!

[@MijnWolden]

I've read that malabrigo especially is very compressed and benefits a lot from a good steaming or washing

[@bestofemse]

when I saw your hands turning blue, I was reminded of that hat you knit, wasn't that from the same "experiment"? Also you are such a dork.... I totally love it, makes me feel like I'm not alone in da club.😅

[@MijnWolden]

It was from the same batch yes 🤭😂

[@jenniferbrighty5120]

Hi Jente, I hope you're OK xx ❣️❣️❣️❣️ Thankyou so much for sharing this video podcast. I love your Indigi Dyed Fleece the colour is amazing and so beautiful, it looks sooo squishy. Love the blues, but the added colours definitely add something extra in your Batts. I can't wait to see what your project is. You have quite a naughty Bobbin, I hope when it comes out of the naughty corner, it knows to behave itself. 🤔🤔 Could you not put that end if the bibbin facing the Orifice so it doesn't fly off again.??? (Just a thought).😊😊 I very rarely spin a solid colour, I prefer to make Rolags or Art Batts and I only have a Blending Board, my default way to spin is Long Draw, somehow I find ut much easier. I hope you have a Wonderful Week 🌟✨️🌞 Happy Spinning Fibre Friend 🎡🐑🥰 Take care and stay safe Lots of love and Big Hugs Jen xxxx ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️🫂🫂🫂🫂🫂🐕

[@MijnWolden]

Thank you, Jen! I agree that the added colours give something extra 😁

[@conniemuse3427]

I enjoy your videos so much! Your last batch of beautiful blue fluff would make a lovely Walking on the Moon Sweater by Heida Kirrmaier.

[@MijnWolden]

Never heard of that one before, will have to check it out!

[@christinazook593]

Lovely yarn! Much more interesting than the monotone merino!

[@MijnWolden]

Right?!

[@dhurd4099]

From now on I’m going to use the term “violent” when describing art yarns. 😂Perfect! I have solid blue top like the one you started with. Mine is a bright blue Louet Corriedale. I didn’t like it but now have ideas for how to re-engineer it. Thank you! Also I weigh my empty bobbins and write the number right on the bobbin so I can better ( but not exactly) guess yardage of spun yarn on it.

[@MijnWolden]

Violent applies to some many situations in my vocabulary :D

[@catpawrosales4265]

LOVE all the shades of your dyed wool 😻💙💙💙💙💙and the finished yarn is stunning 💓

[@MijnWolden]

Thank you 😁

[@AnoKnits]

You said soleil levant, I thought sterrennacht ^^ Beautiful batts and lovely yarn! 😍

[@MijnWolden]

I think impression, soleil levant has more of that blended softness, de sterrennacht has a lot more contrast, that's why I didn't think of it immediately

[@michellebruton6287]

Tricksy goblin .... that yarn is gorrrrrjusssss ... can't wait to see what you make

[@MijnWolden]

Tricksy goblinses 😁

[@ShanaH414]

I bought a big (8 oz) bag of mill ends this weekend, inspired by one of your videos! It's BFL, not the dreaded merino, and it's going to be an incredible, chaotic mix of colors.

[@MijnWolden]

Oooooh! Have fun!

[@gemmaf_]

What an awesome trick!! I'm not personally a fan of carded fibre/woolen yarns (or pure merino), but just watching this makes me want to blend up various amount of the blues together, just to see what happens with different colour/fibre ratios and different amounts of passes through the carder. I tend to mix things up by combo-drafting. So many possibilities of things we can do with fibre!!

[@MijnWolden]

Have Fun experimenting!

[@gemmaf_]

@@MijnWolden If I had access to your stash and equipment, there'd be no stopping me 😜

[@sonnenblumenimp]

Congratulations on a beautiful yarn!! (me, listening to you reading out the comments of that video: "... but I really really like spinning Merino ...." *finally plying combed top Merino and having tons of fun doing it*)

[@MijnWolden]

Really liking spinning Merino is valid too!

[@dianagarino9821]

Love the colors!!!

[@MijnWolden]

Thank you 😁

[@Tinas_Workshop]

No audio 🤔 been there, done that, more than once 😢. That yarn came out beautiful, I can't wait to see what you do with it. Oh and that gold cabled sweater....Beautiful!

[@MijnWolden]

Thank you 😁

[@moonbasket]

I love what you did here! You should knit a sweater. It would be lovely.

[@MijnWolden]

I might 👀

[@woolaroundtheworld]

Lovely

[@peterivkovich2314]

from Gerry- after 10 years of spinning my Ashford bobbins fell apart and my husband nailed a very small nail twice in the ends. Problem solved. Be blessed.

[@MijnWolden]

That's also a solution!

[@cerwelt]

So what’s the project? We should get that at least oh tricky one. I prefer variegated or speckled yarns and those blues were rather flat in color. The addition of the other wools gave your yarn life.

