Here in the UK we have ‘Mothering Sunday’ on the third Sunday in Lent, so it changes every year.  However, as my eldest daughter lives in the Netherlands where in keeping with the rest of the world it was Mother’s Day last Sunday, I am in the lucky position to have two mothers days when I can be spoiled and/or receive presents.  A book arrived on Saturday called ‘Respect the Spindle’ by Abby Franquemont. This is a very comprehensive book that gives you much more than the basics of ‘how to spin using a spindle’. She includes the physics of producing yarn from raw fibre and the techniques that are needed to obtain some consistency and skill. Being one to always read up on something first I have spent the last couple of days going through it.  On Monday a spinning kit arrived, complete with spindle and 250g of varied undyed (yay) fibre waiting to be turned into yarn. 

So last night I made a start.  I don’t think I did all the techniques correctly but I did end up with some yarn on the spindle.  It might be a bit off putting that the author learned to spin as a child in the Andes and any skill or dexterity are likely to take months if not years to develop, but I’m optimistic if nothing else. I really like the rhythm and automatic movements that knitting involves and I am hoping that in time this will be part of spinning too.  So I won’t say watch this space – well not for a while, but I do have plans for any yarn produced.  A bit of forward thinking and optimism isn’t a bad thing in these times.