Tour de Fleece: How I got into Spinning Yarn and other Woolly Tales

[@MijnWolden]

EDIT: Captions are live! Friends, hello, if you are searching for captions: they're not here yet on Sunday, but I'll try and get them up on Monday ❤

[@countbaldwiniv]

Will have to watch a second time for the caption jokes!

[@alexvanderpol1]

​@@countbaldwinivlooking forward to the captions tomorrow 😁

[@bagladysendtheferalspinner3761]

I was being cheap too. 100% wool, and or alpaca blend yarns were so expensive and I wanted to knit with nicer yarn. I had always been fascinated with spinning via the children's fairy tales (Rumpelstiltskin and Sleeping Beauty). A friend of mine who always bid on e-bay won a 1960's Louet S-10 wheel for the Netherlands and had it shipped to Canada to me. That is how I got Jezebel. I took a drop spindle spinning work shop at my local yarn shop while waiting for Jezebel to arrive. When she go to Canada, I took another workshop at the yarn store to learn how to use her. 15 years later and I give the workshops on spinning at that local yarn shop. In the end did I really save a lot money spinning, and dying my own yarn? Probably not but I have had endless hours of enjoyment, relaxation, and camaraderie with the fibre arts community. I'm so glad that I fell down that 'rabbit hole'.

[@MijnWolden]

Yes me too, it's a great rabbit hole to fall down :D

[@rachelcurtis8707]

I love that you got interested in spinning via KZbin. I have been quite sick this last 2 months, getting 3 bad winter colds. While I was stuck in bed I was flicking through KZbin and found your channel. You seemed to be having so much fun spinning the fibre that I ordered some basic supplies including a spindle and now I love it too! Saving up for my first wheel. Thank you for inspiring me!!!

[@MijnWolden]

Yaaay (wel, not yaay for the winter colds)

[@SusanDuffield-t1y]

I learnt to spin because my 10 year old daughter went to the spinners and weavers guild. Loving tour de Fleece my first year with you for company

[@MijnWolden]

Your daughter is a spinfluencer :D

[@winterwoodcottage3657]

I love spinning and the knowledge that no matter where in the world you live, no matter the culture, you’re ancestors where spinners . It is a part of all our history

[@MijnWolden]

Yes! And they would be spinning all of the time. It sometimes baffles me to think that we got from spinning every free moment of the day to a time where a majority of people don't know how yarn is made.

[@winterwoodcottage3657]

@@MijnWolden yes! If you could ever time travel and wanted to make a Viking man cry, (and that’s everyone’s secret wish) you should steal his sail. It could take a year to spin and weave a sail. It takes less time to build a ship.

[@MijnWolden]

@@winterwoodcottage3657 a year sounds pretty fast, actually.

[@Doturi]

Gosh, I love that crocheted cardigan you are wearing. It's stunning! I love your channel. You are one of the very few who are working from natural fleeces which is my first love. I learned to spin in the mid 1970s. Yeah, a very long time ago. Back then, there were no processed fibres available to spin. Only raw fleeces. Sure, I've spun many processed fibres but I do this just to change things up a bit. The finished yarn always feels overprocessed and without life. They have their place but for me, nothing beats a yarn that has been processed by hand from a raw fleece. The final product has so much life still remaining. It makes my heart sing. Your finished yarns and finished projects are so beautiful and full of life. I want to encourage you with the fibre work you do. It is so beautiful. Thank you for taking the time to share on KZbin so many others can share in your love for fleece and fibrearts.

[@MijnWolden]

I feel the same way about a lot of commercially processed fibers too!

[@CrownedLadybug]

Spaghetti joint gang rise up! (Though mine are uncooked. Crunchy, even. But unruly pasta all the same) If I physically could (safely) get into spinning, I too would have been drawn in by the triple threat of yourself, JillianEve, and of course my beloved partner. The craft is interesting, the vibes are impeccable, and I would never pass up a chance to stick my hands in wool!

[@MijnWolden]

Ah yes, my knees have forgotten to boil the pasta as well...

[@moonbasket]

Aw yeah chungus!

[@MijnWolden]

Aw yeah!

