Saturday, March 14, 2015

Spinning Thick and Thin

When you start to spin, the more seasoned yarn-makers will advise you to take your time, to park and draft, to spin a little every day and to relax. They will say things like, "Don't worry if it's not consistent," and, "You'll WANT to spin this kind of yarn in the future, and you won't be able to!," and, "Just relax. It'll come to you with practice." All of these things are true. 

I started spinning with a rough and heavy, cheap spindle from a "kit." The fiber included was rough and a bit "sheepy" for my taste, but what did I know? Maybe fiber was supposed to be like that. Still, I am an over-achiever, and I was determined to have perfect yarn, even if I had to park and draft at first (which I did...I think most spinners start that way). I don't need to tell you that my first attempts were not perfect...but they also weren't too bad. Yay!

Yeah, not perfect. That yarn became a cat toy, and I am totally ok with that. As a matter of fact, the cat with the toy LOVES it! So, there is hope even for the roughest and sheepiest of first yarns! 

Of course, with practice, my consistency improved, and most of my spinning was pretty thin...with 3 plies becoming a lace-weight yarn, like this one:

So, I know I can spin thin, and (like they all told me) I wish I could spin thicker, and a little Art-Yarn-ier, sometimes. Enter this beautiful Art Batt that I forgot I even had!

And it matches that new 3D printed spindle I just ordered, yay! 

Sooo, I've been working on this all week, while I rest from this one, which is decidedly thinner, but no less beautiful!

Thick and thin are now both in my wheelhouse - yippee!, and I am spinning just about every day, and OMGosh! Now that I've got the hang of spinning, and I have so many tools and fibers that I love, I want to spin all the time! (I have also learned how to properly wrap those Turkish spindles...oooh, pretty!)

Do you spin? Do you want to try? If you do, just remember to take your time, to park and draft, to spin a little every day and to relax. Don't worry if it's not consistent, you'll WANT to spin this kind of yarn in the future, and you won't be able to! Finally, just relax. It'll come to you with practice. :)

Thanks for stopping by, and Knit (and Spin) in Good Health!

1 comment:

  1. That is totally gorgeous, looks like you've been spinning for years!

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