Spinning a Yarn

I must admit that I love wool, whether as yarn or fabric. It keeps you warm in winter and in comfortable in summer and can be spun to any thickness effectively. Now that I have a washing machine with a wool/handwash setting and there is Superwash, is unlikely to languish at the bottom of the washbasket after one outing. Even my sheepskins are machine washable.

After my recent weekend jaunt to History Boot Camp, I am fired with the desire to create my own handspun. I took to spinning fairly well, not surprisingly given that I have had an affinity for all things crafty all my life. That in itself is not surprising as I recently discovered that my maternal grandmother had been something of a smallholder. Amongst other things, she grew her own flax which she spun and wove into fabric and made much sought after items ranging from horse blankets to fine linen shirts. Impressed? I was! If you know anything about the making of linen, you will know just how much effort is required to turn the plant into fibres manually before you even begin to turn it into thread.

I have no great desire to spin linen – it is easy enough to buy and lacks the springy comfort of wool – though I am currently braiding some into corset laces. Wool, on the other hand, I do find an attractive proposition and with the drop spindle I picked up for 50p, I may give it a go soon. I much preferred using a spinning wheel, but that is both beyond my present means and I’d have nowhere to put it. So many things to do, so little space/time/resources. Ho Hum!