[@djh1775]

I’m frugal too and to buy prepared fiber to learn to spin (horrible yarn is produced) really hurts. To get unlimited free fleece to experiment with is awesome.

[@elizabethcamp5011]

You spinfluenced me! I bought a drop spindle, but then was too nervous to actually spin with it and mess up my wool. Now I sit and either crochet or spin while I binge watch your videos! I hope to get a spinning wheel one day, but the spindle is a start! Thank you!

[@MijnWolden]

Yes! Happy spinning!

[@lgassin]

"Built-in fidget" ....best explanation of VM! :D

[@MijnWolden]

yes :D

[@christman688]

I love that you are a "spinfluencer"...😂❤

[@MijnWolden]

Me too!

[@maranutt775]

Really needed this video today. Its been a rough one and this made me smile and feel so much better. Thank you for an amazing video as always!

[@MijnWolden]

Hope you have a better day today!

[@jacquelineslavich591]

I learned from watching Jillian Eve too!

[@MijnWolden]

So many people have, the internet is awesome!

[@TarotLadyLissa]

That blue floof looks sooo beautiful!!

[@MijnWolden]

It does :D

[@jenniferbrighty5120]

Hi Jente, I hope you're OK xx ❣️❣️❣️❣️ Thankyou so much for sharing this video podcast. 😊😊 I remember right at the beginning of your Spinning Journey, about the Bike accident and how that got you into spinning, along with Jillian Eve, I did too. I don't know if I mentioned how I got into spinning. I'd done a few Wallhangings in 2018 and then got a New Loom for Christmas 2018, ( whixh is still un- used) . Was told Christmas 2019 that I could have anything as long as it had "nothing" to do with Weaving, so decided to learn to spin my own yarn for Weaving,( which I still haven't done ), using Drop Spindles and 2 eSpinners ( Nano 1.1 and the eWheel 6)has they say the rest is History. During this first week of TDF (2024). I've managed to spin and ply a 2ply yarn almost perfectly, I've also got a perfect chain plyed yarn. Ok its taken me 4 years (well almost). But like you said " spinning is a slow process ". I'm probably the oldest subscriber to your Channel (70 in September). I don't mind, just wish I'd found Spinning much earlier . Thankyou so much for sharing your video podcasts and your expertise , also for the inspiration , all are greatly appreciated. 🌞🔆🌟🌟 Happy Spinning and TDF Sweet Fibre Friend 🎡🚲🐑💜🎡🐑🥰 Take care and stay safe Lots of love and Big Hugs Jen xxxx ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️🫂🫂🫂🫂🫂🐑🐑

[@MijnWolden]

It's never too late to start spinning, as you have shown :D

[@jenniferbrighty5120]

@@MijnWolden Hi Jente, I hope you're OK xx ❣️❣️❣️❣️ Thankyou so much for your lovely reply, and you're right, it's never too late to learn something different 🎡🎡🎡 Thankyou so much for the Heart ♥ Sending Heart ♥ back to you ❤️💞 I hope you have a Wonderful Week 🌟🌞🔆 Happy Spinning and TDF Sweet Fibre Friend🎡🚲💜🐑🥰 Take care and stay safe Lots of love and Big Hugs, Jen xxxx ❤️❤️❤️❤️🫂🫂🫂🫂🫂🫂🐑🐑

[@jenniferbrighty5120]

@@MijnWolden Hi Jente, I hope you're having a good day xx 🌟🌞🔆🌞❣️❣️❣️ Thankyou so much for the Heart ♥ Sending Heart ♥ back to you ❤️💞 Happy Spinning Sweet Fibre Friend Take care, stay safe Lots of love and Big Hugs Jen xxxx 🌟🔆🌞❤️❤️❤️❤️🫂🫂🫂🫂🐑🐑

[@Suzco123]

Hi Jente. I learnt to spin from videos on KZbin. I injured my ankle and foot quite badly and had to spend hours of my time for a few months not able to get about. I came across your video using grannie squares for a festival you were attending (I think I mentioned before my love of grannie squares lol) and then obviously binge watching your channel realised that you were a spinner and that was it, I was hooked.. you made me realise that normal people leading normal lives were able to do this magical medieval craft and I have never looked back. Its all thanks to you that I get to do this every day whenever the urge takes me and all that treadling helped my ankle and foot start to heal so it's a win win 😊

[@MijnWolden]

A magical medieval craft for normal people indeed :D

[@tasz2412]

Your spinning journey seems a lot like my whole yarning journey- I too have that flavor of neurospicy where i learn things superquick so once I started knitting, I started crocheting, once I started crocheting, I started weaving and spinning and nalbinding and i am still learning new things. And each thing took a few youtube videos, or in the case of weaving, a class, and then I understood it. Spinning in particular is still taking a little bit of work but we're getting there. Cool to hear you talk about it!

