Spinning with Celia

I spent last weekend in spinning workshops with Celia Quinn.  I have only had one spinning teacher so it was great to get another perspective.  Celia is a great teacher.  She is easy going and good at explaining and demonstrating technique.  I strongly recommend taking a class with her if you get the opportunity.  The picture to the left is Celia explaining how a double drive wheel works on my Schacht Matchless DT.  My apologies, the picture is awful.  I have a natural ability for taking terrible pictures of people. 

The Saturday class was "Good Solid Basics".  She discussed parts of the spinning wheel and how to adjust it for differing conditions (depending on the fiber, the type of yarn you want to make, and how fine you want to spin), types of spinning wheels, fiber preparation methods, and basic spinning techniques.  I finally got a clue about what Scotch tension is (and my wheel can do it so I'll have to play with that).  It was also nice to see hand carding and combing demonstrated again.  I was reminded of how wonderful freshly combed fiber is and how much I like to spin over the fold.

The Sunday class was "Spinning to Specification".  She talked about how to create a consistent yarn that meets your expectations.  This is so useful because it is very easy to zone out while you are spinning and end up with singles that vary from one end of the bobbin to the other.  We learned how to make a balanced yarn at varying amounts of twist, how to spin finer or thicker than our comfort zone, and how to make yarn to match an existing project.  She also demonstrated how to make strong joins; strong enough that you can use it in singles warp for weaving.  I have only touched on the topics she covered, it was a jam-packed day.

I finally was able to spin cotton without swearing.  And, I relearned how luscious cashmere is to spin.  When I saw the fiber she had for sale, I could not resist.  I came home with 2 oz of gorgeous cashmere/tussah silk (50/50) dyed by Nancy Finn of Chasing Rainbows.  This picture is the best one I took but it doesn't do the fiber justice.  It is mostly forest green with dark teal, navy, and purple.  Dreamy and deliciously soft.

Comments

[AuntieAnn]

Sounds like fun!

[Marcy]

Isn't it something how much you can learn in a short time for a really good teacher? And Celia is one of them. Lucky you!

[LaurieM]

whoooo.... sounds like you had fun. You're spinning is amazing and yet you speak with pleasure about learning more on the basics. I hope to learn a bit of that attitude during the Masters course, because I tend to get impatient with the basics and then rush things.

[Marcia]

Fortunately for me, Celia was the first spinning teacher I ever had..I stumbled on a class she gave at Rhinebeck, not having a clue then who she was! Her "join" is what I use now for nearly every situation: foolproof! You are so lucky to have had this experience!

[beth]

You know, your wheel can also be bobbin drive if you want. It's a fab wheel and worth every penny.
wwww.thespinningloft.com

[jackie]

You are so lucky! What a wonderful workshop. I know that I have a lot to learn about spinning and it sounds like she can cover them all!

[jackie]

You are so lucky! What a wonderful workshop. I know that I have a lot to learn about spinning and it sounds like she can cover them all!

[DonnaC]

Very organized! Can you come over and organize my house? I love the Snap feature. Have been meaning to check that out for my own blog. I'm so bad at labeling, need to be better with that. It can come in so handy. My only "criticism" is the size of the typeface, otherwise, excellent!

[Laurie]

Do you plan on spinning the cashmere/tussah with longdraw?

I LOVE Nancy Finn's colors.