Saturday, December 20, 2008

Pyarn

I promised last week that I would post the results of my first attempt at drop spinning. It causes me some pain to follow through with that, but I'm a woman of my word and so here it is:



I call this pyarn. You know, like "pleather." From a distance and perhaps to non-yarn-lover eyes, one might think this is yarn. On closer inspection, it is clearly just a sad substitute for yarn. It is pyarn (pronounced with a hard p).

The links and tips about park and draft really did help a great deal. At least I was able to come up with something! And in the process, for an occasional split second here or there, I got a bit of a sense of how it's supposed to work. For a few fleeting moments while creating this monstros ... I mean this pyarn, it felt right. The fiber briefly moved smoothly through the drafting process. The spindle turned and the twist traveled up the fiber in a way that felt right. Those moments were quite fleeting, but I got a tiny taste of how it is perhaps supposed to work.

Many of you recommended spending ten minutes or so a day practicing and that makes sense in theory. The thing is, I find this to be more of a messy business that I anticipated. I need to change into "spindle clothes" (that is, clothing that I am prepared to have covered in bits of fiber) and the vacuum must come out after my little endeavor or I'll be dealing with flying bits of fiber everywhere. None of that will deter me from continuing to work on learning this, but it will likely be in longer sessions spread out over time when I can squeeze it in. Of course, that may make it harder to develop the feel and rhythm for it, but that's alright. I never imagined becoming a spinner. Just thought it would be fun to give it a go.

In the meantime, there's also some knitting going on here. I finished the front, back and sleeves of the sweater I've got on the sticks. All that remains is a broad neckband that travels the length of the V-neck and around the back. It's done in an allover cabled fabric, so it's going to take some time, but I have another project that's taking priority. I know that goes against my one-project-at-a-time rule, but this new project is not just for me. It has a purpose and a timeline. Something very special is coming. But you will have to be patient and wait a bit longer to hear about that. More info will be coming soon.

Great weekend to all!

5 comments:

Micki said...

It looks like a pretty darn good first yarn to me! :)

Lynne E. said...

Heck, yours is a LOT better than my spindle-spun yarn! And it's as good as anything I've managed with a wheel, which is far easier to spin with.

knitspot anne said...

oh wow, now i am totally intrigued!
and the yarn looks great .. it really does. it looks 1000 times better than my first yarn, which didn't even deserve the name pyarn.

Meg said...

I think for a first attempt that looks pretty good. What are you spinning though? It sounds like you might need something with a longer staple ... you and the house shouldn't be covered in bits everytime you practice. I could send you some Border Leicester if you would like ... it is a great beginners fiber. Long in staple and it wants to be yarn. Just let me know.

TessM said...

PYARN! you crack me up!
I should show you the first yarn I ever "spun". I used a shepherd's hook, which allows you to go slower and have a bit more control -- in theory.
In reality, the swatch that I knitted from it has sections of superbulky, laceweight, and everything in between.
I keep it as a reminder of why I don't think I need to pursue going down that particular rabbit hole. :)

Have a great holiday!