and now I spin

I don't often write posts about my crafty endeavors that fall beyond the book arts realm, but I can't resist the opportunity to write about my newest fiber addiction -- spinning. I've been considering taking up the wheel and spindle for close to two years now, and when I got to try out a wheel two weeks ago at a spinning party I happened upon at the local Barnes and Noble, I decided I could wait no longer. The fact that there was an Ashford Traditional for sale at a price I could afford made the siren song of spinning impossible to resist.

When I got to take my wheel home, exactly a week after my first introduction to spinning on the wheel, it was love at first sight. I've already spun a few skeins of beginner's yarn, including this merino.



I've also spun nearly 6oz of what I believe is a merino-romney blend and some super-squishy and soft alpaca. My fingers are beginning to remember what it is they're supposed to do as I treadle, and the amount of overtwist in my yarn in already significantly less.

I've already ordered 6 pounds of mill ends for future spinning projects, which will include lots of plant dying (another craft to add to my ever-expanding list of skills to develop). In two weekends, I'll be prepping my first dye pots to experiment with dying handmade paper and my handspun yarn and prepared rovings.

Between the logwood, indigo, walnut hulls, and onion skins, I think I'll end up with a lot of beautiful paper and fiber. But until then, I'm working hard to finish my book and spinning myself into a frenzy.