Searching high and low for many years i could only find a few yarns that i found really impressive for my dolls...until i bumped into Hand Spun Yarn. A completely new world opened. It wasn't nearly as complicated as it seemed.
It took a little while to get the hang of this new skill, but slowly with the help of a lovely lady called Chris, whose spinning wheel i gratefully received along with my first lesson in spinning yarn, the secrets of the yarn that was given to me as a gift of an old craft. A complete joy which I wish to share. A skill i truly recommend.
Every option opens to you, from what materials you use, to how you mix the colours and even a little felting if required. Beads can be joined and even a little glittery sparkle. The only obstacle is your imagination and a little enjoyable effort.
My favourite is natural wool, partly due to the never ending range, from Shetland wool to Black Jacob, Alpaca or Mohair . from Spinning Locks to the soft Merino Wools felted unicorn horns or small beehives wrapped with Mulberry silk. Each spun skein is unique and none are ever the same. The choice is endless, a spinning wheel can even spin textiles cut into strips which can also be spun into the wool, The options of what materials you can use is endless, to camels fleece, bamboo fibre. hemp or nettles fibre. Are you ready?
You can mix and match your colours at the same time. Each time starting from a blank canvas. The only restriction is your imagination. Absolute heaven.
Cotton Cute spins yarn mainly from wool, and the different types of wool available is endless, in the United Kingdom there are many very well looked after sheep, living in very good conditions, which makes sense as that's the only way to get a high quality wool. The fleece come in many different states, some you can be purchased as carded roving, locks or in its raw state.
The wool tends to look curly after winding the yarn from the bobbin to form a Skein and then removing it.
To stretch the wool, it is either steamed gently or dipped into hot and cold water to felt, which is ideal for Dolls hair. The more you shock the skein with temperature change from hot to cold the more it will felt. some art Yarn is over spun in some of the dolls Yarn to give it added texture and an organic natural look.
From Roving to Rolag's to spun yarn to winding them in skeins and the gentle felting process. Cotton cute is looking forward to sharing our creative journey of Art Yarns.
The Spinning Wheel
And of course here is a picture of my first wonderful and favourite spinning wheel. Cotton Cutes workshops include hand spun Art Yarns, making true the Art of home crafted Doll Making.
Some of our spun wool is on sale at Cotton Cute Shop.
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