Hey Ulrica!!! LOTS of men spin (thanks to the still very heavily male dominated textile industry, I'd hazard that 97% of the world's yarn production is by men (and 500 ton machines
) I admit that my mail order clientelle was 97% female though... and all but two of the 3% left over were husbands. I wouldn't be at all surprised if the peruvian shepherds (alpacherds? ???) spun their own sling fibre on the spot while killing time.
I'll see if I can dig up some of my info once I get home... I've spun nettle (and gone through the processes of drying/retting/rippling/combing for larger amounts). Spun and plyed nettle will give many modern fibres a run for their money in terms of strength, longevity and low stretch. So will wool if properly handled. The stuff you buy in the store is obviously not intended for sling construction!!! I still have a wheel that I used for sampling, but sophisticated (if a centuries old technology like wooden flyer spinning wheels counts) tech is certantainly not required. Technology in textiles only adds speed...
A spindle has only two jobs: add twist, and store the yarn.
There is a LOT of info on the web about natural fibre procuring, preparation and spinning, and it sometimes difficult to cut though to the relevant stuff. There are significant (and easy) point to keep in mind when spinning cordage rather than yarn.
Keywords for searching the web:
You want "
worsted
" rather than "woolen" spinning. Worsted yarn has the fibres running parallel, while woolen use randomly oriented fibres to increase softness loft and insulation. Yarns intended for weaving are more often of worsted type, while most hand knitting yarns are spun woolen.
"Carding" is a process used to prep the yarn for woolen spinning. Worsted yarns are "
combed
" to pre-orient the fibres. You don't need a set of combs to do this though. drawing a clump of fibre apart, then stacking the two halves and repeating will give the same effect (only a little slower) the object is to aling the fibres.
"
Spindle
" choice is a personal prefference to a degree, and is indictated by your fibre. Drop spindles can be more frustrating to work with for beginners as they can get away from you. A "support spindle" works nicely, as does a thigh spindle...
Plying
is twisting two or more strands together. Plying helps to stabilise the yarn by balancing twist. "Navajo" pying is a nice shortcut for a three ply yarn. The very small loss in strength over a regular three ply is prob not worth worrying about in braided construction
Hint: While you are spinning, you can get an idea of how much twist you are adding by letting a section of yarn "loop back on itself" (like a snarl in twisted fishing line) If it looks too loose, add more twist. More twist = stronger (up to a point) do a few samples until you get one that you like, then keep that one close so that you can compare twist and yardage every now and then to ensure consistency.
Animal fibres:
Llama / alpaca
Sheep - if you have the choice breeds like Romney, Border Leicester are prefferable to "softer" wools like Merino, Shetland or Corridale.
Silk!!! nice and strong, can make a hard/lustrous yarn (did the chinese use slings?)
Dog
Really!
Angora GOAT ) mohair (a little stretchy maybe)
Veggie:
Nettle
I always end up stung, but it is still worth it!
Flax
Hemp we used to use alot of hemp, then the close relationship with the mind altering variety chased it off the market... slowly coming back. If you want raw fibre, which kind is easier to find in your city?
Skip cotton...