Things I have learned - Spinning

I spin on a spindle, my spinning wheel is being held hostage until Christmas. Santa is mean. Anyway, these are practices that work best for me. I haven't taken a spinning class so some parts might be things you would learn in a class. These might also be "duh" things, but might be helpful to someone.

1. Before pre-drafting roving I do something that I call "snapping". I hold a short lengths of the fiber between my hands (shorter than the staple length) and snap it a couple of times working my way down the roving. For me this fluffs and straightens out the fiber. Seems that it allows the fiber to draft easier.

2. I split the roving into 3 sections, lengthwise. I have tried leaving it hole. I have tried 2 and 4 sections. But for me 3 works best.

3. I made a little pouch wrist thingy. I saw it on a you tube video. While at home I just make a nice little pile, but when I take my spindle out, the little pouch keeps the roving nicely tucked away and keeps it from blowing around in the wind.

4. If I'm wanting to do 2 ply I weigh my roving and split in half. If 3 ply I divide in thirds. This helps to make sure there is even amount for plying later.

5. I keep all my roving in waiting in ziplock baggies. Keeps fiber from snagging on anything, and if my cat sneaks into my studio, the roving is safe.