Yarn Spinning: My Newest Hobby?

A few months ago, I met a girl at one of my knitting groups who brought in the yarn she had recently spun on a spinning wheel. It was BEAUTIFUL. I didn't even know you could spin your own yarn! I had heard of people dyeing their own yarn but never actually spinning it from fiber. Then and there, I resolved to one day do the same thing. So when my LYS (Local Yarn Store) advertised a yarn spinning class, I signed right up.

Now, here's the thing, as those of you who know me, I'm a bit of a perfectionist and it's very hard for me to be creative since I constantly need things to be perfect. I have a hard time being patient enough to cultivate a certain skill needed for a particular craft. I want to learn it and be able to do it well ASAP! I figured because of this, I would become impatient and frustrated very quickly and early on in the yarn spinning spinning class and sure enough, I was right.

First of all, the class was for Drop Spindle Yarn Spinning. This means we'd be using a drop spindle, not a wheel. Already, this makes a huge difference in the look of the finished product. Don't get me wrong, I thoroughly enjoyed the class. I was very intrigued with the idea of going full circle with a knitting project. The concept of spinning my own yarn from fiber and then knitting it up into something wearable/usable really excited me. The teacher was very knowledgeable and more importantly, passionate about this craft. She taught us a few different methods of how to spin the yarn and then how to ply it together. But of course, I was not happy with my efforts and with the resulting yarn. I quickly surmised it would take a lot of persistence and dedication to get this method down. Not that I'm not capable. I'm just not feeling the passion and desire to dedicate the time to the whole process. I'm currently obsessed with knitting and crocheting using beautiful yarn that has already been spun to look and feel amazing. In the end, I decided I don't need another expensive hobby. At the moment I'd rather spend my money on gorgeous yarn. And so, I've decided to put this hobby on the back burner for the moment. But one day I know I will get the bug to spin my own yarn again. So stay tuned...