Behold, the first 55 yards of the Spice Market batt made into yarn.
I gotta say, I'm darn pleased with it too. Its by no means perfect but its got a low twist (which is what I wanted) and the color are absolutely gorgeous!
I've taken to spinning before I go to bed, which helps relieve some of the anxiety I seem to be plagued with at the moment. I'm pretty slow at this yet. At the rate I'm going I should have the 4 oz. of fiber spun up by the year 2076.
I've learned a lot off these 55 yards and considering the fact that I have/had no idea what I was doing (seriously, I just decided one day it was a good idea, grabbed the spindle and started making it go, its a "baptism by fire" kind of learning), I'm happy with what I got.
Seeing as how we haven't had a Top Ten list on the blog for a while, I thought I'd bring you one. So I give you my:
Top Ten Things I Have Learned So Far About Spinning Yarn on a Drop Spindle
1. You know how when you turn the ceiling fan on high your hair swishes about? Wool roving is also hair. It will behave the same way. Turn down the fan.
2. You can not twist lumpy spots in the roving into submission without creating areas in your yarn that resemble dental floss. Pause. Draft out the lump. Resume spinning.
3. Eyeballing your westhighland terrier's fur and wondering just how many months he would need to skip the groomer so you can spin some is the act of an irresponsible pet owner. Move along.
4. Two hints that your spindle is full: a) the yarn is sliding of the end of the spindle like you greased it with crisco and b) that little piece you keep handling along the bottom edge is getting angry and beginning to resemble felt. No one likes angry wool. Empty the spindle and begin again.
2. You can not twist lumpy spots in the roving into submission without creating areas in your yarn that resemble dental floss. Pause. Draft out the lump. Resume spinning.
3. Eyeballing your westhighland terrier's fur and wondering just how many months he would need to skip the groomer so you can spin some is the act of an irresponsible pet owner. Move along.
4. Two hints that your spindle is full: a) the yarn is sliding of the end of the spindle like you greased it with crisco and b) that little piece you keep handling along the bottom edge is getting angry and beginning to resemble felt. No one likes angry wool. Empty the spindle and begin again.
5. Curious westie + spinning spindle = disaster. Ban pets from the spinning area unless you are entertained by a dog laced with orange and rust colored roving fleeing from your shrieking.
6. If this was a few centuries ago and myself and my family's clothing were dependent on my spinning and knitting skills being speedy, we would be mostly naked, cold and whatever clothing we did have would make us look funny.
7. Spinning is like crack. Once you start, you can't stop. Do not start at 11:30pm saying you'll only "do a little." You are a dirty liar. It will be 2am before you know it, G-O T-O B-E-D.
8. Never complain about the cost of hand dyed hand spun yarn. Ever. This is not easy stuff. Respect all those spinners.
9. Spinning, like knitting, is very meditative. Only don't meditate so much that you allow the spinning spindle to get tangled in the pre-drafted unspun roving. Trying to seperate them once this has happened is like trying to swat away cob webs with scotch tape.
10. Be prepared for the lovely "wet dog" (or in this case sheep) aroma when you set the twist of the yarn in water. Be prepared to watch your dog obsessively sniff around in the bathroom as the yarn is resting in the sink. Get an air freshner so your pet doesn't loose his mind.
The only thing I'm wishing about my spindle is that it was longer so I could spin more yardage. I'm doing heavier weight yarn so I can't fit much on there, thus the stumpy skeins.
I think I'll end up with around 100-150 yards once I'm done. Any suggestions on what to knit with it?
6. If this was a few centuries ago and myself and my family's clothing were dependent on my spinning and knitting skills being speedy, we would be mostly naked, cold and whatever clothing we did have would make us look funny.
7. Spinning is like crack. Once you start, you can't stop. Do not start at 11:30pm saying you'll only "do a little." You are a dirty liar. It will be 2am before you know it, G-O T-O B-E-D.
8. Never complain about the cost of hand dyed hand spun yarn. Ever. This is not easy stuff. Respect all those spinners.
9. Spinning, like knitting, is very meditative. Only don't meditate so much that you allow the spinning spindle to get tangled in the pre-drafted unspun roving. Trying to seperate them once this has happened is like trying to swat away cob webs with scotch tape.
10. Be prepared for the lovely "wet dog" (or in this case sheep) aroma when you set the twist of the yarn in water. Be prepared to watch your dog obsessively sniff around in the bathroom as the yarn is resting in the sink. Get an air freshner so your pet doesn't loose his mind.
The only thing I'm wishing about my spindle is that it was longer so I could spin more yardage. I'm doing heavier weight yarn so I can't fit much on there, thus the stumpy skeins.
I think I'll end up with around 100-150 yards once I'm done. Any suggestions on what to knit with it?
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