Around my birthday last year, I decided I was interested in yet another fiber hobby: spinning.
Much of the online advice I read suggested starting with drop spindles, then expanding to spinning on a wheel. So, it was time to dive in with a kit and some fiber immediately.
Figuring out drafting (even with a “park and draft” method) was a bit of a struggle. I produced only extra thick art yarn that was quite over-twisted
I did make small improvements in consistency, but I wasn’t immediately taken by spinning on a drop spindle, especially the speed (though I do harbor a rosy fantasy where I master drop spinning while walking, and can take leisurely strolls around my neighborhood while spinning yarn).
Of course, I had seen some advice that drop spindles didn’t “click” for some folks, and they had jumped directly to spinning on a wheel. I knew I wanted something semi-portable. I looked at the Schacht Ladybug, but at the time they were sold out everywhere. A bit more affordable, ubiquitous enough to have many repair parts available, and equally portable was the Ashford Traveller wheel (with some parts interchangeable with the Ashford Traditional wheel as well). I had found the wheel for me!
Surprise! A wheel didn’t magically make drafting easy to learn, haha! Throughout 2022, I had about 3 practice sessions, starting out being fairly discouraged.
Somehow, over the course of those 3 practice sessions… I actually improved more than I had originally thought.
This January (2023) I decided to dive in again in earnest. The yarn singles I am making are still definitely “thick and thin”, but within a narrower range. I spun several bobbins on singles, plied it into 2-ply yarn, and washed and dried it. The resulting yarn is between DK and worsted weight. I have gotten pretty energized.
In the future I would like to use yarn I’ve spun myself in some weaving and crochet projects. I could probably use what I have already created in some sort of project, but I haven’t figured out what that project would be, yet.
