In The Beginning

I have been spinning now for at least fifteen years. I love the rhythm of the wheel and the feel of the fiber in my hands. Spinning is my way of relaxing, a form of meditation.  I can spin for hours. I love experimenting with new techniques. Over time, I have become very in tune with my wheel and can easily adjust it for the type of fiber and the yarn I am working with. All this makes spinning even more enjoyable for me.

I remember learning to spin. The first time I tried to spin, about twenty five years ago, was not successful. I could manage to get a bit of yarn onto the bobbin, but was unable to graft more fiber so that when I ran out in my hand, I was pretty much done! One thing that I remember about that attempt is how tense I was, always fighting the wheel. The woman that was teaching me, or trying to teach me, had taught many people how to spin. She taught classes in spinning and weaving at a local university, owned a yarn shop, and was well known in the area for her weaving. She was very patient with me, but I was not ready to learn. I decided spinning was not something I was interested in.

In 1990 my husband and I bought a small farmstead. Eventually, we got a a few sheep, angora goats, and llamas. I decided to give spinning another go. I now had my own fleece to work with. This attempt was much different. The same woman worked with me. Something seemed to click this time. I was able to relax a bit. I can remember her on the floor spinning the wheel at one point, while I focused on managing the fiber! Eventually, I could do both. That was about seventeen years ago. I have never stopped!

There are many different types of spinners, and many different aspects of spinning that appeal to each individual. I am pretty much self taught, after finally learning to spin and draft at the same time. I am more interested in spinning in a way that produces the type of yarn I want and is comfortable and relaxing to me than in the technical aspects of spinning.  I am fortunate in having both the time and the fleece to experiment.

I have talked to many people who are just starting to spin. They tell me of problems they are having. It always brings back the memories of my own struggles with learning. I have come up with a short list of things that I usually suggest, as well as discussing the tension, adjustments, and maintenance of the wheel.

Many times, new spinners want to save their "good" fleece until they are better at spinning. I discourage this. Good spinning fleece does not have to be expensive. Trying to spin with bad fleece, or poorly prepared fiber is a recipe for frustration. It is best to start with a prepared roving. This is usually the easiest to spin.

I encourage new spinners to set aside at least 15 minutes each day when they can sit in front of their wheel and spin. The amount of progress you can make in one week is often amazing. Besides, the more you spin, the better acquainted you become with your wheel and how things feel when everything is set right.

The most important is RELAX. If you are tense or get frustrated, it will feel more like a chore than anything else.

Don't be disappointed if your first attempts produce bumpy, thick and thin yarn. You will improve! Later, you my find it impossible to spin the thick and thin yarns you spun in the beginning! Save that yarn, better yet, use it to make something.

Waiting for Spring

I am so ready for spring! Overnight we had winter storm warnings. The wind howled all night. I stayed under the covers a bit longer than usual this morning. By the time I got up, about 9am, the sun was shining in a beautiful, solid blue sky. There was no wind. There was about an inch of new snow, but I didn't shovel, thinking it would melt anyway. (It didn't, but tomorrow is another day...). The high was to be in the high 30's.

I spent much of this morning looking through the photos of the yarns I created last spring and summer. Also pictures of the plants I used. I could imagine being out on the deck again, spinning and dyeing wool. The warmth of the sun. The sounds of the birds. The riot of colors in the trees, gardens, sky, and lawn. What a contrast to the quiet shades of winter.

I have been longing to go foraging for plants to add to my dye pot. I thought about last year and all the different dye experiments and the beautiful colors I obtained from the various plants. I am anxious to start again! This year I will work on learning to save some of the dye stuffs to use later. I can't wait for the snow on the mountain, leafy spurge, bedstraw, dandy lions, and all the other plants to start to grow.

With the forever grey cold days of winter I have been having a bit of difficulty getting started on things. In this part of the country cabin fever is alive and well. Everyone I talk to seems to have the same thoughts...'I can't wait for spring'! 'How much longer'?

Well, today was enough to get me going again! The warmth in the sun, snow melting and dripping from the roofs, the intensity in the colors, all reminded me that this too shall pass. Hopefully, our really cold temperatures will be done soon. Spring will indeed come again.

More Winter

Well, this past few weeks have been pretty slow. I don't remember a time in the past when it stayed this cold for this long. We finally bit the bullet and moved from the farm to a small house we own about 100 miles south. We have propane at both places. When it gets really cold, a five hundred gallon tank lasts about three, maybe four weeks in the farm house. When propane gets up to $5.00/gallon, that works out to a lot of money to stay warm! The house down here is much smaller, tighter, and easier to heat. We have an electric heater that we run all day. Clint installed a wood burner in the basement. We have needed very little propane here.

I brought along the dogs, my spinning wheel, several boxes of wool, my blending board and some knitting and several books. There is no television here. We have no internet either, except for my iPad. There is no CD player or stereo. Cabin fever is setting in!!! I have been keeping busy with knitting and reading. I am working on writing and proofing several new patterns. These will be available on this website.

I also started to spin a new line of yarns: Landscape Yarns.  I hope to be able to post some examples soon. I am excited about this new line of yarns. As with all Arachne Yarns, these new yarns will be hand spun from local fibers in either natural shades or dyed with local plants.

I am waiting for the weather to clear up enough that I can venture out on a road trip. There is a small fiber mill about 60 miles from here that I would love to go visit. I have been meaning to check it out for some time now. I plan to visit there this spring before we move back north.

I want to head up to Northcroft Farm to see what Joan has for new wool. It is shearing time there. She raises sheep, alpaca, and angora goats. Joan is a spinner herself, and a fiber artist. She specializes in producing first-rate fiber for the hand spinner. Joan also is an author. Her blog is called Sheep Notes. It is both fun and interesting.

There is a blizzard today so I guess I will stay here where I am safe and warm. No road trips today. The dogs are all napping. Time to make lunch and start a project for the afternoon!

Warm and Woolie!

These headbands are all made with homespun wool and wool blended with alpaca, llama, or mohair. They fit the average head, are 20" around without stretching. They are very warm! Colors are available. They are $15 each. Contact me at tessie1506@gmail for further information.

What's Going On

Back at work! I have been busy spinning up some new yarns. I am currently working in a new line called 'Landscape Yarns'. I have a couple done and will introduce the line when it is filled out a bit more.

I have also been spinning some wonderful lilac colored suri alpaca. It was hand dyed with Cushing dye. I then spun the roving into a two ply sport weight yarn. This yarn was so beautiful I could smell the lilacs while I was spinning. That is quite wonderful since it is way below zero here! I spun 400 yards. This photo doesn't do this yarn justice. It must be held and felt to really appreciate it!




I also have been doing some knitting and crochet. The first project is a cowl knit with a beautiful skein of suri alpaca. It is so soft. It is knit with a twisted rib knit. The pattern is posted in this site. The finished cowl is 24" around and 7" high. It is quite stretchy and really warm.

Another project I have been working on is headbands. These seem to be very popular here with the cold weather. I have made several in different colors. They are available on this site. They are hand knit/crocheted. They can be completed in the colors you choose. They are made with hand spun wool and are incredibly warm. Contact me on this site to order.