Friday, September 9, 2011

Fiber Arts Friday: Spindling Camel

They say spinning camel is difficult.  So I've wanted to try it for some time to see why.


This is 1/4 ounce of baby camel roving that came in a spinning sampler I picked up at the Estes Park Wool Market earlier this year.  There are a few other interesting fibers in this package, but I'll save those for another time.  ;-)



The camel drafted a lot faster than anything else I've spun, so I accidentally broke the roving several times.  But eventually, I got smart and tried pre-drafting the roving, which helped a lot.  Then I spun with smaller chunks of pre-drafted roving which was the secret for me.

I really enjoyed spindling the camel and will definitely try it again.  :-)


I just love the color.  It's also quite soft. So much so that Hubba did a little shopping for a real-live-camel. It's a good thing there weren't any immediately available. lol.

The total is 1/4 ounce, 22.4 yards... a perfect little micro-skein.  :-)

Please be sure to head over to Wisdom Begins in Wonder and see what everyone else has been up to for Fiber Arts Friday.

12 comments:

pinkundine said...

Oooh, it looks beautiful. I love the colour. I've never knit with camel yarn before, but it's one I'd like to try.

Melissa Plank said...

So pretty and soft looking! I love that your husband dove right in and began looking for a camel!!!

Marushka C. said...

Your husband sounds quite supportive of your crafting needs! The camel yarn came out beautifully. I'm still a fairly new spinner & always happy to read about how to spin fibers I haven't tried yet.

Vivian said...

The camel yarn looks very interesting. I've never used it before, but have seen it as finished garment. The texture seems to be close to mohair minus the fuss.

The cria babies, sigh, you know they are going to be handful already.

Voie de Vie said...

I love that camel spin - didn't you do something similar during the TdF, or am I having a memory moment? :)

BTW, too bad he didn't find one - talk about a conversation starter in the barn ...

Tamara Miller said...

Spinning camel sounds wonderful! Owning one is something else! I heard they are really difficult. Your yarn is gorgeous

WonderWhyGal said...

It's funny...I am learning that some fibers I prefer to use on my drop spindle more than the wheel. Maybe I should try my camel on the spindle since I have fought it so much on the wheel. Your yarn is beautiful.

Kathryn Ray said...

@VdV - I spun the camel maybe 10 days ago. I updated my Ravelry. I think you may have favorited it. ;-)

@WWG - I selected the drop spindle because I can go slower and therefore have more control. That spindling practice from the TdF is really starting to pay off. :-)

Regarding the camel in the barn: I have a funny feeling that we may have a camel at some point, but I am very happy it won't be soon. :-)

Spinster Beth said...

I spindled some camel. About a yard, then gave up ;-). I think it was easier spinning from the fold, but the fibers drifted everywhere !

AllyB said...

Very pretty, I've spun some camel on my spinning wheel and it was very nice. It was a bag full that I got from the guy I bought my first wheel from gave me. I should look around and see if there's any of that left to spin. Have a great weekend!

Alittlebitsheepish said...

It looks beautiful. I have to predraft loads or I would such a slow spinner. I think camels are a lot more grumpy than alpacas, not to mention a lot bigger!

Heather Woollove said...

What wonderful yarn, Kathryn! My blog friend, Sandie, is bringing me some camel fiber today, so I can see how it will felt. What fun!!
I am delighted to hear that you got to meet my friend, Cathy B!!! She is an awesome woman and exquisite felter and she was just SO KIND to me during Fling!
I think spending time with her (and soaking up some of her joie de vivre) is just so healing and so much fun. Lucky you...living so close!! XXO-