A spinning post

Its been a long time hasn't it. Its almost as though, now that I actually own the wheel, I don't feel compelled to spin as much. The year that I leased the wheel from RGB I was a spinning fiend. I felt that I had a year to spin the yarn that I wanted and that I had better get in as much spinning as I could. Now that the wheel is mine (I should name her don't you think?) I'm of the opinion that I can put off spinning until the mood strikes me.

Well, the mood has struck. When we were in Montreal, I purchased Amy Kings new book 'Spin Control'. This book is all about taking control of your spinning and spin using different techniques and tensions to get the yarn you want, instead of just letting the yarns happen. Up until now, I've been letting the yarns happen. I've gotten comfortable with my technique of predrafting and short forward draw. All my yarns essentially were turning out the same, unless I plied them differently. They were almost all 2 ply, almost all sport weight. Here is my most recent example of my standard handspun.















Its pretty mind you, but basically just like every other yarn that I've spun. (Except for those bulky thick and thins in the beginning, that I couldn't repeat now to save my life)

Until now. I think that I've finally grasped the backwards long draw technique. I'm super happy about this as it is so fun to do and you end up with a bulkier, loftier yarn. I came across a bump of roving that I deemed destined to become a bulky single and set about following Amy's advice and practised until the technique started working for me.

Amy recommends finishing a bulky single by shocking it a bit to felt the fibre a little. It helps the lofty single hold together better. In my inifinite wisdom, the roving that I'm using is superwash merino, so there will be no felting it. But, I guess the point is all about practising. Here is what it looks like so far. It is an absolute joy to spin this way. Totally relaxing too.