Drop Spindle Class at The Shabby Sheep
On Saturday afternoon I went to The Shabby Sheep for a drop spindle class. I have always wanted to take one of their classes and for some reason, last week, I felt inspired to sign up for this one! My goal for the year was to try new things and spinning yarn is definitely a new thing for me! To be honest, I wasn't entirely sure what to expect. I wasn't even sure what a drop spindle looked like! Shameful, I know. I foolishly assumed all fiber spinning involved a spinning wheel so I was surprised to discover the awesomeness that is the drop spindle.
The table in the yarn shop was covered in scrap pieces of batting, beautiful braids of hand-dyed fiber, and a selection of handspun yarns that made my eyes bulge out of my head. So. Gorgeous. It was very intimidating to have that beautiful, color-twisted, oh-so-soft, skein of handspun merino staring me down as I fiddled and fumbled with the drop spindle. Thankfully the teacher was very patient and didn't seem to mind having to explain the steps over and over again. Haha. Eventually it stuck but I still need a lot of practice. I learned how to hook the fiber on the top of the spindle, draw out the fibers, spin the spindle round and round, and slowly but surely created a strand of yarn. We worked with the pieces of sparkly scrap fiber on the table and eventually she demonstrated how to join in a new color. Overall I really enjoyed the class! You can see the fruits of my labor resulted in a teeny-tiny "skein-let", as the shop owner, Ronda, so lovingly called it when she came in to see our work. I am proud of my little skein! Maybe one day, wayyy in the future, I will be able to make something as incredible as this skein of yarn work of art....
Ronda sat down and told me all of the work she put into making this beautiful skein of yarn. It is hand-dyed, hand-spun, and probably the prettiest yarn creation I have ever seen. After staring at it throughout the entire class I knew I had to break down and buy it for myself. It was too pretty to leave behind!
My sad little skein looks pretty pathetic sitting next to it, doesn't it? Ha! That's ok. I still had fun! My spinning skills might need some work but I am excited to give it a try again soon.
Have you tried a drop spindle before? I would love to hear your fiber spinning stories!