[@eddavanleemputten9232]

As yet Another neurospicy chaos goblin, I am in a similar league. “Oh, I wonder…” turns into “Let.s find out” followed by diving in head first… and running with it. Being cold one Sumler when I was 18 turned into my first sweater, with just a few instructions from Mom. KZbin didn’t exist yet. The pandemic opened a whole new world of skills and a rekindling of barely-learned skills I’d touched as a child or teenager. Until last year in August I hadn’t even spun an inch. Now I’m spinning up a storm during my first Tour De Fleece with Jente for company and a knitting project in mind for what I’m spinning up. My wheel is my fidget spinner. The tactile satisfaction I get from fibre running through my fingers is immensely valuable to me. And the petty side of me also tremendously enjoys earning justified (?) looks of “she’s weird but harmless” looks when I whip out a spindle or my tiny E-spinner in all manner of places. I’m cheap but I enjoy using quality yarns. Therefore, I spin. It’s fun. It keeps me sane. Weird, perhaps. But at least somewhat sane. And more or less out of trouble. LOL

[@MijnWolden]

A woman at a ren faire once told me "it takes a month to learn nalbinding"; my husband be like "I betcha she can do it in a week".

[@MijnWolden]

Wheels are fidget spinners! Need to keep my hands busy at all times :D

[@tasz2412]

@@eddavanleemputten9232 oh my gods yes the feeling is just *chefs kiss* and yes. trying to be cheap with yarn is difficult. I'm working with my dad to build a spinning wheel out of an old bike wheel, send help.

[@tasz2412]

@@MijnWolden i betcha you can do it in a day it is not hard with the right videos

[@mfg2324]

Maybe a talking point for another video: Do you have any advice on hurting knees/hands/back when spinning? Is that something you experience? What do you do to prevent that or how do you deal with it?

[@MijnWolden]

I should ask my shoulder, but it's too sore at the moment...

[@caylarivera2804]

Your chunky skeins are so squishy and satisfying to look at! I haven't had the time for much spinning this tour de fleece, but I was able to bring a drop spindle to a family gathering and got many questions from people about what I was doing. I was spinning some cotton, and it was the perfect weather to be spinning outside. My husband's younger cousins were very exited to see me doing this, and I hope I spiked some spinning interest for them!

[@MijnWolden]

Cotton! Now that's a challenge :D

[@linr8260]

You were indeed one of the people who gave me the motivation to start spinning!

[@MijnWolden]

Yaaay :D

[@Nebulouslystarlight]

I love this energy so much T_T I found you from one of your shorts about ply bracelets, the one where you discovered you can start a new bracelet. I'm spinning gossamer for a shawl and 400+ m of yarn is so hard to do in one go TToTT I'm doing my first tdf, but I've been spinning since 2021 where I did exactly what you did, watched videos and bought a basque spindle from a local woodworker. I hunted down a CPW on FB marketplace in February 2023 (the trip, funnily enough, ended in a police report) and now I've got a cute little Russian support spindle to continue my arsenal as my poor lil basque broke :,< I think though, I first got super interested in it when I was a 10-12 reading the Darkangel trilogy by Meridith Ann Pierce, where her main character has a special spindle that spins from her emotions that she has to learn how to use. But, seeing as I'm almost 30, it took a loooooong while to get there xD Tangent, I first saw the word 'autodidact' a few weeks ago, and now that I have a word for what I normally call 'shenanigans' I'm seeing it absolutely *everywhere* Its so nice to be able to put a word to something that isn't "I'm a high school dropout but I love to learn and my insatiable need to know and understand pushes me to keep learning." And its really cool to see who else has the same form of spicy I do

[@MijnWolden]

Gossamer... wow, that's a challenge! I'm going to be quite happy with my DK over here ;)

[@tattercandy]

the fiber is looking great

[@MijnWolden]

Spoiler: the yarn does too ;)

[@lgerha01]

My spinning origin story was that I didn't have a lot of money for yarn, so I started unraveling thrift store sweaters. Some of those sweaters had strands so thin, I read about plying them together, so I got a spindle. Pretty soon I got into spinning wool, and never finished that plying experiment!

