Tips for hand spinning alpaca fiber on a Lendrum spinning wheel

[@michellebelna1132]

Thank you for this video. I’d love any videos on spinning techniques, but especially on spinning consistently.

[@nz-nz]

Lovely clear video thanks. It’s hard to find good “tutorials” on spinning, so I’m glad I have found your channel! I have been spinning for about 4y now and can never stop “learning”. I’m on a small family farm with Gotlands, Suffolk and RomneyX flock. I have a wool carder in our community which I use, but I also like to process my own fleeces too.

[@LindaOfWindyOaks]

I'm glad you found it helpful! Sounds like you have a great flock! I bet your wool is lovely!

[@nz-nz]

@@LindaOfWindyOaks Linda, our weather in Auckland can severely impact our fleece (on the sheep). Especially my Gotlands 😥 It goes “cotted”. It’s really only the lamb’s wool that I use, unless it’s for rugs then I can use a bit more coarser fibre. I got all my last lot of wool blended with alpaca (red/brown, black, white, and dark brown). I also do a lot of “tie” dying which produces some funky colourways 🤣🤣

[@LindaOfWindyOaks]

Oh, that's a shame. Yay for blending with alpaca. I love blending wool and alpaca.

[@lindapankhurst4513]

Enjoyed this! I’ve been given some Alpaca fibre and as a newish spinner I needed some tips. I think you covered all I needed to know. Thanks!

[@LindaOfWindyOaks]

I'm so glad this was helpful!

[@lindapankhurst4513]

@@LindaOfWindyOaks oh it was! I shall watch all of your videos now for more tips and inspiration! Thanks!

[@barbaragood1929]

Thanks, great, clear video; I am trying to spin alpaca fiber that someone gave me, and had no idea how to start or what to look for. Your comments about holding it loosely, adding more twist, and being aware that the fiber slides apart, are very helpful.

[@LindaOfWindyOaks]

I'm so glad you found it useful!

[@KathyReedKnits]

Hi Linda! Lovely video! I have just taken one more step down that slippery slope and acquired my first spinning wheel. In fact it’s a Lendrum double treadle. And you might recall, I too have alpacas in my fiber flock. Perfect. I would like to see more spinning videos, please.

[@LindaOfWindyOaks]

Glad you enjoyed the video! I definitely have plans to do more spinning videos!

[@marfoo2775]

Thank you, nice and instructive video! You're a natural. I came here because I was looking for videos of the Lendrum which I am thinking of buying. Well, you might let us know more about the Lendrum: tips and trics or maybe even drawbacks of this wheel as opposed to other wheels you may have? Just a suggestion.

[@LindaOfWindyOaks]

I'm glad you found this useful. I will try to put something together in the next week or two. I definitely recommend the Lendrum. :)

[@LindaOfWindyOaks]

I added a video you might like about my Lendrum. I do apologize for getting your username wrong in the video, though! kzbin.info/www/bejne/gZqbkoSkis2Jf8k

[@phoebebaker1575]

Ooh! Weaving would be nice.

[@LindaOfWindyOaks]

Sorry, I just saw this comment. I definitely have plans to do some weaving videos in the future! Thank you for the suggestion!

[@MsTilda2]

❤❤This is so helpfull i just got a LOT, of alpaca wool, and have no idea whats its like to spinn,, havent even seen the color yet😊,, do you comb it or do you kart the wool, and can i spinn it without washing it first, like i do with sheep, s wool.. Thanks so much, love your videos, ps, im from Denmark 😊❤ ben spinning for about 2 years, and just started weaving as well

[@LindaOfWindyOaks]

I'm glad you found it helpful! You can spin unwashed alpaca fiber. I don't like to because it's soooo dusty! Alpacas love to dust bathe. As for combing vs carding, the answer is "it depends"! What do you want your finished yarn to be? Smoother and denser? Comb. Fluffier and more airy? Card.

[@esthermary4397]

Hi linda! Thank you for this video... I’m planning on spinning my suri alpaca soooooon. I’m new to spinning...period! What resources should i look for in this journey as far as... considerations for whether to blend, what to blend... etc?

[@LindaOfWindyOaks]

Welcome to the rabbit hole of spinning! While pure alpaca is lovely, and silky I do like to blend it with wool to add memory - alpaca doesn't have a lot of crimp, so once the yarn/garment stretches, it won’t spring back into shape. Wool, on the other hand, does have crimp and springiness and works great for adding memory to a yarn. My favorite blend is Shetland (about 40%) and alpaca (60%), but you can play with it and find your own favorite blends and ratios! A quick note on Suri - the staple length is usually quite long. You'll want to either find a long-stapled wool (that still has crimp) OR cut your Suri locks to be closer to your wool length (within about 1" difference in fiber length). Otherwise you won't have good blending and your yarn will be lumpy and inconsistent. Let me know how it goes when you start blending!

[@esthermary4397]

@@LindaOfWindyOaks lovely❤️🦙 ! Im defenitely on my way down the rabbit hole. Thank you for this kind recommendation. Again, appreciate you graciously sharing your time and skill!!!

[@christiesteckelberg8366]

Talk about wool spinning how to feed from the “triangle without pulling from only one spot and having soft fuzz, mouse nest on sides of fiber :(

[@LindaOfWindyOaks]

Ah, yeah! That's a toughie! The "trick" is all in the thumb. Move your fiber-holding thumb back and forth across the fiber as you draft. This allows the fiber to pull from where your thumb *isn't*. You can also pre-draft your fiber thinner if you'd rather. That's a quick and easy way to do it!