First Spinning Wheel Project

It was inevitable that sooner or later I would start spinning yarn. The idea has been brewing for years, and in 2009 I briefly tried spinning some yarn on a spindle. Then I accidentally stumbled upon a new Finnish book about spinning while browsing the craft section at a book store, Kehrääjän käsikirja by Tuulia Salmela. That was the final push I needed. I dug up my spindles and bought some fiber.

I meant to keep practicing on the spindle a bit longer, but then the spinning wheel I ordered arrived faster than expected, and of course I couldn't not try using it. I did not have a chance to try out different wheels to see which one I'd like the best, but I knew it should be a model that's easily moved and stored, because I don't have the space for a dedicated spinning area in my apartment. The Ashford Joy 2 was available via a Finnish online shop, so I quickly decided on that. I picked it up from the post office on Friday and set it up right away.

While my first spinning project didn't turn out exactly as I visioned, the problem was mostly with my inexperience and not with the wheel. I found the wheel easy to set up and work with. I just wasn't sure which spinning ratio to go with, since I had no experience on how all the factors would affect the outcome. I was aiming for a worsted spun yarn, but my technique wasn't exactly polished at that point. My inexperience also shows in how uneven the yarn turned out, but I suppose that's to be expected from a first spinning project. My second project that I'm now in the middle of is turning out a lot more even, and more the thickness I intended.

So, there is now going to be a fiber stash in addition to the yarn stash, which is already getting to the point I can't store it in a way it's not obvious I have a problem. My current fiber stash is a moderate one week's supply, but I have a feeling it's going to grow exponentially from here.

The spinning project on Ravelry