Tour de Fleece Day 8
After finally getting the knack of the long draw method (after a year of trying), I was bound to have a few slow, frustrating days. You have less control over the fibre than with worsted spinning. Every time I draw it feels like a leap of faith that the yarn won't fall apart, and often it does.
Twice I have had the end vanish hopelessly into the yarn on the spindle. Once in the attempt to find it, I broke the yarn in the wrong place. Danny and I spent half an hour winding half the yarn onto another spindle to find the other end and repair it.
Spinning can be wonderfully relaxing, but when something goes badly wrong it is the most nerve-wracking hobby in the world.
During the week while taking our courses we did not have a lot of extra time and energy for the Tour de Fleece. This afternoon I finally dug into it for an hour or more, got a lot more practice, and finally made some progress.
With this method there is something enigmatic about the way the woolen thread evens out on its own. You do less handling, more watching. It is almost magical.