I was browsing through blogs this afternoon, and I stumbled upon a post where the poster (a weaver) was taking care of some brush in her backyard, and she picked up some branches and made a little primitive loom out of it.
And I thought--well, I would have whittled a few hand spindles.
And I realized something.
Last November, I think, I was also browsing a blog--Riverrim's blog, a lovely place to visit if you've never been there. And I came across a post where she was spinning the exact kind of yarn I wanted to spin on a drop spindle, and I left her a comment, and she was nice enough to reply. And I kind of decided I didn't have enough time to learn how to spin. And also last year, I bought and sold three spinning wheels and ended up at the end of the year with one left--Agatha, my (first) Great Wheel, who spent the winter in storage.
Sometime in January, I decided that if I wasn't going to learn, I should sell the Turkish drop spindle I bought from The Spanish Peacock last year. So I bought a learn-to-spin kit from Etsy with a bottom whorl drop spindle, and after three tries of various weights of yarn, something *clicked*. And I've been spinning ever since.
Spinning is something I can do that is--I want to say mindless, but mindless doesn't sound right. It's mindful; I can let my mind drift as I twirl my spindle and make yarn out of fluff. I've worked my way through many a story issue now that I've discovered support spindles and can spin sitting here at my desk, and I'm thoroughly enjoying repairing and restoring my Great Wheels (I now have three) as well. Since January, I've learned so much information that I didn't know before; about spinning, and spindles, and Great Wheels, and everything else fiber-related.
I like weaving still, yes. And I'll always crochet. I've pretty much given up on knitting, if only because it seems too tedious to me, and I'm a faster crocheter, and it seems more intuitive anyway.
However, weaving is good for only certain things, at least in my opinion. Of my shawls, I wear the crocheted ones more often, not the woven ones. And honestly, dish towels, while practical, are pretty boring to make. Yarn is much more versatile.
And I can make spindles. I can make hand spindles, too, and share the love. It's a little more difficult to make a loom, at least one that I could sell.
I really do think spinning is here to stay. And that's not a bad thing at all.
And I thought--well, I would have whittled a few hand spindles.
And I realized something.
Last November, I think, I was also browsing a blog--Riverrim's blog, a lovely place to visit if you've never been there. And I came across a post where she was spinning the exact kind of yarn I wanted to spin on a drop spindle, and I left her a comment, and she was nice enough to reply. And I kind of decided I didn't have enough time to learn how to spin. And also last year, I bought and sold three spinning wheels and ended up at the end of the year with one left--Agatha, my (first) Great Wheel, who spent the winter in storage.
Sometime in January, I decided that if I wasn't going to learn, I should sell the Turkish drop spindle I bought from The Spanish Peacock last year. So I bought a learn-to-spin kit from Etsy with a bottom whorl drop spindle, and after three tries of various weights of yarn, something *clicked*. And I've been spinning ever since.
Spinning is something I can do that is--I want to say mindless, but mindless doesn't sound right. It's mindful; I can let my mind drift as I twirl my spindle and make yarn out of fluff. I've worked my way through many a story issue now that I've discovered support spindles and can spin sitting here at my desk, and I'm thoroughly enjoying repairing and restoring my Great Wheels (I now have three) as well. Since January, I've learned so much information that I didn't know before; about spinning, and spindles, and Great Wheels, and everything else fiber-related.
I like weaving still, yes. And I'll always crochet. I've pretty much given up on knitting, if only because it seems too tedious to me, and I'm a faster crocheter, and it seems more intuitive anyway.
However, weaving is good for only certain things, at least in my opinion. Of my shawls, I wear the crocheted ones more often, not the woven ones. And honestly, dish towels, while practical, are pretty boring to make. Yarn is much more versatile.
And I can make spindles. I can make hand spindles, too, and share the love. It's a little more difficult to make a loom, at least one that I could sell.
I really do think spinning is here to stay. And that's not a bad thing at all.
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