Quite some time ago, Kylie Gusset, amazing dyer and originator of the fabulous Tonne of Wool project had a sale of some of her last optim fibres. It was a lucky dip arrangement in which I did not choose the colours.
In my recent period of being unwell, I found myself spinning down through the stash of rovings I still have–I just wasn’t up to fibre preparation. One day I discovered the optim, which I had completely forgotten–and I believe there was some Ms Gusset merino in with it. Why have I kept them for years without spinning them? I think I might have been saving them until I became a better spinner. I am not sure what this view of myself and my capacities is all about, but it’s time to give it as little rope as possible, because my spinning is fine. Even when it’s less than exquisite, it’s still fine… and will only get better through practice in any event. I have listened to women at my Guild who still think they don’t spin well enough after fifty years of spinning. It seems so obvious that this makes no sense at all, when I listen to them (and I have of course seen their spinning)!
Once I got started, I just kept going… and pretty soon I had a lot of bobbins…
And then, a whole lot of skeins. And they look fine to me!
Local & Bespoke 