Sunday Spinning

So, I have officially entered the realm of spinning. Yes, thank you to my enabler friends BellaBluMama and PoMoGolightly . You have indeed created a convert. Last year when I met BellaBluMama, one of the first things she said to me in person after “hi my name is___” and “nice to meet you” while she wrangled two 18 months olds in a local park was, “Do you spin?” This was rapidly followed up with “Are you going to Rhinebeck?” Both of these received resounding responses of “No”. The sad look of disappointment on her face lasted all of 10 seconds as we scrambled off after babies on slides.

Last month, I bought my first wheel. Delia is her name. It’s sturdy, a bit feminine, and “Lia” isn’t a bad nickname. Or even Lee. I was trying to give myself some alliterative goodness but couldn’t find an “s” name I liked that much. I know, naming inanimate objects only moves me further into the world of crazy. However, let’s be honest - I’m already there and this is an intimate relationship I’ve entered into. Delia is single treadle Lendrum who has already been much loved and will continue her role as mentor to the newly inducted.

Having informed both BellaBluMama and PoMoGolightly of my foray into their world of spinning, both gifted me some lovely lovely fiber to practice with. PoMoGolightly, indeed, has given me some pointers. With that in mind, I reveal:

My. First. Plied. Yarn.

Sure, it’s lumpy. Sure, it’s not evenly spun or even evenly plied. I don’t care. It’s my very first baby. It has been washed and is currently drying on hangers in my basement. I wept little tears of pride and joy washing it out.

Today, with all of the gorgeous sunshine that we had, I took some of the lushishly yummy red and black fiber that BellaBluMama gave me as a welcoming gift and started working on this:

The very beginning of it is thick. Parts of it are bumpy. However, I think I’m hitting a rhythm with it. I love the way it looks. I love the way it spins up. It’s nice and sticky, making it easy to hide my mistakes. So, thank you Mama. You rock.

Finally, Max would like to say “hello” since whenever there’s a camera around he has to pose:

Yes, I spin. Maybe I’ll even go to Rhinebeck this year too.