Love struck!

I very soon have to get my things together and dash out the door to the CityNits StichnBitch, but this simply couldn't wait, I had to share the news!!

I'M IN LOVE!

I am absolutely besotted with SPINNING!!!! oooooohh the fabulousness that is the rhythm of the wheel, the relaxation of passing the fibre through your hands and magically yarn streaming out the other end and whizzing around onto the bobbin! *smitten sigh*

For a while now I've been wanting to learn to spin, but didn't want to throw myself into it in a bad way by buying a wheel without even knowing what type would suit me, or what type of spinner I would be, having had NO prior experience with spinning at all. So I emailed a few spiners, Pixie, the Yarn Wench etc.. and everyone seemed to give the same wise advice - if at all possible TRY before you BUY! Find a spinning shop, or a fibre festival or a guild or something and go from there. Well.. I found it hard to get to 'there' to go from! Try as I might I couldn't find any sources of spinning-ness in W.A! Then my shweetum came to the rescue and found the Handspinners, Weavers and Dyers Guild of W.A - Hoooorayy!!

So a couple of weeks ago I went to my first meeting of the Guild, signed up, met all the lovely ladies there and hired a wheel (an Ashford Traveller) from their extensive collection! Waheee!!! Yes, they HIRE wheels!!! So I don't need to buy a wheel with only a cursory introduction to how it works, I can hire one for a few months from the Guild, then try another style for a few months and so on, til I've tried GAZILLIONS of them and know exactly which one I like the best! HOW AWESOME IS THAT?!! Can you feel the excitement? Can you?!

I went back yesterday for the next Guild meet up, and this one was a specific Spinners day. The first day I was there I'd been taught the rudimentaries of spinning, but in the two weeks between then and yesterday's meeting, hadn't really gotten the knack of it, or had much time to devote to practising. I could spin for a little bit, but my rhythm would fail, or the thread would break, I just couldn't seem to get it down. But yesterday, sitting with the ladies with our wheels all in a circle, chatting and spinning, I got it. I got it! They gave me a few little tips, and another demonstration, and somehow it clicked and now I'm spinning like the wind and completely in LOVE with it!!! Of course, I could never be unfaithful to my true love, the gorgeous sveetie, but he understands my infatuation with all that is spinny, he's as entrhalled as I am!!

Before the end of the day yesterday I asked the ladies to show me how to ply, so we set it all up and I was given a quick demo, then the yarns passed over to me to continue and it was BRILLIANT! SO much fun!! So I came home with a little mini skein alll done up and lovely!

Skoota was equally as excited as me and this morning I gave him a demo of the plying process and he helped me skein it up *contented smitten sigh* how extremely lovely and blissful :) At the moment I'm spinning quite an even sort of thread, with a few little fluffy bumps here and there, but I'm adoring the way it turns out all plied and knittable! So rustic and divine! Skoot doesn't want me to keep practising, he doesn't want the fluffy bumps to go away! He figures, why hand-make something that looks like it's made in the factory?! I agree, and figure the more I spin the more in control of the coils and fluffs and other textures I'll become, so I can intentionally place them on the yarn, then it will truly be art! Yay!

Yay for spinning!!!! *massive grin*