May 22, 2007

What I did this past weekend...

I learned to SPIN people! Can you believe it?! I should say, more accurately, that I attempted to spin! But all around it was a great time. I basically moved in with Mary-Kay for the weekend and she imparted her wisdom on me. The wisdom is vast people, seriously! She knows alot about spinning, and fiber, and whorls, and drafts and many other fibery words that I can't remember at the moment. Mary-Kay had invited Tiffany and Michelle over for dinner on Saturday night, so the spinning lessons didn't get started until after they had left. Well...that might not have been the best idea. Learning to spin for the very first time, after a big dinner and 2 Cape Cods? Not my best moment ever.

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Needless to say, the lessons really started the next morning. After trying and trying the night before, I finally had my "ah-ha" moment. Saying that Mary-Kay was excited is an understatement. I was making yarn. How crazy is that? I'm using the word "yarn" loosely...I'm sure that I have to do something to this "yarn" before I can knit with it but I haven't gotten that far yet.

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We enjoyed the beautiful Colorado sunshine and knit and spun on the back deck. Here is where Mary-Kay started showing off her mad skillz. She's spinning...wait for it...over the side of the deck! Show-off!

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I needed a little confidence booster after spinning, so I gave Mary-Kay a little lesson in Intarsia. This was one of the most fun weekends I've had in a long time...thanks so much for opening up your home to me Mary-Kay!

Tomorrow I'm leaving with my sister and her family to drive to Kansas City for a visit with my friend RayLynn. If anyone wants to get together and knit...email me at my gmail account: sheepinthecity AT gmail DOT com. I'm open to knitting and/or yarn crawling on Friday, Sunday, or Monday. I'll definitely be hitting The Studio and The Yarn Shop & More...so come and join me! Are there any other knit shops that I should go to. I've heard of one called Urban Arts & Crafts, and I may try to check that out too. I need to get to packing, but I will be blogging from the road.

Posted by Stacey at May 22, 2007 06:35 PM
Comments

Sounds like you had a blast! I'll look forward to seeing update photos of yarn you've spun.

Posted by: vknits at May 22, 2007 07:47 PM

Looks like you had a good time. Wishing you a safe journey to Kansas City. Have fun!

Posted by: julie at May 22, 2007 08:38 PM

Oh, I didn't know you were going out of town. Say hi to RayLynn for me. Hope you all have a great time! The spinning weekend (away from home) sounded great.

Posted by: Wanda at May 22, 2007 09:34 PM

I'm glad you had a fun weekend spinning! Can't wait to see pictures of your "yarn"! Have a great time in Kansas City :)

Posted by: Terrie at May 22, 2007 09:43 PM

Be very very careful with the whole spinning thing! After years of swearing I would never spin because there are plenty of people out there making perfectly fine yarn, I bought a wheel in a moment of insanity 3 weeks ago (on a mission to buy a spindle). Now I am obsessed, have a stash of roving, and am about to drag the wheel AND roving all the way to New Orleans for the summer. Be very careful. very. careful.

Posted by: Anna at May 23, 2007 06:51 AM

Just an FYI, Urban Arts & Crafts is way up north. By the airport, I think.

There's a store called Cottage Fiber that you might want to check out since you've started spinning. They sell fiber for spinning, wheels, spindles, looms, handspun and hand-dyed yarn and the teensiest selection of commercial yarn. The owner is really nice and very helpful.

http://www.cottagefiber.com

Posted by: Christy at May 23, 2007 07:15 AM

There is one in Olathe called Knit Wit and they are always having mad sales! I once bought two balls of Nashua on sale and when I realized I needed another ball, they dug one out for me and mailed it to me for the sale price! Wish I lived closer...

Posted by: Kate at May 23, 2007 08:10 AM

Have fun on your trip!

Posted by: Kim at May 23, 2007 10:26 AM

Ah, spinning. I'm still trying to figure it out, but it's loads of fun. You'll be producing incredible yarn before you know it, I can already tell your first attempts are so much more even than mine!

Posted by: Batty at May 23, 2007 06:29 PM

Oh for friends that teach you great new skills - sounds like you had a great time. And those Cape Cods - yowser!

Posted by: Asaknitter at May 24, 2007 06:28 PM