Spinning

I don't remember the last time I went shopping on Black Friday, not store shopping anyway. For the past ten years or so, if we are in Texas for Thanksgiving, we have gone to the Homestead Heritage Craft and Children's Fair. (You can see pictures of our trip last year here.) I will tell more about it in a later post, but for now I wanted to share one of the things I did while I was there.

For a while, I've been wanting to learn to spin. I've watched them spin at the fair before and it is so interesting. I also thought it would help me in working with yarn, if I have made some. So I got to make a little skein this year.

I am using a drop spindle. (a little more about those here.) It was very interesting. The wool is from Lester sheep in England. (Homestead doesn't have enough of their own wool to meet demand.)

Fiber is called "roving" before it is spun. You can buy this at many yarn stores or online. Some people dye their own and then spin it, or you can buy it already dyed. Before you can spin the roving, it has to be separated into smaller pieces called "nests." These "nests are what is in the basket beside me.

My Teacher


My spinning "buddy" :)


The finished skein (along side my cell phone for size.)

Not very even and has a few "slubs" but it was fun to try! :)


I actually did the spinning on Saturday. My "Black Friday" shopping consisted of the item below and a bar of peppermint (homemade) felted soap!


Is that not some of the yummiest yarn you've ever seen? I am making myself a pair of socks. It will probably be a January project. :) I love it and it is soo soft - even if it is wool!