Look, Ma -- ONE hand!

I've been working at getting to spin ala Paula Simmons' "Spinning for Softness & Speed." Among other things, you use one hand (palm up, little finger and ring finger against the palm of the hand, fiber moving over the palm) to do a l-o-n-g draw.

There are times that I feel that I am absolutely in the groove, and then... Well, suffice it to say this morning I wish I'd had my camera to take a photo of the ratty mess I had last evening. The beauty of this method is (when it's mastered) you can spin without looking. At all.

Last night I was watching the news (wrong move... I'm supposed to be doing this spinning thing to be creative and to RELAX), and looked down to see about 3 yards of plyed yarn wrapped around both sides of yarn guide hooks rather than on the bobbin where it belonged. Spinning and plying are two different activities, and I had unfortunately gotten into my one-handed, no-need-to-look spinning mode... while plying. Oh, my.

Finally got the mess untangled and on the niddy noddy.

Relaxing?! Yes, this is supposed to be relaxing (and for the most part it is)!!!

September Meeting!

Yup, we're actually going to get together in September (FINALLY!!!).

When: Thursday, September 20, 2007, 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.
Where: Anita's, in Apple Valley
What: Bring your needles, hooks, yarn, roving, spindles, looms, wheels for an evening of fun.

Hope to see you there!

The Perfect Shirt

This is the perfect shirt for collectors of yarn! You can purchase this shirt from Jinx.com at:
http://www.jinx.com/scripts/details.asp?productID=931

From the Shuttlebug's daughter, Rachel

Tweaked Meeting Date - April 19, 2007

Because of scheduling stuff, our regular group is meeting this Thursday evening, 6:30 p.m., April 19, 2007, at my (Anita's) house.

There's some interesting stuff to look at:
A spinning exhibit for the San Bernardino County Fair
New Books -- including Spinning for Speed and Softness, plus a toe-up sock book, and socks on two circulars book (others?)

Hope to see you there!

Road Trip!

OK, our road trip was just a couple of miles, but tonight we went to see a spinning wheel. Its owner had it custom made in Brownsville, OR, in 1976 by Ben Fisher, a Mennonite man in his 80s. It's a copy of a wheel brought from Denmark to Ohio in 1854. This wheel has resided in her home in the Mojave Desert for the last 30 years.

The wheel is a double-drive although it's not exactly set up that way in the photos that the owner provided for us before we came for a visit. You can see the two sizes of the bobbin whorls in the close-up of the Kate.

The workmanship is an interesting blend: The spindle-turned pieces are very finely done, while the bobbins are more rustic, for example. Also, some of the pieces are nicely fastened together with wooden pegs (I especially like the little skewer-like pieces that hold the wheel in place and fasten the bobbins to the lazy kate), while small yet utilitarian nuts and bolts hold pieces in place elsewhere.

Quite the contrast to the Ashford Joy wheels that typically come to our gatherings!

Group Gathering Alert!!!

Gee, it's already that time again... The second Thursday of the month.

Thursday, February 8, 2006, 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.

We'll be gathering at Anita's place in Apple Valley. If you need instructions re: how to get there, please give a call. If you don't have my (Anita's) phone number, please go to our yahoo groups website for contact information (you can find the link in the left-hand column here on the blog, as a link).

Bring spinning, knitting, weaving, show-and-tell, questions, whatever. Our gathering will end with our more-often-than-not dessert of Breyer's French Vanilla Ice Cream, accompanied by homemade cookies and a look at some seriously weird spinning from the silent film, Phantom of the Opera (1925).

Hope to see you there!

S.I.P. (Spin in Public) Alert!

This coming Saturday, January 27, 2007, from 3 p.m. to 4:30 p.m., those of us who can gather at the Apple Valley Library will be having our monthly S.I.P. (Spin in Public) event. We'll be giving demos and free spinning lessons, plus checking out ["checking out" as in perusing, then possibly as in using library cards to borrow] the library's fiber resource books, too.

The Apple Valley Library is on Dale Evans Parkway, just north of Hwy. 18. We'll be in the Community Room (when we're not looking at books!), which is straight ahead as you enter the library.

Looking forward to it -- Hope to see you there!