The lovely Vivian of the NEV Knitting Squad, a lady who is multi-talented when it comes to handcrafts (She even stocks a Craft Store on Baldiwn Street!) has been endeavouring to teach me how to take the various fibers I have somehow acquired over the last few months and transform them into a knittable state.
We have begun with the basics: Making singles on a drop spindle.
This is my very first drop spindle:
Yes, you are looking at a potato impaled upon a stick.
Yes, it is THAT easy to make a drop spindle!
THIS is my Very First Ever yarn.
I span it at Vivian's house under her watchful eye, and she plied it on her spinning wheel and showed me how to set the twist before turning me loose to get the basic hand motions so ingrained that I don't have to think about it any more.
She sat me at her (Yarn-less) spinning wheel while we were waiting for my first efforts to dry with the deceptively simple order to "Keep it going in the same direction" for a few minutes while she went to boil the jug.
I'll tell you this now: It's blasted difficult!
My record was about 15 seconds before I lost the knack and it started reversing itself. I think I'll stick with my nice, safe spud-stick for a while. At least it's easy to fix if I accidentally break it!
~Topaz
I'm such a tukey! I haven't logged in here in ages. I love your hats. I think we should do a hat swap this year! Good work, Topaz! :)
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