Intro and a quick question

Creating Yarn: Spinning, Dyeing, etc.
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Hi Folks,
I have been lurking for several weeks now…I am new to spinning and have been bit hard by the bug :muah: …I bought a used ashford travelor off ebay last week, It should be here tuesday next. :happydance: I also made a trade for some alpaca and cant wait for that to arrive as well…

I have spun so far: a generic wool ( meaning I have no clue what is was)
mohair
hemp and flax…

my question is this… is merino wool easy to spin or difficult?

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Welcome! :waving:

Merino usually isn’t recommended for beginners, because it’s slippery and the staple length is a bit shorter than coarser wools. That said, some teachers start with merino because they figure if you can master it, then you won’t have any problem with other wools. :smiley:

I had only spun a few things when I bought a merino blend – I think because it had some mohair in it that made it easier to spin. After that I moved on to 100% merino and it took a bit of getting used to, but it wasn’t super challenging. (Like the 100% tencel I attempted this morning :wall: )

I say go for it, if it makes you :!!!: then put it aside for a while and move on to something else!

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So Julie - being the beautiful spinner you are :muah: and me being the total newbie (1st lesson yesterday) :oops: what fiber would you recommend for beginners to spin? :thinking:

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I loooove Blue Faced Leicester…I find it so easy to draft, and it makes a wonderfully soft yarn. The first time I spun it, I thought, this is the stuff everyone should be recommending to beginners. :smiley:

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I’m with Julie ditto on everything said. Merino and I didn’t get along well at first, but a merino and silk blend was wonderful. Maybe try easing into it if you’re intimidated…

BFL IS oh so very soft and easy to spin. :drool:
Second runner up would be corriedale
Then Targhee I think would be third.

However, my opinion for first fiber ever to spin is silk hankies. It doesn’t get any easier than that…IMHO. Really good for spindlers.

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PS my first wheel was a travie too!!

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Your first wheel? :?? How many do you have :rofl: I picked the travelor because it seemed to be one that could do it all so to speak with just one wheel… DH isnt thrilled about 1 let alone 2 or 3, plus my weaving looms :teehee:

Thank you for the responses, It will be fun to try all the different types of fiber out…

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Thanks Julie and Lilyarn. BlueFaced Leicester is what we started with but I just ordered some bats of Wensleydale to try.

I also have a Traveller, TrinOR. I bought it because it seems versatile and will grow with me. I am hoping it will be my permanent wheel since more than one seems out of my realm too.