Trenchwork

I told you I’d done something some of you were going to laugh about . . . and about which the rest of you were simply going to shake your heads and wonder what insanity had prompted me this time. I also told you I’d tell you about it later. Well, welcome to “later.”

I’ve been very curious about spinning. However, I haven’t been sure that I’d like it, or that my hands would allow me to do it. If I press them too hard, the deQuervain’s kicks in and then I don’t do much of anything with them for a couple of weeks while DH deals with all the jars, bottles, and zippers. Thankfully, it’s not usually a problem—although this semester has been an exception. Nevertheless, I’ve found my own techniques for managing it, so thought I might be able to spin without stressing them out too much. Janice—The Great Enabler—convinced me that I probably could, and even went above and beyond by offering to give me a quick demo. We were supposed to get together while I was last stateside, but the hellishness that became my final dissertation submission pretty much trashed all my other plans for everything from academic research to family, friends, and fun. As a result, we never had that opportunity.

Not having the chance to sit down with an experienced spinner and see how things work hasn’t stopped me from being interested in making my own yarn. It just means that I’m not prepared to buy a spinning wheel yet. Nor am I going to buy a wheel sight unseen, and without having the chance to test it for “fit.”

It dawned on me, however, that I could buy a spindle and see what I thought about the process. If I didn’t like the process of making yarn with a spindle, the odds would be good that I wouldn’t like spinning with a wheel enough to justify the expense, yes? At least, the logic sounded good to me. (grin) So, I did some homework, plagued Janice with tons of questions, and took the plunge.

This is what’s sitting on the daybed in my office waiting until I finish grading the remaining 100 exams and clear the pending e-mail from my overburdened in-basket:

The light’s still not great (see the post below this one if you wonder why), but it’s roving. Lovely, surprisingly soft, wool roving. On the top row: 4 oz of natural Cormo; 8 oz Multicolor Merino top (Laurel colorway). On the bottom row: 8 oz of natural oatmeal-colored BFL and 4 oz of NZ Corriedale (Indigo). I can’t wait. I thought I’d start with the Cormo. I actually have 8 oz of it, but it would have been silly to show you two identical bags. I simply love the BFL, however, and the multicolored merino fascinates me. I can’t visualize what the yarn will look like; I can’t quite figure out how the colors will meld into a single strand.

Perhaps what surprised me the most was the softness of the fiber itself. I know that the yarn will lose some of that once it’s spun, but every single one of these fibers simply feels great.

What am I going to spin it with? Ah, you’re going to love this. (smile) With Janice’s help, and knowing the weight I want to spin, I decided on a Cascabeles top-whorl spindle. Specifically, this one:

It’s rim-weighted, Australian Eucalyptus, 1.8 oz, with a 3-inch whorl and an 11-inch shaft. And it’s beautiful.

Even without having put a leader on it or started my first fiber, I can say that it spins very nicely and that somehow, it actually feels good in my hand. It’s smooth without being slippery, it fits, and the weight feels comfortable; it’s neither too heavy nor too light. I don’t think that will change when I actually start working with it.

I also need to tell you where all this wealth came from. Vicki at Kendig Cottage was a champ, and I’d cheerfully recommend her shop to anyone. She answered all the usual greenhorn questions about the spindles she had in stock, made suggestions, and ultimately helped me choose something that I love, regardless of whether I can ever make something beautiful with it or not.

Do I have any idea what I’m doing? Heck no! But I have a copy of Spinning in the Old Way, there are the excellent videos at icanspin.com, and I’ve joined the spinners’ listserv so I’m not entirely without a safety net. Besides, I can always bug Janice. (veg)

I fully expect that I’m going to make a huge mess, but I have enough roving of enough different types to give me a sense of how this stuff works. Besides, messes can always be turned into bags or slippers and then felted like crazy, right? Tips and suggestions are, of course, gratefully welcomed. For instance, what happens after the singles have been plied together? Doesn’t it somehow need to be “set”? Or am I just confused? This is, however, not going to be a serious question at the moment. Let me get past the point of making something which can actually be plied.

And when is all this going to start? As soon as I finish grading the last 100 or so exams currently on my desk. I’d hoped to have them done by tomorrow, but I’m genuinely brain dead, and since there are no fast-approaching deadlines, I’m moving a little slowly. With luck, they’ll all be done by Tuesday evening.

Things are about to get interesting. (imagine –evil laugh– here)