Hand Spinning with a Drop Spindle!

Ok...Just so you know..... I just do not think there is ever going to be enough time in my lifetime for me to pursue my every passion!! That being said I want to tell you about another of my hobbies and that is my love of knit and crochet. I have been crocheting since I was a teenager. My mother does not knit nor does she crochet. But when I was 16 there was an elderly lady who lived in my neighborhood who had a vehicle for sale and I bought it from her. This is a little long, but bear with me! She was the wife of a friend of my father. Her husband had passed away and she wanted to sell his car as she did not know how to drive. Well, it was a two year old Pontiac and cost a whopping $1200.00! Now that was for a two year old vehicle in the 70's! I asked her if she would let me make payments on it and she agreed. So every week when I got paid, I went to her house to make my car payment. On one of the days when I stopped by she was crocheting an afghan. I have always been a crafty kind of gal and had always wanted to know how to crochet so I asked her if I could watch her. She was happy to let me sit by her side and taught me several stitches. As time went on she showed me how to make the pretty rose crocheted squares that eventually were to put together to make a beautiful afghan! So little by little I learned to crochet thanks to Mrs. Collie! I have also always wanted to know how to knit and have just within the last couple of years learned how to knit. I bought all kinds of books and just couldn't get it. Finally, a couple of years ago, I found and bought a DVD called "The Art of Knitting" and it clicked! I have been knitting ever since! Well... Any of you who knit or crochet know that yarn is very addicting! Yes, ladies, if you knit or crochet you know what I am talking about!! Like every fiber fanatic, I have so much yarn stashed in closets and under beds in huge plastic containers that I don't know when in this world I will ever be able to get all of that yarn worked up into projects! But, still I continue to frequent the yarn shops.

A couple of years ago one of the local sheep and llama farms was having a sheep shearing and thru one of my Yahoo groups I learned about the event. There were going to be some knitters and spinners there who would be demonstrating spinning on a spinning wheel. Well.... I knew that I had to go! One day I hope to own my very own spinning wheel, but spinning wheels can be quite expensive, so I thought I would go and just see what it was all about. It was a fun event and I met lots of nice knitters and spinners too! Not only were there ladies there who had their spinning wheels, but there were also some ladies there that had drop spindles. I was fascinated watching them take the fibers and spin them into yarn on the spindle by hand. Now, a spindle is a whole lot less expensive than the cost of a spinning wheel! A hand spindle would be a great thing to give a try to see if I would enjoy it. So the lady who owned the farm gave me a small spindle that she hand made out of a dowel, hook and some polymer clay. I gave it a try while I was there and by the time I got home, I forgot all that I had learned in that short time and put it away for a while. Well, last week, I decided that I wanted to give it a try again and so I ordered a drop spindle kit from Etsy seller named Annie May. My kit arrived Saturday! It is a very pretty hand painted drop spindle with some written instructions and some very yummy pink wool roving to get me started. Well, Annie May, I tried it! Though I am embarrassed to show the fruits of my efforts , the photos prove that it is going to take a whole lot of practice and I have a long, long, loooong way to go!

Ok, ladies! Don't laugh at me until you try it yourself! Maybe I am just clumsy or something, but this didn't come easy to me! I think this is going to take a ton of practice!

Just take a closer look at my yarn!

Oh my goodness!! I have heard of thick and thin yarn, but I think that mine is to the extreme! And it is so lumpy and bumpy from my very inexperienced efforts! And not only that, but the twist in the yarn is so tight in some areas and so loose in some areas that there is barely a twist to the yarn at all.... I know I am suppose to let the twist carry up the fiber, but well.... all I can say is again....I have to do a whole lot more practicing. Anyway, remember this photo! I am going to learn to do this if it takes me YEARS! (And it probably will!) Maybe I can find someone local to take me under their wing and teach me this! I need another Mrs. Collie!

If this peeks your interest, please come back over the next few days or so! I hope to get some time to post some links for you! And please don't let the looks of my yarn deter you! You will be great at it I am sure! (wink)!

Until next time.....Wishing you blessings!

Lots of love,

Barbara