[@MijnWolden]

You'll have to wait 😉

[@kathleen8ida]

Please do a voice over on your video when you dye floof 😃

[@MijnWolden]

🤔🤔🤔🤔

[@eddavanleemputten9232]

Personally I don’t have issues with spinning combed merino. Maybe because I like to spin frightfully thin, ending up with lace weight 2-ply… which I then knit into lace shawls and scarves with the occasional light-as-a-feather sweater or top thrown in. Having autism and the sensory issues that come with it where restrictive or scratchy clothing is concerned plays into it. I do not, however, enjoy a boring spin. At all. I’ll either alternate bobbins of solids, spinning a few staple lengths in one colour before switching bobbins to reward myself with another colour, or I need fibre with variations in tonality. They can be very subtle but they need to be there. Even though I only started spinning last August, I’m hooked and am discovering I crave ‘life’ in the colour of my fibre. Perfectly uniform colour feels ‘flat’ and has no interest. Watching paint dry would be more interesting, but without the tactile pleasure of feeling the soft fibre between my fingertips. For solids I stick to undyed white because I like to dye the finished knitted piece - call it a necessary evil if you want that perfect, gradual change from one colour to the other. Or for a present to a bride. But for pure spinning pleasure, I prefer to let the inner magpie inside of me revel in the richness of colour combinations. Your finished yarn is strongly reminiscent of Monet’s renditions of water. I absolutely love it! You hinted at a vintage pattern you want to use it for and I hope you’ll be willing to share the end result with us. Happy spinning from my own little corner in the Flemish countryside!

[@MijnWolden]

Yes, white or naturally coloured wool doesn't get as quickly as boring to me as uniformly dyed wool does, but there is just something magical about seeing the colours progress on the bobbin!

[@sabimidz]

Amazing video, stunning yarn, clever girl 🦕 i never spin commercial prepared merino as is - it feels dead and almost synthetic. Its ALWAYS carded with something else to add more interest and I also blend colors ☺️ can't wait for your blue project 😮🤩

[@MijnWolden]

How did you know the project will be something with 🦕👀

[@sabimidz]

@@MijnWolden uuu-huhuuu 🤩🦕 it was fate!

[@carolgarner5971]

It’s gorgeous. Can’t wait to see the project

[@MijnWolden]

Thank you 😁

[@user-jn8zw6fk1h]

Love this!!!! ❤

[@MijnWolden]

Thank you ☺️

[@jewelsinterests]

Don't hate on merino please-especially non superwash!!! I am smiling and as a dyer and spinner also-merino is good as long as the conditioning is rinsed off of it. I presoak and DUMP presoak water BECAUSE of the conditioner put on any and all mill spin wool. It takes color better and spins WAY better with the crimp rather than it being conditioned and harder to spin. I do lots of spinning of different tupes of breads of wool and alpaca so I do understand what you mean about what comes out of the bag sometimes. I recommend soaking first to remove conditioners first and drying as you would any other non superwash wool and proceed from there. Happy spinning!

[@MijnWolden]

I'll try to soak what I have, but my preferences still do not lie with Merino for other reasons 😅 (import of Merino is cited as one of the main reasons why our local wool industry, while once world renowned, no longer exists)

[@jewelsinterests]

@@MijnWolden I would love to spin some local fiber from your region. I would be curious and interested in purchasing and trying it out for myself. My father's name is Flemish in origin (although lost to time how long) and my love of all things wool and spinning just might be in the blood(lol😄). I so love your channel and hope to see more in the future!

[@belleblaas62]

Love the result !

[@MijnWolden]

Thank you ☺️

[@bagladysendtheferalspinner3761]

Professional prepared is always so compressed therefore doesn't draft as well as home prepared fleece. Everything goes through my combs and then sometimes on to my carders or drum-carder/

[@sleepydrJ]

Perhaps a little late to improve the joy/ pain ratio…. You can steam that tight combed top and it will puff out and loosen up making the carding process much more fun.

[@brandyolin5979]

I also don't love commercially prepped solid color merino top. I bought a raw merino fleece and washed it. And washed it again. And again. It's now white...ish. And it probably still has too much grease in it to dye. BUT! It's sooo soft and smooshy! I'm carding and spinning about a third to a half as is, and I'll probably scour and mordant the rest of the floof for dying.

[@MijnWolden]

Yes, I have heard from others that Merino fleece is worlds apart from the commercial stuff!

[@Loxalair]

I mean, deception or not, it did give good information. I got some roving from a friend who didn't want to knit it as is (for good reason!), so she gave it to me, but I'm a baby spinner and I heard that spinning with roving sucks because of the texture (already partially felted, doesn't draw nicely). But carding it out again might help? Maybe? This gives me hope and Ideas, always a dangerous combination

[@MijnWolden]

There's no Hurt in trying I guess, if it's already felted...

