Just a Short Break

Well, in the grand scheme of things what is 6 years between blog posts?
Right!

It's time to dip my toes in again & the fact that I have started spinning is reason enough.

I did think about starting to blog about my knitting adventures on this side of the ditch - but there are enough new experts on the subject to sink a ship.

It often feels as if these days all you need is  the ability to watch you-tube, a little bit of knowledge coupled with a sense of self-importance & you can sell yourself as the Yoda of all things knitting & yarn-related.

No one needs an old fashioned "45 years+ of trial, error & figuring things out for myself" type of experience chiming in. Believe me, when one does - no one listens. Even if they have specifically asked for your help or opinion.

But back to spinning.

I've discovered that spinners are awesome, helpful souls that are happy to offer gentle guidance & encouragement. The ones I have encountered are down-to-earth, pragmatic women with none of the clicky elitism that seems to surround the fibres, tools & branding of knitting these days.

This brings me to my point - kinda...sorta.

Not long after I started on this spinning journey a long-time knitter, who used to spin said to me

"all knitters should learn to spin -  it teaches so much about fibre characteristics & yarn construction".

Even as a newbie spinner I couldn't agree more.

Now I understand why woollen yarns containing silk seem to always be a looser spin & feel slightly thinner than the equivalent weight in wool alone - something that irritated me if I wanted to mix yarns in a project. I also understand why merino is probably the worst type of wool to use in a lace shawl that you would like to keep its blocked shape in order to show off the lace.

I'm looking forward to many more "aha" moments on this spinning journey - to reinforcing what 45 years+ of working with the various fibres has taught me &, most of all, to learning new things.