Monday, April 11, 2011

it's a start


Almost every aspect of my drop spindle spinning needs work.

• I'm too hesitant when I predraft the roving; in fear of tearing the fiber apart, I'm leaving it too thick. I have to take time to really thin it out before spinning.
• I have to pay closer attention when I roll my spindle against my leg to make sure it's spinning clockwise.
• I need to ease up on my grip of the fiber supply into the drafting triangle. By gripping too tightly I've created slubs in my yarn where the fiber supply has bunched up.
• I must concentrate on pinching off the twist where it enters the drafting triangle. A few times I let go, creating twist lock in the fiber supply. Stopping to untwist it was a lengthy interruption and the resultant yarn was still lumpy.

There's a long list of things about my spinning that need work but I've made a start. Although my mini skein of yarn is uneven, it's knittable. There were several moments yesterday where I could feel that I was doing it right; now I just need to work on achieving that consistently. Practice, practice and more practice is the answer, but yesterday was definitely a good start.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

What's that old saying? Yep ... practice makes perfect.

Congrats on getting it going.

Unknown said...

I have the same spinning issues and more. I so wish I had someone nearby who spun and could help me. The closest teacher is an hour away!

Caffeine Girl said...

My students hate to hear this, but indeed, practice is the key to most things in life!

Delusional Knitter said...

I have the same issues. I practiced for a little bit last night, but the last time I spun was over a month ago ... You're right, practice, practice, practice!!