Today I wanted to briefly share with you a photo of the very first skein of wool I spun. The photo is grainy because at the time I didn't want to take 'nice' photos of my effort. I was embarrassed by how lumpy and uneven the yarn turned out to be. I was frustrated by my obviously novice ability and didn't think it was good enough.
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Now I can see it really is beautiful. Handmade yarn does not need to look like it has been bought from a store. This skein has been made by imperfect hands on an imperfect timber wheel. It represents the beginning of my spinning journey.
My starting block.
I've been told to keep the skein as a memento by some. Others have instructed me to knit something 'extra special' from it. For now it is hidden away at the bottom of my knitting basket, kept safe, and quietly reminding me that it doesn't hurt to be a beginner sometimes.
Sam xox
I think it's lovely! It shows the start of a journey, and there's no shame in that! :)
ReplyDeleteThanks for such encouraging words :-)
DeleteSam, I have seen commercial yarn made to look bumpy like that on purpose! Yours is much more beautiful, and if you ever decide to knit a scarf or something it will have fabulous texture!! Treasure that skein!!
ReplyDeleteThanks Becky you are too sweet! xox
DeleteSam, I have a drop spindle and a small bag of beautiful brown wool roving. I have been afraid to spin it for fear that I will not do the wool justice as I have never spun anything before. I'm thinking of buying a small bag of roving off ebay, just to practice on so I won't waste that beautiful brown wool. I am enjoying your posts about spinning. You are giving me more and more incentive to find a way to try. Lane
ReplyDeleteOh Lane do try it. I bought my first roving off ebay for exactly the same reasons, and yes when I made all my mistakes it didn't feel so bad 'because it was from ebay'. If you do give it a try remember to share it with us on your blog, as I for one would love to see more about drop spindle spinning.
DeleteIt is a lovely skein of wool! It is always good to be a beginner because it means you are learning something new and pushing yourself out of your comfort zone. Practice makes perfect and you can only move up from here.
ReplyDeleteSo encouraging xox
DeleteI absolutely think the imperfectness of that skein is what makes it attractive. To me (and I don't even knit.... maybe one scarf every year if I'm lucky...) I want to knit it up RIGHT NOW. Are you going to hand dye it as well? I always see the most amazingly lovely hand dyed skeins on Etsy. My instant purchase reflex is twitching....
ReplyDeleteI know that reflex well :-) Thanks so much for your kind words. I am thinking about trying out hand dying, but not with these skeins. These first few I will keep aside. I will definitely give hand dying a try in the future though.
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