It's the little things

Its the little things that come up in conversation.  Yesterday morning I went spinning.  My friend is just back from a full weekend of classes at Olds. I gleaned what may well be the most important piece of information from her  new found knowledge.

She was saying she was a soft spinner.  I have always worried about with my own work.  Each time I ply, it gets so much softer than I would like.  I have had people look at my spun singles on the bobbin and they usually say it looks OK, but I still had no way of judging for myself, no way getting a really good idea of what the finished product is going to look like.  

And then my friend showed me how they sampled during class, and therein I found my answer.  It probably isn't something longtime spinners would ever consider telling a newbie like me.  They might consider it self evident, but to a newbie like me, everything is important. It isn't even that I wasn't doing it, it was the amount I was doing it to that makes the difference.  Scale matters, it seems.

I've finally filled this bobbin

which means, I have finished half the fibre.  Before I move forward, it will all be spun again to have more twist added to it. Its a fine sinlge and fine means there has to be good twist to get a strong fibre.  Adding twist won't take very long.  

Then it will be off to the races with the second half of the fibre.  It will be interesting to see if I can get the right amount of twist into it the first time round.  

Just like knowing how to pick up stitches and how to correct errors without taking everything apart gives confidence and comfort to my knitting, this simple change to what I was doing, means my spinning can move forward to a place of confidence.  Its the little things.

Off again to the garden of weedin'.  Its going to take a good long while.