Gratefully, we have moved things out of storage and began finding a place for them in our new home and our spinning supplies have been getting organized! It has been quite some time since I've had a chance to enjoy my wheel. Lil' Miss has kept her wheel handy through the summer and is finding she is an excellent, consistent spinner. Her yarns just keep getting better and she has found a niche spinning for a dear friend of ours...
When I (Mom) first got started in spinning I originally had lofty, chunky dreams because I just ADORED many of the scrumptious creations in the Intertwined book by Lexi Boeger (I borrowed from our local library).
When we got started we used drop spindles as they are a far more realistic starting point both financially and for skill building. I believe it helped us get a better understanding of the nature of wool as we worked with our hands more closely to develop consistent twist. Especially for youngsters (Lil' Miss was about 5 and the boys older), this was a project we could make together with dowels and CD's and they were able to paint them to their preference. Our first fibers were what we harvested from our first German Angora (read more about our beginnings here) and some free wools from a local livestock animal rescue. To get more twist I later invested in a Spindolyn, a hand crafted self supported spindle.
When we found a local spinning guild, one of the members, Miss Evelyn and her husband Dan, bought and restored used wheels. She offered them at very reasonable prices and in short order we purchased our first spinning wheel, an Ashford Traditional. She gave us a lesson and included some wool roving from her own hobby flock of Romney Sheep. There is much to learn about fiber processing and we had been giving it a go, but the roving she included, having been processed at a local mill, was a real treat! Our first yarns were lumpy, bumpy and generally nowhere near what I saw in that book! At that time, although my dreams were big and bulky, we were counseled to learn thin, consistent spinning first and that's what we did.
Finally, years later, after more study and practice we started producing varying designs. Over time we've found Lil' Miss (Glorious Beginnings) likes to stick with lace weight to sport weight and Mom likes to spin thick to bulky and artsy, while the boys decided spinning was not their thing and delved into their other areas of interest (From Me To You) & (Notably Notched).
{Use the highlighted links to check out their blogs!}
When we got started we used drop spindles as they are a far more realistic starting point both financially and for skill building. I believe it helped us get a better understanding of the nature of wool as we worked with our hands more closely to develop consistent twist. Especially for youngsters (Lil' Miss was about 5 and the boys older), this was a project we could make together with dowels and CD's and they were able to paint them to their preference. Our first fibers were what we harvested from our first German Angora (read more about our beginnings here) and some free wools from a local livestock animal rescue. To get more twist I later invested in a Spindolyn, a hand crafted self supported spindle.
When we found a local spinning guild, one of the members, Miss Evelyn and her husband Dan, bought and restored used wheels. She offered them at very reasonable prices and in short order we purchased our first spinning wheel, an Ashford Traditional. She gave us a lesson and included some wool roving from her own hobby flock of Romney Sheep. There is much to learn about fiber processing and we had been giving it a go, but the roving she included, having been processed at a local mill, was a real treat! Our first yarns were lumpy, bumpy and generally nowhere near what I saw in that book! At that time, although my dreams were big and bulky, we were counseled to learn thin, consistent spinning first and that's what we did.
Finally, years later, after more study and practice we started producing varying designs. Over time we've found Lil' Miss (Glorious Beginnings) likes to stick with lace weight to sport weight and Mom likes to spin thick to bulky and artsy, while the boys decided spinning was not their thing and delved into their other areas of interest (From Me To You) & (Notably Notched).
{Use the highlighted links to check out their blogs!}
So, here is one of the newest Luxury Loft Yarns! This beautiful yarn has a number of fine fibers including: Falkland, Merino, Angora Mohair, Tussah Silk, Alpaca, Blue Faced Leicester, Sari Silk, Firestar and Starbright. Hand dyed, hand spun loveliness! Look for more in the series to come!
And let the beauty of the LORD our God be upon us: and establish thou the work of our hands upon us; yea, the work of our hands establish thou it. Psalm 90:17