'Spinning with a purpose' a talk by Katie Weston of hilltop cloud
Who says you can't teach an old dog new tricks? How many of us are in the habit of sitting down at our spinning wheels (or spindles), spinning up some beautiful fleece or eye-catching dyed tops, then saying to ourselves, "Now what shall I make with this?"? I know I am and whilst there is nothing wrong with spinning for the pleasure of it, there is great satisfaction to be gained from spinning a specific type of yarn for a specific project. To do this requires a certain amount of planning and the application of a bit of theory. Katie Weston's talk on Saturday 6th March provided us with just the right amount of theory, clearly delivered and helpfully illustrated with a combination of diagrams and video clips. She talked us through the five elements of spinning that can be changed - number of plys, type of fibre, draft method, yarn thickness and level of twist. As she did so, she explained which kind of projects were best served by which variations of these elements. As well as offering us lots of practical tips along the way, she also pointed us in the direction of other resources that might further our knowledge of specific techniques.
Although the talk was primarily targeted at spinners, even non-spinners gained useful information about choosing the correct kind of yarn for specific projects. As for us spinners, we can't wait for our next meeting on 3rd April when Katie will be leading us in an online workshop 'Spinning thick and thin'.