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First yield from my spindle

15 Mar

I’ve been having a love affair with yarn since October 2008.  That’s when I first taught myself how to knit and when I first discovered local yarn stores and the beautiful designer yarns they sell.  My affair has taken me to yarn stores in the cities to which I’ve traveled, and has subsequently teased me into the curiosity of how yarn is constructed.

You may recall a while back, I posted about my purchase of a wonderful book, “Respect the Spindle,” some Wensleydale fiber, and a drop spindle from The Woolery.  Since then, my interest in spinning has blossomed, and was fueled even more by my recent chance visit to Picasso’s Moon in Sarasota, where Debra Lambert spins amazing art yarns!  I didn’t know the possibilities until I saw what Debra offers at her store.

So, recently, I’ve spent more time with my spindle and am really beginning to get the hang of spinning yarn – understanding twist, how much to insert, how to feed fiber to the twist, and how to “park and draft.”  The picture you’ll see in this post features my very first ball of yarn, spun from merino wool that Jody Siegel from my knitting/crochet group at work gave me when she taught me how to spin on a drop spindle.  The ball is the entire bag of roving Jody gave me.

What is in progress on the spindle itself is Ashland Bay Wensleydale top fiber.  The longer staple takes a little getting used to but it is really a wonderfully soft wool.  Now that I have a little more practice, I find I’m making the yarn a bit more even, with a few thicker portions for interest.

I’m also enjoying the process more and just as I sit in my chair knitting, I can easily sit and spin in my chair, too.  With Coffee House playing on SIRIUS radio and a cup of robust freshly brewed coffee by my side, spinning is also giving me a new and different way to relax, to play with yarn and fiber, and add another skill to my portfolio as a fiber artist.

A Luxury Yarn Oasis in Sarasota, FL.

21 Feb

On an overnight get-away to Sarasota last Friday, and driving around town in search of a Starbucks (they aren’t found as frequently there as in other cities), one word struck my partner and I as we were turning down random streets, passing time until our hotel room was ready: YARN!  An immediate U-turn was in order, and upon walking in, we were met by Debra Lambert, the friendly and passionate owner of Picasso’s Moon Yarn, nestled in a charming antique district of the downtown area.

Despite the fact they recently moved a few doors down from their previous location, the space looks comfortable, cozy and lived-in.  As you enter the front door, you are immersed in amazing yarns, many handspun and/or hand-dyed.  The heart of the shop is a circular gathering of eclectic armchairs, a knitter’s Stonehenge, a place for spiritual connection to the fiber arts.

One of the other offerings in this store that really sparked my imagination was that they have recently developed a passion for yarn spinning.  Debra talked of adventures she’d taken to fiber festivals and her myriad test drives of spinning wheels.  She eventually landed on the Louet Victoria, a beautiful wheel that folds up and is easily stored in a bag that, as Debra points out, “fits in an airplane overhead compartment!”

What comes out of her time at the wheel, as well as those of other local artisans, is amazing Art Yarn, into which are incorporated incredible, vibrant colors, beads, ribbons and other objects, that emerge into a chunky yarn.  There were a number of hand-knit shawls and throws that had been created from these dazzling handspun yarns, and since Friday, I’ve been thinking about when to plan a day trip back to Sarasota to learn to spin on the wheel and knit with the kind folks at Picasso’s Moon Yarn!

Handspun art yarn skein drying

Surrounded by so many beautiful luxury fibers, and as our time at Picasso’s Moon this visit was coming to an end, I found myself incredibly drawn to 3 skeins of 100 percent Alpaca in a unique colorway called “Camo.”  It called my name and I walked away, already thinking about what would be really cool to knit up in this exciting and luxuriously soft, warm fiber.

In just under an hour, I discovered:

  • Beautiful hand-dyed 100 percent Alpaca
  • The concept of Art Yarn and the creative possibilities that evokes
  • The Louet Victoria spinning wheel
  • A really comfortable space with really good energy for fiber artists to gather!

Never underestimate the significance of a wrong turn…they can be exciting, inspiring and even life-changing!

Set to Spin!

5 Jan

One of the things I recently wrote on my “Turning 40 List” post was that I wanted to learn how to spin yarn.  Now, rather than invest in a spinning wheel (and I could just hear the groan, “And where will we put it?” in the background), I thought I would start small with a bit of Ashland Bay Wensleydale Top Wool from Paradise Fibers, and a spindle from The Woolery.  While I was shopping for my spinning basics, I also picked up an educational DVD on Drop Spindle Spinning (also from The Woolery) and the book “Respect the Spindle: Spin Infinite Yarns with One Amazing Tool” by Abby Franquemont.  I think I have all the supplies I need to do this (at least for starters).

I added this to my list because, having worked with a number of fibers over the past year in my knitting, I have become fascinated by yarn, where it comes from, how it is made, and how it goes from fiber to finished object.  I’m looking forward to watching the DVD and skimming the book in preparation for the moment I sit down this weekend and spin my first yarn.

For those of you who do spin, what are some things I should watch out for?  What was the most important thing you learned early on in your spinner’s journey?  I’d love to hear from you!

Happy Knitting (and Spinning!)

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