Spinning! And not just my wheels...

Camy here! I just recently got into spinning yarn.

Yup! As in, sheep wool into yarn. With a drop spindle. I’m going waaaaaaaaay old school!

I’m not sure why I started spinning. Probably because a lot of knitters spin yarn, and they talk about spinning a lot on forum boards, on Ravelry, on podcasts. And I think I just figured, why not try it out?

I got a couple spindle recommendations and bought a lightweight, nice spindle as opposed to a “student” spindle, as well as some really nice merino wool roving, because if there’s one thing I learned from knitting, it’s that if you have nice tools when learning something new, the soft yarn (or wool) and good tools makes up for the frustration (slightly) of learning a new skill.

And then I learned to spin the same way I learned to knit—online! I watched all kinds of videos and played them over and over again. And then I just practiced.

It took me a while but I finally got the rhythm of the motions. I’m not entirely sure I’m doing it the right way, but most teachers say that whatever way works for you is okay.

One thing that has surprised me about learning to spin is that it’s extremely soothing and calming. Something about the motions of drafting is rather zen-like, and the tactile feel of the wool is very relaxing to me.

So while I had originally started spinning to just to try it out, it has given me a surprising and wonderful gift—a hobby that is extremely soothing, as well as being fun and challenging if I want it to be.

How about you? Have you had any hobbies like that, where it ended up being just a terrific thing you picked up for various reasons?

PS: I recently bought a spinning wheel cheap thanks to Craigslist! Now I get to learn how to spin on a wheel!

Camy Tang lives in San Jose, California. She previously worked in biology research, she is a staff worker for her church youth group, and she runs the Story Sensei critique service. Her humorous romance, Single Sashimi, and her romantic suspense, Deadly Intent, are both out now. She also gives away Christian fiction on her blog and her newsletter YahooGroup.

Comments

[Diane]

I just requested one of your books from my local library and can't wait to read it. I love to crochet because it is peaceful and makes me have to count and not think about other things. :O)

[April W Gardner]

You've totally inspired me to give spinning a try. I always wanted to but thought I'd have to buy wheel, but I see you can use a drop spindle? Is that what's in the picture?
Writing is my one constant, but I've tried everything from scrapbooking to quilting to knitting. This summer I'm going to try my hand at gardening (trying to live up to my name) and maybe spinning too!
Thanks for sharing your new-found love with us!

[Camy Tang]

Thanks, Diane! I hope you enjoy my book! :) If you buy a copy for yourself and want an autographed bookplate for it, just email me!

April--I hope you enjoy spinning! I really like it. I bought a Bosworth spindle (http://www.journeywheel.com/content/section/4/85/) and it's beautiful to work with. I also bought my wool roving from a shop on Etsy.com (http://www.etsy.com/shop/TheFlyingEwe?section_id=5096425). That wool is sooooooo soft, I love touching it. It made learning to spin a really nice experience! I hope your garden does well! I have a black thumb, unfortunately. But I am thinking I'd like to plant a lemon tree, maybe. And a tangerine tree.

[wordvixen]

I love spinning! Not that I'm very good at it (never can get my movements very smooth, so I end up with a lot more slubbing than I'd like- but then, that gives it character, right?). I love that you say you learned to knit via video. I hadn't thought of that. I've been trying to learn to crotchet and can't follow the diagrams at all! I'll have to see if I can find some good instructional videos.

And your spindle is beautiful. Mine was made with a dowel rod, wooden wagon wheel (from a craft shop) a file (to make that nice hook at the top) and a rubber band (to hold the wagon wheel on). It's a good weight for wool, but lousy for anything else. :-D

[Camy Tang]

Oops, that picture is deceiving--it's not my spindle, but it's one of the spindles made by Bosworth, the company who made my spindle. They do great work. My spindle spins sooooo nicely.

I'm not very good at spinning yet, either! I just started working with my spinning wheel and I'm awful! I really don't know what I'm doing wrong. I think for the spinning wheel, there's so much going on, I might need to go to a class.

[Marie]

Sounds interesting, Camy. I might have to check it out. So far, does it seem that it's cheaper to spin your own yarn vs. buy it at the store?

~Sasafras

[Camy Tang]

Hmmm that's a good question. I'm actually not sure. I'm tempted to say no, it's not that much cheaper, but I also don't think it's more expensive than buying yarn. For me, I like the process of spinning more than the product (which is weird because I enjoy the finished product of knitting more than the process).

[Amy @ Experience Imagination]

I haven't actually looked into it, but I would guess that spinning your own is considerably cheaper that purchasing handspun yarn, but equal in price or slightly more expensive than machine spun yarn.

[Camy Tang]

You're right, spinning your own is definitely cheaper than buying handspun yarn! I've seen some beautiful yarn on Etsy.com go for at least $20-25 a skein, but you can buy the same weight of wool roving for about $10. The skein might be better spun than what you can do (at least that's true for me!).