[@MijnWolden]

Funny how one thing can lead to another and now we're hooked 😁

[@mfg2324]

Not the slim shady opening reference 😂I love your videos so much!

[@PNWwonder]

I got into spinning for some of the same reasons. I started on a drop spindle for 3 years because I wanted to make sure I loved it before investing in a wheel. I too learned from KZbin. I have a hands on learning style that can follow visuals well. It came pretty naturally to me. I also learned the hard way about that bail of free fleece from a local farmer. Way too much! I am much more selective of my free fleece these days. There is definitely a never ending supply. I am so glad I found your channel ❤

[@MijnWolden]

Yep, and once people know you spin, they just keep giving fleece all of the time...

[@eddavanleemputten9232]

You got me over my jitters about washing a fleece. That means you can add me to the people you’ve “spin-fluenced”. When last week I went to pick up my fleece, I also remembered your videos about people coming out of the woodwork and offering you fleeces - and offering you more than you could ever spin. The lovely people who donated the fleece offered me more next year. Not just once but at least four times. Having absolutely no idea how the quality was and whether I’d like it I remained careful. They have two lambs they’re keeping and that will be getting their first shearing next Spring… so I said I.d be interested in those, knowing full well that if the adult wool I was taking home this time felt a little coarse, chances were the first shearings would be softer and finer. Turns out that I got Swifter fleece. I researched it and apparently it’s a cross between Texelaar and Belgian Milk Sheep. It’s got loads of crimp, quite a long staple and once washed and combed, a lot softer than I expected. I washed and combed a bit of it yesterday and washed more today, to be combed tomorrow. I re-combed the ‘waste’ and set that aside for experimenting. AndI’ll be telling those kind people that yes, next year I’m definitely interested in the fleece of this year’s two lambs. I even ordered a larger E-spinner because the one I own holds tiny bobbins, not really suited for yarns thicker than the ultra-fine laceweight I spin these days. Not if you don’t want to be joining every few inches of knitting. Thank you for being the voice of caution, and a fellow chaos goblin who both gets me into and keeps me out of trouble in my own fibre shenanigans. I’ve got several people collecting onion skins for me. We all know what that means… One of these days I’m going to have to try my hand at longdraw. Sticking to my inchworming worsted style for now but you’re inspiring me.

[@MijnWolden]

Isn't Swifter the cross between Texel and Flemish Sheep, rather than Belgian milksheep? But yes, Swifter is a much loved breed in Belgium and the Netherlands :)

[@eddavanleemputten9232]

@@MijnWolden - The information I found mentions both the Belgian milksheep and the Flemish sheep. Makes sense I guess, as the aim was to produce a type of sheep that breed well (early fertility, multiple births, easy birthing), gave lots of milk, was interesting for meat production and gave reasonable fleece. I asked my contact at the veterinary faculty of Ghent university but so far, no reply yet. Whatever the cross, the wool I’m combing feels nice. The staple is long, it’s very springy and has loads of crimp. Swifter is said to be better suited for spinning than for felting. I can’t find any kemp. I’m told it takes dyes very well and either the fleece I got was quite clean, or it washes very easily. I’m being careful not to wash all the lanolin out: I did that with a few trial locks and that made it feel a bit coarse. Although perhaps that’s because what I’m spinning now is ultrafine Shetland and before that I was playing around with Merino. The owners said the shearer usually tries to take as many fleeces as he can to a local mill. Not a clue what they do with it there. I’m going to try my hand at spinning sock yarn with it to start off. Could you tell me how many WPI sock yarn for 2,5 mm needles is approximately?

