Yesterday was Day 2 of my attempt to spin on my spindle (BTW, it's a high-whorl spindle, in case you're as geeky as me and were wondering.). I came to it around 9 pm, after multiple attempts to get Baby A.K. to go to sleep, and after sitting with Husband as we went through his benefits package for next year. So yeah, you could say that I wasn't really in the right frame of mind from the get-go. I read the instructions (again), I tied on a bit of rolled-up roving onto the spindle (again), and with my new knowledge of which direction is clockwise (thanks, Cris!), I spun with my right hand, and gently, gently pulled roving with my left. Then I noticed the "yarn" winding on itself towards the bottom. Too much twist? Maybe I better undo it a little... plop! Spindle was now lying on the ground, fuzzy ends of roving staring at me:
OK, I'll just join 'em back up and try again... nope. Roving won't join. I'm telling you, it's not cooperating. No amount of cajoling, twisting, re-"spinning" (since what I'm doing is clearly not spinning), bargaining, pleading, or idle threats work on this roving. So back in its box it went.
Muttering under my breath, I decided to check out a book title on Amazon that I'd heard about on the Knit Picks podcast (looks fantastic). And as if Arachne herself answered my cry for help, I came across another book that may just solve all my problems: Spinning In The Old Way. I'm going to order this one on Friday. I will not let this roving beat me. It will turn into yarn. Eventually.
For now, I'll just stick to socks... 
...and wait for the weather to turn cold so I can wear this:
10.24.2007
Day 2: Learning To Spin
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2 comments:
Joining in a new piece of wool is still where I'm most likely to drop the spindle too. Once again, I hear ya! If you can thin the ends you're trying to join out a bit and overlap them, it helps; I guess it's sort of a knack, and I'm still trying to learn it too.
I was thinking earlier this week that learning to spin is a lot like learning how to drive, in that you have to learn a whole set of unfamiliar skills, all at once. You can't practice steering without using the pedals; you can't really use the pedals without also steering; and God help you if you also have to shift! To spin, you HAVE TO spin and draft and manage the wool all at the same time, or it just doesn't work -- and all of them are unfamiliar actions, and it's a lot to keep track of at once, and the second you miss one... spindle on the floor. Or else twisted, undraftable roving, which has been my worst problem to overcome.
BUT, you learned how to drive, and spinning will come too! Eventually your hands get used to the motions, you stop having to think about it so much, and it just works ... and for me, I'm getting to that point a lot faster than I ever thought I would. You'll get there too!
... and I was so distracted by the spinning I forgot to say the sweater rocks!! That's so pretty, I love the yarn and the buttons! I hope to see it in person, maybe it'll be cold enough to wear it by our next knitting meetup at Borders :)
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