Spinning from the Cloud: Talking about Clouds of Fiber, and Alpaca

[@eddavanleemputten9232]

Best advice ever: RELAX. I’m a newbie spinner, and overthinking or being overly focused on what I want to achieve is usually what causes me to be dissatisfied with the end result. When I relax and allow my fingers and the fibre to tell me what to do, I get better consistency across the board. The twist angle ends up being right, the thickness of the strand is more consistent, there’s less breakage (I spin for lace knitting projects).

[@UnwindingwithFiberandFabric]

❣️😸 tense spinning is a recipe for rope😹❣️

[@deannal3678]

This is the video I needed, your happiness is infectious 😊

[@UnwindingwithFiberandFabric]

💜so happy you found joy with my video💜

[@LisaMyEclecticLife]

Just found you, happy to find another fiber lover to watch. Blessings.

[@UnwindingwithFiberandFabric]

I am so glad you found me😊 I will now be working my way through your videos ❤️ Just from the thumbnails, I expect to really enjoy them.

[@LisaMyEclecticLife]

@@UnwindingwithFiberandFabric I will be working my way through yours as well.

[@roseduke591]

Thank you! I haven't spun for a while. I have some lovely Irish Galway from an Ireland friend & was told spinning from the Cloud is how she spun her's. I needed a lesson & your's is great. And you are a pleasure to listen to. Like chatting over tea with a friend.

[@UnwindingwithFiberandFabric]

I am so glad you found my video and enjoyed it❤️ Spinning from the cloud is my favorite way to spin - I love spinning right from the lock, but find that the cloud gives me just a bit more “fluffy” and less worsted end product. Happy spinning!

[@darlenegreenhalgh3126]

Great information.I also enjoyed your easy style.Thanks for sharing

[@UnwindingwithFiberandFabric]

Very pleased that you enjoyed it😊

[@denisefontaine-9398]

Merci beaucoup pour votre travail et la simplicité avec laquelle vous le faites.

[@UnwindingwithFiberandFabric]

I am happy you enjoyed the video ❤️

[@GezButterworth]

First time visit to your channel. I have not been spinning long, I like the idea of spinning from a cloud. Thank you for an informative video. Best wishes from England. Geraldine

[@UnwindingwithFiberandFabric]

Greetings 😊 and best wishes with your spinning 💜 I was just spinning from the cloud yesterday. For me, it is the most relaxing way to spin. I hope you find it enjoyable❣️

[@GezButterworth]

@@UnwindingwithFiberandFabric Thank you : )

[@ginnied7346]

I do hope I can eventually spin as beautifully as you do You make it look so easy

[@UnwindingwithFiberandFabric]

Thank you💜 Most of the time it feels easy😸 There are certainly fibers I find easier than others, and techniques that once learned make spinning easier. There is still a whole bunch of fiber and technique that makes me stumble and grumble 😹

[@ginnied7346]

I love to dye and then spin suri alpaca, the colours of the dye look totally different than say if I dye a batch of suri and the othe alpaca the suri comes out more pastel kind of colours no matter which colours I use but they don't half come out lovely, suri makes a beautifully soft yarn and brings out some stunning colours if dyed Thank you for sharing❤

[@UnwindingwithFiberandFabric]

Isn’t it amazing how natural fibers react differently from each other when dyed? It’s one of the great joys of playing with fiber - the surprises ❣️

[@sadiesspincraft6319]

Hi nice to meet you ☺ thank you for the info on the alpaca I've still not spun alpaca I really must try it 😊 I do jave some maybe I will blend it with some perendale. Thank you so much for the video xx

[@UnwindingwithFiberandFabric]

Welcome😊 Glad you enjoyed the video❣️

[@libellula3313]

I did not know that children’s carders even existed. Thanks I will look for some to ease my shoulder mobility issues. Love the video.

[@UnwindingwithFiberandFabric]

I’m so glad you enjoyed the video. I love the small carders and hope they will work for you too❣️

[@deborahcherry1735]

This just popped up on my feed,very happy it did,very interesting and informative .

[@UnwindingwithFiberandFabric]

Glad you found it of value :)

[@conqueringmountscrapmorewi2509]

So lovely! Thanks for posting!

[@nz-nz]

Oh I’m so lucky! Your channel just popped into my notifications. Nice to meet you 👋 I’ve only been spinning for 3+ years and I have a bad leg so have an Ashford e-spinner. I spin wool from our own sheep (some Gotland). I like to mix alpaca in with it. We have a wool carding company in my next town so although I do card some of my fleece, I tend to give the bulk of our wool to get professionally done. (I scour everything myself first, which saves a lot of the cost). I’m going to enjoy your videos for sure! 🙏❤️ Thanks!

[@UnwindingwithFiberandFabric]

Welcome to my channel ❣️ An espinner is on my wish list for the future 😊 Currently my hands and arms give me more trouble than my legs so I keep treadling. You are so fortunate to have a nearby mill. I don’t mind hand carding or blending but having it mill spun would be nice especially for blending alpaca ❤️ I still have not fallen in love with that fiber even though I have a huge amount of it😹

[@nz-nz]

@@UnwindingwithFiberandFabric I have fibromyalgia but my leg was a medical mishap 😡 I was losing dexterity in my fingers but the fibre arts has helped regain feeling! Just don’t overdo it eg!!

