Winding fibres to wind down...

I have been knitting and crocheting for over 20 years now (and that’s more than half my life) most times with yarn from the big producers. But I have always been drawn to natural materials, wool and cotton especially.
However recently, I have had the need to work with the most natural materials, hand dyed if possible, or not dyed at all. And so I have been toying with the idea of dying and spinning my own yarn.

Not sure how it is going to balance my excitement and patience... I generally love easy quick projects that I can get done in a couple of weeks at most, but a couple of hours preferably.

When I went to the New Forest Country Show a couple of weeks ago, the ladies at the weavers and spinners guild were super nice and I had the chance to have a quick one to one lesson on spinning. Next thing I know I had already ordered some fibres and a drop spindle to give it a go.

I am absolutely loving the process, I find it the most relaxing and meditative craft I have yet tried.
I just simply wind down... So I find myself working super slowly, parking the spindle as I go, enjoying the process and not really caring about the end result. This is so not me, and I love it.

And that's why I find it so surprising that I am winding up yarn to wind down... to relax. I am meditating through the fibres, the twisting motion, feeling the twist in my fingers and letting it go up the fibres to create yarn. It also smells so good! like being transported back to the countryside and a lovely British hill in the sun!

And I bought more fibres that I will be able to spin in my tiny drop spindle, but hey ho, I am learning a new lovely craft and hopefully, eventually, one day, make something beautiful to wear that will remind me of the amazing transformative process of the yarn.

My love today to all the makers out there, that create, transform and fill the world with beautiful things, one spin at a time!