A few weeks ago I was lucky enough to have a one to one spinning lesson
from Shelagh Duffill at the Wool Shop in Battle.
I remember how to spin but I am a bit rusty.
My main aim was to become familiar with the workings of my new spinning wheel
and to get the tensions right.
The spinning wheel was given to me by the daughter of a lovely lady called Patsy who died recently. It belonged to her. She was an artist.
I am so excited to begin this craft all over again.
I managed to put the whole thing together but could not work out how to get the double string tension correct. After contacting The Hastings 1066 Spinners, I was put in contact with Shelagh.
She offered me a one to one lesson which is just what I needed.
The Wool Shop in Battle is a true treasure trove and I have often been there for wool and craft items.
We set the wheel up in the back room and Shelagh started from scratch.
A very knowledgeable lady with a wealth of experience and anecdotes.
We went through the workings of the wheel with me busily scribbling notes and taking photos.
Found on http://schachtspindle.com
The wheel was oiled with special oil as it was not running smoothly..
The double drive band was strung.
The wheel began to turn smoothly with the treadle.....all in working order.
Next we carded some wool and using a long length of wool in a loop, called the leader, we strung the bobbin.
It is a double knot to prevent it from sliding.
And after that I began spinning.....no photos as my hands were full!!
The results were a bit sporadic but as Shelagh pointed out, a lot of spinners are out for the"artistic" look these days with lumps and bumps all over the place. So I guess I was being artistic.
The spinning wheel came with one bobbin, so Shelagh showed me how to ply wool
using the Andean method. It can be viewed on youtube.
Since then our very good friend Alan Beecham, who is a master woodturner,
has turned me two more from sycamore.
We then wound the wool onto a niddy noddy.
At this very moment, my husband is making me a niddy noddy of my own,
from an old deckchair, in the garage.
Here is my completed skein, tied in a figure of eight in four places.
Next week my sister and I will be going to the
East Sussex Guild of Spinners, Weavers and Dyers exhibition in Lewes.
Many thanks to Shelagh for a great lesson which has fired my enthusiasm.
Now I shall be busy through the winter months, sitting cosily by the fire spinning once again.
Looks like you are going to have a lot of fun. P.S. thanks for the lovely fingerless mitts you knitted for me. I will post a photo on facebook as they are so pretty.
ReplyDeleteI am glad they came near your birthday. Seems right somehow. Maybe the next ones I make, will be spun using wool from the farm and dyed with plants from the garden.Watch this space.
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