Spinning Daily Shop | Help / Customer Service

Hold onto the promise of a New Year

Jan 2, 2013 by Amy Clarke Moore

The future blooms in warm soapy water


What spinning treasure does the year ahead hold for you?
I so enjoy this time of year—it holds so much promise. As the New Year starts, I embrace it as chance to start fresh and experience renewal after working hard. The end of the year is always busy around the Spin-Off office as we tie up loose ends and plan for the next year. And we have great things in store for next year! We can't wait to share our upcoming issues with focuses on spinning businesses and historical spinning, along with new twists in our annual equipment and natural fiber issues.

It is also the time of year when I usually start new spinning projects.

When my husband and I moved into our home seven and a half years ago, his parents gave us an old steamer trunk with leather belt straps and rusting locks that is lined with cedar. It is where I store my fiber stash. When I've spun all my fiber for my current project and am looking to start the next, I look through the stash of fiber in the steamer trunk.

Each carefully stored bag contains memories from over the years—fiber festivals, gifts from friends, and virtual shopping trips on Etsy.com. I get a chance to indulge in those memories again and imagine what the fiber will become—will it be a superfine laceweight yarn for a lacy shawl (I've just been giving in to my desire to make really fine yarns lately), or a chunky sportweight for a quick hat?

I love holding that promise in my hands—feeling the fiber, the aroma of the wool, and the hues that stir up so many memories. I love looking closely at the scrumptious blends of colors that remind me of early morning light or delicate blossoms on a vine in the summer. I love imagining how the fiber will feel as it is tugged from my hands onto the wheel, how that yarn will sit pretty in little rows on my bobbin until I ply it, and how it will bloom in the warm, soapy water when I wash it after skeining it. Sometimes little hands help me swish the skeins in the water and little feet wait eagerly while I roll it up in towels to help me press (or stomp) out the water.

While it is drying, I'm compelled to admire it some more—running my fingers over the yards of yarn that will be my companion in the coming weeks as I knit up a cardigan or weave a scarf.

I hope your year is filled with this same peace and promise.

Filed under: , , , ,
Related Posts
+ Add a comment

Comments

 
Dianne Edgett wrote
on Jan 7, 2013 2:33 PM

Where can I buy a spinning wheel online? I am just beginning and my husband and I are starting to set up the workd for a "Hobby/Alpaca Farm" on our property. I would love to have most of the equipment I need set up to practice on. I've worked with yarns all my life (50+ years) and we are so excited about this.

Thank you.

Dianne (future spinner) Edgett

Amy Clarke Moore wrote
on Jan 9, 2013 6:51 AM

Dianne! How exciting that you're taking up spinning! It's a wonderful relaxing and rewarding way to spend your time and energy. Before you start investing in equipment, I'd advise taking a class or two--not just to learn how to spin, but also because in many beginning spinning classes you get the chance to try out a  lot of different styles of spinning wheels and equipment. You'll want to make sure to get the one that works the best for you and what you want to do with your spinning. Not only check with local spinning shops, but also with your local guild. If this kind of class isn't available in your area, then I'd recommend poking around to see if you have spinners in your neighborhood. You'd be surprised how many are within a two block radius of my house. Having an alpaca farm is a sure way to attract local spinners--you may find them coming out of the woodwork just wanting to admire your animals.

To answer your question about buying a spinning wheel online, there are a number of resources--you can purchase spinning wheels from online shops, individuals who are downsizing on websites such as eBay and sometimes directly from the manufacturers. However, I'd wait until you have more experience with actual spinning wheels before you purchase one online or from a brick and mortar store--that way you'll have more of a chance of knowing what you want and need from a spinning wheel. Think of when you learned to drive a car--did you purchase one before you knew how to drive? Did you have a chance to try a lot of different cars before you bought one? Just like cars, there are so many  variables that go into why one spinning wheel that is the perfect wheel for one spinner, just doesn't cut the mustard for another one.

There are a lot of resources here on spinningdaily.com that can help you figure out what you need to get started spinning. This is a good place to start! www.spinningdaily.com/.../Free-eBooks.aspx

I hope this helps!

Advertise | Subscribe | Community Guidelines

Copyright (C) 2013 Interweave Press, LLC
Use of this site signifies your agreement to the Terms and Privacy Policy, updated March 2007
Interweave network sites:
Artist Daily Beading Daily Cloth Paper Scissors Crochet Me
Interweave Store Jewelry Making Daily Knitting Daily Quilting Daily
Sew Daily Spinning Daily Weaving Today