March Spin In, and what they left

Spinners at work

Originally uploaded by spinnity.

Yesterday on a gloriously beautiful spring afternoon, full of sunshine and pollen, the spinners came a-visiting, with suitcases, bags and baggage. This was a repeat of our January gathering - Kristi and I set up the "Spin In" for people who already know how to spin. And spin they did! For most of the afternoon, there were seven spinning wheels and a handspindle in motion. I've got two sets of photos from this event -- one set of the spinners themselves and one of what they were spinning. I saw at least 4 spinnners change from one fiber to another, so I think it was a very productive day! I'll post the yarn pr0n pictures in the next post - the colors of the yarn came out better than the colors of the people, sorry gals!

New spinners

In January, at our first spinners' gathering, I didn't get much of a chance to spin. I was being hostess and teaching spinning. This time, the newer spinners were self-sufficient, spinning away and asking questions as needed. So, reluctantly, I had to admit I had no more excuses for not spinning at my own spin in, and I actually spent several good hours spinning. I spun a gift roving from Kristi on the spindle before dinner - I think it's coming out "lumpy worsted" weight.

Hello Zodiac

There were many yummy snacks - and snacks of quality! Aija brought delicious pastries from a Chinese bakery. We ate Janice's crab dip on Lori's homemade bread. Cookie served up ice cream and made a boba run to get these drinks with their "Hello Zodiac" lids. Jasmine milk tea turned out to be a great accompaniment to the spicy soup at dinner - although it is a bit of a cultural mismatch to drink pearl tea with southwestern tomato & chipotle flavors.

Spinners dinner

Our soup this time was "Smokey black bean" from a recipe from Vegetarian Times. This photo is missing Margit - and the make up photo I took to include her is, um, not good. Sorry Margit, I'll get you in next time!


After dinner, I continued to pretend the wheel didn't exist. But Kristi was on to me and urged me to get over it. I trepedatiously sat down at the wheel with a French blue Corriedale roving from Judy's Novelty Wool. The technology of the wheel is still not familiar to me, and I am kind of struggling with my drafting style, which involves untwisting, or back-spinning the beginning of the drafting zone with each drafting motion. I can tell from the fierce hand cramps I got during fiber preparation that my current hand motions are a recipe for repetive strain. I'll need to develop a new style. I did manage to spin about 2/3 of a bobbin before going to bed - the last of my 4 ounce bundle of fiber. I couln't stay up any later, but I am ready to ply next time I sit down to spin. I let a sample twist back on itself to see what I was getting. This yarn also looks like it is coming out at 12 wraps per inch - lumpy worsted, just like on the spindle. I think this is huge progress from my 1995 spinning efforts, which are clearly "lumpy aran" or even "lumpy chunky" weight.

What they left

Cleanup was pretty quick, and revealed several items left behind. As a public service, I am posting a photo so all y'all spinners will know where your missing kitchen items are. Have to say, I thoroughly enjoyed the day and can't wait to repeat it. And I kind of love what I spun. It's good to be among my people. Thank you, spinners, for making my home spinning-friendly. I wouldn't be spinning without your influence.