This past Saturday was the final installment of the two part spinning workshop that I attended. As already discussed, the first part was drop spindle spinning, which, if I do say so myself, I caught onto fairly quickly. And really enjoyed.
The second part was spinning on a spinning wheel. I was really looking forward to this experience, as it's something I've wanted to do for quite some time. It may look effortless and easy, but like with everything else that is new, it requires a great deal of co-ordination of movements that haven't been tried before and a whole heap of patience. I'd say that I was in short supply of the latter on Saturday.
A lot of the participants at the workshop already had their own wheels, so I felt a bit like the one and only guest at the party that didn't bring any chip dip. But there was a wheel for me nonetheless, a weird, compact travelling contraption that must have been designed by Lucifer himself.
Our wise and patient leader Sharon assured me that since I did well with the spindle, I would probably be able to handle this wheel. Well, if you want to see me having a little bit of a yarn tantrum, just hop over to Heddy's site (I'm the one in the blue sweater).
I eventually gave up on the wheel in a box and tried out Heddy's version, as she graciously offered to let me have a go on something that wasn't spiteful and determined to make me insane. With her wheel, I had much more success and I think that by the end of the day, I actually was getting a hang of the treadling and drafting etc. Anyhow, here's what I spun...
When I showed it to the constable, he called it barf yarn, as he didn't care for the colours. I quite like it. It's extremely inconsistent, as I had some problems with the bobbin taking up the yarn as it was spinning, but hey, what can you do. It was my first try. I'm just happy I have something to show for my efforts.
Overall, I've totally caught the spinning bug. I've been scouting out wheels and when the weather stops being so schizo, I'd like to take a trip to Gaspereau Valley Fibres and see what they have to offer. I'm happy with the drop spindle for now, which is good, but I definitely see myself making the investment in a wheel before too long.
Another aquisition at the workshop was my very own ball winder! I figured I'd better snap one up while I had the opportunity, as buying one some other time would require either travel or shipping. Here it is with my first and second skeins of handspun all joined up and caked. I love my new toy. I want to wind everything.
So here's where the weird comes in. I know that people spin the hair from their pets. There was a lady at the workshop that wanted to do just that. She had collected fibre from her poodle and had planned to spin what she had into something knit-able (picture also on Heddy's site). I think that's pretty cool, and even have a little bit of spun dog hair (a demo piece I picked up at a craft fair) in my stash. But I never thought I'd be the kind of person who would do that myself.
Guess what. I am. The constable gave Hank a bath this morning and the brushing he received afterwards resulted in a decent amount of fibre. He was kind of kidding around with me about spinning it up, and so I took some, just to see if it was possible. The hairs aren't incredibly long, but they were long enough to spin. So I did.
And I like it! It's quite a pretty colour I think, and soft. We had joked about making a Hank coat someday, cuz his fur is so soft and soooo warm. I guess that idea might not be as far fetched as we had thought. Anyhow, if I continue to collect his fur and spin it, I might blend it with some wool, just to make it a little more stable. It tends to break very easily, I'm guessing because it is hair and not wool, which would be more likely to cling to itself a little more.
So yeah. I may have taken the whole 'waste not, want not' philosophy to the next level. But it keeps me entertained.
Until later...
5 comments:
Hank looks so woebegone in that one photo - maybe he wants his furry hair back...
Congrats on the barf yarn!
Hey, your first attempt at wheel spinning was a great success! The yarn looks good...now you just need more practice. FYI, I got my Louet off of eBay - it's a second hand, but it was easily half the price of a new one. Works quite well, and is actually sturdier than the new models. I just had to get some new bobbins and a drive band, but otherwise, it was a very good way to start spinning and save a few bucks.
We have a friend with a great pyreneese (spelling??), he has a bag of hair collected, and eventually will be looking for someone to spin it for him. I think I've been nominated for the job of knitting something out of it :)
Your little bit of yarn looks great! Still doesn't make me want to learn how to spin though :)
I am glad you enjoyed your spinning adventure and wish you all the best with it! Even with all the problems!
I am, however, very content to buy my yarn all spun and skeined and ready to knit.
We had a corgi who shed like crazy and I always said I could knit a sweater each time I brushed her. Didn't occur to me that you could actually do just that!
nice Hank yarn ... pretty colour! I can't believe yer hubby dubbed your spinning from the wheel "Barf Yarn" ... I like the unusual combo of colours (almost bought a bag!). I can't believe that you id'd yourself as the yarn hurler at spinning -- I took pains to make sure your identity was a secret (what happens at spin class stays at spin class!) I'm glad my wheel worked out better for you than the wheel in a box -- sometimes the old ways are best. Imagine how good you'd be if you hadn' had to fight with the beast in a box for half the class -- you'd be spinning flax into gold!
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