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To watch a skilled spinner an even, consistent thread from a cloud of fleece is truly magical. If I am to weave, I will need yarn and I will need to learn to spin my wool like a Viking Age woman...
*** Please be advised that this page is under constant revision. It is a learning process and I will be updating it as I go ***
Learning to spin
Learning to spin
The Carrot Chronicles
The Carrot Chronicles
I was really anxious about my ability to hand spin yarn - so, this is the first skill I decided to develop. The drop spindles and wool that I am learning on are a gift from another avid fibre artist in the SCA community, Janny Lizbet (Thank you again!!). Once I have gained confidence with these tools, I aim to make my own reproduction drop spindle based on historical examples to create yarn for weaving.
Carrot 1.
Carrot 1 alongside lil Carrot 2.
Fat Carrot 2 vs. Dutch (Carrot 3)
Carrot 1, 2 and 2 ply.
My first little carrot required a lot of pre-drafting. This process made it very easy to judge the volume of fibre required to make a consistent yarn. Every time I needed to draft some more fibre, I had to put the spindle down, draft a wispy length of about 60cm, wind this around my left hand in such a manner that it was not going to accidentally be caught in the twist, and try to continue spinning. I have large pulpy areas (slubs?) on the majority of this thread as I was nervous to pull felted knots out whilst I was spinning. It is a z-twist single spun clockwise. I left it on the spindle for a week before I slid it on to another temporary spindle. This yarn is not really appropriate for anything but weft. I may ply it with Carrot 2 to learn about twining.
The mystery roving! Might be wool or a blend. Definitely washed and combed. But, a bit matted and difficult to draft. This length was used to create Dutch (Carrot 3)
My second little carrot is much more consistent. I used a leader to help me start the little bugger, as this time I began unassisted (Thank you again, Janny! ☺). This time around I did not pre-draft long lengths of roving. I had a little bit more confidence and I wasn't terrified to drop the spindle this time around. I found myself sectioning out a thick piece of roving approximately 25cm long that I could hold in my left hand. By this stage, I was determined to find my own groove! So, I found myself trying to spin for at least 20 minutes a day.
My third carrot child, Dutch, I'll save for later. He is a very fine and consistent single and I'm very proud of my long, purple son. I left him to season on the spindle for a week whilst I attempted to ply Carrot 2.
Plying my handspun singles
Plying my handspun singles
Learning to ply my handspun singles was another massive hurdle. I don't know why it was such a challenging task, but a task it was! Full of confidence, I selected Carrot 2 to learn the art of plying handspun yarn. Unlike Carrot 1, I did not transfer the yarn from the spindle to a temporary spindle, I opted to unwind Carrot 2 onto a nostepinne to create a centre pull ball. Excellent theory, terrible idea. If I had attempted this process on Carrot No. 22, it may have resulted in a better 2 ply yarn. As I was joining the beginning of Carrot 2 to the end of Carrot 2 using the centre pull ball, I was joining the best spun yarn with the worst spun yarn from that carrot. This resulted in some terrible two ply (read: weft only).
I refined my plying process with Dutch (Carrot 3). Instead of winding the entire spindle into a centre pull ball with the nostepinne, I decided to complete this in sections. I used the drop spindle to ply the inside of the mini center pull ball to the outside of the mini center pull ball. This was a much more manageable process! As my third attempt at handspun yarn, Dutch (Carrot 3) was stronger, more evenly twisted and easier to ply than Carrot 2. Working in sections also ensured that I was not combining my weakest areas with my strongest areas of handspun. After plying, I used the niddy noddy to create an even hank to soak in water and "set" the twist.
Centre pull ball (top) to horrible 2 ply (bottom).
Dutch (Carrot 3) plied on a drop spindle.
Wound on my niddy noddy
Not completely consisted s-spun 2 ply.
Beautiful little hank ready to be woven.
Why ply? There is little historical evidence of plied yarn in use in woven textiles. Plying yarn with a hand spindle essentially doubles the amount of time, and halves the material available for weaving. In a domestic setting, this may be a negligible amount of time. I will need to find some examples of plied yarn from Viking Age Norway. It would be interesting to see if there are any surviving examples and in what contexts they were recovered.
After seasoning the 2 ply yarn, I wove a plain woollen ribbon based on a pattern from the Finnish Iron Age. My first band created with handspun yarn! I will use this band to attach my fibres to my distaff for future spinning projects.
After seasoning the 2 ply yarn, I wove a plain woollen ribbon based on a pattern from the Finnish Iron Age. My first band created with handspun yarn! I will use this band to attach my fibres to my distaff for future spinning projects.
