I suppose it was only a natural progression really. I started knitting to have something to do on the bus, then again to have a reason to get out of the house and meet new people when I moved to a different country and knew no one. I started experiencing the joy of knitting with fine yarn: kid mohair and silk and springy merino. I started accumulating gorgeously hand-dyed yarns and knitting with them. Then, I started dying my own yarn.
Now, I’m making my own yarn. It’s kind of amazing. What really amazes me, especially when I look at how thick and thin and uneven my spinning is, is that every woven or knit item made before the invention of the spinning wheel (in the 1400s AD) was spun by hand on a spindle of some sort. All the clothes people wore, the sheets on their beds, the sacking to hold grain, the sails that carried explorers across oceans; all of these things were created by hand one string at a time.
I’ve been learning on a Turkish Spindle with a bundle of combed, pre-dyed Blue Faced Leicester wool:
Turkish spindle. The purple stuff is un-spun Blue faced Leicester dyed roving
It’s handy because you can take it apart and it leaves a nice, neat little ball of spun wool behind. Here it is getting ready to spin (not coordinated enough to be able to spin it AND take pictures):
The half-hitch at the top is what makes it so the spin carries up into the yarn & the unspun wool in your hands.
Here is a picture of my completed yarn after I spun it, and then plied it (spinning the singles back on themselves to help balance the twist). It’s uneven and not quite my favorite colors but I love it tremendously because I made it. I think it’ll make a nice hat:
It's all kinds of lovely, isn't it?
I’m sure in the natural progression of things I’m going to end up owning a flock of sheep, from which I will collect the raw wool, clean it, process it, card it, spin it, and then end up with a wearable garment.
Until that happens, I’ll keep honing my skills. When the zombie apocalypse comes, I’ll make you all nice, warm hats out of homespun wool. Unless the zombies are sheep zombies. Then, maybe it’ll be out of alpaca.
Keep on spinning. BIG SMILE! WINK
Becki Boo
If you keep this up and next learn how to weave… I‘ll put you in my will & will my loom to you when I die… *HUGE GRIN* Or you could come visit and teach me to loom before I die…* BIGGER GRIN* then you will still get it in the Will.
I think that might need to wait until next year. When I do learn it, I’ll come for a visit!
AWESOME
I love the Turkish Spindle. I’ve never seen one of those before. How clever. I’m in all kinds of awe over your hand spun yarn. I managed one very thick thin skein before realising that it was physically too much for me. While this makes me sad there are millions of yummy skeins of yarn out there that aren’t going to knit themselves. It is my duty to help knit the world’s yarn mountain.
yes! There’s so much yarn out there! I’m adding to the pile!
I think your yarn looks lovely!
This looks absolutely fantastic! I’ve been wanting to spin my own yarn for so long and I thought I had to buy a large spinning wheel. Where did you buy your Turkish Spindle and did you buy a book to teach you how to spin? Also, where do you buy your wool?
Kindly,
Pam