Wednesday, 7 May 2014

spin, span, spun



So here are my first samples of hand spun! The learning curve on this has been steep, in the space of two months I've been teaching myself the crafts of spinning (with both wheel and drop spindle), plying and natural dyeing (not to mention the various stages of fibre preparation which precede the actual spinning...).
 


Oh I know these yarns are lumpy and bumpy, horrendously uneven and far from perfect. I made countless mistakes here and there. But even to my novice's eye, I feel I can see progress as I examine the samples from left to right.


As a teacher and learner of languages, I've always been an advocate for experiential learning - the type of learning process where you jump straight in at the deep end (even if you don't know how to swim!). I certainly have learnt a great deal by doing with this very first batch of yarns.



The best part is that I made these skeins of yarn. Actually made them with my own hands - transforming dirty, smelly fleeces into skeins of knobbly, bobbly yarn. I love them so very much.



I can't wait to get something cast on with these balls - all 123g of it! I wonder what I shall make first?
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6 comments:

  1. Liesl - Buckaloo View9 May 2014 at 15:54

    This is so impressive! And beautiful. Even with their bumpy, uneveness, they are so amazing!

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    1. fran14 May 2014 at 21:24

      I secretly really love the bumpiness...apparently once I've honed my spinning technique and am able to produce fine, regular and even yarns every time, I'll have to "unlearn" the gestures so that I can go back to deliberately making more interesting yarns!

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  2. Anonymous9 May 2014 at 23:22

    I think they look lovely - Big well done to you!!

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    1. fran14 May 2014 at 21:26

      Thanks lovely! I was ever so excited when I finished winding them into balls! Just can't wait to properly get something cast on! Anything on your needles/hook at the moment?

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  3. Emmanuelle Rivière13 May 2014 at 14:22

    These yarns are simply beautiful, even more so because they are not 'regular'. And they will certainly lend their personality and soul to whatever you do with them...

    I love the idea of experimental learning - in anything! I've often had a hard time diving without knowing how to swim, but whenever I did, I learned a lot much more than when 'getting ready' first - which in my case can take a long, long time.

    Strangely enough, when I do go to swim in the ocean, I run straight into the cold waves!

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    1. fran15 August 2014 at 06:49

      Merci Emmanuelle! My spinning has improved considerably (consistency, eveness...) since I created these yarns and the funny thing is, I'm now having to try very hard to recreate some of the interesting effects that I managed to produce "by mistake" at the start!

      And thanks for sharing your very literal experience of "jumping in at the deep end"!!

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