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Showing posts from May, 2012

If at first you don't succeed, turn on YouTube

When I grow up, I want to spin like her. The greatest disadvantage of being self-taught is, when stuck, there is no one around to go to for help. I found myself in such a position today trying to chain ply some yarn on the drop spindle. I've done it before but, for boring reasons I won't go into, was really struggling today. Finally, I dropped the spindle for the laptop. I learned to spin watching YouTube videos. It stood to reason I could find some much needed help there. And, boy, did I ever. I've seen a video by this gal before, and it was okay. This one is awesome! It was just what I needed to see. I love how she so casually throws her spindle around. What I'd give to be so proficient. Maybe someday. For now, I've got some plying to do.

A project 19 years in the making

Just how does an obsession start? Sometimes even an offhand mention can cast an inextinguishable spark. I just finished one of the coolest projects. Ever! The Icicle Hat , knit from yarn I spun myself. The goal was to utilize a plying technique to produce well defined cables, and it seems to have worked. Exciting! The wool for this project was purchased in January, but it's origins go back a little further than that. An elementary school friend of mine lived on a farm. In second or third grade, her mom spoke to our class about farm life, and she brought with her a drop spindle. It was huge! A couple feet long with a whorl 6-8 inches across. While she knew what it was for, it was clear hand spinning was not this woman's passion. She probably had more important things to worry about. Like, raising her kids and running the farm, for instance. Most likely, she wanted some type of visual aid and the spindle was easier to manage than a goat or some other livestock. I ...