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About Us
How I Started Handspinning

DROP SPINDLES
*Types of Drop Spindles
How To Make A Drop Spindle
Making Yarn With A Drop Spindle 

SPINNING WHEELS
Styles of Spinning Wheels
Parts Of The Spinning Wheel
*How The Spinning Wheel Works
* Adjusting The Wheel's Tension
*Drive Ratios & Twist

HANDSPINNING TECHNIQUES
Preparing To Spin 
Basic Handspinning Techniques 
Adding On More Fiber 
Spinning Woollen and Worsted Yarn
*Making A Skein With A Niddy Noddy
* "Setting In The Twist" Of Handspun Yarn
*Navajo Plying 

FIBER INFORMATION
Alpaca 
Angora 
Llama 
Mohair 
Silk
Wool 

WOOL PREPARATION
How to Wash Your Fleece
How to Use Hand Carders 
How to Use a Drum Carder
How to Use Dutch Combs
How to Use Mini-Combs
Using a Diz

DYEING INFORMATION
Natural Dyes
Natural Plant Dyeing
Mordants
Natural Dyeing: Helpful Tips
Dyeing with Gaywool Dyes

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SPINNING GUILDS



Natural Dyes

Beautiful bright colors can be obtained by dyeing with natural dyes. Dyes can be gathered from nature or you can use dyestuff which will give you any color under the rainbow.

Alkanet Root: (Alkanna Tinctoria)
This will give colors from bluish grey to soft burgundy. This plant will grow like a weed if one wants to grow it.

Annato Seed: (Bixa Orellana)
Will give an orange shade, it is a good dye for cotton.

Brazilwood Dust: (Caesalpania Echinata)
This dye will give you reds. Before using the dust, expose it to the air and sprinkle with water and alcohol.

Cochineal: (Dactylopius Coccus)
The little cochineal bug will give the most color when ground into a fine powder. Obtainable colors are dark burgundy to bright red to soft lilac and pink.

Cutch Extract: (Acacia Catechu)
Cutch is a very easy dye. It will remain fast even on cottons and silks. It is good for combinations and produces brown tones if used by itself.

Indigo Natural: (Indigo Tinctotia)
Natural Indigo comes in blocks which, without further preparation, dyeing would not be possible as it does not dissolve in water. A recipe and reducing agent are needed. The color range that is produced is blue.

Indigo Solution Natural: (Saxony blue)
Produces a bright blue and is very easy to use, similar to a chemical dye. All of the dye will be absorbed in the fiber. It is not very good to dye cotton nor other vegetable fibers.

Loqwood Concentrate: (Hematoxylon Campechianum)
Expected colors anywhere from magenta's and brown to purples and pink. A mordant is absolutely needed. The concentrated powder will give more bluish colors. It dyes cotton well.

Madderroot: (Rubia Tinctorum)
Is available in two forms: root or dust. Colors range anywhere from red to red-brown and oranges. It dyes cotton well.

Osage Orange Dust: (Maclura Pomifer)
Also available in two colors; bright yellow and gold. Two different colors can be obtained.

Red Sandalwood: (Pterocarpus)
This dye is beautiful for blending. It produces lovely browns, good shade combinations for doll hair.

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