I have been on a bit of a fiber art hiatus. I took a couple of years off to get my real estate license. As I have been slowly dipping my toes back into the world of fiber art, my go-to has been hand spinning. Actually, spinning has always been my go-to. It is something that is easy to do intuitively without a lot of intensive prep. It feeds both my knitting and weaving and often the yarn itself is an inspiration for which tools I will use to make the fabric be it knitting needles or my loom.
So today, fiberista, I am sharing with you my top five spinning tools. I am including a bunch of affiliate links in this post. What this means is, at no cost to you, if you buy something through the link I provided, I receive a small commission for referring you to the sale. I swear I would never recommend anything I have not used myself or is something I have had on my wishlist and would buy.
#1: My spinning wheel
I love my wheel. It is a Louet S51 DT and is the exact wheel I learned to spin on in 2002. It is also discontinued. But this wheel is pretty much the same thing. If I have to rebuy this wheel this is what I would get. I also have an older version of this Spinnolution wheel. It spins completely different than my Louet, and is fantastic for spinning art yarns. I have a couple of espinners, but my Louet is my go-to wheel.
#2: My blending board
Sure, I have a drum carder…hell, I have 3 (my Strauch petit, my Louet, and my big-ass Supercard). But, if I am just wanting to make a quick art batt I will pull out my Louet blending board. I am not spinning loads of the same kind of yarn, and really just looking to make some fun art yarns. The size of a blending board batt is small enough to hold my attention with a quick spin that has decent yardage for art weaving of free-form knitting. I can then move on to some new textures and a new batt. It is portable.
Check out my carding demo using the blending board:
#3 My hand cards
Traditionalists will freak…but I use my hand cards all the time as a tool with my drum carder and blending board. I have this set. I am sure this is not great for the teeth of the carders if you also plan to make fine rolags. But fine rolags are not something I make. I use the hand cards to burnish fiber onto my drum carder as well as to distribute the layers of fiber evenly across the blending board before burnishing with a brush.
#4 My art yarn flyer
Many wheels come with the ability to handle art yarns built-in. My Louet did not. I bought a separate flyer. It was a game-changer as far as the textures my wheel was able to handle.
#5 extra bobbins
Some wheel packages come with 3 bobbins. I always feel like at least 6 bobbins are ideal. Hell, I have 18 for my Louet. When I am in the spinning groove, I don’t always want to take time to clear my bobbins for the next spin.
So what are your favorite spinning tools? leave me a comment below. And if you like this article, please share it
Fiber artist Stacey Budge-Kamison AKA UrbanGypZ lives and works in Cary NC. She can also be found knitting in public, hammering out her latest e-course at local cafés and spinning yarns in her booth at her favorite arts festivals. A designer at heart, Stacey has decided that her mission is to help fellow knitters, crocheters, weavers and felters embrace their own style and creativity by exploring fiber art as it is a part of their everyday life and helping them embrace the title of artist no matter where they are in their journey. 
Extra bobbins, can one have too many? 😁 Interesting use of hand carders. I use some small dog brushes as I can’t hold and maneuver the heavy carders. They work well, but of course they only handle small amounts. They make good flick carders. I do have some combs which have long teeth and are wood but I only have to hold one. I find them easier than the carders—but of course they do a slightly different thing. Hope to read more from you!
Never too many bobbins for sure. I do like the dog brushes too. Mine always seem to go missing until I find them with the dog brushes we actually use for the dog 🤨
Grrrrllll… more definitely to come…editing video this weekend…
Never too many bobbins and great yarn I also use my hand cards on my drum carder to brush the yarn down,mind you I need a new drum carder mine is a. Very old one. Really need to get a new teeth for it try and buy some then extra to make my own blending board I have not u see one yet.