Morning Spin

Ever since I saw my cousin's spinning wheel when a was a wee girl, I wanted to try it out.

Naturally, I wasn't allowed to touch it. I could break it or get some gooey sticky slime on it that all wee children seem to exude from their hands.

So I didn't touch it. But I watched. I watched her spin. I watched the ladies at the country fairs spin. I watched the actors pretend to spin in the movies. Still, never spinning.

Then I saw a mitten with some unspun yarn laced through it - thrumming. I had to make a pair, of course. Which left me with some lovely unspun yarn - roving. What's a girl to do? I went to Rhinebeck and got a quick lesson on a drop spindle then picked up a beginner spindle for myself.

It was fun! And I made yarn and then knit it up into mittens.

I could pick any color and any texture I wanted and get just what I wanted. As long as it was bulky and soft, my spindle would spin it up.

But then, I went on a yarn crawl and found some ever so pretty pink lemonade Shetland wool. If I spun it thick, it would be cotton candy - but I knew it was pink lemonade. But my spindle wouldn't spin it thin and lacey.

So what's a girl to do?

I made a lightweight little sparkly lace spindle. So pretty!

Fresh wool

There's something wonderful about a fresh new batch of wool. Each type of fiber has its own crimp, length, sheen. How will it work for me and my spindle?

Can I get it superfine or will it be chunky. How long will the finished single ply of yarn be? What will I be able to make out of it?

Sure, I have some idea of what I want. I want a hat with some cables on it.

But as the song says, you can't always get what you want.

Curiosity, excitement and still incredulity that this even turns into yarn are all ahead of me.

Sometimes having a cold is a good thing. And the lollipop isn't a bad thing either!