Things are good

I’ve got a new spindle that is very beautiful and well-balanced which is helping immensely to improve my technique.

I’ve got the money for a spinning wheel and just need to get ahold of the not-so-local yarn store that sells them so I can go pick one up.

I’m making some progress on several of the pairs of socks that I started for myself last year.

I’ve started a pair of socks for Dean that is coming along swimmingly.

I’m working on Peacock Tapestry again.

I got a haircut that looks nothing like any haircut I’ve ever had before.

no hair


First Attempts

I’ve been eager to learn to spin for a while now, but I didn’t know where to start. One day I got bored and starting looking for information on the internet, which lead to my buying a spindle and a bunch of roving to try. Unfortunately, it was taking a long time to arrive in the mail (and we know how impatient I get with the mail) so in a fit of desperation I made this:

MacGuyver Spindle

My roving arrived that same day, so I decided to see if I could get the hang of spinning from the pictures and such that I’d seen. It was easy! My first single came out surprisingly thin, if a bit underspun in a few places.

First Single

Unfortunately, there was no way to wind on in order to spin some more, so I contented myself with the knowledge that I could do this and decided to wait another week for the spindle I ordered.

It finally arrived, and I went straight to work on my first yarn. The first skein is the sky blue that I ordered with the spindle, plied with some of the superwash merino that I had already received. I find the blue is harder to spin evenly, though the superwash is a dream to work with. That is why this skein is more even than the other even though I spun it first. The second skein is more of the blue, plied back onto itself.

First Yarn

I’m still practicing with the blue one, since the other I’d like to be able to spin consistently enough to make yarn for socks with. This is what I currently have:

Current Progress