[@1st1anarkissed]

I don't choose to be contrarian, it just happens. I spin with a turkish drop spindle and really don't mind the merinos as much. It is a relief to get to a yarn that drafts more smoothly but the merino yarn is excellent in a fine chain ply for lace projects.

[@MijnWolden]

Drafting for Wheels or spindles asks for different preps I find, so it makes sense ☺️

[@DasiesAndDinoz]

As someone who is pretty sure i have spun that exact same merino (only thing i can get close by and even then its still a 40 minute drive) The blue dye is definitely, or at least mostly, left behind from the merino. It stained my hands, my wheel, and even my needles AFTER i soaked it.😂

[@MijnWolden]

Blue dye is obnoxious :D

[@TarotLadyLissa]

I absolutely love that yarn!!! I hope the vintage pattern is a Knit wool swimsuit! 🩱 It sounds crazy, but I’ve seen some very cool ones!

[@MijnWolden]

Not yet, but it's on my list 👀

[@justsmoothers3059]

The batt look like Starry Night to me

[@huepchen05]

I was thinking the exact same thing! It totally does give the feeling of Starry Night!

[@MijnWolden]

It does, but I like Monet better than Van Gogh 😂

[@ihesharema]

I see that

[@miserybutane298]

my Ashford spinning equipment has been having a hard time lately too. I have had to glue the handle back onto one of my hand carders (yes glue, not screw, because the part of the paddle the screw was embedded into has cracked), and a piece of my whorl on my double drive traveller has had to be glued back on.

[@MijnWolden]

At least glueing is a sort of easy fix, right? 😅

[@miserybutane298]

@@MijnWolden yes, but also consider that I'm rough on my hand cards. they might break again any minute.

[@rashna671]

I have some hand processed merino (this is the easiest "direct from farm" wool for me to get-they come to my farmers market to sell yarn and meat) and while it texturally a wonderful wool to spin whoever carded it....wasnt careful to put it lightly. The nepps, oooooh boy.....I still have the same 400g bag I got 2yrs ago because I only add small amounts so the nepps create a tweedy effect in my projects. Might try to email them to see if they would be willing to sell me a whole totally raw fleece but have heard the nepp thing can be a problem with merino especially carded merino so that has scared me off a little. (also I have to be real with myself there is no room for another fleece in my home currently lol.)

[@MijnWolden]

The prep is so important for the result and the enjoyment of the spin!

[@Polly-Jean]

Girl? How fast did you become so good at spinning? (I usually watch my favourite youtubers in batches, with a little time passing in between, but I'm pretty sure you started spinning yesterday?)

[@MijnWolden]

If with yesterday you mean three years ago, than yes 😅

[@Athingforjaz]

WAIT my Ashford bobbins do the same thing! My guess is the tension band just causes them to eventually pop off the back but even though I have a rational why, there's still the emotional WHYYYYY😭

[@MijnWolden]

My thoughtprocess was that there might be too much pressure from the yarn building up... but it still is frustrating

[@jw8223]

bad bobbin. bad! your batts reminded me of Starry Night by Van Gogh. 🤷‍♀ I love watching all your videos!! The yarn looks soooooo floofy and squishy. It always turns out great! You inspire me to spin more. I do have a question, though.....you said it turned out like a medium wool, and had little of the Merino feel to it...what is the difference? what kind of weight of wool is Merino? I've only spun three different types of wool and one was the horrible commercial wool meant for felting (sold in a craft store labelled for felting)....one was Falkland blended with stuff like tussah and Angelina, and one was Merino (both were independently prepared). all the preparations were different--felting wool however they do that, Falkland blend was both a batt and rolags, and the Merino was a batt. I REALLLLLY enjoyed both the Merino and Falkland, both visually and tactilely.

[@MijnWolden]

The Merino I spun as is was very sleek and slinky and smooth. While this had a clear tooth to it, not a ''oh this is so soft yarn'', but more like ''oh this will be so warm yarn'', if that makes sense?

[@jw8223]

@@MijnWolden thanks! I think that makes sense.

[@mattimakes]

Sounds like the teeth are hitting. The Licker in and the main Drums teeth should not be touching. I have a video on how to adjust if you need it. I would hate for the teeth in your carder to be damaged.

[@MijnWolden]

I'll look into it, thank you for looking out for my drum carder 😁

[@kalka1l]

12:00 punishing poor Ashford for flying off the bobbin 😂 Are they too dry from winter and loose?

[@MijnWolden]

Top dry probably, or just overused by their previous and current owners

[@kalka1l]

@@MijnWolden asking as someone new to spinning, do they make rubber gaskets to help parts securely in place?

[@samanthablewett2448]

I wanna hang out with you 😢