[@TheMayLight]

Nice intro 😄 I thought it and then you sang it and was like 😎🤪yeah i got it. ... As for the teaching - one never stops learning, so you might as well start teaching 😉 There will always be someone which knows things you don't and vice versa. But i get you. Everything at its time. I btw learn a lot just by absorbing the knowledge which is released when someone shares their thoughts and experiences 😉

[@MijnWolden]

I just am pretty anxious about saying it wrong to someone haha

[@TheMayLight]

@@MijnWolden That is totally relatable and actually speaks for you. There is always a chance to correct yourself and there are different approaches for almost everything so - as long as you are not pretending to know everything (which you definitly don't do), i see no problem ... only challenges and opportunities to learn even more. I go and listen to myself now 😅 ... but i mean it 👍❤

[@Lady_dromeda]

I actually got into spinning because i was in art school in a textile design program and they had a spinning class 😅 i was majoring in weaving but i really like spinning too. Unfortunately i no longer have all my fleeces leftover, due to an emergency move that happened last year, pretty much all of my stuff had to be left behind. At least i was able to take my crochet and knitting tools, and my drop spindle and some roving my mom had gotten for me the summer before.

[@MijnWolden]

luckily sheep make new wool every year :)

[@Tinas_Workshop]

My video last Wednesday I told the story of my intro to spinning. I too lucked into an amazing marketplace find and learned most everything from Jillian Eve. Cabin boy knits has been amazing for the natural dyes. I recently found Myra Makes Color. After watching her I realized she lives about 15 min from me.

[@MijnWolden]

Marketplace càn be a magical place, on rare occasions.

[@Tinas_Workshop]

@@MijnWolden very true

[@barbararadzeviciusbondi4150]

Hello Mijn love your podcasts and esp the knitting projects. I'm Bondi Crafter on KZbin I'm in Sydney Australia. Im a new subscriber xx

[@MijnWolden]

Hi, to clear up some confusion: when I sing "Jente's back, tell a friend", that's because Jente is my name. "Mijn wolden" is Dutch for "my woolden", which is a play on My Walden ;) I know I should have thought harder about my channel name

[@alexvanderpol1]

Wow those pictures flew by at the end hahaha 😂

[@MijnWolden]

No more editing past bedtime for me

[@alexvanderpol1]

Can't believe it only took a week to spin up a whole fleece! That is amazing! Is the blue texel also spinning up so fast?

[@MijnWolden]

Yes ;)

[@peigirl23]

Your videos Spin-spire (inspire) people! I love watching these videos and feeling connected to spinners all over the world! AndI love the unhinged goblin energies!

[@MijnWolden]

Thank you!

[@etienne6916]

I respect the "why would I pay if I can make it myself for cheaper?" xD

[@MijnWolden]

Right?!

[@kellyrosloniec300]

I learned from Jillian Eve too. :)

[@MijnWolden]

I think a lot of people have. She's the ultimate spinfluencer

[@StephanieMayfieldDIG]

Those skeins look amazing. Will you be dying them?

[@MijnWolden]

I think not, I quite like the creamy white :D

[@ShanaH414]

My parents are headed to Belgium in a couple of weeks and I asked them to bring me back a Flemish sheep. 🐑 I can’t imagine any problems getting it through Customs! 😂

[@MijnWolden]

Just be careful there isn't any seeds or (dad) bugs in the fleece, and then there will be no problem bringing home a whole-ass sheep :D

[@Kathy-ml6yu]

Hi, how do you set the twist in your yarn? While spinning did your fiber speak to you and tell you what it would like to be? Back to spinning!😊

[@MijnWolden]

It says it wants to be something with cables, probably.

[@hawthorngrove3629]

I tried spinning at a local guild, but I went home and watched jillianeve who pretty much taught me

[@MijnWolden]

I think JillianEve is the main teacher for a whole generation of spinners.

[@buzzy.bee.crafts]

I’m not sure if I told you but I definitely started spinning because of you. I don’t think I would’ve committed to TDF if not for your patreon/discord :) I’m glad I found your channel and not others because you don’t approach things with perfectionism and it makes spinning less intimidating. I have a loooooong way to go in my spinning journey but I’m loving it

[@MijnWolden]

Spinning shouldn't be intimidating. Everybody everywhere did it at one point :D