This is my first entry into what I intend to make a log of my experiments, successes (may they be many!) and failures (god grant me few) in the areas of spinning, dyeing, sewing, weaving, garb-making, knitting, and whatever other realms of the various textile and fiber arts I may happen to venture into. (Naalbinding? Who knows?) It is my hope that this will eventually grow into a useful archive of practical information and good advice. For now, it's simply the nascent gropings of a semi-novice into a largely unknown world. (Nice going, Mojo...are you trying to say you're a beginner?)

"But wait," you may be saying to yourself, "did she say 'garb-making'?" Indeed I did, my padawan, and this is why: I'm part of a little thing called the SCA. The SCA is an organization that attempts to recreate Medieval life for the enjoyment and edification of all. A lot of my artisanal efforts are related to the SCA, and thus you may occasionally find me commenting on whether certain techniques and materials are "period" or "authentic". All that aside, however, the more mundane craftsperson may enjoy my musings as well.

Oh dear, this hasn't turned into a bit of a vanity rant already, has it? Well, no matter--the hour grows late, and I think I may be overly enthused about this whole Blog concept. Surely my audience will permit me a little gleeful hand-rubbing.

So, my next task will be to relate to you my experiences so far...and although I am a near beginner, a tyro with little experience who has not done very many things, I do have quite a bit of telling to do, and it will take a long time to write and there will be a lot of it for you to read over many minutes, which will not pass rapidly because there are so many of them going by, while you read the things which I have written of which there will be quite a bit.

Erm. Where was I?

Right! Signing off--

Mojo Jenny Jo #

      ( 2:27 PM )  
Part I: The Beginning: Hand Spinning, Drop Spindles

Here it is, my second entry, and my first attempt at telling the long back-story of my crafty adventures.

It all began when I was attending UC Berkeley, or, for SCA purposes, The College of Sante Katherine. I had heard a little bit about handspinning and had seen it done a bit within the SCA, and one day, when I had run out of garb projects and coudln't think of anything new for my website and usenet traffic was low, I decided to check out a local shop called Straw into Gold. This shop has since closed its retail location, and has moved to Richmond as a wholesaler called Crystal Palace Yarns. This is a great shame in my book, as it was the only retail shop for spinning supplies that I have ever been able to find in this state. All that aside--it was a great place! All kinds of fibers, spinning wheels, yarns, books, looms...I picked out an Ashford drop spindle, a bag of roving, and a little booklet on handspinning. Thus equipped, I was all ready to sit down in my Stuart St. appartment and start spinning.

I would love to tell you all about the little booklet I got, but I have since lost it and thus can't remember what it was called or who wrote it. It had basic instructions for using a drop spindle, as well as some information on the form and use of hand spindles through time. I will update this entry if I ever find it again, but meanwhile I must get back to my story. I sat down, as I said, in my living room, with spindle, roving, and booklet in hand. I began to spin.

Well, all right, this is not exactly correct. I began trying to spin. The first several hours with my spindle were some of the most frustrating I have ever spent. The fibers wouldn't pull consistently from my hand, the spindle always seemed to be going too fast or too slow or too backward, and from about two ounces of black roving I produced perhaps ten yards of lumpy, ropey, uneven and mis-twisted yarn. I have kept this sad tangle with my spinning things ever since, and whenever I get frustrated I can look at it to remind myself how far I have come. I also produced a nice little pile of semi-twisted tufts and knotted knobs of wool, which I have since re-carded and spun into something resembling a useable yarn. So, lesson one for a beginning spinner: save your mistakes! No matter how much you abuse your fibers, they can still be used, even if it's only for stuffing or felt or greeting cards or something.

Although my initial attempts were very discouraging, I was not entirely without hope. My yarn may have been ugly, but I was beginning to see how the spindle could create something beautiful. I moved on to more fiber, and, through perseverance and strict control of my temper, I eventually (over the course of days) managed to produce a reasonable amount of fairly soft and even yarn. I also surprised myself by remembering how to knit (sort of), and at last produced my first finished project: a hand-spun scarf, of which you may here see an image, with my fingers for scale:

And here's one of me wearing it:

It is a delightfully soft and chunky scarf--one could, however, wish for a bit more length.

This seems a reasonable place to conclude this entry...next time, I will write in more detail about drop spindles, their form, history, and use.

--Jenny Jo #