Hello, and thank you so much for last week’s thoughtful comments. Taking your advice on board, I’m telling myself that it’s okay to be less productive for a while. Focusing on small and simple knitting projects for the time being seems like the best thing to do. Socks, and perhaps a small scarf or a pair of mittens – thank you for your ideas. And I hope to finally get round to some other crafts projects that have been patiently waiting.
In 2023 I bought some spinning fibre at the wool festival in Joure, from the Q-Art stand that was filled with hand-dyed wool-and-silk in many colours:
Is there something there to your taste? Which would you choose? I chose two balls, together a little under 300 grams – these:
One a dusty pink, and the other the colour of the sky on some mornings and evenings: sky-blue pink.
I love these festivals so much, not just because of the lovely materials on offer but also because of the people visiting them, some of them imaginatively dressed. Take this person, all in white with a lace parasol, an antique-looking skirt, and ankle socks with lace. Even the text on the bag is carefully chosen: Once upon a time…
Well, back to spinning. I started with the sky blue-pink fibre, in this case pre-drafting it. I tear off about 30 centimetres (13 inches).
Then carefully pull on it with both hands.
Pulling the fibre out more and more, bit by bit, moving my hands back and forth along its length while taking care not to pull it apart. Until it is about 4 to 5 times the original length.
This blends the colours a little more. And most of all it loosens the fibres, making for easier spinning. I spin it, then tear off another piece and repeat the pre-drafting process, spin that, etc.
(I also spin with both hands, but do not always have an extra pair of hands handy for taking pictures.) After spinning all of the fibre, I’m going to ply it into a 2-ply yarn. I’m aiming for a sport-weight yarn, but always find the final weight hard to predict.
Do you spin, too? If not, why not give it a try? Once you’ve got the hang of it, it’s such a relaxing thing to do. Wool festivals and crafts fairs are ideal for trying out whether it’s something you might enjoy, without immediately investing in all kinds of materials and equipment. There are always people there who are happy to let you take place behind their spinning wheel and tell you what to do.
Well, that’s all for today. I hope there is something else to share here next week and hope to see you then!