Sunday, November 12, 2006

Spin Happy

First of all, thanks to all the comments and compliments on my first handspun skeinlettes! I would say you have no idea how excited I am, but then if you're a spinner, you've been there, and you know how exciting it is! So now, I'm learning all about the vicious cycle of spinning. The more you practice, the more you get the hang of it, the more you get the hang of it, the more you love it, the more you love it, the more you want to do it. Which leads to- the more you spin, the less you knit. At least for me, that's the case right now. I've been spending my time on this- Spunky Eclectic BFL from Amy's Almost Solid Series in Azalea - is this colorway pretty, or what?


Hence, sad little WIPs left off to the side. Poor shawl, stripey knee highs, and other on-again-off-again holiday knits...They have been quite neglected these days, thanks to my new hobby-slash-addiction of spinning. (Mary-Heather - how did this happen to us? We're such nice girls!) I gather most, if not all newbie spinners go through this to some degree. I mean, spinning is so much fun, especially as you start to feel like you know what you're (supposed to be) doing!

It was kind of like magic. I decided to try spinning finer, and lo and behold - I found it much easier to manage all the way around. And before you call me out, don't get me wrong, I'm not delusional- I realize my spinning is still uneven. I'm far from achieving evenly spun anything with consistency - there are fat, nubby areas and also some dangerously thin areas - but this is a step in the right direction, no?


I'm pretty pleased. :) So now, I have a couple of questions for the experienced spinners in the audience, if I may. Out of curiosity:

1. How do you decide how fine or think to spin?
2. Do you spin the same every time, or does the thin or thickness depend on the type of fiber you're spinning?

(Knitting content to come, don't worry. I haven't abandoned my WIPs all together!)

12 comments:

jillian said...

That looks gorgeous to my non-spinner eyes! And the colorway is lovely as well. Mnnn...azalea. I suppose the spinning / knitting balancing act is a natural consequence of finding something else you love to do - with only 24 hours in a day!

Jennifer said...

Gorgeous spinning! Your singles look pretty even to me.

I haven't been spinning for ages, but I know that many spinners that have a project in mind will spin whatever they need for the project. As for me, I just spin what I think my skills and the fiber will handle. That usually turns out to be between DK and worsted weight.

Mouse said...

I let the fiber tell me how thick or thin it wants to be spun.. Also depends on what I want to use the finished fiber for. I don't really "force" my spinning into a particular weight.. but I have a goal in mind usually.
Your spinning is beautiful. I personally believe there is no right or wrong way to spin.. if you're happy with what you're producing.. that's all that matters.

Anonymous said...

Hey, that looks fantastic! What pretty yarn... you rock! Gosh, that's a pretty color. Won't it be great to start knitting with our handspun?

Marnie said...

BE-AU-TI-FUL!
I love the Almost Solid series. You might enjoy getting the sampler set that has a combo of different fibers and all the colors. It allows you to decide which colors you like best AND you get to try different types of fiber. YAY.

Anonymous said...

your spinning is fantastic, I'm so jealous!

Theresa said...

The vicious downward spiral begins . . .

Nasus said...

So purty!

The Stitchin' Sheep said...

It looks great. I can't help you with advice, but it looks really good to my very inexperienced eye.

Anonymous said...

Your spinning has come so far in such a short time! You're pretty amazing! Keep it up!

Julia (MindofWinter) said...

Your singles looks very consistent from here. I spin different thicknesses of yarn depending on fiber and what I'm going for. I was aiming for lace to fingering weight for the swallowtail shawl with that merino/tencel and get pretty much what I wanted. You may have to sample a bit, though. It can be hard to know in advance how thick a plied yarn will be. At least it is for me!!!

Anonymous said...

Your spinning is getting so much better! For me it's a combination of mood, fiber (type, color(s), quantity) and project. Sometimes the fiber wants to be spun a certain way, sometimes I want to make a certain thing with it. Sometimes I only have enough for a lacy something so I'll spin thin to make it go further. Shorter fibers generally want to be spun finer and with more twist. If I'm not sure what I want to do, I'll generally sample and make my decision from there.