Some answers

Thanks for stopping by! Nice to know that SOMEone is watching out for me. It's been raining for about 3 days now, and has turned quite cold. Winter is upon us! There is snow just west of here in Banff, but they are high in the mountains, so get it early. Skiers are happy! There are indications it's going to be a very early winter, and some say it will be short and rather mild. We shall see.

There have been a couple of questions asked about how I spin White Buffalo. If you will go back to February 2006, and continued in March 2006, you will see a step-by-step explanation of what I do. I like my CD spindle very much, and have used it exclusively for all of my spinning for a couple of months. I do have a wheel with some delicious Merino/alpaca on it, but because of the over-crowding right now, I just can't get to it! I HAVE to clear some space for at least a wheel! Yah, I've been saying that before, haven't I?!

Yes, I would very much recommend that you start with these carded strands to start spinning on a wheel or with a spindle. These are already pre-drafted, if you like, and all you have to do is add twist. As you progress, you will be able to 'draw out' some of the thicker areas, should there be any. When you start working with carded fleece, you will know what you need to have in your hands to spin, and will be able to draft rather easily to that same thickness. I often recommend that you make your own thin rovings (just like these) when starting to use a wheel or spindle. (there should be a description of this in my archives somewhere!) When learning to spin with a wheel, there are so many things to concentrate on: treadling, drafting, tension, coordination of hands --- it's easier to do one thing at a time. The same with spindles: learn one thing at a time.

I do like the CD spindle; it's cheap, very light-weight (one CD) and is perfectly balanced. Some people like a heavier spindle and use 2 CDs. Some will glue pennies to the outside rim, if you can get them on evenly! Remember that a heavy spindle is for thicker yarn. Use whatever you need for the yarn you want to spin. That is why we NEED a whole collection of different spindles!

Happy spinning!