I am trying to improve the frequency of my posts! I will also include pictures soon.

I bought my first spinning wheel last fall. Like most beginning spinners, I started off with wool. However, a charity that I would like to knit for prefers non-wool hats and scarves. Therefore I decided to try spinning bamboo.

Bamboo is challenging. It has shorter fibers, but they stick together a lot. I think that's what spinners mean when they call it "slippery." Unlike wool, the fibers really seem to go in the same direction and stick together. Sometimes, especially while I'm spinning, I have to pull very hard in order to draft the fibers out.

Starting the bamboo yarn was also challenging. I had tried spinning more loosely with wool to create softer yarn. When I attempted that with bamboo, the yarn kept breaking off and it was difficult to reattach because the fibers were too loose. Then I went to the opposite extreme and spun too tightly, which also caused the yarn to break.

I have experimented with how I hold the yarn and my pre-drafted. Spinning from the fold does work, but my pieces are longer than I am accustomed to with wool, so the thickness of my yarn seems to vary unless I take a very short piece. Another technique I have tried is pre-drafting the bamboo and spinning worsted. That works better for me with consistency, but it sheds on my legs a lot! I have read that shorter fibers do shed more, but this is something else!

I plan to ply it with wool, so hopefully that will prevent shedding in completed knit hats and scarves. I also plan to talk with more advanced spinners about their techniques.

I think, in the future, I will buy acrylic or another fiber to knit with for this charity because I really enjoy the feel of wool while I spin. Perhaps I will change my mind when I am more advanced.

Happy spinning!