A visual progress diary
A visual progress diary
This gallery will document my hand spinning progression. I try to practice this skill for at least 20 minutes per day. Regular practice is important not only to advance my skill level, but it is also necessary in the reproduction of domestic life for a Viking Age woman. Processing fleece, spinning yarn and weaving were important crafts that were completed not only as a trade, but as a daily domestic necessity.
Carrots in Chronological Order
Carrot 1 (orange)
Carrot 2 (dark orange)
Horrible 2 Ply (orange)
Dutch (Carrot 3, burgundy)
Dutch 2 Ply (burgundy)
Cotton Candy (Carrot 4, pink)
Cotton Candy 2 Ply (pink)
Hairy Carrot (Carrot 5, rose)
Hairy Carrot Jnr (Carrot 5 1/2, rose)
Hairy Carrot 2 Ply (rose)
Lacey Floss (Carrot 6)
Lacier Floss (Carrot 7)
Laciest Floss (Carrot 8)
Lacey Floss and friends... All still white roving (I lost count!)
5/5/2020 Changing cop shape for spinning without a whorl.
Distaff Do's and Don'ts
Distaff Do's and Don'ts
One of the biggest issues I am facing as I learn to spin from roving is the heat that my hands generate. Turns out, sweaty roving likes to felt ~ who'da thunk it? So, what's the magic solution? A distaff!
A distaff is a tool used to hold unspun fibres out of the way and in an orderly manner whilst you spin. In essence, a distaff may appear to be a long stick that you are able to support underarm, or tucked into a belt, with your unspun fibre attached to the top with a ribbon or cord. Hand and wrist distaves are also quite common tools used by modern spinners to prevent the sweaty mess I have described above.
As it so happens, my crafty husband was able to whip up two hand distaffs based on finds from the Oseberg Ship burial for me to practice with!
Queen Berthe and the Spinners, Albert Anker, 1888.
Maybe don't do this.
Maybe don't ...
dress your hand distaff like it's a spindle or bobbin
wind an entire length of roving tightly around the distaff
lay odd lengths of roving on to a ribbon attached at the top of your distaff and roll your loose fibre on to the distaff.
use a coarse woolen braid to lash your roving to your distaff as this may agitate and felt your unspun fiber
stand under a chandelier or elaborate ceiling feature whilst the distaff is in use
accidentally bop your husband/significant other/innocent bystander.
Do try and ...
keep your fibres lying parallel to each other
separate your unspun fibre into lengths similar to the length of your distaff.
dress your distaff with fibre parallel to the distaff when spinning worsted yarn
Use a smooth ribbon to firmly secure your fibre to the distaff
untie, shift the fibre down and redress the distaff as needed ~ don't be afraid to unwind and re-do if things don't feel secure as you work.
work with gravity, not against it ~ if your fibre is aligned correctly, your fibre will pull easily and spin beautifully!
Do-do-do do!
Worsted vs. Woolen?
Worsted vs. Woolen?
I'll summarise my understanding below but if you'd like a bit more information, make sure to read THL Siobhan nic Dhuinnshleibhe's excellent explanation.
"Woollen" describes a yarn where the fibres, of various lengths and directions, have been spun together. If you are spinning from a rolag or carded roving, chances are you are spinning woollen (aka "woolen") to some degree as the fibres overlap whilst they are prepared in this manner. Usually, woolen yarns are not as strong as worsted yarns as this process ensures "air pockets" in the yarn. Excellent for soft, warm and lofty knits, not so great for tablet weaving.
"Worsted" yarn describes a yarn where fibres of the same length and direction are spun together end to end. When the fibre, let's say fleece for example, is processed by with combs to separate the fine, short fibre from the long, hairy outer fibers, these long strong fibres can be used to create true worsted yarns. These long, hairy lengths are combed parallel and no strand is overlapped to avoid air pockets being trapped in the spun yarn. When spun, worsted yarns are strong, durable and shiny. Worsted or semi-worsted yarns would be appropriate for my purposes in this project.
Spindle Evolution
Spindle Evolution
Now that I have achieved a basic level of confidence and competence with a modern drop spindle, it is time to gain the skills of a Viking Age women. My loving husband, Bjorn Saemundarson, gifted me a hand carved a soapstone whorl some time ago. In it's very first iteration, the spindle shaft did not have a hook, only a notch to secure my line. This was well beyond my skill level at the time!
Progress of the spindle whorl construction by Bjorn in 2019.
Handspinning for Tablet Weaving
Handspinning for Tablet Weaving
***UPDATE 21/1/21 *** My Hordweard jouney continues.
Some time has passed since my last update to this site, but I'll try to bring you up to speed. I've continued to practice my hand spinning as I strive to achieve a shiny, strong, true worsted yarn - a symbol of my skill level.
