I believe I mentioned in April or May that I had bought a spindle and was (struggling) to learn how to spin, yes?  Like pretty much everything else I was doing this summer, the subject wasn’t really mentioned here again. But there’s been developments. Oh yes, there’s been developments.

That, my friends, is my new Ashford Kiwi spinning wheel. (And please pay no mind to the footprints I’ve already made on the pedals. It’s one of the bad things about always being barefoot.) While I was in the deepest trenches of the sucky portion of this summer, I broke down and bought it. I wanted to spin, but every time I picked up the spindle it was just horrible and awkward for me, and no fun at all. Plus, I was admittedly a bit cranky that most everyone I knew was busy traveling around the world, while I was stuck at home watching The People’s Court and looking at grad schools. So I took a risk and plopped down 300 bucks on the chance that spinning with a wheel would be both easier and more enjoyable for me.

Happily, it immediately was.

I sped through my first yarn, not really paying any attention to technique or thickness variation or twist; I was just too excited to be bothered by the details. I ended up with roughly 80 yards of severely thick-and-thin yarn (we’re talking about super bulky suddenly becoming lace weight, here)–horrifyingly overtwisted, barely usable single-ply yarn.

I’m still proud.

But with my second bunch of roving, I was much more careful. This time, I worked on slowing down and perfecting my technique a bit more. My goal was (and still is, seeing as how I haven’t finished it) a 2-ply fingering weight, hopefully enough to make a pair of socks. I’m nearly done with the first singles, and I have to say that I’m impressed with how quickly I’ve improved (if you ignore the bad lighting):

I took this picture a couple weeks ago, so there’s much more on the bobbin now, and my spinning has become more even, even since then!

I’m loving my new hobby, and I can’t wait until I get to ply my first yarn. So there we have it: the first part of my catch-up series.

Next up: some truly epic stash acquisition porn. Quite possibly the most that’s ever been legally broadcast on a blog before.