Fiber Arts Friday – First Hand Spun Yarn
My first hand spun yarn
At my latest spinning class (yes, I have needed several) my instructor suggested we get a lovely little basket, place the basket on the counter with our very first hand spun yarn in it. Display it where people would ask about it. Tell them that, yes, this was hand spun yarn. Your first, actually.
Other spinners have told me to be sure to save my first hand spun yarn. That I will look back on it later after I have become a fabulous spinner, and smile fondly at the first yarn with satisfaction for how far I’ve come.
These are such nice ideas, such wonderful sentiments. And the people who have suggested them are some of the most kind, talented, and generous people I know. But these suggestions just don’t work for me.
I’m sorry, but my first hand spun is ugly. Not charmingly uneven. Just plain butt-hair ugly. My mother would say, “It looks like a bad accident.” It looks like what the cat throws up. My first hand spun yarn (and my second) are way unusable and heinous. Now that I think about it, I think the second one is even worse than the first. I will never look upon them lovingly. Spinning has been a challenge for me. A Herculean task to learn it. I am not good at “stick-to-it-ness” but somehow I trudge on, trying to learn.
Along the way, the yarn that was made is full of swears, curse words, and frustration. I cannot give it a place of honor on the mantle, so what in the world to do with it? I mean, I hate to throw it away…
As I pondered this while unloading the dishwasher, a blip of inspiration zipped by me. There she was. The answer. My precious new kitten, Tabitha! As she ran past me, sliding around on the kitchen floor, gleefully batting a lego around, a light bulb went off over my head. Maybe SHE will like it. A kitten playing with a ball of yarn is as classic an icon as Coca-Cola.
I rolled it up into a ball, and gave it to kitty.
Kitty checks out the ball of alpaca yarn
She looked at it. She sniffed it. She may have pawed it once or twice.
"What else ya got?"
She did not like it either.
Any other ideas on what one can do with early hand spun yarns?
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December 4th, 2009 at 8:28 am
Oh all handspun is beautiful to me LOL. I’d use it as an accent, needle felted onto a purse, or wet felted in a design of some sort.
I blogged food instead of fiber today! Getting in the holiday spirit.
LazyTcrochet´s last blog ..Warm Winter Hat in Offwhite Almond Fleck
December 4th, 2009 at 8:59 am
So, before you can spin things as nicely as the yarn harlot does, you have to spin stuff that looks like that? LOL! I love the look the kitty is giving you! LOL! She is so less than impressed! I’d be curious what a little bit of it would like knitted up.
DawnK´s last blog ..Butterflies
December 4th, 2009 at 10:01 am
For what it’s worth, I spun mine much too tightly. You could knit with it–no problem–but it’s not terribly soft considering what went into it. Oh well, once the move is completed there’ll be time to do a lot more.
I love the story!
Kathleen´s last blog ..Alpacas and I in Utah
December 4th, 2009 at 10:06 am
What I did with my first spinning (using a drop spindle) was to dye it in natural dyes and weave it with a navaho loom. You would be amazed at what your yarn will do in a weaving. Warp was sturdy stuff so weft was any of my yarns, sometimes with other yarns and fibers added. There is NEVER a mistake in art.
December 4th, 2009 at 10:14 am
Oh man – my first yarn was kind of gross. I still have it, somewhere… but I’d prefer to not dig it out. It was just AWFUL. It was spindle spun and it’s just ugly. I did better on the spindle for a few times and then I broke down and bought a wheel. The wheel brought much happier yarn times
Erin´s last blog ..all I want for Christmas
December 4th, 2009 at 11:33 am
My first yarn became a potholder; an incredibly dense, bulletproof potholder.
Kitchen Sink Dyeworks´s last blog ..Julep Crochet Beret pattern
December 4th, 2009 at 11:34 am
i don’t have any idea where my first yarn is, but i remember telling my husband, “see that bit right there? and there? and there? *that’s yarn!* the rest of it? i have no idea what it is!”
if it were me, i’d put it in a baggie and then in the closet and then later, when you’re know what you’re doing, you can take it out and chop it up and card it in with some fiber to spin into a fantastic art yarn!
maya | springtree road´s last blog ..Spinning & spinning some more
December 4th, 2009 at 11:35 am
alternatively, you can just send it to me and i’ll chop it up and card it into an art yarn.
maya | springtree road´s last blog ..Spinning & spinning some more
December 4th, 2009 at 12:14 pm
LOL That sounds like something one of my cats would do. I can spend tons of money on a nice kitty bed, only to have them sniff it with disdain and stretch out on the cold, hard floor.
Bubblesknits´s last blog ..Fiber Arts Friday
December 4th, 2009 at 9:24 pm
Aww-don’t be so hard on yourself-you’ll be spinning beutiful yarns in no time-use your first attempts to tie on brown paper packages with raffia-it’ll look rugged and primitive and you can claim you planned it that way! Don’t give up-relax and have fun with it.
Happy spinning!!!
kathi´s last blog ..my own flock
December 5th, 2009 at 2:43 am
Hilarious! Hope this doesn’t scare my wife from trying herself
The cat pictures are priceless. Trust cats to be honest.
Rolf Barbakken/Knapper Alpakka´s last blog ..Bilder fra et besøk fra alpakkainteresserte
December 5th, 2009 at 8:49 am
I made my first hand spun into slipper socks. The extra bulk makes them extra warm
cara´s last blog ..Products
December 5th, 2009 at 12:06 pm
I think it’s beautiful. Mine looked very much like that.
I wish someone had told me to save it.
I used it in my very first weaving project which is equally as ugly… or beautiful.
Kathryn | Alpacamundo´s last blog ..Fiber Arts Friday – Black Friday Edition
December 5th, 2009 at 8:52 pm
I’m not LOL, but I sure am grinning.
What to do with your first yarn? Stuff a teddy bear with it! Sew or knit a bear of the right size and use your first yarn as stuffing. Waste not what not. Ok, so now I am LOL. Love you, Mac
Mac McFatter´s last blog ..MORE ABOUT TEDDY KENNEDY
December 5th, 2009 at 8:54 pm
I’m not LOL, but I sure am grinning.
What to do with your first yarn? Stuff a teddy bear with it! Sew or knit a bear of the right size and use your first yarn as stuffing. Waste not want not. Ok, so now I am LOL. Love you, Mac
Mac McFatter´s last blog ..MORE ABOUT TEDDY KENNEDY
December 7th, 2009 at 9:08 am
I think Maya and Lazy T Crochet have the right idea – save it and repurpose it into something awesome.
If you’re having some troubles with alpaca, you might want to try spinning something that is a little more beginner-friendly, like BFL or Corridale. Those fibers have a little more “grip” to them, making them a little easier to spin.
Kate´s last blog ..I’m dreaming of a handmade Christmas…
December 17th, 2009 at 5:57 pm
Why not knit or crochet it into something and then felt it? Like a scarf or potholder?