New things that I would like to document:
My growing collection of whorls and spindles. I hand carved my own whorl weight from soapstone. I've shaped and dried my own unfired clay whorls based on known examples. I've shaped my own spindles and made alterations to better suit my spinning style. I've bought a reproduction glass whorl weight and spindle based on finds from Hedeby from Pole Glass Shop (beautifully balanced!).
I've practiced and practiced and practiced and practiced spinning with a Oseberg style hand distaff. I now have a modest collection of colourful hand spun balls of yarn at the ready for my next big tablet weaving project.
I can now spin a true worsted yarn that is translucent, shiny like silk, and strong! A huge achievement that I am very proud of :D
I am planning to spin some singles for weaving on my new warp weighted loom (Thank you, Bjorn <3)
Before this latest lockdown, I was running some in-person classes for wool processing and hand spinning. It was really wonderful and I am excited to start these up again when life returns to public spaces.
Helpful Tutorials and Videos
Helpful Tutorials and Videos
Pre-drafting and the flick technique
How to ply on a drop spindle
Spinning with a hand distaff. Featuring a long draw with a supported spindle.
Glossary
Glossary
Centre pull ball - Winding yarn into a form that can be pulled from both the outside and the inside.
Distaff - A tool, usually an ornate stick, used to hold unspun fibres out of the way and in an orderly manner whilst you spin.
Hank - A coiled length of yarn. Generally, hanks are sectioned by weight rather than a standard length. Typically
Leader - A very helpful piece of spun yarn you may use to begin your single. It is attached to your drop spindle and used to extend the twist to your drafted fibre.
Niddy Noddy - A "H" shaped skein winder or hand reel ~ two arms, offset by 90 degrees, attached to a crossbar used to wind hanks and skeins.
Nostepinne - The original ball winder! Usually an ornate stick with a notch to secure the start of your yarn towards the base that is used to wind yarn into a ball for ease of crafting.
Pre-drafting - Using two hands to gently pull small fibres from a larger amount to be twisted into yarn.
Plying - Refers to the yarn structure. Plied yarn is literally yarn constructed with two or more singles twisted together to form one stronger, stable structure (see Twining).
Roving - Is a long, narrow bundle of fibre prepared for spinning. The unspun fibres are carded or combed to lie parallel to each other.
Singles - "One ply" yarn.
Skein - A coiled length of yarn, traditionally shorthand for 1/6th of a hank. Often used interchangeably with hank.
S/Z Twist - Z-twist singles are spun clockwise. S-twist is yarn spun counter-clockwise.
Twining - Taking two singles and spinning them in the opposite direction they were spun to create a thicker, sturdier two-ply yarn.
Warp - Yarn that passes under and over the weft threads on the vertical axis of the weaving loom.
Woollen - Describes yarn spun with fibres that do not lie parallel. Woollen, or woolen, yarn is fluffy, warm, and absorbent.
Worsted - Describes yarn spun with the fibres lying parallel. Worsted, or semi-worsted yarns, are slick, shiny, and water repellent.
Weft - Yarn that passes under and over the warp threads on the horizontal axis of the weaving loom.
References
References
Krudwig, B. (2019, January). A beginners guide to spinning on a drop spindle. Retrieved from https://schachtspindle.com/a-beginners-guide-to-spinning-on-a-drop-spindle/
Very easy to follow overview of drop spindle techniques.
Manxhall. (2015, October 7). Dressing and drafting with the hand distaff. Retrieved from https://hersheyfiberarts.wordpress.com/2015/10/07/dressing-and-drafting-with-the-hand-distaff/
Highly recommend reading through this tutorial exploring different ways to dress your hand distaff. A little bit different from my first couple of approaches but with great tips and tricks. An excellent guide from another SCAdian!
Missingspindle (2015, February 17). Handling the hand distaff. Retrieved from https://missingspindle.blogspot.com/2015/02/handling-hand-distaff-dressing-wool.html
Photo's a-plenty! A lovely walkthrough to show you one way how to dress a Oseberg style hand distaff. Very easy to follow and some great advice for those new to the splendours of distaves.
Mistress Oda Wlslagre dicta Widoeghe (2015, October 12). Tips for spinning for weaving. Retrieved form http://medievalthreads.blogspot.com/2015/10/tips-for-spinning-for-weaving.html
An amazing resource created by an elevated and incredibly talented SCAdian about spinning yarn specifically for the purpose of weaving.
Siobhan nic Dhuinnshleibhe (n.d.). "So what's the deal with this worsted vs. woolen thing?". Retrieved from http://kws.atlantia.sca.org/Woolen_vs_Worsted_Explained.pdf
Life saver of an explanation! A must read for those new to hand spinning and historical fibre crafts. Basic and highly applicable information presented in a very straightforward way.
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