Spinning: Lessons Learned ... So Far

Practice does make a difference. After several days of spinning yarn, I have been able to get my yarn  much more consistent in thickness. In the picture above, the roll on the left was made before the roll on the right. I can see that there is some variance in both rolls, but less so in the second roll which is on the right.  I am still over-twisting my yarn, but it is not as bad as it was. I have been practicing so much, my right shoulder is hurting from holding my hand high when drafting.

Doing something new is frustrating and fun at the same time. You would think that I was watching a football game on TV with all the "OH NO!'s", "Gggrrr's" and "Come ON!'s" coming out of my mouth. Just when I think that I have drafting down pat, I pull so hard that I rip off a piece of roving. But I love watching the yarn form as I spin away.

There are lots of things you can buy to make your life easier. I now know that I need a Niddy Noddy, a Lazy Kate, Bobbins and a Swift. And there are some things that you can make pretty cheap -- if you don't care about pretty. I can't afford it all, so some leftover PVC pipe and glue made a quick homemade Niddy Noddy -- that saved me from one purchase. I will put the money saved in a jar and name it "Spinning Wheel Fund." And now you know what tool I really want!

Happy Knitting!

P.S - If you are interested in making your own Niddy Noddy, you can avoid all the re-cuts and adjustments that I made by watching this video by Camaj Handspun. I did glue all the parts except for one arm which I can pull out to release the yarn. I made my arms longer and stretching the tied and wrapped yarn over the arm would be difficult.