My spinning journey began only a short time after my move to Colorado and a matter of days after I began my new job as Editorial Assistant for Specialty Fiber at Interweave. Luckily for me, this is the perfect place for a beginning crafter. I’m surrounded by people who knit, crochet, spin, weave, bead, and sew. Everyone is eager to show you their latest project or WIP (work in progress), and they will be happy to teach you their trade over lunch or coffee. That is exactly what I found with Elizabeth Prose, my new colleague and spinning teacher extraordinaire. Here’s a full summary of my exciting journey into the world of spinning!
Lesson One
"My first spinning lesson was on a Monday. In preparation, I took home a castle spinning wheel from the office for the weekend. I felt humbled by its presence—and a bit intimidated, to be honest. I also took home Maggie Casey’s book Start Spinning: Everything You Need to Know to Make Great Yarn and corresponding Start Spinning video..." Read More
Every spinner I’ve met has said to keep your first bit of yarn. This piece has found a forever home hanging on the wall of my cubicle.
Change Your Whorl, Change Your Yarn
"By my second lesson, I had been spinning for a little over a week. The wheel and I had become close friends as we traveled to and from work together, the wheel buckled safely into my passenger seat. Now that I was more familiar with the spinning wheel, it was time to focus on controlling the diameter of my yarn..." Read More
It’s not difficult to tell the difference between my lumpy first skein and a more even second.
Learning to Ply
"After I spun two bobbins of colored yarn, it was time to tackle plying. Right away, the whole spinning apparatus expanded. I needed not only to understand the wheel itself, but also to become familiar with the lazy kate that held bobbins of singles..." Read More
It’s easy to see with my first plied skein where the diameter of my singles fluctuates.
Drop (Spindle) Like It’s Hot
"During three weeks of spinning on the wheel, I have spun in both directions, switched whorls, adjusted the tension and drive band, and even screwed one of the feet back on. But since the spinning world is vast, the time has come for me to move on from the wheel and learn something new, the drop spindle..." Read More
Tales of a Beginning Spinner: Drop (Spindle)
Spinning like a Millennial with the Electric Spinning Wheel
"Going from the drop spindle to an electric spinning wheel is like jumping from an ancient era into a modern one. The spindle is a primitive tool that requires patience and dedication; the e-spinner is a device designed for efficiency and, perhaps, instant gratification. As a typical millennial, I love that!..." Read More
Spinning Life Lessons
"Learning to spin was a whirlwind of new experiences, and after relocating far from home to take on a new job, I was feeling particularly open to new things. Spinning entered my life at a transition period where I was into both trying different things and thinking introspectively about the journey of life. Spinning lessons became spinning life lessons..." Read More
This plied yarn will soon become a pot holder.
—Jenna
Start your own journey today!