Wednesday 6 April 2011

Spinning

I love to spin, but I don't do it nearly enough. 

It looks OK from here, but a single is only step one on the road to making a yarn.  The proof and truth of this will come when I ply two singles together. 

This is my first attempt to really create a yarn with a certain look.  I want to capture the multi colours, so I separated the one very long and lofty roving into two long rovings.  I labeled the boxes so I know which one to work from and I have been working very carefully from the same end, so that the two singles will be as alike I can humanly make them. 

When I ply, I plan to ply like colours to like so that the browns will be golden toasty brown, the golds rich and warm, the soft yellows will be butter and the creams will stay creamery pure.  There is an occasional shot of green in here too, and I would like to capture that shot of green among the golds. 

I have not spun enough to feel confident in what I am doing, but I no longer worry that I am doing it right, or that my technique is up to snuff or that people will come to me and say but you are doing it wrong. I don't think that there is any wrong way or right way but I do know that there are better ways and I mean to learn them.

I highly doubt anything I ever do will win prizes, but I really don't care about winning or being the best at anything.     These things have never been my goal. In anything. My goal is to understand it, to know why certain things I do on the wheel make certain things happen when I knit, to be able to use these qualities at will rather than letting karma be the driver of my results.  

It isn't a race or a contest with a prize at the end.  It is just a journey to knowing and that, just knowing it, is enough.

4 comments:

Mrs.Spit said...

I needed to hear about the journey today. Thanks for that.

Sandra said...

That is a stunning display of singles - it's very similar to some Jawoll Magic sock yarn I bought last night!
As long as what you're doing is the best effort you have, that's what matters.

Brendaknits said...

I know nothing about spinning so can't comment with any degree of intelligence. But the colours are great. Does that count? And if you are learning and having fun at the same time, I'd say you're on to something.

Christine said...

Oh my goodness those singles look spectacular! How gorgeous. Can't wait to spin together next week!