Simple Spindles

There is going to be a spindle exhange entitled "What I did on my Summer Vacation" in the Spindler's Yahoo List which has me intrigued. Even if I opt not to join it because I'm already booked beyond sanity with other obligations in my life; it did give me ideas for options so I can fill in that last pesky workshop slot at the Hoot-n-Any.

I will be teaching a class on spinning from a Pagan perspective (magickal aspects of spinning and Goddesses of spinning) at the Hoot. I will remind them that part of the reason we have been called to be Wise Ones and have the skills we have is because we are obligated to give back. Once lots of yarn has been made it should be used and at least one of every three things you make should be given to someone in need. Now that could be a family member who needs a warm pair of socks. It could be soldier who needs a warm pair of socks. It could be a child in China or Afghanistan who needs a warm hat or vest.

I'm going to get going and see if I can do some recruiting for the Socks for Soldier's by intriguing people with spinning first.

For some reason folks who say things like: "I can't knit. Knitting is boring." are drawn like chalk dust to a black wool suit to Spinning. If I am sitting in public somewhere with my little spindle, I always have lots of people walking by and gawking (which is sort of weird but kind of fun, too). Several will ask about what I'm doing and finally, I'd say 1 in 20 will stop, plop down next to me and say, "Oh" (with one of those voices filled with awe) I've always wanted to learn how to do that. Is it hard? How long have you been spinning?"

When I tell them how easy it is and that I've only been spindling since Memorial Day Weekend I can see their hands start twitching. I understand. I've been there too. I reach into my bag and pull out (Ta Da!) a second spindle. This is the larger, heavier one and it spins a heavier yarn, but within a few minutes I can have these folks rocking along. They want to know where they can buy one and get the roving. I direct them to the internet. I tell them it's cheaper to make your own yarn from roving than it is to buy yarn already made (by more than half in most cases).

For some reason they never say, "oh, I don't need yarn" even if they don't knit or crochet. I just know that once they get to spinning a lot, they will look around and wonder what to do about all that yarn. Well, eventually they will have quite a stash and they will either weave it, crochet with it or learn to knit. Knitting seems to be more in vogue these days than crochet (although crochet, I think, is easier to learn) but crochet uses three times as much yarn for a project as knitting ... so knitting is more economical. Weaving has it's pluses and can be a lot of fun but it can lead to some very expensive purchases and can take up a lot of room and unless you are limiting yourself to the very little, portable looms; really isn't very portable. It makes sense that a new spinner could easily turn into a new knitter.

But what better way to really get someone hooked is to let them "borrow" my "extra spindle" and hand them a fist full of roving and say, "Don't worry, just keep it. Keep practising and order more off the internet when you are ready", then walk away.

So, I'm going to go to Michael's today with the boys and look for some wooden toy wheel type things in the section where they have wooden boxes for painting and such and find some wooden dowels in the same section and buy a nice tube of wood glue and locate some brass hooks or wire and then I'm going to come home and put my husband to work making give-away spindles. I'm thinking 10 is a good number to start with.

Then I'm going to order another pound of roving...