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| Several colors of spun yarn |
(Note: The following article is from the Mrs. My better half. She who must be obeyed. I'm always accusing her of spinning her
wheels. She's found a way to turn that
into something productive!)
I have always been interested in spinning. The process of turning wool into yarn seems
like magic. A couple a years ago, I took
a spinning class at Wild Rivers Wool Factory.
Soon after the class, I bought a spinning wheel, which I now use on a daily basis. I use an electric spinner - a Hansen Crafts
Mini Spinner. A manual spinner uses a foot
treadle, which is great as long as your knees are strong!
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| Feeding the electric spinner |
I did not imagine that the wool from sheep, goats,
rabbits, etc. could be so different.
Some fleece feels soft and luxurious while others feel like the beard of
an old man. Some breeds of sheep have
fleece that could spin themselves while others remind you never to spin that
type of wool again.
Spinning wheels also differ as greatly as sheep’s
wool. Some are a dream to spin on while
others seem to backlash (go backward when you want them to go the opposite
direction) just by looking at them. When
I first took up spinning, I thought one spinning wheel was the same as
another. I now realize that you need to
spin on the wheel that you think you may buy – not just buy it without trying
it.
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| Spun yarn, just off the wheel |
A great place to try spinning wheels is at a
wool-gathering, like the Black Sheep Gathering in Eugene. It takes place once a year and has spinning
wheels, fleece, carters, drop spindles, etc. - all this plus live animals. If you find fleece addictive, this is a
dangerous place to go with credit cards or money. There is so much to look at, feel and buy.
I found that you can travel with your addiction to
spinning. All you need is a drop spindle
and some fiber. You can spin while
waiting in line, at airports, and as a passenger in a car. While walking around
stores it is possible to spin. The drop
spindle is very portable and you can make a lot of yarn with them. It came before the spinning wheel. Columbus’s sails were the product of the drop
spindle.
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| Measuring yarn length before pricing for sale |
I think there are two types of spinners. The spinners who enjoy spinning for the sheer
pleasure of watching fiber turn into yarns.
These people do not plan to make anything out of their yarn. I fall into that group. Other people spin their yarn and create
garments from their labor. They either
knit or weave – sometimes both. We both
enjoy what we do. Also, if you want to
exercise while you watch TV, spinning is
for you!
