Just started spinning

Originally posted 2/2/2009, transferred from other blog

I had my first spinning lesson last Wednesday (1/28) at Mind's Eye Yarns in Cambridge. It was pretty good, too. The instructor is really smart and knows what she's doing. She introduced me to the basic technique with Romney wool, which is great for beginners, and showed me some other tricks as well. I also seemed to pick it up fairly easily and was spinning decent, if thin, yarn by the end of the lesson. I ended up staying for the knitting group.

At the end of the night, I paid for my lesson, the spindle, and four ounces of the Romney wool. I’ve only done a few yards of this so far, but I’m enjoying it. Once I’m done with it (spinning and plying), I may kool-aid dye it or something. It’s not the prettiest ever, but by damn, it’s mine! ;-)

Once I have moved on from spinning Romney wool, my next goals include merino wool and cotton. (Since I'm from Mississippi and have family members in agriculture, it might be possible for me to obtain cotton in bulk at relatively low rates...) I'd also like to do things with alpaca and cashmere fibers. Honestly, though, what excites me even more than the type of fiber I'm using is what I can do with it in terms of bulk and color. I'm already imagining what I could do with dyes...

Don't worry, you will hear more about my spinning adventures!