Often when we participate in local events, children and adults alike are surprised at seeing our children spinning away on a wheel. Children have commented, 'She can't do that!' or 'Kids can do it too?' or 'But she's a little kid!'; while the parents point and say - 'Look at him, he's making string - or is it yarn?' and 'Wow, look at what she's doing!'.
We always get a kick out of the young boys that stare and attempt every possible angle to figure out how the spinning wheels work! I had one young boy ask me if he could try (and because we spin without shoes on to protect the wood) I told him he'd need to take his shoes off first. Well, that was not on his agenda! He responded quite firmly, 'I'm not taking my shoes off!', and promptly marched away. That sure made me chuckle...
We thought it would be fun to share some of 'Lil Miss' art yarn that she dyed and spun just to show you what little hands are capable of! She started spinning when she was 6 and picked it up quite quickly. We started by making our own drop spindles and everyone decorated them in their own way. We had some really chunky yarns but it was an instant gratification project- it turned into something different!
In order to safely change the colors of our wool (child safe), we dyed with kool-aid packets. (Should I say fake juice mix packets?) Yes, the same thing many use to dye their hair wild colors, or sip in the summer will vibrantly alter your white wools - and leave a sweet scent! The citric acid in the packets helps to bond the color to the fiber shaft but we always added vinegar just to be sure. Because it was so fun, and we later got our first angora, what started innocently enough became an exciting hobby and is becoming a micro business venture for us.
And all the women that were wise hearted did spin with their hands, and brought that which they had spun, both of blue, and of purple, and of scarlet, and of fine linen. Exodus 35:25