Spin Off themes are pretty relaxed; we think of them as prompts instead of narrowly focused plans. The Spring 2017 issue focused on making decisions—a spinner’s greatest challenge and opportunity. Whether they were choosing between two ways of preparing fiber or shopping for tools, our contributors told us about the factors they weigh when making spinning decisions.
Making Choices
If I’ve heard it once, I’ve heard it a thousand times: Spinners are so lucky because we get to decide exactly how our project will be. We have all the choices in the world, from tools to materials to techniques to end uses. That’s all well and good, but there is growing science that points to “decision fatigue,” or the way our decision-making capabilities erode the more choices we are asked to make. Other research suggests that although we all like the idea of having choices, an abundance of options can actually make us less satisfied with anything on offer.
So why devote an entire issue to a subject with questionable potential for happiness?
With just a few simple tools—a frame loom, bobbins, and a shed stick—you can transform hand spun yarn into your own magic carpet. Photo by Rebecca Mezoff
Two reasons: First, the stories of spinners who have made these choices before you can make choices clearer. Second, unlike the Choose Your Own Adventure series that was popular in my childhood, there are very few truly terrible spinning choices. Some may be iffy—are you sure you want to spin raw wool? You know that anthrax used to be called “woolsorters’ disease,” right?—but if your spinning isn’t singing to you, choose something else. Or, as Leslie Ann Hauer says in her article “Decisions, Decisions . . . who needs ‘em?” forget choices altogether and do what pleases you.
Spin happy, Anne
P.S. One of my favorite features in this issue is Rebecca Mezoff's "Woven Art: Weaving Tapestry with Handspun Yarn." To weave several types of tapestry using one of Rebecca's favorite tools, check out the Little Looms Tapestry Loom Kit.
Featured Image: Which is the right spindle for the job? Photo by George Boe.
Choose Spinning today!