Got Yarn?
I do! The nicest woman, Pat M., came to my house on Saturday, bringing her Ashford Traveller spinning wheel, to teach me how to spin on a wheel. I've spun on spindles, but not on a wheel, and I've been itching to try. It thrills my husband to no end that I've found yet another thing to obsess about! Pat had answered my question about why people knit socks, and I noticed that she, too, was in Indianapolis. We corresponded a bit and I asked her if she knew someone who could teach me to spin, and she offered to do it herself. She was so nice, so gentle, and so patient with me. She taught me that you can't do anything wrong, except where you're not getting what YOU want. That was freeing. I found myself in a Zen mode after awhile, and I did not want to stop. It was SO relaxing! She explained that after awhile you begin to tredle at the beat of your heart, and I guess that's what makes it so mesmerizing and relaxing. My kids had their cousin here to play with, so I was able to spin to my heart's content. I can't say enough how much I appreciated this woman's generosity, and I will have her to thank while I lower my blood pressure over the coming years. Well, that it after the initial surge of pressure when my husband says, "You want WHAT???? A SPINNING WHEEL????"
So here is a photo of my first wheelspun yarn. The yarn on the right (grey) is a two-ply Shetland (yes, Pat also taught me to ply), and the one on the right (white) is a two-ply alpaca, which I did on a spindle and Pat helped me ply on the wheel.