[@UnwindingwithFiberandFabric]

Fibromyalgia is one of the things that is messing with my hands and feet. Spinning has been so important to helping me regain the mobility that I had lost before figuring out what was going on. Old Injury to my back and hip sometimes makes treadling painful so I just have to be careful. The Kromski Polonaise has a very large treadle footman that I have seen a spinner use with both feet resting side by side. I keep wondering if that might be a better treadle technique but have never found one to test. Espinner will probably be my next wheel purchase though. The compact nature will be better if my mobility ever worsens again.

[@UnwindingwithFiberandFabric]

Was interrupted while replying🙃 So sorry that you had to deal with a medical mishap 😢 that had to have been such a tough blow. While I can’t relate to that experience, I can understand the frustration that comes when the medical community lets us down. I am so atypical that I nearly died because I didn’t present “normal” symptoms when I was pregnant. I never present normal symptoms with any of my conditions- usually have to get pretty sick before the doctors stop expecting “normal”.

[@nz-nz]

@@UnwindingwithFiberandFabric oh gosh tell me about it! I have weird allergies so never “normal” (e.g. they say; “no one is allergic to rice… so you can’t be!!”) they try and fit your square peg into their round hole 🤦‍♀️ Yes, it took me 2y fight with authorities to get some kind of compensation… I get NZ 2.40 per day! At least I can still walk. I hope your symptoms have stabilised… - crafting is a healer ❤️

[@irenemarie9399]

Hi new to chanel love this vidio just stared spinning I’ll keep watching🌸🧶🐑

[@UnwindingwithFiberandFabric]

So glad you found my channel and best wishes with your spinning ❣️ I’ve tried to make playlists to help viewers find the different content😸

[@UnwindingwithFiberandFabric]

I wanted to mention, you might find the videos I uploaded in July 2023 interesting. I was uploading the during the annual Tour de Fleece event. This year I discussed a different spinning topic each day. I also shared some of my favorite spinning resources. 💜Happy Spinning

[@MsLadyhorse]

Wow! Nice to meet you. This video just came up on another list about using combs and combed top. I still haven't figured out using a diz, so I've been doing basically the same thing, getting the fiber open and floofed, but just lifting it off the comb and spinning straight from that. It works pretty well for me, so I just go with it. Thanks for taking the time to make videos. Passing knowledge on is always a good thing.

[@UnwindingwithFiberandFabric]

It is always lovely to connect with other spinners😊 I love how spinning can be very technical or very basic with great end results either way. It is such a personal process, but one that is so easily shared with others❤️ I so glad you found this video❤️ I hope you enjoy more of them.

[@MsLadyhorse]

@@UnwindingwithFiberandFabric I'm working my way through several videos by different crafters. I built my own wheel, and several modifications later, can actually make a knit-able or loosely weave-able yarn. I'm getting better at consistency, but my singles still unravel under tension. Working on that. Plies hold better, especially chain (or Navajo-although my navajo weaving friend says it's not a method they have ever used) 3-ply.

[@UnwindingwithFiberandFabric]

Sounds like you are really getting into the craft 😊 loose yarn is certainly easier to use than overspun - at least when it comes to a plied yarn. If you are a weaver and are looking for a good way to weave with singles, try sourcing a mid to long staple length fiber. They make for better weaving singles than short fibers since they won’t have as frequent of joined ends. My first success was with a Lincoln cross that I spun from the lock. The singles held up really well on the loom (my daughter was the weaver). Consider fibers that are courser as well and use them for utility projects. One of my recent videos talks about a number of utility spins/projects I have had fun with. It is a good way to practice, build skills, and have fun. Then as your skills build, return to fine fibers for weaving. Of course for weft, just about any of your spins can be fun yarn to add into a project 😊

[@MsLadyhorse]

@@UnwindingwithFiberandFabric I've found that there's really no bad yarn, just certain ones work better than others in certain projects. I find a use for everything I make, even if I have to change projects cuz what I made won't do what I intended when I started😁. I'm pretty much stuck with whatever fiber comes my way. I learned to spin because I couldn't afford to buy yarn anymore. At the moment I have llama & alpaca, for the price of shearing them, and I sheared a poor sheep who's previous owner got sick and couldn't do it last year, so she had 2 years of fleece and it's pretty bad. I don't even know what breed she is, but she's much happier without that 150 lbs of hair. It won't be that heavy once I clean it up, the weight is mostly dirt and skirting, but it will be Spinnable when I get done. It seems to be a fairly long staple, but I won't know for sure til I have it cleaned some. It's a project for sure, but I'm hoping it will make a good blanket or shawl or something. Even if I have to felt it, I should get something usable.

[@UnwindingwithFiberandFabric]

@@MsLadyhorse oooh mystery sheep wool with long growth - that sounds like a wonderful adventure ahead of you 🙂 Plus the llama and alpaca would certainly be wonderful fibers to spin for many applications. Sounds like you have quite an excellent fiber stash that will keep you spinning and skill building for some time to come ❤