A new obsession....

 As many of my clients know, I have a slight (ahem!) obsession with wool and knitting. I have loved everything about wool from a very young age, and have always sought out quality woolen textiles. I did learn to knit aged eight, but then forgot about it until my 30s when I was inspired to take up the needles again by younger friends who took their knitting to the climbing crag and on camping trips. One thing led to another, I became obsessed with learning about sheep breeds and sourcing wool from small, sustainable non-intensive UK farms and began to fill every moment of spare time with knitting or reading about knitting and all things wool related. From there it was a small step to spinning on a spindle, and then this happened:

Wheel on the day of arrival (excuse the mess!)

My lovely sister-in-law and her mother loaned me a spinning wheel! I am now practicing on it every day.....

My first spinning effort

.....and of course this has opened up another delicious world of spinning techniques, raw wool, combing and carding.....

On a professional note, I am going to have to watch out for my back and hamstrings. As a beginner I tend to tense up with concentration which tightens up my muscles; experienced spinners recommend learning to relax as you want to be able to sustain the momentum for hours(!) Also, as with driving, there is a tendency for the leg that is doing the work to tighten up through the hamstring, just as drivers often notice happens when they are having to change gear and speed frequently. I am working out how to become more relaxed and will report back once I have found a solution...