DYI Dizzy Diz

 

Simple Diz made of Lilac Wood

I also a very simple Diz.  What the heck is a diz, you ask?  It's basically a 1/4-inch hole that you pass combed or carded fiber through to make roving -- which makes it easier for spinning into yarn.  Usually, I just spin from the batts made on my carder, and skip the dizzing step.  But I was recently reminded how spinning from roving is even easier.

My friend Lynda was lamenting that she had all this fiber, but no way to turn it into roving, which would make it easier to dye.  Lucky I took that spinning class 20 years ago!  There, I learned about dizzes -- You can buy fancy ones, but why?  All it is is a hole -- In the class, I remember I made a very simple diz by cutting the corner off of a recycled tofu container.  Worked great back then!

  

 

2 dizzes - Side view and top view. Very simple made from recycled tofu containers. 

This time, I took a few of the larger Lilac rounds, and drilled 2 sizes of holes for different gauges of roving.  This will work fine for me, though Lynda may want a larger bored hole for thicker / denser roving.

Anything with a 1/4-inch hole will work.  a button or a bead, or a wooden wheel off of a child's toy. Lynda may even end up using a recycled water bottle or milk jug with the bottom cut off to get the wider bore she'll need for denser roving.  The shape will also help to funnel the fiber into the whole and get the fibers going in the same direction. 

Here are some fancier dizzes. Just so you can see what else is out there.

And this is how you use it :

How to Prepare Wool Fiber with a Diz  This one show using the diz with a hackle :

Spinning a batt- Dizzing 

How to Prepare Wool Fiber with a Diz A diz is used when making a combed top. It is a disc or oval made of wood, plastic, or cardboard with a 1 to 2 i...

Spinning a batt- Dizzing I demonstrate dizzing a batt into roving to spin. Learn More at http://www.ccfibers.com

Fiber : Part 1

Last April, we were in Madison, WI, visiting some of our old haunts. Some friends were going to an Alpaca convention that day. We decided to tag along ...

Before I left Madison, almost 10 years ago, I took spinning lessons at The Weaving Worksop and bought a spinning wheel from Susan's Fiber Shop. I used to spin a lot--it helped unwind after a long day at work using my brain power. Then I had a kid who was a little too interested in the mechanisms of the spinning wheel -- and I discovered quilting!


My Spinning Wheel : A Louet S-90, a wonderful and portable wheel! I understand it's "out-of'-print" now. The yarn on it now is from a roving I bought from Rainbow Fleece Farm in New Glarus, WI. Patty Reedy is a fiber artist who decided the only way to get the fiber she was looking for was to go into raising sheep herself. The wool of her sheep has a wonderful luster--it actually sparkles! Too bad you can't see that in this picture ...

I am still very interested in fibers and spinning and now, needle felting.

One of the vendors had a lovely array of blended and dyed fibers (not necessarily Alpaca). I couldn't resist! Here's what I bought from Huacaya Moon :


Blue Green


Northern Lights


Agate

I'm thinking these will make wonderful northern lights one way or another. I still have to experiment and work out just how I want to accomplish that ...

At the Alpaca Conference, vendors brought spinning wheels and looms, too. I'd love to get a loom, but I don't have the space. They were also selling simple hand looms that could sit on a tabletop. Heck--you could make one yourself.

So what do I do with the yarn that I spin? Nothing yet. I'm not much of a knitter, though I used to crochet. My Gramma Pickles has several knitting machines, though. One day, I'll hand my yarn off to her for transformation into a sweater ...