Learning to Spin

I've been wanting to learn to spin before it seemed like such a bandwagon thing, but the timing of my first spinning classes happens to coincide with half the knitting world doing the same thing. Which just means I have good company!

On June 11th, I took a 2.5 hour drop spindle class. We got simple drop spindles and fiber to play with and take home. It took the whole 2.5 hours to get the idea that you pinch with one hand, draft with the other, and then release the twist to let it travel up the drafted fiber and ta-da - yarn.



I completely overspun the first single I spun, so I actually ran it through the spindle again to loosen the overspin. Which, of course, was overkill - the singles are so loosely plied that they are basically singles still. But it's my very first handspun. I wound up with 1.9 of very chunky two-ply handspun Coopworth wool in natural colors:



Then, this weekend, I started a two-part wheel spinning class. I love spinning on a wheel. It goes so fast! I'm glad I took the drop spindle class first, because I already understood the pinch-draw-release combo move, and it made for a fun class. Here's the bobbin I spun in class:



These singles will probably still make yarn larger than I typically knit with, but it's much more even and thinner than the singles from my drop spindle. And, we even got to take wheels home for the week. (This is an Ashford Traditional Saxony-style. Next weekend I get to try a Lendrum Castle-style wheel.)


(My cat checking things out.)

Last night I subscribed to Spin-Off and then today, I signed up for the Funky Carolina Fiber Club. No going back for me!